International Medical Graduates in the United States

Thousands of international medical graduates come to the United States to start their career as physicians. Many of them, however, are not aware of the challenges and problems that they may encounter along the way. These difficulties can range from the language and cultural barriers to a lack of confidence and self-esteem. Many students are also unaware of the other career options besides getting into a clinical residency program. As a result of these issues, a great number of foreign medical students remain unmatched into the National Resident Matching Program. Not matching can be devastating for these graduates, both financially and medically. Students often suffer from psychological effects like major depression and generalized anxiety disorder. 

This book outlines the potential problems faced by these graduates and their possible solutions. Each chapter collects research evidence, interviews and surveys to gather information to work on each possible problem one by one and describes a solution in great detail. Comprised of thirty chapters, each chapter is broken down into smaller sub-sections to investigate the main theme in depth. Issues addressed include the different types of international medical graduates and their lives in the United States, differences in the education system and healthcare system, the triangle of residency, language and cultural barriers, lack of professional contacts, confidence, self-image and self-esteem issues, and restriction to specific fields and career paths. 

Written by experts in the field, International Medical Graduates in the United States is a first of its kind text that addresses the biggest issues faced by foreign medical graduates in today's world. 

“International Medical Graduates in the United States: A Complete Guide to Challenges and Solutions is an invaluable resource for newcomers to the U.S. with foreign medical licenses or training and for the people who onboard and manage them. … The U.S., like every country, has its own unique culture; this book can help recent arrivals understand and adapt to it.” (Norman M. Goldfarb, Journal of Clinical Research Best Practices, Vol. 17 (5), May, 2021)

Dr. Hassaan Tohid, MBBS, CCATP, CSOTP is a TEDx speaker, neuroscientist and substance abuse clinician. He has written and published more than 45 scientific peer-reviewed articles and authored two books. Dr. Tohid had been associated with institutions like the University of California, Davis, and Napa State Hospital. He is the founder of the California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences and Psychology and trains medical students on research writing and publishing as well as public speaking. Dr. Tohid also served on the faculty of neurology and psychiatry and later served as a course director of psychiatry for Scholar-Rx/FirstAid USMLE-Rx.

Dr. Howard I. Maibach, MD has been on the editorial board of more than 30 scientific journals and is a member of 19 professional societies including the American Academy of Dermatology, San Francisco Dermatological Society and the Internal Commission on Occupation Health. He is a professor in the Department of Dermatology at UCSF. He has previously published dermatology books with Springer.