Own your path to U.S. residency — and beyond
LATIMGS Academy is the practical, step-by-step roadmap built specifically for international medical students and graduates, covering every stage from ECFMG setup and USMLE strategy, planning, and test preparation to ERAS, the Match, visa pathways, and real alternatives if your plan changes.
"You already have the medical training, what you need now is the roadmap, and that's exactly what I'm here to give you."
— Julieta Argüelles, MD, MPH
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Navigate the full U.S. IMG pathway — from ECFMG/Intealth account setup and USMLE registration to residency Match and state medical licensure — with a clear, verified checklist for every stage.
- Build and submit a competitive ERAS application, including a compelling personal statement, a well-structured IMG CV, and strategically requested letters of recommendation.
- Design and execute a high-yield USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK study plan using question banks, NBME self-assessments, and test-day strategies tailored to the IMG experience.
- Obtain meaningful U.S. clinical exposure through observerships, electives, externships, and research positions, and leverage those experiences to strengthen your residency application.
- Produce and present real academic work — including a research abstract, a scientific poster, a case report, and a peer-reviewed manuscript submission — using professional templates and step-by-step guides.
- Identify and pursue viable U.S. career pathways whether or not you Match, including clinical research, public health, healthcare administration, industry roles, and entrepreneurship for internationally trained physicians.
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
13 modules · 61 lessons
Physician Wellness and Mindset Reset for IMGs
The IMG journey is long, uncertain, and relentlessly demanding, and your mental and emotional endurance is as critical as your Step scores. This module gives you practical, evidence-informed tools to protect your wellbeing, reset a burnout spiral, and build the psychological resilience that carries you from application season through residency and beyond.
- 1.1Understanding IMG-Specific Stress and BurnoutIncluded
- 1.2Daily Wellness Habits That Actually Fit a Busy IMG ScheduleIncluded
- 1.3Resilience and Mindset Reset After Rejection and SetbacksIncluded
- 1.4Identity, Belonging, and Navigating Cultural TransitionIncluded
Orientation: The U.S. Medical System and the IMG Pathway
Gives IMGs a clear, honest map of how the U.S. medical system is structured and exactly where they fit in it.
- 2.1How the U.S. Medical System WorksIncluded
- 2.2Who Is an IMG and What Does That Mean for Your CareerIncluded
- 2.3The Full IMG Roadmap from Medical School to LicenseIncluded
- 2.4Choosing Your U.S. Career Goal: Residency, Research, or Alternative PathsIncluded
- 2.5Important Disclaimer: Verifying Official RequirementsIncluded
ECFMG Certification and Intealth Account Setup
Takes IMGs step by step through creating their Intealth account, understanding ECFMG certification requirements, and submitting credentials correctly.
- 3.1What ECFMG Certification Is and Why It MattersIncluded
- 3.2Creating Your Intealth Account Step by StepIncluded
- 3.3Submitting Your Medical School Credentials and TranscriptsIncluded
- 3.4Tracking Your Application Status and Resolving IssuesIncluded
- 3.5ECFMG Certification Checklist and Timeline PlanningIncluded
USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK: Registration, Strategy, and Test Day
Covers everything IMGs need to register for, prepare for, and confidently sit USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK.
- 4.1Understanding the USMLE Series and What Each Step TestsIncluded
- 4.2How to Register for Step 1 and Step 2 CK: A Step-by-Step Manual for IMGsIncluded
- 4.3Building Your Personalized USMLE Study PlanIncluded
- 4.4Question Banks, NBME Self-Assessments & Free Resources: UWorld, AMBOSS, Kaplan, Official NBMEs (medicine.wisc.edu/nbme | nbme.org/students/examprep) & High-Yield Free Tools (Anki, Sketchy, Amboss Free, USMLE-Rx Free 120)Included
- 4.5What Is USMLE Step 3?Included
- 4.6Why Step 3 May Matter for Your IMG PathIncluded
- 4.7Test-Day Preparation, Logistics, and Common IMG MistakesIncluded
Gaining U.S. Clinical Experience
Guides IMGs through finding, applying for, and maximizing observerships, electives, externships, and research positions in U.S. clinical settings.
- 5.1Why U.S. Clinical Experience Is Essential for IMGsIncluded
- 5.2Observerships vs. Electives vs. Externships: What Is the DifferenceIncluded
- 5.3Making the Most of Your Clinical ExperienceIncluded
Networking, Mentorship, and Professional Communication
Builds the professional network and communication skills IMGs need to connect with U.S. physicians, researchers, and residency programs.
- 6.1Why Networking Is a Core Career Skill, Not OptionalIncluded
- 6.2How to Find and Approach Mentors in the U.S.Included
- 6.3Writing Professional Outreach Emails That Get ResponsesIncluded
Introduction to Clinical Research for IMGs
Provides a practical, beginner-friendly foundation in clinical research so IMGs can join projects, contribute meaningfully, and build their academic profile.
- 7.1What Clinical Research Is and Why It Matters for Your ApplicationIncluded
- 7.2How to Join Your First Research ProjectIncluded
- 7.3Understanding IRB, Ethics, and Research Compliance BasicsIncluded
- 7.4Using PubMed and Literature Search Tools EffectivelyIncluded
- 7.5Understanding Authorship, Peer Review, and Publication EthicsIncluded
- 7.6HIPAAIncluded
Producing Your First Academic Work: Abstracts, Posters, and Case Reports
Takes IMGs from blank page to completed academic deliverable with templates and step-by-step guides for abstracts, posters, case reports, and manuscripts.
- 8.1How to Write and Submit Your First Research AbstractIncluded
- 8.2How to Create a Scientific PosterIncluded
- 8.3How to Present a Poster at a Medical ConferenceIncluded
- 8.4How to Write Your First Case ReportIncluded
- 8.5How to Write and Submit Your First Scientific ManuscriptIncluded
Building a Competitive IMG CV and Application Profile
Shows IMGs how to document, frame, and present their full experience — clinical, research, leadership, and advocacy — into a compelling U.S.-style CV.
- 9.1The U.S. Medical CV vs. a Resume: Format, Rules, and ExpectationsIncluded
- 9.2What to Include at Each Stage of Your IMG JourneyIncluded
- 9.3Translating International Experience into U.S.-Recognized CV EntriesIncluded
- 9.4Strengthening Your Profile Through Volunteering, Leadership, and AdvocacyIncluded
- 9.5Joining Professional Organizations and Medical Societies as an IMGIncluded
ERAS Application: Personal Statement, CV, and Letters of Recommendation
Guides IMGs through every component of the ERAS application with templates, annotated examples, and strategic advice specific to the IMG experience.
- 10.1Understanding ERAS: The Application System and TimelineIncluded
- 10.2How to Write a Compelling Personal Statement as an IMGIncluded
- 10.3Uploading and Formatting Your CV in ERASIncluded
- 10.4Letters of Recommendation: Who to Ask, How to Ask, and What Makes a Strong LetterIncluded
- 10.5Building Your Residency Program List StrategicallyIncluded
How to Find Paid & Unpaid Research Positions in the U.S. as an IMG
A step-by-step guide to locating, applying for, and securing clinical and basic science research positions in the U.S. as an IMG, covering free and paid opportunities, cold outreach, institutional portals, and how to evaluate each opportunity against your residency timeline.
- 11.1Mapping the Research Landscape: What's Actually Available to IMGsIncluded
- 11.2Where to Search: Databases, Portals, and Hidden PipelinesIncluded
- 11.3Cold Outreach That Gets Replies: Contacting PIs and Research TeamsIncluded
- 11.4Evaluating Offers and Negotiating Terms for Paid PositionsIncluded
U.S. Career Pathways Beyond Residency for International Physicians
Not every IMG's success story runs through the Match — and even if yours does, knowing your full range of options makes you a sharper, more resilient professional. This module maps the real, viable U.S. career pathways available to internationally trained physicians outside of traditional residency: clinical research, public health, healthcare administration, industry, and entrepreneurship. For each pathway you'll learn exactly what credentials open doors, which visa categories apply, and what your first concrete steps look like right now.
- 12.1Clinical Research as a Career: From Coordinator to Principal InvestigatorIncluded
- 12.2Public Health and Epidemiology Pathways for IMGsIncluded
- 12.3Healthcare Administration, Policy, and Leadership RolesIncluded
- 12.4Industry, Medical Affairs, and Physician EntrepreneurshipIncluded
- 12.5Making Your Decision: Choosing, Combining, and Transitioning Between PathwaysIncluded
Networking as an International Physician: Conferences, Connections, and Career Capital
Networking is not small talk — it is a deliberate, learnable skill that opens doors to research positions, letters of recommendation, residency interviews, and mentors who advocate for you behind closed doors. This module gives you a practical, IMG-specific playbook for building genuine professional relationships at every stage of your U.S. journey, whether you are meeting people online, at national conferences, or in a hospital corridor.
- 13.1The IMG Networking Mindset: Reframing Relationships as a Career ToolIncluded
- 13.2Digital Presence and Online Networking That Actually WorksIncluded
- 13.3Conferences: How to Prepare, Show Up, and Follow ThroughIncluded
- 13.4Turning Contacts into Champions: Mentors, Advocates, and Long-Term RelationshipsIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
The recent Latin American grad
She just graduated from a medical school in Mexico or Colombia and needs to understand the ECFMG and USMLE process from absolute zero, in the right order.
The USMLE retaker
He's already passed Step 1 but needs a structured strategy for Step 2 CK and wants to understand how his scores fit into a competitive IMG application.
The international med student
She's still in her clinical years abroad and wants to start building U.S. research experience, clinical exposure, and a professional network before she graduates.
The IMG without U.S. experience
He has his ECFMG certificate but zero U.S. clinical hours — and needs a clear plan for finding observerships, externships, and research positions that strengthen his application.
The ERAS first-timer
She's ready to apply but has never used ERAS and doesn't know how to write a personal statement, structure her IMG CV, or build a program list that's strategically realistic.
The post-Match alternative seeker
He didn't match last cycle and wants to understand his real options — SOAP, a second attempt, or a meaningful U.S. career in research, public health, or healthcare administration.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your coach
A note from your coach
Julieta Argüelles, MD, MPH
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've already spent hours — maybe days — trying to piece together the U.S. IMG pathway from official websites, Reddit threads, and secondhand advice that may or may not be current. You know the destination: practicing medicine in the United States. But the map keeps contradicting itself, and nobody seems to agree on the order of the steps.
I know that feeling. That confusion is exactly why LATIMGS Academy exists.
The U.S. medical system was not designed to explain itself to someone who trained outside of it. ECFMG certification, Intealth account setup, USMLE registration windows, ERAS timelines, NRMP rules, J-1 two-year home requirements — each piece seems straightforward until you're standing in front of it for the first time, at midnight, two weeks before a deadline you almost missed. What IMGs need is not more scattered information. What you need is a verified, ordered, step-by-step roadmap with someone walking beside you who has already taken every one of those steps.
That is what I built this academy to be. Every section follows the logical sequence of your actual journey — from the day you decide you want to practice in the U.S. to the day you have a residency match, a visa pathway, and a license to pursue. Along the way, we go deep on things other resources skip: how to translate your international experience into a U.S.-recognized CV, how to write outreach emails that faculty actually respond to, how to produce real academic work — an abstract, a poster, a case report, a manuscript — when you've never navigated U.S. research culture before. And we face the hard questions honestly: What if you don't match? What other respected, meaningful careers exist for an internationally trained physician in the U.S.? You deserve real answers, not platitudes.
I want to be clear about one thing: this academy is educational guidance, not legal counsel, and not a replacement for verifying official requirements with ECFMG, USMLE, NRMP, or your state medical board directly. Requirements change, and I will always tell you where to check. What I can give you — and what no official website can give you — is context, sequence, and the practical knowledge of someone who understands this journey from the inside.
You trained hard to become a physician. You deserve a pathway that treats you like the professional you already are. Welcome to LATIMGS Academy — let's get to work.
— Julieta Argüelles, MD, MPH
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- 13 modules, 61 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed
Optional add-ons inside
- Find Research Opportunities in the U.S.$49
- U.S. Career Pathways Beyond Residency$39
- Build a Competitive IMG CV & Application Profile$29
- Networking as an International Physician$29
Available in the school store after you join.