Worth moving to the U.S. for a Doctor?
Asking for my gf. We are planning to get married soon. I work in the U.S. (I’m a SWE) and she’s in india (a paediatrician). If she moves to the U.S., how hard is it for her to start practising? She has an MD in Paediatrics from India and 3 years of experience. Also, what does the pay look like? She currently earns ~45 LPA. If the opportunities/money for her is better in India, I don’t mind moving back too, since it’s easy to find tech jobs in India for me. Any personal experiences pls? TC 300, YoE 5
Her degree is not recognized in US
Would be awesome if I could go get a med school degree in India then comeback to us as a doctor
They used to do that in 80s when US was in dire need of doctors. They literally let anyone who had a med school degree into USA. Then the med schools ramped up and are able to match the demand. Hence, very difficult for doctors from outside to practice in USA.
At a minimum, she will need to get ECFMG certified and then complete residency in the US, usually 3-7 years
I don’t think it is worth it. She will have to do the education (not sure how much she will have to repeat). Then start from scratch which means crazy long hours. On top of that, I have heard unless you are a surgeon or a super specialist, the pay not crazy high for doctors. On top of all this, the lifestyle is hectic in US, too many home chores but you already know it.
I don’t think she needs to repeat the education, but definitely needs to do residency :(
Depends on if you want your kids to get US citizenship by being born in US. If you think it is worth it, then may be it is a good idea. I have known people who have passed the USMLE , completed a residency reasonably quickly and started practise. After kids being born here, it is tough to raise them here , if you don’t have family around you. If you don’t care about kids being born here, then better you move to India. You could get a much better life and support in India.
She can’t practice with her Indian medical degree. It’s a grueling process to clear exams (USMLE)n get US residency
Yes that’s what I thought too.
Just move back to India, the country is a top emerging market and invest in your money wisely . You will be glad you did . Do it when you have a chance! Life is down hill after marriage and kids. It’s definitely fulfilling, but you are very short on time , extended family and friends in India will make it very easy .
Pediatricians get paid slightly less than internal medicine. In my area, when internal medicine physicians are paid 250-300 range, Pediatricians get 200-250 range.
That's a relatively good pay in India for a doctor, is she running her own practice? USMLE/ residence demands 80hrs a week, it's not easy, then post that most doctors do a fellowship as well. Expect ~5 yrs of struggle.
Plan for 1.5 years of USMLE exams. 6 months of observerships and residency applications. This is an aggressive timeline - I've seen it crept into 3 years timeline for most folks we know. After that, # of residency calls will be fewer for IMGs, mainly from remote areas or immigrant heavy programs. So plan for moving to remote areas if needed for 3 year residency.
As far as I know, Doctors in US get paid really high. Starting salary will be ~400k. One thing you might have to clarify is, if her Indian degree is valid in US? She might have to study again or write some exams.
Hmm — I think she might have to do her residency again (so kind of repeating the three years she did her MD in India).
Her masters doesn’t count in US, she has to requalify