IMGRoadmap Series #91 Dr. Adannia Enyioha (Pediatrics)

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Have you ever wondered whether US medical students share the same struggles as IMGs along their medical journeys? While there are quite a few differences between these two pathways, the similarities may surprise you! Keep listening to find out how Nigerian-born Dr. Adannia Enyioha beat the odds at every step of her medical success story!

Dr. Enyioha moved to the US at age 16 to attend college in New York, where she majored in Biology and Economics with a focus on premed. She was able to do so using an F1 international student visa

Dr. Enyioha completed her residency in Chicago at the Rush University Medical Center, and is now working in Philadelphia within the Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Here are some of the highlights from her medical journey, she:

Graduated from college in 2008.
Found that getting into medical school was a great challenge.
Only knew one other person who had similar challenges to her, and she learnt from them.
Aligned herself with organizations that help international students e.g. SNMA, who provided her with resources and assistance to help her prepare for MCAT and to go through the medical school application process.
Applied to approximately 60 US medical schools through the funding and assistance from these organizations.
Got only 1 interview at a school in Minnesota that she ended up attending.
Applied to Ross and St. Georges as well, though her preference was to remain in the US.
Was helped by The International Students’ organization at the university to continue getting her F1 visa sponsorship.
Was a Resident Assistant at her university, and she got housing and food free; and the opportunity to build her CV.
Scored a scholarship for her final year of medical school due to the support of the international student office, good grades, and activeness in school life.

She applied for Optional Practical Training after each step of medical school, then eventually flipped to continue with F1 status.
Found it quite easy to get residency interviews anywhere she applied, however, she chose a program that would support H1B visa in Chicago, instead of J1, due to potential difficulties.

When asked how someone can get into medical school in the US, she advised prospective students to:

Check for the schools where international students are taken.
Make use of any recently updated, relevant resources available.
Remember that volunteering is a good way to build your application: Dr. Enyioha did volunteer work in India for 2 weeks with a Christian medical mission group in Nigeria where she helped with glaucoma surgeries.
Engage in interesting activities to serve as conversation starters during interviews: The fact that Dr. Enyioha worked in economics, public relations, advertising and TV was always brought up during interviews.
Take other people’s stories with a grain of salt. Your story could be different!

Dr. Enyioha’s mantra for success is the following: