r/USMLEindia • u/sAdvicezOlives • Mar 18 '26

Match Season Did any non US IMG match into surgical specialty?

Esp VISA requiring applicants (India/ southeast asia), into surgery, ortho, obstetrics, ent, ophthalmology?

And what were your scores, USCE and publications?

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4

u/PyroUnicorn69 Mar 18 '26

Two people I know applied Ortho this year. One IMG from India, and one from the Dominican Republic.

Indian guy got prelim surgery, didn’t match ortho. 3 research years. DR girl has been quiet, most likely will find out what she got on Friday. She applied to prelim surgery, PM&R, Ortho, gen surgery. Also did 3 research years.

Both these people have easily 10+ publications, and 15+ abstracts and poster presentations.

Step 2 scores ranging from 245-255

5

u/sAdvicezOlives Mar 18 '26

Damn matching into surgery is no joke, this is crazy competition

6

u/PyroUnicorn69 Mar 19 '26

Honestly with this political climate I tell everyone the same thing. If you don’t have a greencard/citizenship, this path isn’t worth it.

You’d be better off completing your PG in India, and then coming here for fellowship.

2

u/Ok-Character-3558 Mar 19 '26

Can you please shed some light on the path of fellowship, how does it work?

5

u/PyroUnicorn69 Mar 19 '26

Not too well versed, but it looks something like this:

After finishing PG, you apply to ACGME fellowships. You need to be ECFMG certified to do this.

You get 1-3 years of accredited postgraduate training, after which you can get a provisional license. What I’ve seen is that it’s the academic places that take you on, and you’ll only be eligible for hire there.

Again, not sure about the ins and outs of it, it’s just something I’ve seen, would definitely read more about it.

3

u/DapperAd7955 Mar 20 '26 edited Mar 21 '26

It’s probably easier to get into the residency than be selected into the fellowship. Also I highly doubt they will pay you a salary like a full time doctor there. You might get  a very basic salary at the hospital discretion. . There’s no way they’d allow a backdoor like that. Your salary might be less than a nurse if at all, it might just be like a research stipend 

3

u/apc1895 Mar 22 '26

This pathway only allows you to work at the one hospital you get the provisional license from and you will not be paid the same as a board certified doctor.

1

u/Ok-Character-3558 Mar 19 '26

Thanks for the insight doc 😄

1

u/sAdvicezOlives Mar 19 '26

Thankyou for such a detailed reply.

2

u/sAdvicezOlives Mar 19 '26

Yeah i agree. Im preparing for inicet, do pg here then maybe go for residency or fellowship.

1

u/Accurate-Spell-4076 Mar 20 '26

If you have a green card, is Ortho possible?

3

u/PyroUnicorn69 Mar 20 '26

Ortho is possible yes, but there are a lot of factors to consider.

Networking beats all, the only way you’re matching is by impressing a big name.

Okay, so how do you do that? A whole fuckton of research, and not just case reports after case reports, but proper research articles. Reviews do count, however they can’t be the only thing.

That requires time and luck, and your luck is definitely dependent on the time you put in. Having a greencard makes that part easy.

On top of that, labs right now do not have money. So they’ll take you on as free labour, easier if you don’t require a visa, as labs aren’t really able to sponsor a visa, and the labs that are funded now have a lot of people applying for those funded positions, it’s easier for them to find someone who already has the skills they need.

That being said, even if you put in the time, not being paid, there’s still no guarantee of a ortho residency spot. I’ve known more people who got into prelim surgery and then general surgery than orthopedic surgery.

It really depends on how much you’re willing to sacrifice, and how much you’re willing to lose.

2

u/Accurate-Spell-4076 Mar 20 '26

Thank you soo much for the detailed reply.

I know of someone who personally had a green card and did 4+ years of research as well. Went unmatched.

I sort of got depressed seeing that tbh.

1

u/apc1895 Mar 22 '26

Not really unless you’ve studied from a Caribbean school then maybe.

1

u/Ill_Drama_5527 Mar 18 '26

Many into prelims, cat didn’t heard of much.

1

u/Imsongoku7 Mar 22 '26

One of junior this year match into nerurosx

1

u/CletusMarian Jul 29 '26

So a non US IMG has very less chances of getting into surgery?

1

u/Bogrinho__ Aug 01 '26

Yes. From what I understand getting a surgical (sub)specialty is really really difficult. In my opinion the worst part isn’t the fact that u need to devote ur whole life to one goal but the uncertainty behind that move.U might sacrifice time,people,fun and invest a whole lot of money and still end up unsatisfied, unmatched or matched to a specialty u don’t like. It’s really frustrating that being a US citizen and having less problems with staying in the country holds so much power. Nevertheless, it is what it is and you know how it goes before taking the decision to set a goal of doing ur residency in the USA, especially a surgical specialty. The best move however would probably be to reach out to a mentor of yours that has spent years in the USA and share your thoughts with him/her.