Our US Clinical Externship Program is built for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) and Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) ready for active clinical experience. Work directly under physician supervision in New York or New Jersey, assist with documentation, and build the kind of US clinical experience (USCE) that strengthens your ERAS application and residency Match prospects.
An externship is the next level up from shadowing for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) and Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs). You're not just watching, you're actively involved in patient care under direct supervision, building the US clinical experience (USCE) that residency program directors look for.
Take patient histories, assist with documentation, and participate in physician decision-making, all under direct supervision of your attending.
Practice writing SOAP notes, progress notes, and discharge summaries the way US residents do. This is the documentation skill set that ERAS program directors look for in IMG and FMG applicants.
Hands-on clinical experience gives your supervising physician more substance to evaluate, leading to more detailed and specialty-relevant US letters of recommendation (LORs) for your ERAS application.
Verified US clinical sites in New York and New Jersey. You'll work alongside licensed US physicians, residents, and support staff in a real clinical environment.
Official visa invitation letters from the host program to support your B-1/B-2 visa application. Separate fee. Non-refundable once issued.
Official documentation of your externship completion for your records, CV, and residency applications.
Here is exactly what the Find My Observership Externship Program provides and what we don't.
4 weeks of hands-on supervised clinical work at a verified NY or NJ clinical site.
Official documentation of your placement for your records, CV, and residency applications.
An official visa invitation letter to support your B-1/B-2 visa application. Separate fee. Non-refundable once issued.
Structured to give you the best possible environment to earn a U.S. letter of recommendation based on your performance.
Letters of recommendation are earned, not bought. Issued solely at the physician's discretion.
We provide the invitation letter. Visa decisions are made entirely by the U.S. embassy. We are not immigration attorneys.
We give you the experience and tools. The Match itself is between you and residency programs.
Once a visa invitation letter has been issued, the fee is non-refundable regardless of visa outcome.
The bottom line: For $2,000 you get a confirmed 4-week hands-on externship in NY or NJ. A 25% deposit ($500) secures your spot upon acceptance. The remaining 75% ($1,500) is due one week before your start date. That's it. That's everything.
Simple, transparent, and built around making your experience successful.
Fill out our short application form with your background, specialty interest, and preferred dates. Select Externship as your program type.
Externship eligibility typically requires completion of at least Step 1, and ideally Step 2 CK. Our team reviews each application carefully to ensure a strong placement match.
If accepted, you'll receive formal acceptance with program details. A non-refundable 25% deposit ($500) secures your spot. Visa letter fee, if applicable, is collected here.
The remaining 75% balance ($1,500) is due one week prior to your start date. Once received, you're fully confirmed.
Attend your 4-week program. Take histories, assist with charting, and build the hands-on clinical foundation that strengthens your residency application.
After completing your externship, request a letter of recommendation from your supervising physician based on your performance.
Program directors are looking for one thing above all else: evidence that you can function in the US healthcare system. Here's why USCE is non-negotiable for the residency Match.
NRMP surveys consistently show that US clinical experience is one of the top factors program directors weigh when evaluating IMG and FMG applicants for residency Match interviews.
Letters of recommendation from US physicians carry significantly more weight in your ERAS application than letters from non-US faculty. An externship is one of the most efficient paths to earning a US LOR.
US healthcare is different. EMR documentation, billing, attending culture, resident hierarchy all things you'll experience first-hand during your externship, and all things programs want their incoming residents to already understand.
A documented US externship gives you a powerful, specialty-relevant entry for your ERAS experiences section far more compelling to program directors than home-country experiences alone.
"Tell me about a patient you saw..." is one of the most common residency interview questions. US clinical experience gives you the concrete, US-specific stories interviewers want to hear.
Every Match cycle, qualified IMGs and FMGs go unmatched because their applications lack USCE. An externship closes that gap and signals serious commitment to a US residency career.
Externships are best for IMGs and FMGs who have completed at least USMLE Step 1 (and ideally Step 2 CK) and want a more active clinical role. If you're earlier in your journey or haven't started USMLE, an Observership is the better starting point for building US clinical experience.
See Observership ProgramAn observership is shadowing, you watch but don't touch patients. An externship is more active, you take histories, document notes, and participate in care under direct supervision. For IMGs and FMGs, externships generally require more USMLE progress and provide deeper US clinical experience (USCE), which is critical for a competitive ERAS application.
We strongly recommend at least Step 1 passed, and ideally Step 2 CK passed, before applying for an externship. Some placements may require ECFMG certification. Eligibility is reviewed case-by-case.
Currently we're offering Family Medicine externships in New York and New Jersey for IMGs and FMGs, with more specialties (Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery) expanding soon. Submit an application to ask about current availability.
Externships involve more direct supervision time from the attending physician, more program coordination, and a more involved clinical role. The $2,000 fee reflects the added time and structure required to deliver a true hands-on experience.
No. LORs are issued at the discretion of your supervising physician based on your performance and professionalism. Our structure maximizes your opportunity to earn a strong letter, but it's not guaranteed.
No U.S. license is required, but you must follow all scope-of-practice rules set by the supervising physician. You'll perform clinical tasks only under direct attending supervision and only as permitted by program guidelines.
Yes. We can provide an official visa invitation letter from the host program to support your B-1/B-2 visa application. This is a separate fee, collected upon issuance, and is non-refundable.
Not ready to apply yet? That's okay. Reach out with any questions about our externship programs, pricing, the process, or whether an externship is right for you at this stage. No pressure, just honest answers.
Click below to access our applicant intake form. Select Externship in the program type field.
Go to Application Form