I am a research fellow at one of the best research universities in the country. I am a IMG. During med school. I authored a textbook on physiology, was editor of couple of magazines and held various leadership positions. My scores on Step 1 and 2 are average( 216/223). However I hope to make up for it by finishing the Step 3 this month. Though it is virtually impossible to get into an ortho residency with these scores, (plus being an IMG) my passion for the subject is too overwhelming. This has driven me to work my ass off at my present position. It has been appreciated by my Boss who will also give me strong LOR. Besides having 2 papers submitted, have 5 in the pipeline. I have discovered a previously thought 'exclusive orthopaedic molecule' in other tissues. Getting the paper ready on this. I am cautiously optimistic about my chances this year. However I am also prepared for the long haul. My options before me are
1. Get a Ph.D from MIT
2. Continue my work with my present PI for another year( BTW he is great guy and the best teacher I ever had. The downside is I am unpaid . Though I can continue to eat one meal a day and sleep in the cold, my resources for that will dry up too)
3. Do a preliminary surgery residency. ( If i do not get into an orthopaedic program after that the prelim year , I am screwed because most of these programs offer a J1 visa instead of a H1 visa)
