Building a HISTORY in the States

These tips and tricks are entirely based on the advice of a VERY wise senior. When you first come to the States for residency, you will need a couple of things to setup.

SIM CARD
Firstly a mobile number. Given that a good number of residents come from outside the States, having a network which gives you free calling to your home country is a BONUS. That's where UltraMobile comes into place. I know in my previous post I said H2O is good, but trust me when I say that UltraMobile is the real deal. For 30$ per month, you get unlimited calls to India with 1GB of 4G data, which is PRETTY IMPRESSIVE! It also has an option of getting nano sim, so in case you decide to upgrade your phone, which many of you will do, it has got your back covered! :) You can get the initial sim on Ebay for 10 bucks which gives you the first month for FREE!
It is totally up to you on how risky you want to be. If you want to buy it directly from UltraMobile, here is your link

BANK ACCOUNT
Next is for earning cash back when you open a bank account. Generally find the bank which your institute has a tie up with. Go to their site and check for any promos that they are running. They might have an offer that should you open an account with their bank you will get a bonus of $ XYZ for signing up!!! which is PRETTY AWESOME!
P.S.- I used Keybank and got 1/3 of a $1000 :P

CREDIT CARD
The last trick that again, my senior taught me, was regarding getting a credit card. Most of the USA banks DO NOT give you a credit card UNLESS you have a credit history. However, Discover does give you one with no credit history with a credit line of $1500 which is PRETTY COOL! So in case you are still hunting around for a credit card do head out to Discover and check it out. You can shoot me an email @ neilnf@gmail.com if you want a referral, following which you and I get a referral bonus for $50 each.

That's it, folks!

UPDATE: Just FYI for the bank you need a direct deposit to get the bonus. For both SSN is needed. For the credit card you need address proof as well.


If you do have any other tricks, please do let me know. After all we are here to help each other! :)

Personal Statement Tips

Firstly, ignore the grammatical errors in the post, was a bit tired! :P

Now to begin, a good number of individuals have asked for tips on how to write a Personal Statement for the Match. There are a million results that pop up when you google search personal statement & your specialty.  

Tips for writing PS

• http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/member-groups-sections/minority-affairs-section/transitioning-residency/writing-your-personal-statement.page?
• http://www.med.unc.edu/ome/studentaffairs/residency-and-the-match/residency-application-process/cv-personal-statements
• http://www.cmu.edu/hpp/apply-to-schools/personal-statements/tips.html
• http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/personalstatement/
• http://www.accepted.com/medical/residencyessays.aspx

These are a few sites which give you sample personal statements

• http://www.medfools.com/personalstatements/
• http://www.usmleweb.com/showarticleef.html

It is hard to create one, that is for sure, but you must attempt to make one at least. Firstly just read a couple to know what a personal statement should have. Keep reading online PS's till you get that one which strikes you that your life was shaped like that one. 

Once you have created your personal statement, keep reading and re-reading it. Send it to your OLDER siblings or friends to proof-read it. Once this phase is done and ALL GRAMMATICAL ERRORS are corrected send it to your seniors to check if they are impressed by it. For heaven's sake DO NOT THINK THAT THEY ARE JOBLESSLY sitting around just to read your PS. They have a lot of other commitments. If they do give you a feedback well and good, if not still thank them for going through, since they have taken time from their busy schedule to actually read it.

Lastly, before FINALLY uploading it on ERAS, do check it for Plagiarism. You really do not want to use a completely copied PS from the web. It there is NO originality in the PS, you can be rest assured it will be discarded by the PD. Try to have 80 or higher original content

These are a few sites that help you in the plagiarism area

• http://smallseotools.com/plagiarism-checker/
• http://www.plagtracker.com/

A reader even suggested the following link https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/best-plagiarism-checking-tools/  with their review as follows 'What I like the most about the article is their honesty and objectiveness when choosing/ranking the best and more accurate plagiarism check tools available out there, in addition, they suggested a few free tools, so it’s great for someone who would want to try it'

Finally, this is how I structured my PS

1. An opening line by one of my profs or an online quote which hit me hard and caused me to think.
2. An event which caused me to like the field (in my case pediatrics)
3. Why this field, I mean to say what is so special about it and what I have done to show my interest in the field
4. Steps I have taken to be prepared for residency in the States
5. My strengths and why the program should choose me
6. Summary- Which has the HIGHLIGHTS of the PS

Drivers License in the states PART 2

Read the previous test for documents needed for the knowledge (written) test.

Once you pass the driving test you will have to produce the following documents to get your driving license

1. Utility bill or something that has your name and address on it (Lease agreement might not work from what I got by the look of the guy)
2. Passport
3. i94
4. Letter from employer
5. Indian license
6. SSN card
7. The paper which your examiner gives you stating that you have passed
8. A USA CHEQUE to pay the money for the license. CARDS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!!
9. And do dress nicely since you ll be taking a picture which will be on your license :P

That's all folks :)

P.S: The sad part is that the license is for the duration of your visa. So most of us will have to renew it yearly :(

Guide by Dr Vikas Reddy

An exhaustive guide to the USMLE by Dr Vikas Reddy :)

Driver's License in the States

The Driver's license test generally has 2 parts. 

Knowledge and the ACTUAL driving test

If you have an Indian license, take the same along with the following documents

1. Passport
2. I-94 printout
3. Letter from employer stating that you work there
4. SSN- Details on how to get one is in the previous post.

For the knowledge test, you can practise online by doing practise one's according to your respective States. You can get few here (http://driving-tests.org/) In Ohio, the test has 40 questions and you just have to get 75% of the questions to clear the exam and then schedule your DRIVING test.

Best of luck!

P.S.- I read the manual and did the above questions. Most of the questions just need plain common sense answers :) So it really won't take too much time.

SSN for H-1B individuals (Medical residents)

You can get an SSN as soon as you land.

Steps are as follows

1. Open this LINK
2. Fill in the last page with the correct details
3. Take your passport and the current I94 
4. Go to the nearest SSN office near you by checking HERE.
5. Once in the office they will take your forms and fill in the details and that's it!
6. In a week or 2 you should get your SSN in the mail!

P.S.- I do not think that the rumor that you have to wait for 2 weeks is true since I have done it 3 days post landing.

Few sites that I felt were useful for the USMLE

This is most likely going to be among my last few posts regarding the Match process.

Do go through the following sites as they are useful in varied ways. Not only in interview tips but also in general :)

An amazing blog by Kaplan. Gives you good insight into many things :)
http://www.residencysecrets.com/

http://www.imgresidencytips.com/index.php - Has almost everything from the beginning to the end.

http://rookiedoctor.com/ - Written by a guy who has gone through the process and gives advice where deemed necessary

This is the closest to the best thing with which you can prepared for the residency interview questions :)
http://exams.emedicinelive.net/index.php/usmle/2/52-residency-interviews--real-interview-questions-with-answers
http://exams.emedicinelive.net/index.php

This is for the Tell Me about Yourself question for which most of us panic
http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-questions/intreview-tell-me-about-yourself/article.aspx
http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/how-to-answer-tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question
http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/10-good-ways-to-tell-me-about-yourself

The following blogs are written by guys  like me
Dr Benji Ho (a Caribbean grad) -  http://www.caribbeanmedstudent.com/
Dr Jagjit - https://iamjagjit.wordpress.com/
Dr Karthik - https://helpingmedicalhands.wordpress.com/


On another note if you want to try your clinical solving you can try the following app Daily Clinical Case rounds

Hoping they help you guys in your journey. I'll keep updating it as and when I come across anything interesting :)

Best of luck!

Steps to H1B for new medical residents

1. Apply for the medical license to your respective state board- From Receipt to Acknowledgement around a week; from there to the actual license around 2 weeks. So, a total of 3 weeks.
2. Get yourself an attorney from the list that your program sends you/ ask your colleagues where they are doing theirs from
3. Talk to the attorney regarding fees and stuff (generally program pays for all except the premium processing fees) Fees find below
4. Depending on your attorney’s liking, apply for a visa based on an acknowledgment letter/Training license certificate
5. He then sends the application to the USCIS who then will issue you a petition number
6. Based on that you CAN complete the next 2 forms i.e. [you need the petitioner’s name and dates approved for, and your point of contact in the States which generally is your PC]
1. DS 160 - Tips for filling the forms can be found HERE (thanks to Dr. Vikas)        
2. US travel docs form 
7. OR  
8. You can wait for the approval and use the exact dates the petition got approved for and the Petitioner
9. Get an appointment- Pay the visa fees according to the exchange rate.
10. Go for the interview with the documents the Attorney sends and ta-da you have your visa.

OFC DAY

Take the following for the appointment

1. DS 160 confirmation page
2. Appointment confirmation
3. Passport

Stand in line, get your fingerprints and photo clicked and you are done for day 1. If you have already done for visitor visa(B1/B2), this should be a cake-walk since you know what to doJ

P.S. Please take a photo according to the instructions on the consulate website since there have been problems with the IT aspect for quite a number of my colleagues and me. {2*2 inches and stuff}

INTERVIEW DAY

Take the above and supporting documents which HAS to include (I-797B i.e. H-1B petition approval notice)

Please note- Some people also say that you have to take the other forms like i129 (Petition application for H-1B), I-797C (Receipt for the premium processing). But frankly speaking, they are not needed, if you have it, then well and good but, the I-797 B is a MUST.

Questions asked

• Where will you be working? – In a Hospital
• Oh, so you are a doctor? – Yes
• *He was delighted by that* May I know your salary? $ XXX
• Good, your visa is approved.

And I walked out a happy man J

For Chennai, passport collection is from the OFC. Please refer to the consulate site for documents to be taken while collecting the Passport.

Fee  Type	Fee	Who Pays for it ? Why ?
Base filing fee	$325	Program It is employer’s business expense
Fraud prevent & detection fee	$500	Program It is employer’s business expense. Just like above, it is mandated by law.
Fee based on attorney charges	$1000-$2000	Program. It is employer’s business expense.
Premium processing fee (Optional)	$1,225	Generally we pay for it ourselves, but you never know if the program will be good enough to pay for you J Please read the note at the end of the post
Visa fee (fee involved in getting H1B visa at US consulate)	varies by country	Your expense. All the costs involved in obtaining visa, including cost involved in translation of your credentials, etc. It will NOT be an employer’s expense. The employer will only send you the documents required for visa stamping.

NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

• Even if you are approved well in advance of your start date at your program, you cannot enter the US in H-1B until 10 days before the start date of your Residency i.e. June 20 considering your start date is July 1^st
• The Attorney generally requests for the full 3 years of H-1B, however, there is no guarantee that the immigration Service will give all 3 years. According to their regulations, they should give 1 year (even if we request 3 years) since the Training license is for 1 year (license issued by the State of OH). Some examiners will give 3 years (depends on your luck as to which examiner gets your case). So if you get 3 years, count yourself lucky. If you are approved for 1 year, there is no problem renewing the H-1B status again next year in the US.
• You will need someone, who has a bank account with a US bank to send a cheque for the $1225 premium processing fee. At least that is what my attorney insisted on, but guess this part varies from attorney to attorney.

Brief summary for the road to USMLE

Had given a talk in my college on the road map to residency. Thought will just share it here for those you could not attend :)

Timeline for a Match!

Since a lot of people have asked me how to create a timeline and what happens when, thought will write this post so that all get benefitted :)

N= Your desired year of matching

By April-June (N-1)

• Request your ERAS token. (opens somewhere in April/June/July)- Frankly do not remember when- http://neilnf.blogspot.in/2014/08/how-to-get-eras-token-in-order-to-apply.html
• Start requesting letters of recommendation.
• Strengthen your application by having USCE 

By August (N-1)

• Be ready with your personal statements and have your LOR’s uploaded
• Be done with all your Steps (Step 1, Step 2 CK & CS) and if possible graduate and be ECFMG certified since some programs require ECFMG-certification before applying.
• Finalize your documents and upload as necessary. 
• If you haven’t taken Step 3 do consider taking it as it could strengthen your residency application.
• Know which colleges you plan to apply to, which are IMG friendly or so. Talk to your seniors and check where they applied and stuff.

 September 15^th (N-1) Check the date!

• AAMC’s MyERAS opens! Apply early and stay organized.
• Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores are strongly encouraged to be considered for interviews.
• Sometime later register with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)

 From October (N-1)- January or February (N)

• It’s time for interviews!
• Be patient as many programs invite interviewees late into January or February

 February (N)

• By mid Feb submit your rank order list.

March (N)

• Get your match results.
• If you didn’t match, consider the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) to find your spot.

March To June (N): 

• Matched Candidates should start and complete Visa Processing if needed and find a place to Stay during this period

July (N):

• Residency Begins after initial 1-2 weeks of Orientation and ACLS + BLS training 

PS- 

• ERAS creates a CV for you
• It is said that latest to apply is by September end at least since most programs finish downloading all their applications by the last week of September.

Some kind person named Dr Harshal Awasthi has painstakingly written about the Matching process and terms. You can find the link HERE or here

Another guide to Residency by some guys from Pakistan is HERE