Residency in US after UK MBBS

[newdoc]

Hi guys. I am seriously considering applying to the USA for residency training after getting my MBBS from UCL, since the US postgraduate training system is in a much better state than in the UK, is shorter and more intense, from what I have gathered, though noone can tell how the UK system will be 6-7 years from now. Is anybody planning to do the same, or know somebody who has gone to the US after getting a UK MBBS degree? I was wondering how good the chances of getting a residency post are, especially since I will be getting a UCL degree and Ive heard that the UK degree is given much regard in the US. Is the USMLE very challenging, since we have to prepare for it ourselves and we havent been exposed to the US system, which may be very different? And also, does the fact that you may not do an elective in the US go against you, since this is valued very highly by the states. I would be grateful if anybody who is considering this as an option or knows anybody who did, could provide me with any information. Thanks a lot guys!

[Spencer Wells]

I know people who have sat/are sitting the USMLE while at UCL. They are tough exams (and expensive, especially given that you have to sit the clinicals in Philidelphia) and they all went on preparation courses, adding to the expense.
As for getting onto a residency, the order of allocation goes:
US graduates>US citizens graduating abroad>foreign graduates. This means that it is difficult to get into a competitive specialty, and the only way to give yourself a good shot is to get massively good USMLE results.
Additionally, you need to do your FY1 year in the UK to get full GMC registration before you go to the states if you ever want to come back to the UK without hassle.