Happy Chinese New Year!

We are back in Malaysia. Will start work on Sunday. Had a great time in the cities of New York and Chicago. Went to many historical, artistic and contemporary tourist attractions. NY is as diverse, fast-pace and exciting as what we see on Friends/Seinfeld/Sex and the City/The Apprentice/numerous other movies. Chicago is a slower pace metropolis and is a nicer place to have a family. We saved a lot of money by renting a Columbia University student's room.

About two-thirds of foreign medical graduates in the States are Indian nationals. During the tour of the wards (as part of the interview itinerary), the Indian graduates were going like, 'oh that's my senior over there, oh that physician is an alumni of my medical school, etc'. Apparently, Indian medical students take the USMLE by bulk during their medical school, and there is a mass exodus to USA/UK every year upon graduation. The quality of these graduates vary greatly (as we all already know - we do work with a lot of HO or MOs who went to India to study medicine). Some of them are mainly targeting a green card. Doctors in my position will be eligible to apply for a PR status within 3 years, and then go into private practice after the 3-year specialty training. (But I will be aiming for a subspecialty fellowship after the initial 3-year training). India is really exporting their doctors to USA. Other foreign doctors are from Central and South America, and Philippines. Surprisingly, USA also recruits doctors from the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Iran) despite all the Sept 11, Iraq and Palestine political issues.