{"id":1301,"date":"2018-07-19T18:06:44","date_gmt":"2018-07-19T18:06:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fmgportal.com\/?p=1266"},"modified":"2019-03-05T11:21:19","modified_gmt":"2019-03-05T11:21:19","slug":"foregoing-an-observership-in-favor-of-a-clinical-externship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fmgportal.com\/dev\/foregoing-an-observership-in-favor-of-a-clinical-externship\/","title":{"rendered":"Foregoing an Observership in Favor of a Clinical Externship"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As a foreign medical student, an observership in the United States might sound like a great idea. After all, an observational experience in a clinical setting might have been one of the things that initially inspired you to pursue a career in medicine. When you were in secondary school or completing your undergraduate studies, just spending a short period shadowing a physician may have really made a difference when determining your decision to pursue a medical course of study. However, the situation is much different after you\u2019ve completed medical school. As a foreign medical graduate, you have dedicated years of your life to the study of medicine in the classroom and the clinic, so it is far less likely that you will truly gain from standing by and watching other physicians work. Therefore, if you\u2019re looking for a US experience before applying to a US medical residency program, the best approach is to forego an observership in favor of a <\/span>clinical externship<\/span><\/a>. Read on for more information about why. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The Differences between an Observership and a Clinical Externship<\/b><\/p>\n

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The fundamental problem with observerships is that they are just what they sound like: the chance to observe another physician go about their daily routine. But as a foreign medical graduate, you\u2019ve probably already spent a lot of time doing just that over the course of your education—and a few more months of doing so before you apply for a US medical residency program probably won\u2019t make a big difference. Plus, if you try to write about an observership on <\/span>your personal statement<\/span><\/a> when you apply, it will be harder for you to argue that the familiar experience was truly meaningful–and the program official who is evaluating your application will be able to tell. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Moreover, the observership itself can be both frustrating and disappointing for a well-trained physician like yourself. Once you\u2019ve been classified as an observer in a clinical setting–not as a true participant–it\u2019s easy to get sidelined by other healthcare professionals. If observership is in a high-pressure specialty area like surgery or <\/span>cardiology<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s easy to get pushed aside by an attending physician who is (rightly) more concerned about the patient\u2019s health than about making sure you have a good view of the procedure they are performing. As a result, there\u2019s a high risk that you\u2019ll end up missing out on any truly meaningful learning experience you might have had, since you\u2019ll just feel obliged to get out of the way and let the attending physician and the other healthcare professionals do their jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In contrast, if you enroll in a clinical externship program, you\u2019ll always be in on the action. A clinical externship is a truly hands-on experience, which means that you\u2019ll have real responsibilities from Day 1. Depending on the specialty area in which you are working, some of the tasks your attending physician may assign you include:<\/span><\/p>\n