After a long medical school, newly graduated doctors still have to go through the residency path to practice in their preferred specialties.

In both Brazil and the United States, medical residency is a fundamental period in the training of new physicians. Despite significant cultural and socioeconomic differences between the two countries, there are many similarities in the way medical residency is structured and conducted.

Residency duration

In Brazil, most residencies last 2 to 3 years, such as Family Medicine, Psychiatry, and Dermatology, and are as long as 5 years, such as Cardiovascular Surgery and Neurosurgery.

In the United States, medical residency lasts a little longer, between three and seven years, depending on the specialty and the residency program. 

These are the residency durations of some specialties very sought after by newly graduated doctors in the USA: Dermatology (4 years), Plastic Surgery (6 years), General Surgery (5 years), Gynecology and Obstetrics (4 years).

Program structure

In the United States, residency training is structured as a post-graduate training program, in which residents work in hospitals and clinics and receive hands-on training supervised by experienced physicians. 

Salaries

According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a resident doctor in Brazil is R$3,774 - and the scholarship paid by SUS for resident doctors has a monthly value of R$4,106.09. 

Meanwhile, the average salary in the United States for a medical resident is close to $60,000, and this salary may still include benefits such as health insurance and dental insurance. 

Higher salaries are a reflection of the strong culture of private medicine in the United States, which tends to pay excellent salaries not only for doctors, but also for other health care professionals.

Access to resources and state-of-the-art technology

To do residency in the United States is the dream of many foreign doctors, 

given the quality of the medicine practiced in the country and the quantity of reference hospitals in American territory, which concentrate the best professionals in the world.

Required Exams

To do this, applicants must first pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination(USMLE), which is administered by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).

This exam has three stages (Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3), in which the competencies of basic concepts of medical practice, and clinical and theoretical competencies for practicing medicine without supervision of other physicians are evaluated. 

After passing the exam, the physician will be eligible to participate in the National Resident Matching Program(NRMP), which is the selection process that assigns residents to their respective areas of interest and programs according to their exam scores and academic background.

Am I eligible to get a green card?

If you are thinking about doing your medical residency in the United States, or are already a doctor and want to move to the U.S., it is important that you have the assistance of the best professionals to obtain your American visa. 

We at TS Immigration are here to help you through every step of this process.

To find out if you are eligible for a green card, fill out our free form and we will contact you as soon as possible. 

Don't let the barriers of bureaucracy stop you from following your dreams of a medical career in the USA.

Join us now and let's make your American dream a reality!