The US administration recently implemented a $100,000 fee for initial applications for H-1B visas – to be paid by prospective employers. The American Medical Association is lobbying for an exemption for doctors. Currently, new physicians from international locations represent one in six medical residents and fellows at US teaching hospitals, approximately 15,500 doctors in 2024. See this piece by Roni Caryn Rabin from the New York Times that covers the panic about and resistance to the policy’s application to physicians and nurses.
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Think Before You Post
Before you tweet that racy comment or post a picture of yourself partying on Facebook, I recommend you pause. A recent study “Social Network Activity May Affect Medical School Acceptance” from the Postgraduate Medical Journal indicates that social networking is affecting medical school and residency admissions. Nine percent of the medical school and residency program survey participants acknowledged routine use of social networking sites as part of the selection process.
The American Medical Association has advised doctors that social network content can adversely affect physicians’ reputations. That advice seems straightforward. However, what troubles me is that admissions officers can intentionally or subconsciously form negatively judgments about applicants based on the candidates’ family situations (e.g. a woman applicant with a new baby), political leanings, or romantic relationships.
Contact me for help with your residency application and medical school candidacy.
Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital. She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more
