Thinking to Consider USMLE in 2023? Look at this first

USMLE. Every medical student’s dream nowadays. Whether they are in the US or outside, whether they’re AMG’s or IMG’s. USMLE and being a doctor in the US is basically a dream job for every medical aspirant in 2023. Here in this blog post we will look at some of the main reasons one should consider USMLE and also why you would choose not to go for USMLE. Before you start reading, Do comment at the end if there is a question you need asked regarding USMLE so that I can answer it for you.

Your Own Country’s Perks For Doctors

This is the first and foremost questions that should arise in your mind. Is your own country a developed one? Is the town, city, district that you currently reside in with your family most probably a good one for doctors? can you grow to be highly competitive there? can you have a comfortable life in the next maybe 10 years? Is it mentally not too stressing over your health? Is your preferred specialty considered worthwhile there? are you satisfied with the living standards there?

these are some of the few questions that every student or health professional has in mind when they consider a job and most importantly should. Times are tough and making the right decision is critical.

Here are some of the countries that I have researched and prove to be worth living in before you consider moving to the US for a job. One can also consider moving to these if US is a hard pill to swallow

1. United Kingdom
2. Germany
3. Japan
4. Switzerland
5. Singapore
6. Luxembourg
7. Iceland
8. Qatar
9. Denmark
10. UAE
11. Netherlands
12. Australia
13. Norway
14. Canada
15. Sweden
16. France
17. South Korea
18. Italy
19. South Africa
20. China

I have complied this list based on the salaries provided to doctors. Click here to get a deeper insight into the salary. Come back to this page if you wanted to read that one.

USMLE In 2023 Is Not For Everyone. It Is Tough

You may not even have to read this if you considered USMLE then the first thing that you must have known about it is that it is the toughest most tiring medical exam any student from any country can go through and therefore it is very difficult for every student to go through with it. You maybe the brightest student in your class but USMLE takes more. It takes time, determination, consistency, focus and mental strength. For some students going through Step 1 alone takes 7-8 hours daily for a year. You get the idea how hard it can get but if you are up to it, it’s definitely doable.

Financial Drainage

USMLE exams itself cost around a 1000 USD each. For some this may not be much of an amount but for most students it is alot, especially those whose family is not well off already. Besides the exam fee, in 2023 you need to have internships, research publications, LOR’s and many more skills to be able to match into your residency program and all that takes around a total of 20-30K USD in a span of about 3 years. Consider this if you choose to opt for USMLE.

Not Getting Your Preferred Residency Program

USMLE although is the best choice for AMG’s (American Medical Graduates). It may not be for others as the residency programs offering jobs to IMG’s are few and in specific specialties. here are some of the match rates of IMG’s in 2023 specialty wise.

Top IMG Friendly Specialties of 2023 by Ratio

Top IMG Friendly Specialties by Number of IMGs

According to the NRMP:

The top five IMG friendly specialties for US-IMGs were:

Internal Medicine (categorical) (1,200)

Family Medicine (793)

Emergency Medicine (289)

Pediatrics (categorical) (226)

Psychiatry (202)

The top five IMG friendly specialties for Non-US IMGs were:

Internal Medicine (categorical) (2,659)

Family Medicine (562)

Pediatrics (categorical) (401)

General Surgery (Preliminary) (186)

Pathology (185)

This list has been taken from Matchresident. You can read more about it there.

Year of Graduation

This is one of the main things residency programs consider in their interviews. If you are too old or have more than 5 years of graduation time then your chances grow weaker to match into your program. So it is great if you are in medical school or have just graduated.

USMLE Visa and travel restrictions in 2023

Travelling to the US for internships, electives, and even your USMLE Step 3 exam is not feasible for everyone. The US is very strict with its visa policy and only allows certain individuals and other countries are blacklisted from entering so consider this before spending all your time and resources into USMLE. We wont read more into this as it is a topic in itself and will probably write an article on this soon.

ECFMG and 2024 Policy Changes for USMLE

ECFMG is the global Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates which moderates students online for foreign countries. It is making changes into its policies for international medical graduates as of 2024. The in depth description is given Here. Ponder on where your country and college stands before leaping onto this path.

Enough with the reasons not to consider USMLE. Let me show you why you should definitely consider living in the US as a doctor.

You maybe already have researched about it but I will not write this in headings or points. Just read this paragraph and you will know why you should go to the US. First of all the salary for a resident of any specialty is around 4000-5000 USD after cutting off all taxes and insurances. That is more than many countries around the world and after residency the positions available for consultants are numerous and you get 10000-15000 USD minimum right at the start of your consultancy in the US. There is only more growth after that. A consultant generally earns around 300k-900k depending upon the specialty annually in the US.

Most competitive health professionals around the world force you to be one too. You will be better than anyone else in your own country or any other country. The packages and facilities in US hospitals are like a dream for some. You have better opportunities to grow yourself over social media too. Take for example the amount of vloggers that are doctors, most of them are from the US because that is where the healthcare is the best and that is why everyone prefers to watch them. Most of the journals internationally are from US doctors. The best authors of the best medical books are from US. The books you read in your medical school, imagine working with the authors of those books and someday publishing your own. The opportunities are endless and the life itself is the best. US doctors are the elite in the country because they have all the perks and are the most respected community there. All it takes is 3-4 years of hardwork and you will be living the dreamlife of every doctor around you. The healthcare situation nowadays is declining everywhere except for the US because the competency of the doctors there increases every year. Statistics are proof of it. You will come across many seniors and many of your consultants who will share stories of failure and time wastage pursuing USMLE but it is because those are the ones you probably see in your real life. Those who have succeeded are living their lives and will motivate you to pursue yours too. Do not give up and do not be weak hearted as the USMLE journey is very doable and what lies beyond it is more than worth it.

If you have any questions regarding USMLE do care to comment, I will try my best to answer them in the most understandable way. Happy Studying!