For international medical graduates (IMGs), the time between Match Day and the first day of residency can be a blur of paperwork and logistics. The transition can be a lot smoother if you know what to expect.
Endocrinologist Ricardo Correa, MD, EdD, started his medical career in his native country of Panama. Today, he directs a fellowship program in Ohio. As both a faculty member and IMG, he shared his perspective on the transition IMGs undertake when joining a residency program in the United States. During a recording of the “AMA Making the Rounds” podcast, Dr. Correa offered these tips to IMGs preparing to begin their graduate medical education.
Celebrate the achievement
Matching as an IMG is challenging. U.S.-citizen IMGs matched at a 68% clip and non-U.S. citizens matched at 58% rate in 2025. The overall match rate is more than 30 percentage points lower than the figure for graduates of U.S. MD- and DO-granting medical schools.
After hearing the news of his own successful match, Dr. Correa found himself overwhelmed by “incredible” emotions. “We have to understand that [half] of international medical graduates match. So one out of two match. Being one of the two, it's an incredible feeling. I really enjoyed it. It was indescribable.”
The AMA helps medical students master the residency-application process so you can make the right decisions about your career, prepare for a knockout interview, explore residency opportunities—all so you can successfully match.
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Expect cultural curveballs
Even though he was bilingual, Dr. Correa found that adjusting to the nuances of American health care workplace culture can be a challenge. Both verbal communication and nonverbal cues required translation, he said.
“When you think about Latin American culture, it's a more flexible one, more charismatic compared with the U.S. culture that is more strict. So you never knew at the beginning … when you were rotating with someone that was from the U.S., if you were doing the things right or wrong, just because they were very plain in their face.”
Address knowledge gaps
Dr. Correa transitioned to residency in the U.S. in 2010 after completing six years of medical school and two years of internship in Panama. While he gained extensive experience working with patients in Panama, he found major differences in how medicine was practiced in the U.S. One of his biggest pain points was the electronic health record.
“One of the most difficult things for me was trying to go from paper to electronic medical records and use all the computer systems,” said Dr. Correa, a member of the AMA Council on Medical Education and program director for the endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Correa recommended IMGs seek out resources from organizations such as the AMA and Intealth to learn about systemic differences they may encounter as resident physicians.
The AMA IMG toolkit helps international medical graduates navigate the process of practicing medicine in the U.S., with sections devoted to mentorship, state medical licensure, financial planning and more. Dr. Correa was among the current and former members of the AMA IMG Section Governing Council who contributed to the toolkit.
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Find a support network
Whether it’s done formally through your residency program or through a less formal relationship, having a buddy or mentor from a similar background can reduce stress.
“In my program, we had our group of 12 Latinos that come through in the same year, and we were able to just vent about things that were happening and that decreased stress,” Dr. Correa said.
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Feedback is key
If you are wondering where you stand, it’s best to ask. In some countries, feedback may come infrequently or feel harsh. In the U.S., Dr. Correa found that wasn’t the case.
It’s important for IMGs “to learn to ask for feedback,” he said. “It's not so common in [other countries] to get feedback and the majority of the feedback, it's not constructive. So everybody is afraid to ask.
“In the U.S., the majority of the feedback is constructive feedback. So it's important to understand that culture of asking for feedback and the way to receive it is always in a positive way.”
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You can’t know everything
IMGs have often spent more years in physician training than their U.S. peers in residency, and that experience can be a strength. Still, IMG residents are not expected to know everything on day one.
“It is expected that when you start residency, you are very well prepared to be an intern,” Dr. Correa said.
“We are not expecting also that you have all the medical knowledge in the world, but that you are willing to learn.”
