Wednesday, April 25, 2007

IMG Friendly Psychiatry Programs

The List

Below is a list of programs I recieved interview invites to. My first match I got 5 (well I almost got another one as well) interviews. I took Step 2 mid-January that season and was lucky to get even 5 based on one score. However I did not match. The 2nd match I got 48 invites but only could schedule 44 interviews. I applied to every psychiatry program except for the military (not eligible) and Puerto Rico (no habla espanol.) I even found some programs that did not use the ERAS or the Match. Please don't think it is necessary to have so many inteviews. My goal was to get the best possible psychiatry program. To do this I interviewed at many impossible places. Yet to be safe I interviewed at some crappy programs in one horse towns and inner city hoods. One should have the attitude that you are neither too good nor too bad to go for an interview. However I feel one should try to go to atleast 15 interviews. I feel even with 10 it is likely to match. I know of one applicant with visa issues who matched with only 3 interviews. Yet I know of 3 applicants who did not match even with around 10 interviews. If you feel you can't get 15 interviews apply to Family Medicine as back up as Psychiatry is getting competetive every year. You could transfer later. Also make this decision based on wheather you have done your externship, etc. Please refer to The Psychiatry USCE Blog for a list of externships.

Another note is that my list is not 100% accurate. I have heard from someone that programs are required to invite IMGs. Yet even then I noticed the IMG applicants at University of Maryland/ Shepherd Pratt (a top tier program) were much more competitive than the ones I saw at University of Mississippi Jackson (definately a lower tier program.) I have even interviewed at what I think are non-IMG friendly programs. Yet they did invite me nonetheless. I have even been to those programs with no AMGs. Yet I feel my list is much better than others as I have applied to more than 95% of all the programs (and got invited at close to 30% of all programs.) My list includes all the invites I recieved plus what I remember other IMGs have gone to. I bet there are atleast 30 other programs IMGs have gotten into. For an outdated list go to FMG America Psychiatry List. I do not endorse the services they provide and I feel this list is outdated. Also check out the other forums as well for information. However it gives you a general idea. Also many times the requirments of a program are not absolute. (Some are.) The requirements like USMLE score cut-offs are often designed to limit the number of applicants as these days they are really high. It would cost the program a lot for the labor involved to go thru the applications. However if you get an interview at a place and not meet their requirements, it may be unlikely you would match there. As I applied to many low-tier programs as backup, many programs would do the same and invite low-tier candidates. However the only way of knowing for sure is to go to the interview and rank them.


Often the programs are roughly classified as being high tier, mid tier and low tier. Then you also have geography to compound this. For example if Wash U (st. louis) was in LA or Manhattan I don't think I would have been invited for an interview.

Also let me give you my stats again so you can figure out whether to apply or not. I got 85/78 on my USMLEs and passed them all on the first shot. I also have a great CV and LoRs. I did psychiatry externship and memory disorders observership. I also did other work like volunteer and help write a medical book. In psychiatry scores are not everything. However if your scores are less than mine or your CV is empty it is OK. You should still be able to get 1/3 to 1/4 the number of interviews I got.

On another note most programs interview about 10 people for each postion. Few invite 5 per slot (like Syracuse, NY or Mobile, AL.)

I sometimes didnt list the full name of a program. Go to the FREIDA list of psych program and use your browser's find function. Just type the name of the city or hospital and you will find it.



Anyhow here is my list. I have added other programs I have heard of as well who interviewed IMGs. They will be at the bottom. Often this process is very random. I recommend everyone to apply on day one so your application is on top and will get read before the interview slots are filled.

I have marked the competitive ones (competive for IMGs) with a *. Please check the IMG% to confirm this.

1) *UC Davis – Sacramento
2) *UCLA-Harbor
3) *Thomas Jefferson Philadelphia
4) *USC - LA
5) *Washington University St. Louis
6) *U Maryland/Shepherd Pratt Baltimore
7) *University of Colorodo Denver
8) Cedars-Sinai LA
9) UN Las Vegas
10) *UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina
11) St. Elizabeth’s/ Caritas Boston
12) Hennepin County Minneapolis
13) UN Reno
14) UCSF- Fresno
15) *U of Louisville, KY
16) *St. Louis University
17) Loma Linda, California (east of LA)
18) UCLA-Kern Bakersfield, CA
19) Kansas University Kansas City
20) metrohealth- Cleveland
21) UM Kansas City
22) Texas A&M Temple, TX (1 hour from Austin)
23) VCU Richmond, Virginia
24) Henry Ford, Detroit
25) NYMC Vallhalla, NY (1 hr north of NYC)
26) SUNY Upstate Syracuse, NY
27) Rosalind-Frankin Chicago
28) North General, NYC (harlem)
29) Wright State, Dayton, OH
30) West Virginia University, Morgantown
31) Wayne State, Detroit
32) Howard University, Washington D.C.
33) SIU Springfield, Illinois
34) University of Utah, SLC
35) UK Wichita, KS
36) Elmhurst, Queens ny
37) Creedmoor, Queens NY
38) ECU, Greenville North Carolina
39) ETSU, Johnson City, Tennessee
40) Seton Hall, Elizabeth, NJ
41) U Miss, Jackson Mississippi
42) Univ of South Alabama, Mobile
NYMC, Staten Island, NY (not in the match - only prematch)
Deleware Psych Institute (not in the match - only prematch)

Buffalo, NY
Bergen County, NJ
Hershey, PA
JPS, Ft. Worth, Texas

*Harvard South Shore - Brockton, MA
Institure of Living, Hartford, CT
Univ of Connecticut, Farmington, CT
Texas Tech, Lubbock, TX
Harlem Hospital, New York City

The above were all the invites I recieved (48 + 5 from the first match.) Below are others I remember IMGs getting interviews at. Remember the process is random.

Drexel, PA
UTSW, Dallas , TX
*Long Island Jewish, NY
*Mt. Sinai, NY
*UCLA-San Fernando Valley/VA Greater Los Angeles Program
Duke, NC
Stony Brook, NY
Maricopa County, Arizona


Others I know are IMG Friendly:

Jamaica , NY
Brookdale, NY
University of Alabama Medical Center Program, Birmingham

Additions:
Creighton/University of Nebraska

Remember the list is not complete nor 100% accurate. Yet I feel an IMG should apply to all the programs listed here; atleast the ones that i did not place a * before. Of course if you have double 99s and have published 10 articles then you can aim higher and not worry about the run of the mill programs. If you have taken each usmle 3 times and have no psychiatry experience, perhaps stay away from the ones I placed a star before. However whenever there is a doubt, apply.


So these are the ones I know that have invited IMGs for interviews. I will add more to the list. If you know anymore, please add them in the comments.

On another note I should mention that many of you have financial restrictions. However you should apply to atleast 100 programs. I know of IMGs who only apply to 40 and then end up going for another match and lose a years salary. If you cant afford applying to a 100 programs then it is unlikely you can afford to go to enough interviews. Try getting a loan or do something to rectify this. At the least find the 80 worst programs and apply. Also consider getting the California Letter. However California is not the most IMG friendly state. Neither is it the most competetive (I got 7 interviews there. However I did my externship there.) If you cant get your California letter then try and do your externship elsewhere.


Google