Frustrated medical graduate,for an img each pathway is closed or slowly closing.
Hey, am a recent medical graduate.I haven't figured out the "what next" in life.This has also become a biggest concern i should have least figured out while in internship, but comfort really pushed me out not facing reality. I enjoyed comfort a little to much and here I am. While during my pre final year-i figured to pursue the plab pathway, I was elated,confident as if gmc were willing to recruit me.Then the job market, priorization law hit me so bad.I dropped the plan,with no backups.
I was angry on myself,while my colleagues were on bandwagon and jumped into the rat race,and who am to judge them,they had be prepping& i felt the odd one out.Honestly this never felt right me,always like always i wanna leave this country so badd and do my residency.Am also trying this upcoming neet pg(barely 10 days left,i should prob be studying).The whole three months(since graduation)are almost me researching every single pathway for img .Funny enough During my burnout phase all my Google searches would be "career after mbbs not involving mbbs".Burnout really pulled me apart, am glad I was able overcome a little.
Each pathway has closed or slowly closing-
To sum up each pathways-(there is no long story short, its short story long here)
1.USMLE:
While ppl figured usmle in their undergrad years, and there is me after an whole ass graduation. Now the searches have become am i too late?,how to get visa or even a green card sooner?(idk man kill me it's seems lot better).The more and more I learned about usmle, it was exactly how I imagined the doing residency(only pro),cons-the financial risk,the emotional turmoil,how anxiety driven was at each phase.. Usmle consists of 4 components-the steps,usce,Lors and research.The only controllable risk here is the steps, purely networking and connections and the VISA put you on the rest three. Man I have no alumini network idk how am gonna pull this ( once if decided to put a foot on it). ONE thing about this pathway YOU ARE only AN EXCHANGE RESIDENT STUDYING IN STATES AND NEEDS TO LEAVE AFTER RESIDENCY ,BE PRESENT IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY for 2 years. Else you can get a waiver which requires you work on a very unreserved hospital.your call! And nobody is getting your h1b,you are most likely to fall under the j1.
2.Germany-
I almost convinced myself this is defo a good backup(since no backup led me to this pothole). How much I ever think it doesn't sit right with me,learning the language for two long years(no dialect included),and then starting the whole process of fsp,kp exams, then job market then non existent residency for img.
3.Australia-
Personally there is no direct entry for australia.The Amc 1 being cat based,amc 2 being a very difficult osce exams.Even when you cross the whole sea,congrats you have no jobbbb.The real bottleneck is getting your first job.The only way I see myself here is through the CAP pathway(this is a very personal preference for me!!)Good for you if you see the other way around.
4.plab-
This pathway attracts img coz its way cheaper,easier entry to a country and have no progress for years and one needs to gain nhs experience and land on residency. You can constantly come across post pointing out avoid plab if possible. Well they are True only to some extend (delulululusionalll core) . Well you can enter the country ,you might land on a job on this very narrower ,difficult market(*again delusional driven*). There are ppl not landing on non training jobs even after prior nhs experience (let alone the residency) and there are ppl who are still landing some jobs,both these extreme exist! As i tell you this, crazy enough am still gonna write plab(never trust some online person for life advice and even me) and gonna take the risk and betting everything on it, if I am lucky enough to land on one, might use this as a ground work and get into cap pathway or under circumstances if its viable to continue in uk, i will.
5.Neetpg/inicet-
I don't see myself here on long term, if someone tells you do em and later go into specialist pathway or any other pathway where you can establish yourself abroad. Not for me, being struck for 4-5 years,a biggg no.If any above pathway works well and good,but directly jumping into my home residency doesn't sit with me well. I would rather try and fail ,rather not live in guilt.
The more and more i realised i don't have a primary plan and a backup. All I have are two primary plans, gonna take one at a time and if am lucky enough to land on one.
No pathway for imgs are easier,each has its own hurdles.chose them under your own risk,also take the damn risk!
Onething if you have money, connections, or my father knows a guy- USE THEM,USE IT,USE YOUR PREVILEGE, USE YOUR RESOSURCES!!