Message from Dr. Samir Desai

 

Matching to residency is a long and difficult process. And it can seem so overwhelming.

 

Perhaps no part of the process is more daunting than securing the “right” U.S. clinical experience.

 

At MD2B Connect, we’re here to help you find your way.

 

As the author of The Successful Match 2017 and Success on the Wards, two books that have been widely used by U.S. medical students and international medical graduates to achieve success during rotations and in the Match, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to and working with thousands of residency-bound applicants.

 

At a recent conference I attended where I was part of a panel of physicians offering advice to IMG residency applicants, the most common questions that I received had to do with U.S. clinical experience.

 

• How can I gain hands-on clinical experience? With whom should I work?

• Does it matter where I do these rotations? Does the order of the rotations matter?

• Should I do a rotation before my USMLE Step 2 CS exam? If so, what should I look for?

• How do I get off to a good start in my rotation? How do I develop a close relationship with the attending? What can I do to get a strong letter?

 

In the audience were many IMGs who had successfully matched into residency in the U.S. and had been out of training for many years. They shared their own experiences, and quite a few spoke about their challenges. Some had selected rotation experiences where they were promised hands-on work only to find out they would only be shadowing. Some were assigned to physician preceptors that simply had no time to teach or mentor. Others spoke about how they failed to match because recommendation letters were either written poorly, late, or not at all.  

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Given this, it's important that you put your trust in people that care for you and your future. That's what we're all about here at MD2B Connect. 

 

I invite you to explore our reviews on Facebook and Google and read our rotation testimonials on our website.  And I do hope that we have the chance to meet in the near future. Wishing you all the best - Dr. Samir Desai

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​Why Choose Our Rotations?

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We have made it our mission to create exceptional hands-on U.S. clinical experiences for you. All available rotations have been carefully developed by Dr. Samir Desai and the physician preceptor with one goal in mind: to create an outstanding learning experience for you under the supervision of a dedicated physician mentor.

 

Dr. Desai has taken great care to hand pick physician mentors who are dedicated to excellence in patient care and teaching. Our physician mentors are committed to helping you achieve your professional goals in medicine. 

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As a faculty member at the Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Desai has heavily been involved in the creation of optimal rotation experiences for medical students and residents.

 

At the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, he was part of a core group of faculty educators responsible for overseeing and administering the outpatient resident clinics. He was recognized for this work by the residents, and has been the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Teaching multiple times.

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To help students and residents have optimal rotation experiences at other institutions, Dr. Desai authored the book Success on the Wards. Over the years, the book has been required or recommended reading at over 1/3 of our nation's MD and DO schools.

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He is now utilizing this wealth of experience to create outstanding experiences for IMGs. These rotations are designed to help you build important clinical skills, take part in practice improvement projects that build your resume for the ERAS application, and secure strong letters of recommendation. 

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Dr. Desai's goal is not to simply place you in a rotation. He wants to see you match successfully. That means gaining a full understanding of your situation, your goals in medicine, and your concerns so that he can identify a rotation or rotations where you will be in a position to succeed. It also means giving you expert advice about other aspects of the residency selection process so that you can make great decisions about your future. You'll see this personalized attention from Dr. Desai from the moment you contact us. It's what makes us stand out. It's what you deserve. 

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Why This Program Was Started by Dr. Samir Desai

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As the years have passed, quality rotation experiences for IMGs have become more limited as programs and departments are putting more of their resources and focus on their trainees and students. As this became more common, Dr. Desai received increasing numbers of emails from IMGs inquiring about good rotation experiences. Unable to bring the IMG on to his own hospitalist team as he once did, he began referring IMGs to observership and externship programs at other institutions.

 

Although some IMGs were able to find positive rotation experiences through these efforts, many others were not so fortunate. Some were linked to physicians who were not interested in teaching or mentoring. Others were promised a certain level of patient care involvement that never materialized. Letters of recommendation were never written or written very late. 

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Dismayed by what he was seeing, Dr. Desai decided to create his own IMG rotation program by partnering with physician mentors who share his same vision. 

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​What You Can Expect

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You can expect the following:

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1) An opportunity to work with a dedicated physician mentor who is committed to your success. Each mentor has been carefully selected by Dr. Desai because of his or her dedication to teaching.

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2) Dr. Desai will be providing you with the tools needed to succeed during your rotation. One of these tools is the widely used resource Success on the Wards, and every applicant will not only receive this book but will also receive instruction on how to utilize this book to make a more favorable impression.

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3) In many cases, our mentors are faculty members at one or more medical schools. Their letters of recommendation will reflect their titles, and such letters will carry more weight in the residency selection process.

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4) Almost all of our opportunities are hands-on patient care experiences. That means you will play an important role as a team member, and your involvement will allow the physician to write a meaningful letter of recommendation that will resonate with residency programs.

 

5) In order for the strongest possible letter of recommendation to be developed, both the physician mentor and IMG must take an active role. Dr. Desai will be providing the IMG with the tools needed to make a favorable impression. Our physician mentors have had years of experience writing letters of recommendation but Dr. Desai will also be providing guidelines to the preceptors to improve the quality of the letter. 

 

​6) In many of our rotations, you will have opportunities to lead, direct, and participate in scholarly activity. The nature of the project will vary from one practice to another but Dr. Desai has discussed these projects with the physician mentor. 

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​Some examples include case reports, patient education handouts, and research projects. By taking part in these other activities, the physician mentor can also include this information in the letter of recommendation. This will be well received by residency programs since programs now require their residents to be involved in scholarly projects. 

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Although many of our rotation experiences allow for the IMG to participate in a project, please note some of our rotations are purely clinical experiences. If you are interested in taking part in a project, please be sure to let us know so that we can direct you to the proper rotation. 

 

7) You will have an opportunity to network. Our physician preceptors have been established within their communities for years and may be willing to advocate for you. Of course, this depends on the quality of your performance during the rotation and the nature of the relationship you develop with the preceptor. We will also give you instructions on how to network in the community with the different residency programs in the area. Such efforts can help you secure interviews. 

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​Considerable effort has been expended to provide you with an optimal experience. We know how important this is to your future. 

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Please view our opportunities below.

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Contact us at info@md2bconnect.com for more information.

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Payment Information for MD2B Connect IMG Rotations

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We are very transparent with all our charges and there are no hidden fees or surprise costs later. 

 

Cost for 4-week rotation (as of December 1, 2021). Liability insurance is included in this cost for all clients and for all rotations (excluding pathology and tele-rotations). There are no hidden or additional costs. Please note that discounts are offered for multiple rotation purchases ($ 200 discount for the second rotation, $ 300 discount for the third rotation, $ 400 discount for the fourth rotation and additional rotations):

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Outpatient or Tele-rotation

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​$ 2495 (includes liability insurance; please note that that these are not shadowing experiences - you will be actively involved in patient care [taking histories, presenting patients, etc.] under supervision)

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​Inpatient/Outpatient (Combined)

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​$ 2895 (includes liability insurance; please note that that these are not shadowing experiences - you will be actively involved in patient care [taking histories, presenting patients, etc.] under supervision)

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Inpatient or Audition Rotation

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$ 3795 (includes liability insurance; please note that that these are not shadowing experiences - you will be actively involved in patient care [taking histories, presenting patients, etc.] under supervision)

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Also included in this price are copies of Dr. Desai's books - The Successful Match 2017 and Success on the Wards (nearly $ 100 value). 

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• All patient care activities will be done under the supervision of the preceptor physician. The exact activities are specific to each rotation and can be found on the individual rotation description page.

• A rotation is secured upon receiving a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 from the applicant. For IMGs requiring a B-1 visa letter, an invitation letter addressed to the applicant can be provided at this time. MD2B Connect does not write letters for or sponsor other visas.

• The balance of the payment is required to be paid 45 days before the start date of the rotation. If this payment is not completed on time, the secured rotation may become unavailable. 

• In the event of an unexpected cancellation by the physician, an alternate rotation will be proposed by MD2B Connect with an emphasis of trying to maintain the same specialty and location. If an alternate cannot be agreed upon by both parties, MD2B Connect will refund payment.​