Tag: internal medicine

Aline Gottlieb, MD, PhD Aline Gottlieb, MD, PhD (4 Posts)

Resident Physician Columnist

Hillsboro Medical Center

Aline went to medical school at the University of Essen in Germany. She started training at the University Hospital Essen in Internal Medicine with the focus on GI/Hepatology. She then followed one of her former supervisors in 2017 to the University Hospital Magdeburg and continued her training for two years. In 2019, she started a two-year research fellowship at Johns Hopkins University with a scholarship by the German Research Foundation. During that time, she decided not to return to Germany and instead attempt to become a physician in the US. She has started her internal medicine residency this year at Hillsboro Medical Center in Oregon.

Surviving IM/G

I am an international medical graduate in internal medicine residency (IM/G), sharing my experiences with all of you. If you are an IMG, hopefully you can relate to some of the stories and feel encouraged, because we are not alone. If you are an American-based resident: I hope these stories help you better understand your IMG colleagues a bit better. And above all, I am hoping to hear from you as well: let's share knowledge, experiences, and pave a path for the many other IMGs seeking to fulfill their dreams in the United States.




What Are You Going to Do When You Grow Up? My Slither of Hope

Published by Aline Gottlieb, MD, PhD

It is very difficult to believe that I am already more than halfway done with residency at this point, and that it is time to figure out what I want to do after these three years are up. Once again, what’s surprising and different to me is the structure for training in the United States: having to apply at the end of year 2 for a fellowship that will start after year 3, seems so early, but I am learning to accept that these are the American ways.

The U.S. Medical System as an IMG: My Path

Published by Aline Gottlieb, MD, PhD

In my last installment, I mentioned I would like to write about my process of getting into a residency program in the United States. As soon as I promised this, I remembered the number of steps involved, so please forgive me if I forget to mention something. The path has substantially changed since COVID and differs greatly by individual circumstance. What made the whole process so confusing was having to create multiple accounts and profiles for multiple websites; the next step was often unclear until I called the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and explicitly asked for instructions.

Surviving the First Month as an IMG Resident

Published by Aline Gottlieb, MD, PhD

Let’s start with a very brief introduction: Hello! My name is Aline, and I am an international medical graduate (IMG) from Germany. I used to work in Germany in internal medicine, where I have completed four out of five years of training. I would like to share my experiences, thoughts, and later also some of the processes and steps that got me here over the course of this new column.

July 1, Take 2: Navigating the Transition from Intern to Senior Resident

Published by Arhant Rao, MD

You could feel it in the air, in how the nurses double-checked the orders, how the attendings’ notes bloated in size, and even in how the patients, despite their general lack of knowledge towards the inner workings of the hospital, exuded mild apprehension. It was day one of the academic year, the day that the new interns — my new interns — started.

Arhant Rao, MD Arhant Rao, MD (1 Posts)

Resident Physician Contributing Writer

Tufts Medical Center

Arhant Rao is a second-year internal medicine resident at Tufts Medical Center. He has interests in enhancing resident education, improving communication between members of the medical team, and the role of the arts in medicine and medical education. He plans to pursue a career in pulmonary/critical care, and enjoys playing table tennis and practicing piano in his spare time.