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Connections Saudi ArabiaVolume 2, Issue 2 May/June 2011
Feature: Medical Education in the U.S.
Student Spotlight: Mohammed Mansi
US Embassy, Riyadh
Useful Links:
U.S. Embassy-Riyad• h
Inside this issue:
EducationUS• A
U.S. Embassy-Faceboo• k
CollegeBoar• d
ET• S
Peterson• s
Medical Educa-tionintheU.S.
Student Spotlight
Focus on...Residencies in the U.S.
Spotlight:University of the Sciences
Being aMedical Mentor
Counselors’Connection
ApplicationCountdown
Did you know?
Upcoming Events
Contact Us
Visaquestion
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Mohammed Mansi is cur-rentlyfinishinghisMedicalinternship at King Fahad NationalGuardHospitalin Riyadh. Mohammed decidedtoenterthefieldofNeurosurgeryafterattend-ing Medical School at King Saud bin Abdulaziz Univer-sityforHealthSciencesinRiyadh, where he gradu-atedin2010.Hereceivedhis Bachelors of Science in Medical Technology from King Abdulaziz University in his hometown of Jeddah in 2006.In January 2011, however, Mohammed decided to takehismedicaleducationto the United States. Dur-ing his four week observer-shipatSt.Joseph’sHospitalandRegionsHospitalinSt.Paul, Minnesota, Moham-med got a hands-on look intomedicalpracticeintheUnited States and was able to gain more experience in
hisdesiredfieldofpractice,neurosurgery. “U.S. doctors are leaders in themedicalfield,”Moham-med said, “They use the latest advancements and state-of-the-art technol-ogy.”During the Observership, Mohammedattendedsurgeries, did rounds with doctors in the mornings, workedonpatientimaging,andattendedlecturesonneurosurgery with some of thetopdoctorsinthefield.“They have the best doc-tors over there, they are pioneersinneurosurgery,”Mohammed said, “I was able to learn some of the latest techniques and found that the human mind is a marvelousstructurewaitingtobediscovered.”Because of frequent travels to the United States when he was younger, Moham-med says he was no strang-ertolargeU.S.cities.“It’s always a pleasant experience to travel to the states, I made a lot of good friendsthere,”Mohammedsaid, “During childhood
travelIgotattachedtocer-tain things about America, it will always have a special placeinmyheart.”Afterfinishinghisintern-shipatKFNGH,Mohammedhopes to go into neuro-surgery and is looking into optionsintheUnitedStatesand Canada. Mohammed would like to thank his country and college, his wifeandfamily,EducationUSA,andtheU.S.Govern-mentforassistinghiminhiscareer and life goals. Mo-hammed says he also owes special thanks to the nurses at St. Joseph’s and Regions HospitalsandDoctorsTariqJanjua, Eric Nussbaum, and Alejandro Mendez.To other students wish-ing to study in the United States, Mohammed says, “Continuefightingforyourdreams, because you can get to them through educa-tionandhardwork.”As for other aspiring doc-tors, Mohammed encour-agesthemto“Goseetheworld. If you want to go for something special, the Statesaretheplace.”
MedicaleducationintheUnited States is one of the mostcompetitiveandhighqualityfieldsofstudyinthecountry. Medical school usually lasts four years and consists of a classroom experience with observa-tionandclinicalwork.
Admission requirements include an undergraduate degree, preferably from a U.S.-accreditedinstitution.There are over 150 medi-cal schools in the United States, most of which award Doctoral degrees in medi-cine. For more informa-
tiononthevarioustypesofmedicaleducationandprofessionalfieldsofstudywithinthemedicalfield,visit: http://www.educatio-nusa.info/pages/students/research-pro.php
Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 2
Focus on ... Residencies in the U.S.
Passthehands-onUSMLEStep2ClinicalSkillsexamination(Step2CS)thatisadministeredbyECFMGinseveralU.S.locations(currentlyincludingPhiladelphia,Atlanta,LosAngeles,Chicago,andHouston)throughouttheyear.TheUSMLEStep1mustbetakenbeforeStep2CS.TheSecretaryGeneraloftheSaudiCommissionforHeathSpecialtiesrecentlysignedanagreementtoofferStep1intheKingdom.Allthreestepsmustbepassedwithinaseven-yearpe-riodforthecandidatetoqualifyforECFMGcertification.NoadditionalEnglishproficiencyexaminationisrequiredforthosetakingStep2CS.(Inthepast,TOEFLwasrequired.)
1) Pass the USMLE
2) Graduate from Medical SchoolGraduatefromamedicalschoollistedintheInternationalMedicalEducationDirectoryoftheFoundationforAdvo-cacyofInternationalMedicalEducationandResearch(availableonlineathttp://imed.ecfmg.org)
MedicalProgramsthatarerecognizedinSaudiArabia(asofJuly12,2011):
Batterjee Medical College for Sciences & Technology JeddahGlobal Medical College RiyadhIbn Sina National College JeddahJizan University JizanKing Abdulaziz University JeddahKing Fahad Medical Center RiyadhKing Faisal University Al KhobarKing Faisal University Al Ahsa King Khalid University AbhaKing Saud University RiyadhKing Saud University for Health Sciences RiyadhQassim University BuraydaTaibah University Al Munawarah Umm Al Qura University MeccaUniversity of Dammam Dammam
U.S. graduate training for physicians generallyinvolvescompletingaprescribedperiodofclinicaltraininginachosenmedicalspecialty,usuallycalledaresidency.TheAccreditationCouncilforGraduateMedicalEducation(ACGME)accred-itssuchprograms.Whileentrytoresidenciesisquitecompetitive,internationalphysiciansgenerallyhavehighchancesofpursuingU.S.medicalstudyatthislevel.BelowaresixkeystepstoattainingamedicalresidencyintheU.S.
Association of American Medical CollegesStudentscanapplythroughtheAAMC’sElectronicResidencyApplicationService(ERAS)athttps://www.aamc.org/services/69694/eras/. ERAS is a service that transmitsapplications,lettersofrecommendation,MedicalStudentPerformanceEvaluations,medicalschooltranscripts,USMLEtranscripts,COMLEXtranscripts,andothersupportingcredentialsfromapplicantsandtheirdesignateddean’sofficetoprogram directors.
Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 3
Focus on ... Residencies in the U.S.
Toobtainresidencypositionsorothertraininginvolvingpatientcontact,graduatesofmedicalschoolsoutsidetheUnitedStatesmustpassacertificationprogramadministeredbytheEducationalCommissionforForeignMedicalGraduates(ECFMG).ThiscertificationprogramisdesignedtoassureboththeU.S.publicanddirectorsofresidencyprogramsthatapplicantsfromforeignmedicalschoolshavequalificationscomparabletoU.S.medicalschoolgradu-ates.
Internationalmedicalgraduates(IMGs)applyingforresidenciesmusthaveECFMGcertificationbefore beginning a residency,buttheymayinitiatecorrespondencewithaprogrambeforetheyreceivecertification.Informationonresidencyprogramscanbefoundon-lineintheAmericanMedicalAssociation’s(AMA)FellowshipandResidencyElectronicInteractiveDatabase(FREIDA),locatedathttp://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2997.html.
Documentthecompletionofallrequirementsforthereceiptofthefinalmedicaldiploma.ProvideECFMGwithcopiesofthemedicaldiplomaandfinalmedicalschooltranscript.ECFMGwillthenindependentlyverifythesecre-dentialswiththemedicalschool.
3) ECFMG Certification
AtthesametimethatIMGsarecompletingtheECFMGcertificationprocess,theycanbegininvestigatingresidencyoptionsandapplyingtoprograms.IMGsmustbeECFMG-certifiedbeforeactuallystartingaresi-dency.ConsulttheGraduateMedicalEducationDirectory,publishedbythe“FREIDAOnline”database,ontheAmericanMedicalAssociation(AMA)Websiteathttp://www.ama-assn.org to choose appropriate programs. Correspond with and, if possible, visit programs of interest.
4) Research Schools
Applydirectlytoprogramsofinterest,usingtheirapplicationformsortheElectronicResidencyApplicationService(ERAS).ECFMGservesasthe“designateddean’soffice”forIMGsparticipatinginERAS—IMGsmusthaveobtainedanidentificationnumberexamthroughECFMG(byapplyingforanexam)toapplythroughERAS.AlsoapplytobematchedwithprogramsofinterestthroughtheNationalResidentMatchingProgram(http://www.nrmp.org)orspecialtymatchingprograms(ifprogramsparticipate).
5) Application Process
6) VisaFinally,thereisthevisaapplication.IMGsmust beECFMG-certifiedandacceptedtoaresidencybeforetheycanreceiveavisaforresidencystudy.Contactadesignatedsponsor(ECFMGforaJ-1visa)toobtaincertificationtoapplyforavisa.Acurriculumvita,letterfromthehomecountry’sMinistryofHealth,andothermaterialswillberequired.Oncecertificationtoapplyisreceived,contactaU.S.EmbassyorConsulatetoapplyforthevisa.Bepreparedtodocumentstudyplans,financialresourcessufficientforyourplannedprogram,andintenttoreturnhome. Plan to apply for your Visa at least two to three months in advance of your program’s start date.
Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 4
University Spotlight - University of the SciencesUndergraduate: 2,400Postgraduate: 340
Motto: “Where healthcare andscienceconverge”
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Programs Available: Bio-chemistry,HealthScience,PharmaceuticalChemistry, Pre-Medicine,Pre-HealthProfessional
More Information:
Video: Get a student’s look inside University of the Sciences in Philadelphia!
http://www.usciences.edu/
The University of the Sci-encesinPhiladelphia(USP)is a private health sciences university with an urban campus nestled in a down-town Philadelphia, Pen-nyslvania. It was founded in1821asAmerica’sfirstpharmacy college. It now boasts 25 undergraduate and 21 graduate programs.
The programs at USP cover a wide range of specializa-tionswithinthefieldofhealth sciences. Students have the opportunity to
enternewemergingfieldsin health science and re-ceive hands-on experience at the entry level through research.
USP alumni have contrib-uted to progress in every dimension of the health sciences, from pioneering theuseofx-raysinthe19thcentury to unlocking the geneticcodeinthe20thand discovering countless newmedications.
USP Pharmaceutical students celebrate American Pharmacists Month. The Pharmaceutical program at USP is one of the oldest and most successful in the United States.
USP graduates enter a variety of fields after graduation, includ-ing: Medicine, Healthcare busi-ness and Health Policy.
TocontacttheofficeforInternationalStudentAdvisingandMulticulturalAffairs,callAssociateDean/DirectorofMulti-culturalAffairsWalterPerryEdDat215-596-8890ore-mailhimatw.perry@usp.edu
Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 5
Being a Medical Mentor
Dr.IbrahimBanihasover30yearsofexperienceinthemedicalfieldandcurrentlyservesastheAssociateDeanforGraduateStudiesandResearchattheFacultyofMedicineatJazanUniversity.Dr.BaniholdsanM.B.B.S.fromKhar-toumMedicalCollege(1977),aDiplomainTropicalMedicineandHygienefromLondon’sRoyalCollegeofPhysicians(1984),andanInternationalFellowshipfromtheJohnsHopkinsSchoolofPublicHealth(1988-1989).Dr.BanihasworkedasamedicalofficerinDarfur,SudanandasaconsultantattheDiabeticCenteratKingAbdulAzizUniversityHospitalinRiyadh.AtJazanUniversity,Dr.Baniisanadministratorandcoordinatorforinternationalgraduateandcollaborationpro-grams.Healsooverseescollegeprofessionaldevelopmentprograms,aswellascommunityserviceandresearchactivities.SomeofhisinternationalcollaborationeffortsincludeconnectionswithUniversityofIllinois–Chicago,wherehetaughtintheFamilyMedicineDepartmentin2009,andGeorgeWashingtonUniversity,wherehetaughtintheInternationalHealthDepartmentin2000.Since2008,hehassentanaverageof10studentsperyeartoUICand4studentstoGWU.Dr.BanistressestohisstudentstheneedtotakefulladvantageoftheAmericanmedicaleduca-tionsystem.“Itisauniqueopportunity,andthestudentshouldmakethemostofit,”Dr.Banisaid.“Networkingisakeyelementin achievements during their studies in the U.S. The student must be oriented in the U.S. system, including cultural, medicalandeducationaldifferences,beforetravellingtotheU.S.”Dr.BanisaysSaudistudentswhotraveltotheUnitedStatesformedicaleducationareabletotapintoexpertiseandresourcesthatarenotavailabledomestically,gainknowledgeofglobalhealthcareandbroadentheirhorizoninmedicaleducation.“Theylearnanothernewlevelofprofessionalismandworkethics,”Dr.Banisaid.“Theywillrecognizeandopendoorsofopportunitiesbygettingrecommendationsfromreputablemedicalandacademicinstitutions.”InadditiontotakingtheMCAT,Dr.BanisaysprospectivestudentsmustkeepinmindthatmedicalinstitutionsintheUnited States place more weight on the interviews when considering students for admission. Overall,Dr.Banisays,studentsmustbe“opentonewwaysofdoingthings.”Thisopenness,combinedwithacom-mitmenttocross-culturaleducation,hashelpedhisinternationalstudentssucceed.
Dr. Ibrahim Bani- Jazan University
Connecting with U.S. Universities in the GulfMeetingwithU.S.universityadmissionofficersandrepresentativescanbeagreatwaytolearnmoreaboutdifferenttypesofinstitutions.Itisagreatopportunitytoexpandyourcollegesearchandmeetwithrepresentativesface-to-face,learnmoreabouttheirschoolsandaskquestions.Saudiuniversitiesalsohave an opportunity to network and liaise with their counterparts and explore the possibility of linkages. Therearesomegreatopportunitiestomeetwithrepresentativesoverthenextfewmonths.CheckoutthefollowingeventsoccuringintheGulf:
NAFSA:NationalAssociationInternationalEducationFrom May 27th to June 1st, 2012, NAFSA will host thousands of educators, includ-ingcampusleaders,policyexperts,industrypartners,experiencedpractitionersandinternationalcolleaguesforits2012 Annuel Conference & ExpoinHouston,Texas, USA. The event will include over 250 workshops, sessions and seminars in additiontoface-to-faceconnectionsnetworkingopportunitieswithintheworld-wideeducationfield.Formoreinformation,visitwww.nafsa.org.
Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 6
Did You Know? Extramural Electives/Clerkships can be an excellent way to gain experience in the U.S. medical field before you finish your degree.
Useful LinksGreat College Search Engines:
Peterson• s
Collegeboar• d
Essential SaudiWebsites:
SACM.or• g
MOHE.gov.s• a
Accreditation:
CHE• A
U.S. Department of •
Education
EDU E-LISTDo you want to know moreabouteducationalopportunitiesintheU.S.?If so, sign up for the EDU E-LIST! If you are interested, e-mail [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]
Upcoming Test Dates:2011Oct. 1 SAT I & II
*registerbySept.9
Nov. 5 SAT I & II*register by Oct. 7
Dec. 3 SAT I & II*register by Nov. 8
2012Jan. 28 SAT I & II*register by Dec. 30, 2011
March 10 SAT I*register by Feb. 10
Application CountdownJunior Year/11th Grade:Summer 2011
Start planning to visit colleges that interest you; if possible, arrange an on-campus •interviewortourwithagroupofprospectivestudentsCreatearésuméwhichlistsyouraccomplishments,activitiesandworkexperi-•encesCreateacalendarthatincludestheapplicationdeadlinesforvariousuniversities•RegisterfortheSATandSATII(Subjecttests)intheFall•
Senior Year/12th Grade:Summer 2011
Make travel plans; book early for the best prices.•Shop for items you need for college.•Makesuretosignupforfirst-yearorientation.•Planyourfirst-semestercourses.Choosesubjectsthatinterestyouandmaybe-•come your college major.
Areyouinyour3rdor4thyearofmedicalschoolandinterestedingettingsomeexperi-ence in the United States? If so, you should know that many U.S. medical schools pro-videextramuralelectives/clerkshipstostudents.PrioritywilloftengotoU.S.students,butmanyschoolswelcomeinternationalmedicalstudents.Thesearehighlymobileandflexibleprogramsthatoftenfocusonaspecificfieldofmedicine.TheydonotrequireECFMGcertification;howeversomemayrequireStep1oftheUSLME.TheAssociationofAmericancollegeshasanonlineextramuralelectivescompendiumthatallowsyoutosearchelectivesbyinstitution,locationandspecificmedicalcollege.Eachprogramliststhecontactinformation,schoolwebsite,ifinternationalstudentsareaccepted,deadlinesand fees if applicable. To search this database, go to http://services.aamc.org/eec/stu-dents/AclerkshipscanbeawonderfulchanceforinternationalmedicalstudentstogetatasteoftheU.S.medicalsystemandassistwithlookingatresidencyopportunitiesaftergraduation.
USMLE Preparation- RiyadhFor students who are unable to take USMLE preparatory classes in the United States or Canada, Kaplan Test Preparatory ServicesnowoffersliveinstructionatKingSaudUniver-sity, College of Medicine in Riyadh. Live lectures will be held from July 2 - August 20, 2011 and students will have access to online materials, lectures, and test prep services for six months. The faculty is com-posed of U.S. medical school facultyandpractitionerswho are acclaimed lectur-ersintheirrespectivefields.Formoreinformation,visit: http://www.kaptest.com/KSA/Study-in-SA.html.
Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 7
RIYADH - U.S. Embassy-RiyadhTel:+966-1-488-3800Ext.4505orExt.4207E-mail: [email protected] http://riyadh.usembassy.gov/education-and-culture.html JEDDAH-U.S.ConsulateGeneralTel:+966-2-667-0080Ext.4151E-mail: [email protected]://jeddah.usconsulate.gov/jeddah/advising.html DHAHRAN-U.S.ConsulateGeneralTel:+966-3-330-3200Ext.3044E-mail: [email protected] http://dhahran.usconsulate.gov/dhahranresourc-es.html
EducationUSAisaglobalnetworkofmorethan450advising centers supported by the Bureau of Educa-tionalandCulturalAffairsattheU.S.DepartmentofState.TheBureauofEducationalandCulturalAf-fairs(ECA)fostersmutualunderstandingbetweentheUnitedStatesandothercountriesbypromotingpersonal,professional,andinstitutionaltiesbetweenprivatecitizensandorganizationsintheUnitedStatesandabroad,aswellasbypresentingU.S.history,society, art and culture in all of its diversity to over-seas audiences. The Foreign Students of Yesterday are becoming the World Leaders today.
Visit the Education USA Website at:http://EducationUSA.state.gov
http://www.facebook.com/USEmbassySaudiArabia
Visa QuestionQuestion: What type of visa should my Mahram get to accompany me to the U.S.?
For female students who must have a Mahram to be eligible for King Abdul-lah Scholarship Program, or other scholarship programs there are three primaryvisaoptions.
F2 Visa (student dependent): The F2 visa is issued to dependents of students, and are limited to spouses and children. As long as the female studentmaintainsfull-timestatus,herdependents are eligible to live with her in the United States on an F2 visa.
F1 Visa (student): The female stu-dent’s spouse or other family member
mayenrollinthesameinstitutionoranearby school and become eligible for their own F1 visa and accompany their femalerelativeduringherstudyinthe United States. This Mahram must maintainfull-timestudentstatusandbe able to show credible academic progress, as do all F1 students.
B1/B2 Visa (business/tourism): Mahramsnotenrolledinafulltimeprogram who are not dependents (e.g.father,brother,othercloserela-tive)mustentertheUnitedStateson a B1/B2 business/tourism visa. A business/tourist visa enables the Mahram to travel to the port of entry, where the U.S. Customs and Border Control(CBP)officerwilldeterminethetimethevisaholderisauthorized
to be in the U.S. This is usually for a period of up to six months, at which timehemustleaveorfileanexten-sionrequestwiththeU.S.CitizenshipandImmigrationService(USCIS)onformI-539.TheB1/B2touristvisadoes not enable someone to live in the United States for the length of the visa’s validity.
The laws of the United States do not require a Mahram for female stu-dents, and a female who loses her Mahram will not lose her visa for this reason alone. Decide which visa path is right for you and your family, and [email protected].
