The international medical graduate (IMG) has some special circumstances when applying for fellowship. It is easier to find a fellowship on a J-1 visa than the H-1b visa. Many NIH (National Institute of Health) funded programs will not accept those applicants with the H-1b while they will take those applicants with the J-1) This makes many of the larger university programs unavailable to those with the H-1b. The two most popular fellowships out of internal medicine are cardiology and gastroenterology. The last five years has seen a push toward primary care in US medicine leaving many fellowship programs available. 1999 saw a general increase in fellowship applications making the competition much harder. If you are an IMG, finding fellowships in cardiology and gastroenterology are particularly difficult. Keys for you to getting these positions are to do your residency in a university program, get key recommendations, and publish research you have done in the field.
---Nirmal
---Nirmal
