Preparing for the Paper Work before Residency

As you are awaiting the match results, there are some things you can do in anticipation of the good news. Once you know where you matched the next step is going to be getting your paperwork in order to be eligible to practice at the program you matched into. This will include appropriate work permits (H1b J1 etc) for foreign medical graduates and training or full state medical licenses to have practicing privileges.

For the state specific training licenses be sure to come back and check up on this list for whether or not the institutions will assist you with the process. For employment purposes you will need to prepare a dossier of documents that will need to be faxed, scanned or mailed to the program offices. Below is a quick list of documents you need to assemble and make copies of if you have not already done so. The list is not all inclusive and there may be other things that will be required as well.

1. Detailed resume. Updated and with mention of references. Check out the section on resume/CV for residency done earlier.
2. Copies of medical diplomas or degrees, MBBS certificate.
3. Internship completion certificate
4. Deans letter (letter of conduct during medical school)
5. Copies of transcripts and certification for all education after high school (bachelor's and higher degrees).
6. Copies of current registrations if you have any – especially IMGs with registrations in home country.
7. Copies of passport including face sheet and bio data, other pages as necessary – immigration stamps, etc.
8. Travel documentation to and from US if pertinent to the case – I-94 etc.
9. Current and past documentation of student status if you have been in graduate school under other visa categories like F1 student etc.

Prepare a packet with copies of above documents. Also do not forget to have multiple copies of passport sized current photographs as you will need them on multiple occasions. You can obtain them at a professional photo store OR chose to do it at home. Look at the examples provided here for how the photo should be, should you decide to do this yourself. 

A little preparation in anticipation of task ahead goes a long way in preparing for your professional life, hopefully this will make your task easier when the time comes and make the transition to residency less stressful.