The IMG Experience

As I approached my high school graduation I was excited to see what the future held for me. My goal was to become a physician and I was determined to do whatever it would take to achieve this goal. But just as I was settled on the traditional, long, grueling path to becoming a physician in the U.S., I started hearing faint whispers of an easier way to becoming a doctor.  By going abroad, straight out of high school, I could become a doctor in 5 years. No perfect GPA needed. No stress of taking the MCAT. Once I finished, all I would have to do is take the USMLEs catapulting me into the same position as an American Medical School Graduate. SOLD!  I gave up my seat at a respected UC to go to Pakistan.

The first thing that hit me when I got off my one-way flight from LAX to KHI was an intense mix of Arizona heat and Florida humidity wrapped in a pungent musty odor. On the drive from the airport to my dorm, I was greeted with unpaved roads, cars spewing smog, and overcapacity buses with people on the roof hanging off the sides. All I could notice was the chaos and recklessness of everything around me. Reality settled in. I started wondering how I was going to survive the next five years.

With all these thoughts flying through my head, I reached my destination, Dow International Medical College, DIMC for short. Dirt roads, old and new buildings, ongoing construction… this was a half-complete oasis. After paying my tuition I was given a whirlwind tour of lecture halls, a stinky anatomy lab, a physiology lab, and a biochemistry lab. Ok, this is decent. The school seemed nice. I checked into my dorm where I was greeted by a nice middle-aged woman, Seema, who was thrilled to meet me. After showing me around, she listed off the rules to me: 1- no boys, 2- curfew is 8 pm, 3- no tobacco or alcohol, 4- sign in and out every time you leave the dorms, 5- gate passes are required to get in and out of campus. I paid Seema the tuition and settled into room 65, my new home.

The next day was orientation. I nervously tip-toed into a full lecture hall with hundreds of students, parents, and faculty members who were all mingling. I quietly grabbed a seat and waited for the lectures to start. It was not until an MS 2, and an MS 3 with American accents shared their experiences of settling in Pakistan that I started feeling a little less alone. At the end of the day, I had a million questions but was too shy to ask. I met up with some of my new classmates and felt relieved to know others were also from the US and feeling the same way I was. We all felt anxious yet excited to start.

With orientation behind me, I was ready for the first day of classes. A bearded man walked into the lecture hall announcing himself as Dr. Siddiqui and immediately began lecturing in the thickest accent.  I could barely comprehend what he was saying and the only reason I know he was talking about cell biology was because of the printed schedule. As I tried to decipher what he said, I began questioning my whole life. What am I doing here? Is this a mistake? Should I quit? Class ran late, and I was looking at my watch waiting to get the heck out of this lecture hall. Before I knew it, a day filled with histology and anatomy lectures had flown by and I was on the way back to my dorm for curfew.   

 That first day marked the start of an incredible five-year journey full of hardships AND fun times. As uncomfortable as it was, I learned to adapt, evolve, and face challenges head-on. As I reflect back on my experience, it was truly humbling. Even though I may not be where I want to be after a failed attempt at matching into residency, I know I have the tools necessary to persevere and get where I am destined to be. And for that, I owe it all to my DIMC experience where I learned how to hustle and developed grit as an international medical graduate.

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Kash’ s Bio is below keep scroling

Kashmala Shoaib

Somewhere between a medical student and resident. The perfect day- coffee, work, a trip to home goods, and good TV