Anyone applying now for residency in the U.S. only sees the final outcome of those who are already in residency, the amazing Matches of people who got to where you would like to be in the future.
The truth is, not long ago all of us were in that very same situation, with the same anxieties and doubts, admiring those who had achieved the long-desired Match, and facing the biggest fear of all: will I ever get there too?
What you’re seeing now is just the result. Behind it, there are all kinds of stories, challenges, rejections, failures, “red flags,” fears… including mine (and yet, it still worked out).
My story begins with the fact that I had never planned on moving to the U.S. I didn’t speak English and had no knowledge of the process to become a doctor here, until my husband was accepted for a PhD in North Carolina. After finishing my training in Brazil, including Pediatrics and PICU residency, I moved to the U.S. with him. I spent three years just preparing for the Match—and did it within the time I had.
During that period, I started learning English while studying for the Steps. With no prior research experience, I joined a Global Health group at Duke and later did a PostDoc in oral immunology at the University of North Carolina (UNC). I also began searching for observerships as soon as I arrived. To get an observership at Duke, I exchanged so many emails I lost count, until I was finally accepted as their first observer after the pandemic. The same happened in Maryland. I used that opportunity to publish a case report in Frontiers in Pediatrics with the team. Through those two observerships and the Global Health research group, I secured my U.S. letters of recommendation.
With things somewhat moving forward, an opportunity came up for an observership at UNC. It wouldn’t be easy, but I could try. One memory that really stuck with me is how, even though UNC was my top choice, I almost gave up on doing the observership there—I was so afraid of “wasting my time” in a program that might not accept me as an immigrant.
I spent nights thinking about it and finally decided to go for it—you need to do what it takes!
I got an interview at UNC, and I still remember the feeling of walking past the UNC hospital every day on my way to the PostDoc, thinking I would never be there… And here I am writing this letter after finishing yet another day as a UNC resident!
The Match is just a result, but there are countless stories behind it—this is mine in a nutshell (and it could be anyone’s). In the end, what really matters is how much you put into this process, including your ability to adapt the journey to your own story. For me, what helped a lot was having a plan aligned with my own needs and abilities, and using it to stay organized, knowing it might not all happen as planned.
It also helped to accept the need to reinvent myself during the process, and to understand that my outcomes and performance would be different from those who had always dreamed of living here and spoke English long before starting Step 1 prep. What helped immensely was family support, being part of a community that guided me, and meeting others who shared the same fears.
And what helped the most was believing it was possible. The pressure and challenges are huge, and fear is greater than anything—I was scared throughout the entire process, there’s no escaping that. But what there also is are people from all over the world Matching with the most diverse stories possible, which means—it is possible! Believe that, and don’t let fear stop you from seizing any opportunity.
Good luck! I hope that in some time, you’ll be the ones sharing your story!
