There are a variety of terms used to describe clinical education used by the international medical community.  While they are often used interchangeably, each term refers to a specific kind of experience – some more valuable then others as viewed on your residency application.  Quality clinical experience relevant to your choice of specialty is often the tipping point factor in an applicant’s candidacy.  What are these terms and how do they differ?  See the list…

Clerkships The next in the series of the medical student clinical rotations are clerkships. Clerkships are built into most AMGs 3rd year of medical school, traditionally this takes place in a teaching hospital where the student can practice supervised medicine. Since most IMGs do not get this hands on clinical experience until their fourth year of medical school it is very import for an IMG to get this US based clinical experience if they want to…

Externships There are also externship programs available for medical students that have graduated or that are ECFMG certified, meaning that you have passed Step 1, CK & CS. These are hands on practice of medicine without supervision. These externships are rare, being that they are essentially the same as a clerkship, but since they are for graduates and not for credit.  Externships are available on occasion, but rarely at teaching hospitals. These are the best…

OBSERVERSHIPS, CLERKSHIPS, EXTERNSHIPS, RESEARCH ELECTIVES & FELLOWSHIPS   US Clinical Experience – Importance of US Clinical Experience U.S. Clinical Experience (USCE) is very important for IMGs to obtain US residency. It is a very important step for having a successful match for anyone. The medical school you have studied might be the most famous institute in your country but you should keep in mind that the program director or the residency committee doesn’t know about your…

Electronic Medical Records / Electronic Health Records An electronic medical record (EMR) is a digital version of a paper chart that contains all of a patient’s medical history from one practice. The EMR is mostly used by providers for diagnosis and treatment of illness. Unlike EMRs, Electronic health records (EHRs) go far beyond the linear data collected in the single provider’s office. The EHR provides a must more comprehensive and descriptive patient history. For example, EHRs are designed to encompass and display…

CERTIFICATIONS Many, if not all, US Hospitals require several certifications for health care professionals to obtain in order to guarantee the safety of the care giver, the patient and society. There are several national certifications like OSHA and HIPPA, but there are several state specific certificates that may be required as well. Please check individual state regulations for any specific certifications a Medical Professional may be required to obtain before they can work directly with…

Clinical Rotations/Clerkship is an exiting time for any medical graduate or student. It is the time when you actually get to deal with real patient and use your academic knowledge to treat them. The clinical clerkships are done under the guidance of an attending and their residents. Once the clerkship start, the excitement goes down and the students often regard it as incredibly stressful and high-pressure time. Where on one hand, the students were expecting…

US Clinical Experience (USCE) US clinical experience (USCE) is a clinical and/or hospital based working experience in specific specialty fields like medicine and surgery.  It is one of the most important experiences a person must have on the application for US residency.  As a medical student or graduate, you must have seen the terms clerkship, observership and hands-on clinical experiences come up again and again.  These are all terms that are related to US clinical experience or USCE….