It is no secret that the medical profession in the United States is one of the highest paid in the world. The annual income of a doctor in America can exceed $1 million, but to become a doctor you have to study for at least 10 years and take more than one student loan.

Fortunately, there is a government program for immigrant doctors in the United States. In order to join it, you must have your diploma verified and be licensed to practice medicine.

In the states, the USMLE is the unified USMLE exam for credentialing.

How to become a doctor in the USA?

To begin with, you need a fairly good knowledge of the language, preferably C1, but B2 will do. The thing is that you do not need to take any tests or exams for English proficiency. Passing the USMLE requires a good knowledge of the language.

If with English you have no problems, then you can move on. The next step is to find out whether your medical degree is recognized in the United States. For this there are many resources on the Internet.

If the American government accepts your education they give you the opportunity to take the USMLE exam for a small fee, the full exam will cost about $1500. It has 3 steps.

Step 1. This is the test portion of the exam which can be taken remotely at a test center. This step includes such disciplines as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology and other basic subjects. The exam lasts about 7 hours.

Step 2. It is divided into two steps, the first of which is a test that can be taken at the same centers. The tests in Step 2 focus on clinical disciplines (surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, etc.). The second step, is clinical skills, communicating with the patient and completing medical documentation. This step can only be taken in the United States.

And finally Step 3. This step includes a computer simulation of the patient’s treatment. Also shall be passed only on the U.S. territories.

Upon completion of these 3 steps you will receive your medical license. With this license, you can try for admission to the American residency program (analog of our residency). The competition for residency is based on scores on the USMLE exam, as well as the results of the interview. The residency, unlike the residency, is paid for. This money is enough to pay your rent, pay your bills, and buy food.