Gaining some US clinical Experience

[GummerSarah]

Hi all

I am new to the forum and after extensive online research I wanted to see if anyone had any advice/guidance for me.

I'm entering my first year of medical school in September (5 year program) and am certain I want to relocate and pursue residency in the US when I graduate. I'm married and a mature student (25 in September) and am a registered nurse with 4 years qualified experience in the NHS already, so will have 9 years of clinical experience by graduation. Myself and my husband love the US and do have some family in California and Florida, but not close enough relatives for sponsorship.

My husband is organising his own visa arrangements via his company, so won't be linked to my own (if I get one!)

Therefore ideally I am looking to pursue H1B sponsored residencies. My main focus is OB/GYN and if not then Family Medicine or Internal Medicine. Although it may seem a long way off (I want to match in 2018, the year I graduate ideally) I know that the process is incredibly competitive, and therefore i'd rather prepare as long in advance as possible to give myself the best chance.

I know that the most important aspects are:

USMLE scores (I need to sit all three steps for H1B sponsorship)
US Clinical experience
Letters of recommendation

I hope to complete my 8 week elective in the US, and have already found some programs I will likely apply for, if they are still applicable then.

However I know that 8 weeks isn't a great deal of experience. I wondered how foreign medical students have managed to arrange further clinical experience without paying companies for the process? Is it just a case of emailing as many hospitals/clinics as possible and hoping for the best? I have 4 months off for summer next year and really want to make the most of any time off to strengthen my application.

So what I was hoping is does anyone have any experience of arranging clinical experience outside of their elective? Does anyone know of any hospitals/clinics which offer this? Preferably for OB/GYN but in all honesty any experience in any sector is better than none at all!

Also do you think my nursing experience will count for anything? I know I haven't practiced in the US, but I do have Western experience?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[ClinicalCoordin]

Chicago Clinical Program at the Advanced Ambulatory Surgery Center is offering a quality clerkship program for 3rd and 4 year medical students. We have rotations in General Surgery, Orthopedics, Ambulatory Surgery and Internal Medicine. Our program is affordable. Each rotation is 4-8 weeks long. We offer free housing!
Check us out at
chicagoclinicalprogram.com

[futurepeddoc3]

I tried out www.unitedmedicalrotations.com and spoke with Chris. They had the most options in different states. also helped out with living advice.