78. IMGRoadmap Series #86 Dr. Esther Nkem Ufot (Family Medicine)

Are you curious as to how you can combine your Family Medicine residency with your other passions? Family Medicine attending Dr. Esther Nkem Ufot who also specializes in Obesity and Lifestyle Medicine is here to show you that it is possible!

Currently serving in Atlanta, Dr. Ufot attended medical school at the University of Benin, Nigeria, where she graduated in 2011, before migrating to the US that same year.

Dr. Ufot was always passionate about preventative medicine. As such, she elected to focus on Obesity Medicine. She also stated the following as some of the possible Family Medicine pathways and opportunities:

• Obstetrics
• Geriatrics
• Obesity medicine
  

Dr. Ufot also discussed the following challenges that she experienced when transitioning to working in the US:

• She did not have the proper paperwork from Nigeria needed for the ECFMG process.
• She lacked guidance.
• Because the initial part of her process took quite a while, she decided to do all of her USMLE steps within one year.
• She worked in addition to preparing for the USMLE.
  

When asked how she was able to achieve success, Dr. Ufot stressed the importance of networking and mentorship. Here are a few of the highlights of her story which exemplified this:

• Dr. Ufot, through networking, got a job in a medical capacity that cemented her interest in family medicine.
• Her employer motivated and supported her throughout her USMLE journey by granting her time off and bonuses.
• This doctor also helped her to score observerships with his colleagues which led to her gaining valuable letters of recommendation and clinical experience.
  

As such, here are a few of the highlights of Dr. Ufot’s match story:

• Passed Step 1 with a score of 216
• Achieved a Step 2 score of 239
• Passed CS
• Passed Step 3 with a score of 229
• Applied in 2014 and matched in 2015
• Became pregnant during the interview process
• Applied to 140 programs, landing 5 interviews
• Looked at criteria carefully to select programs
• Personalized and made each personal statement specific to each goal program
• Took care to stand out during the interview process and asked intelligent questions to mutually vet target programs.
  

With her journey in mind, Dr. Ufot states the following inspirational key points to share with IMGs:

• Stay focused at every step.
• Make everyday count.
• Everybody’s path is different - own your story and put in the hard work.
• Don’t give up - constant improvement is all that matters.
• Consistency, commitment and passion are key.
• Healthy living should always be one’s priority!
  

You can reach out to Dr. Ufot to find out more about her extraordinary journey via her Instagram @drnkemufot.

Listen to the full episode using:

Apple, Spotify & Google Podcasts.

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ninalum/support