63. IMG Roadmap Series #71 Dr. Lara Zekar (Emergency Medicine).

How are IMGs navigating through the residency application process during COVID-19? Despite the constraints that this global phenomenon has presented, is there a possibility for you to use it to your advantage? Slated to start her Emergency Medicine Residency in June of 2021 at the University of California Davis Medical Center, Slovenian doctor Lara Zekar's success is proof of her mantra, "Impossible is not a fact - it's a dare."

From the beginning of her medical journey and especially at the point where she decided she wanted to become a US Resident in Emergency Medicine, Dr. Zekar has moved with intention, determination and dedication toward her goal. She completed her medical degree at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine in 2018 and from there spent her time making pointed decisions which ultimately made her a very competitive candidate when applying for US residency.

When asked to share her residency application story, Dr, Zekar notes that it indeed was a marathon and not a sprint. Here are a few of the highlights of her journey:

1. She figured out that she was passionate about Emergency Medicine during one of her unofficial clinical rotations in the US.
2. She started researching the steps that would be necessary to achieve this aspiration.
3. Since she was one of the few Slovenians to have ever gone through this process, she faced significant obstacles, however, she used her resources to her advantage to combat them.
4. During her 4th and 5th year of medical school, she studied for 9 months on and off for the USMLE exams for which she ended up scoring 258 and 269 for step one and step 2 respectively.
5. She participated in a medical humanitarian mission to Kenya and ensured that even when she was not at school or at the hospital, she was staying active in the medical field through volunteering and externships.
6. She decided to do unofficial rotations in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery and Emergency Medicine in order to attain Standardized Letters of Evaluation (SLOEs) which are a key requirement for Emergency Medicine residency applicants.
7. She meticulously compiled a list of over 90 programs to which she would apply and land a whopping 6 interviews.

As such, Dr. Lara encourages IMGs to:

• Be the most competitive candidate you can be, focus on getting the highest scores but still not neglecting the other parts of your holistic application.
• Be detailed, intentional and meticulous.
• Do not let the fact that it feels like all the odds are stacked against you stop you from trying to defeat the impossible.

You can reach out to Dr. Lara via her email: lara.zekar@gmail.com and her twitter @LaraZe6

Listen to the full episode using the links below:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-img-roadmap/id1490731292

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/45NNJ7ewtqynqyssbwm1xz

Google Podcasts:https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9mOGMzY2EwL3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz

Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1490731292/the-img-roadmap-podcast

RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/the-img-roadmap-GE0MMg

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