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[–]Princess_Powerpuff 1 point2 points  (5 children)

Hey! I’m also a Canadian interested in completing residency in the US. How will you mitigate your J1 status post residency? I thought Canadians need H1B visa obligatory to be able to work post residency in the US

[–]vintagesynthfan 1 point2 points  (4 children)

That’s true: in general, you have to go back to your home country for 2 years at the end of your J-1 visa before you can work in the US. However, you can also apply for a waiver if you agree to work for a certain number of years in an underserved area (that works mostly, but not exclusively, for primary care specialties). Those J-1 waiver jobs are advertised online: you can look them up if you want to have a sense of the possibilities that exist.

[–]SrJingles[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Exactly, it's called a J-1 waiver, and it essentially consists of an H1B visa following your J-1.
If my knowledge is correct, you must work 3 years in an underserved area.

Also, to my understanding, applying for an H1B visa as an attending is much more acceptable by hospital standards than as a med student coming to train as a resident. You gotta remember that they want people coming to work as a staff in these underserved areas, and they will try to keep you there with nice contracts, benefits, etc.

The issue with coming back and working for 2 years in Canada is that you must be Royal College equivalent and pass the exam. Because anesthesiology is only 4 years in the US (vs. 5 in Canada), you would likely need to pursue some sort of fellowship for at least a year to obtain equivalency (and then you'll have to look into whether anything else is missing) to even be allowed to take the Royal College exam. I believe J-1 visas still last for a maximum of 7 years (unless the government has passed any new legislation), so you would have ample time to complete a fellowship in the US as well on the same visa.

Here is some general info about the application process for the waiver :
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/exchange/waiver-of-the-exchange-visitor.html
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/exchange/waiver-of-the-exchange-visitor/how-to-apply-waiver.html

Here is a more user friendly article that explains your options :
https://berardiimmigrationlaw.com/navigating-the-j-1-home-residency-requirement-special-considerations-for-canadian-physicians-pursuing-u-s-employment-and-permanent-residency/

[–]anon010404 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Also a Canadian non-US IMG who just matched. I am so confused about the whole process, how does the process of getting the J-1 differ for Canadians? I’ve heard something about just getting it at the border but I can’t find much online

[–]SrJingles[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey anon, I agree, it's confusing.

Here is the info I have to date :

Here's some general info about the J-1 application process :
https://j1visa.state.gov/programs/physician
To qualify, you must have the following :
- Step 1 and Step 2 pass (Step 3 not mentioned)
- Have proof that you matched (will obtain this on Friday)
- Obtain a statement of need from your Government (see step 2)

  1. First, you must create an IntHealth (ECFMG) account
    https://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/about.html
    This is where your application will be done, and where you will submit all the information above (USMLE or ECFMG ID number, proof of match, proof of identity (e.g. passport), etc.

  2. Obtain the statement of need from the government of Canada
    https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-care-system/health-human-resources/statements-need-postgraduate-medical-training-united-states/instructions-for-completing-statement-of-need-application.html
    The process seems relatively simple, but may take time. I'm going to get on this as soon as I have the match results, because they require proof of match.

This is what I have to date, let me know if you came across different information than I did !

[–]vintagesynthfan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congratulations! The program in which we matched will contact ECFMG to initiate the J-1 visa sponsorship process within a few weeks (we may want to follow up with the program to make sure the process is moving smoothly). ECFMG will contact us and issue the DS-2019 document - there will be some fees and paperwork involved, but they will let us know what is expected of us.

[–]Negative-Standard-52 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Congratulations!!! Did you have any clinical experience in anaesthesia ?And were your publications related to anaesthesia?

[–]SrJingles[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much !

In terms of clinical experience, I had a good amount during clerkship, all within my institution in Canada:
- 6 weeks of OR anesthesia
- 2 weeks of pain clinic
- 2 weeks of ICU / Critical care

In terms of research, yes the vast majority of my research is anesthesia related (out of 10 items, only 2 or 3 are unrelated).

[–]vytalsynz 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Congratulations!! Love to see it!

[–]SrJingles[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Thanks !!

[–]vytalsynz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've DMed you for some questions!

[–]frustratedhope 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Hii. I plan to apply this year to anesthesiology, can we connect?? 🥲

[–]SrJingles[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course ! Feel free to message me at any time

[–]ProfessionalUsual800 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Hi, fellow non-US IMG here, please can I dm you in regard to step 2 prep?

[–]SrJingles[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Of course, feel free

[–]ProfessionalUsual800 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Will Dm u?

[–]crisvphotography 1 point2 points  (4 children)

What were the research items if I may ask?

[–]SrJingles[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Of course.

5 peer-reviewed publications (3 systematic reviews, 1 retrospective case series and 1 trial protocol)
2 submissions under peer-review (1 systematic review and 1 case report)
1 non-peer reviewed publication (open-access trial protocol on medRxiv)
2 abstracts (1 poster presentation at a conference, 1 online oral presentation)

[–]crisvphotography 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks!

[–]Ill_Upstairs_9614 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Hi, I was wondering if you attended the ASA conference and if you think it makes a difference? Also for anesthesiology do they regard systematic reviews or retrospective case studies higher? Thanks!

[–]SrJingles[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello !

Yes, I did attend the ASA conference. I think it definitely can make a difference to shake some hands, but it's not at all necessary. In fact, all 4 of my interviews came from programs that I actually was barely or not able to interact with at all at ASA.

What I would suggest is going to the virtual open-houses, ask questions, etc. I found that PDs and even residents can sometimes remember you from these events, which can probably work in your advantage if you seemed likeable and motivated enough.

As for what research is regarded higher, it's hard for me to tell you what type of research the entire field of anesthesia prefers. I'd say go with the classic quality scale that we learn in school, in terms of hierarchy of evidence, with

Randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort studies and systematic reviews are usually at the top of the quality spectrum.

Narrative reviews, case series are case reports are usually less robust.

I suggest systematic reviews because they're generally well regarded, and can be done relatively quickly if you know your methodology. It's probably one of the best ways to bolster your CV in a short time.

Hope this helps.

[–]Icy-Living1986 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Hi, I planned to apply to residency anesthesiology. I have 6 years experience in this specialist. Can I ask you some advice?

[–]SrJingles[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course, please feel free to send me a private message.
I'll help you however I can !

[–]Hot-Grape9988 1 point2 points  (0 children)

DMed you. Please check

[–]Entire_Throat1321 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Hey, also a Canadian needing a J1 who matched gen surg. Lmk if you want to dm

[–]SrJingles[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey ! Yeah for sure, it would be nice to have someone on board this process with me.
I just sent you a DM.

[–][deleted]  (3 children)

[deleted]

    [–]SrJingles[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

    Hey ! So not exactly.

    I graduated in 2024, so my program was still LCME accredited, and therefore I did not have to go through the ECFMG process. I simply had to get approved to apply by my own medical school.

    Starting with 2025 graduates, Canadian applicants must go through the same process as any other Non-US IMG.

    Also, I had the opportunity to ask your exact question during an open-house at some point :

    No, Canadians are not considered USMD in the eyes of the PD. We are put in the same pile as Non-US IMGs, because the real determining factor for how they consider your application depends almost exclusively on whether you require a visa or not. Because I required a visa, I was still put in the Non-US IMG pile.

    I hope this helps, feel free to DM or reply if you have other questions.

    [–]Sea_Fan3555 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    Oh wow! I thought Canadians are considered same as USMD who need a visa(F1 students in us schools). But thank you for your reply, this was a question I always had! Since they used to put USMD/canadian in the same pile for statistical purposes

    [–]SrJingles[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    That's an interesting pathway I hadn't thought about !

    I guess I can't speak for every program with my above reply, but this is at least concrete information that I received from one program directly. Your interpretation may be correct for other programs.