The SIU Decatur Family Medicine Residency Program welcomes applications from International Medical Graduates. We appreciate the diversity various training experiences and cultural backgrounds provide our "family" of Resident Physicians.

Click here for: Applicant Interview Information

VISA Policy below.

In order to simplify your application process, we have developed certain guidelines that help us to maintain the excellent academic standards we have set for our training program.

• USMLE Scores - no set value - BUT - You must pass each step with 2 or less attempts.
  

• We traditionally start new residents in sequence (July start), but each applicant will be evaluated individually to accommodate other start times when necessary.

• CURRENT CLINICAL EXPERIENCE:

  • Graduation from medical school within 24 months of start of PGY-1 year OR:

  • Current hands on clinical experience in the U.S.. The duration of this experience should be at least 6 months. This experience should be prior to starting residency and continue until immediately before the start of residency training. This clinical experience may include:

    • Currently in Active Clinical Practice (licensed) in the U.S.

    • Currently in a U.S. Residency training program - transitional, psychiatry, surgery, etc.

    • Externship - this must be HANDS ON patient evaluation and care directly overseen by faculty. This work should be of medical student or resident caliber responsibility in the management of patient care.

      • An observership (not actively evaluating and managing the patient's care) DOES NOT fulfill this requirement.

      • Clinical research DOES NOT fulfill this requirement.

• A great deal of our rank decision is based on your personal interview.

• These are "guidelines" and  are subject to change without notice.

• 3 Letters of recommendation are required. These letters should be from physicians that have directly supervised your education and clinical activities in the United States. The letters should also specifically state:

  1) What are your current and past clinical activities?

  2) What degree of responsibility you had in managing patients' care?

  3) The relationship of the letter writer to the applicant, how long the writer has known you and in what capacity (i.e. colleague, supervisor, instructor, family member, etc.).

  4) A clearly identified telephone number where we may contact the letter writer directly for more information. This should be a direct line to that person's office or secretary, NOT a general hospital telephone number on the letterhead where we need to then locate that individual.

• Letters not specifically stating this information will not be regarded favorably in the application process. Please provide letter writers a copy of this web page when asking them to provide your letter of recommendation.

POLICY ON IMG VISA STATUS

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine will accept applications from graduates of U.S. medical or Osteopathic schools, permanent US residents who have graduated from a foreign medical school, and foreign medical school graduates who are willing to work on a J-1 visa. Exceptions will be made only under extraordinary circumstances, and such exceptions will be processed expeditiously by the affiliated hospitals and the SIU School of Medicine Office of Residency Affairs.

Approved by GMEC September 3, 1999

Thank you for your interest in our training program - good luck in your academic endeavors!