Description

Have you been convinced that anesthesiology is too competitive for IMGs to get into? Incoming anesthesiology resident Dr. Cynthia Tan joins us on this episode to share her amazing story of overcoming self-doubt and pursuing her dreams, despite the many challenges she faced. Keep listening to find out how you can do the same!

Malaysian-born Dr. Tan, who migrated to Australia at an early age, completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences and then decided she wanted to pursue a career in medicine. She attended her first two years of medical school in Malaysia, followed by her clinical years at the University of Warwick in England. After completing one year of internship in England, she opted to apply for US residency, and she was classified as a Non-US IMG.   

Here are a few of the highlights of her interview: 

• Is anesthesiology that competitive for IMGs?
• How Dr. Tan overcame the challenge of a low step one score. 
• Finding a good mentor through networking, coming out of one's comfort-zone  and being a people-person. 
• Fighting Impostor Syndrome as an IMG.
• How does Dr. Tan face her challenges to gain success?
• Dr. Tan shares her personal journey of battling depression. 
• Dr. Tan's residency application story - from applying to 14 anesthesiology programs, a handful of preliminary positions and other specialties to landing a whopping 7 interviews. 
• A discussion on the importance of preliminary programs. 
• What is Dr. Tan's secret to landing so many interviews?
• And finally, when asked about her mantras for success, Dr. Tan stated that she constantly told herself that she is not her step score, that everything happens for a reason and that things will always get better! 

Today, Dr. Tan is passionate about cooking, mental health and mentorship. The IMG journey is tough, but so are you! Work hard, but please look after yourself along the way. If she can do it, so can you!



Dr. Tan welcomes IMGs to contact her via her Instagram @drctstummyfillers and her email drctstummyfillers@gmail.com

Listen to the full episode at:

Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/73-imgroadmap-series-81-dr-cynthia-tan-anesthesiology/id1490731292?i=1000526095225

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1moYj7kvExEi36Lul8FPxh

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9mOGMzY2EwL3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz/episode/MjdjOGU3MGEtNTBiNy00ZjY4LTlmYWYtMmI0MThmMDkyNzRj?sa=X&ved=0CA0QkfYCahcKEwj4_p2UrLTxAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ