Australian orthopaedic resident married an American girl

I agree that some countries have much more lax criteria for medical school acceptance, i.e. having enough money for tuition, but this is more so in the 2nd and 3rd world nations. My contention is that it is much harder to gain acceptance in other western countries, France, England, German, (though I have no idea how hard it is to get into an Australian School).

And as far as the funding for health education goes. Most foreign grads that train here stay here. So the investment Medicare makes does help the US taxpayer by adding another physician, and screws the other country, which in many cases, fully funds the 6 year medical school education of its graduates just to see them walk away for a better lifestyle.

Hey guys,

Thanks for the feedback received thus far.

I didnt mean to bash the entire american health system but was merely frustrated that an IMG from a first rate health system can publish in JBJS and then still not even score an interview for orthopaedic residencies.

In America is happy to have us for top fellowships or Attending positions why the reluctance to consider us for residencies?

The funding of the residencies comes from the Medicare. However, there are many IMGs, who are US Citizens and US Taxpayers.

The amount of funding which a program receives for an IMG or a US graduate is the same.

Most Ortho programs do not even interview US citizen IMGs, since this is a matter of supply and demand, not funding.

There are many US grads who have lower scores than IMGs and get in to Ortho. This is because there are so many US graduate applicants for ortho spots that programs do not even bother to look at IMG applications.

This gentleman, ozortho, either needs to look for a different type of residency or go back to a medical school in US. That way he will be a US gradute and could get into Ortho potentially.

I don't totally agree with broncoortho. I don't think it's a financial issue. If that was the case, then why so many FMG are being accepted in other "easier" specialities such as internal medicine, fam medicine, peds, etc...Why is it so damn difficult to get into ortho?
Here's a thought...ortho is a current trend, everyone loves ortho, it's fun, there's different areas of interest, lot's of hot topics and you make a lot of money, etc... For that, lots of people want to get into and that makes the big bosses with the big names in ortho more powerful. They actually think they're god, and the more difficult it gets, the more they feel superior. So they are not going to accept anyone they don't and they won't accept any FMG. Even for US graduates, it's extremely difficult. Only the prodigy ones get accepted, people that are AOA members, people with very high scores, etc.. These people can just be very good at taking tests, and be part of a society, but are terrible in managing patients or having their own criteria. I think that's BS!
Don't get me wrong, I love ortho and there's nothing else in the world I want to be doing but ortho.
As far as the FMG being better. I'm sure some are, and some are not. I've come to realize that even with an impressive CV and with a whole lot more experience than a student just graduated from med school, a FMG will not get accepted into a ortho residency, period. They prefer the nonexperienced, AOA member, high scored, all american student.
I'm not saying open up your doors to all FMG, but at least consider the good ones and give them the benefit of the doubt.

I just read the comment from Doc25. I remembered something that may help ozortho.

If he goes to an Osteopathic School, he will find it much easier to get into Ortho.

Osteopathic Schools advertise a lot on primary care. Most kids coming out of DO schools go to primary care specialities. Therefore, some of the DO Ortho programs never get filled. I know one Osteopathic Ortho Program, which never gets filled.

Other thing is DO programs do not accept MD and/or IMG applications. Therefore, there are less applicants for the spots.

I hope it helps.

Thanks for the continuing feedback - but please stop encouraging me to go back to an american medical school - allo or DO or whatever.
I am currently in a really good orthopaedic residency program in Australia that's comparable to any top program elsewhere - that I say as a fact and NOT out of arrogance - and realise that I'll have the option to take up a fellow ship in the US of A. But out of personal reasons (wife wants to move) I was interested to see if there was a way that I could tranfer into an American program (even if it meant going back a year) rather than wait 4 yrs till I am eligible for fellowships.
But to those encouraging me to be a physicians assistant or to go back to medical school just to get to the States, no way dude