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Dec 2011
Dec 2011
Student Testimonials
The greatest fans and supporters of Advanced Colleges of America are its student body. With a culture that holds student respect at its core, ACA has been able to recruit the brightest and most promising future healthcare providers. Click this post, and come see how ACA has changed so many lives!
“Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained…
I’m writing this article in California, on the eve of the last day of my first externship in Family Medicine at ACA. Just this afternoon I received my first evaluation upon which my supervising physician enthusiastically circled “YES” for the question, “Will you be writing an LOR for this student?” As I was leaving, he shook my hand and said, “If you need anything, let me know.”
Quick! Someone pinch me.
In just 4 months at ACA, my outlook has changed for the better. I feel good. I know where I’m heading. I can see the finish line. The relevant training and experience, which had once seemed so elusive, has now become something tangible.
Where else can you find hands-on experience that allows you to complete physical examinations, EKGs, urinalyses, treatment plans, administer vaccinations and, as a bonus, train you to become a Certified Advanced Medical Assistant? Upon completion of this program I will be able to make a decent wage working in various clinical settings, including the hospital, maintain my patient exposure and stay in California!
Attitude is everything.
It’s not for the faint-hearted or the passive. It’s a balancing act between externship, work, and school. I’ve had to skip parties and dinners with friends and family because 24 hours just isn’t enough when you wake up at 6am to do externship from 8 to 5pm, go straight to work from 6pm to 10pm then prepare for the next day and fall asleep exhausted at midnight. On top of that you’ve got to write papers, participate in weekly discussions, take a weekly exam and attend an hour lecture online, once a week. It’s a juggling act, but so worth it because the rewards are undeniable.
With a little help from my friends…
The great thing about ACA is that the staff takes genuine interest in how you’re doing. I get emails of encouragement that help me when the days seem long and I feel unsure of myself. The teachers know their stuff and are easy to approach. I’ve learned things in my online classes that helped me become a better health care advocate during my externships. Believe me when I say that they are some of the nicest, most accommodating people that you’ll ever meet.
One step closer to doing what I love…
The sacrifices you will be making are well worth the satisfaction you’ll get from doing what you love. How many people can say that? When it’s all said and done, I’m doing what I’ve been hoping to do since I graduated all those years ago. I know I’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m one step closer to my goal. I’m moving forward, not backward, not standing still, or hoping for a break. I’m making my own breaks and increasing the odds in my favor.
Sure, there’s a bit of anxiety and doubt that occasionally creeps up on me, telling me that I am a long shot. But, I’ll tell you what, you won’t know until you take that leap of faith and step off the cliff.
I believe in second chances and I’m not about to waste this opportunity.”
S. R. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“Hi Everyone,
I wanted to express my sincere thanks to Dr. Mizani and I wanted you all to know how much I appreciate his efforts towards our progress. I have skimmed through the Externship Booklet and the detailed nature of it shows how much time, energy and resources have been committed towards it.
Just as he promised, my MRACL has been received by ECFMG and scanned in by ERAS and I’m sure many of you have had yours attended to too. I strongly believe that he’s not just satisfied with sending the letters across alone but that behind the scenes he and the ACA staff are working tirelessly to make things work and to get each and everyone of us to our desired destination.
The road may appear long and tough as I know that we each have individual and difficult circumstances that we are facing, but I encourage everyone not to give up, but to press on. Nothing good comes easy.
I’m particularly grateful for the externship experience. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I had gone straight into residency without it. I havn’t practiced for almost five years, and more important is the fact that the US is much more technologically advanced than my country is. I’ve made mistakes, but I’m glad to make them now, before the real deal.
I encourage everyone to get as much as much as they can get from ACA. Don’t forget the webinars other than the Virtual Residency Clinics that are compulsory. ACA has so much to offer and Dr. Mizani has so much information and experience to share with you all, that will help guide you in your path.
If anyone has any questions I can help with, feel free to shoot me an email or call me. I may delay as I’ve got tons of homework waiting for me, but I sure will get back to you.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
My love and blessings to all.
L. L. – Current Student
“I chose to get enrolled with ACA because of the good experience I have had in the past. The Dean and the rest of the college staff have shown clearly that they are genuinely interested in each and every suggestion. The Dean did not feel satisfied until he felt it would be for my best interest. I am greatly impressed and thankful to him & other staff for their best efforts. The Dean always took time to listen and then suggest solutions for all the concerns, with great serenity and respect.”
B. M. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“I select this institute because I can get my hands-on clinical externships in California. It’s the first time that hands-on externships are provided to this extent in California, so far as I know.”
M. F. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“I chose Advanced Colleges of America (ACA) because Medical Residency Track – Advanced Medical Assisting program will help me get acculturated in the U.S. clinical environment. I also expect to improve my understanding of how clinical facilities work in U.S., and to familiarize myself with medico-legal and quality care assurance mechanisms. Basically, I would like to feel as comfortable as possible in the U.S. clinical environment.”
A. V-S. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“I chose Advanced Colleges of America (ACA) because I know that I will have the necessary clinical exposure and experience of the U.S. healthcare system. It will also allow me to continue my profound passion of medicine.”
E. D. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“I chose the Advanced Colleges of America (ACA) because through them, I will be able to have documented hands-on clinical experience here in the United States… an experience that I could not have secured in the past in Texas, where clinicals are highly required for International Medical Graduate like me. ACA has also provided me with an affordable [in-house financing] student loan to help take care of the fees associated with the training.”
L. L. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“Dear ACA students,
I just wanted to share to you the great things that have been happening to my life since joining ACA. I would say that I am an average residency applicant as I have low USMLE scores and an old medical graduate. These are the reasons why I decided to join ACA. At first I was hesitant because of the finance that is involved in joining this program and in fact at the middle of my study and externship, I encountered a difficult financial problem so I talked to Dr. Mizani about my decision of withdrawing from school, but after very enlightening conversation with him, I was convinced that ACA is the best foundation for me to get to the top and that is to secure a US residency and finances should not be a hindrance to me.
Since the start of the residency application last September, I was fortunate enough to have five interview invitations. The five interviews that I had turned out to be great. I realized from the interviews how invaluable the part of my application with “detailed descriptions of my US clinical experiences as medical assistant through ACA”. All my interviewers, from the first program to the last program I went, always asked me first about the experiences that I have been having with ACA. It is for this reason that I strongly believe that if it were not for ACA, I could not have secured enough interview invitations from these programs.
Recently, I am very happy to say that I have been given an out of match offer which I readily accepted. There is a lot of great things to say about my experiences with ACA but I wanted to say that overall ACA is the very best foundation for us, foreign medical graduates, in getting to the top and reach our goal of a US residency.
Thank you.”
E. D. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“Dear Dr. Mizani,
I wanted to thank you very much for the presentation today. It clarified some misunderstandings I had about clinicals and how I should present myself as a medical assistant. I also would like to thank you for choosing such great, friendly and very professional staff. We are so grateful for all your hard work and all that you do for us at ACA. It should always be commended. I wanted to express my gratitude for having an exceptional clinical coordinator like Jacquelyn. She is always friendly and ready to answer all of my questions and most of all she’s very proficient. So again thank you for rectifying all the loose ends we had today at the Webinar Dr. Mizani. Have a great weekend.”
C. S.– Current ACA-MRT Student
“Hello everyone:
I want to share my experience that I had with Advanced Colleges of America with you. This year I was accepted in an Internal Medicine Residency Program in California and to be honest with you, Advanced Colleges of America had a great role in my acceptance. Not only did it provide me with the clinical externships that I was looking for, but it also provided me with attending doctors affiliated with hospitals, who were amazing and helpful in strengthening and lightening my goals. This unique experience that Advanced Colleges of America provided me during clinical externships made my residency pathway easy for me. Perhaps without this experience I could have never been accepted into the residency program. I highly recommend Advanced Colleges of America if you want to secure medical residency here in the United States and the money you pay, it’s really worth it.
Thanks to all of them!”
M. F. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“Dear fellow students and prospective students,
WOW!!! What a ride. I really don’t know where to start so I’ll start from the beginning.
In March of 2010, I sat at my desk realizing that the Scramble was over and I had not secured a position into a residency program. During the whole 48 hour process, I had only gotten through to two programs and both calls lasted less than two minutes. I was horribly devastated. I licked my wounds for a few months and then decided to give my residency application one more shot.
When July rolled around, I realized that as an IMG my residency application needed to be strengthened by obtaining significant US insured “hands-on” clinical experience. This was when my daunting quest for externships began. I called several companies claiming to have reputable and inexpensive externships throughout the nation. However, in every one of these companies, I was either blatantly lied to about the cost and/or particulars about the externship or something “just didn’t feel right”. At this point, I was beginning to lose hope but found the energy to call one last company, AmeriClerkships.
I called AmeriClerkships and left a detailed message about my situation and desire to start externships. Surprisingly, the next day I received a call from an individual who claimed to be representing Advanced Colleges of America and that the college could provide all that I needed in order to strengthen my application to the fullest. After listening to this person and all the claims that she said ACA would provide, I was absolutely furious and demanded her name and how she had gotten my number. In a patient and professional manner, she stated that ACA was a sister company of AmeriClerkships and that they shared information about potential students. At this point, I did not believe a word she had said so I brushed her off and told her that I would get back to her.
After researching and verifying the claims the ACA Enrollment Specialist had made, I called her back. She explained all the services ACA had to offer in greater detail. Although my mind told me not to fall for this “scam”, my gut was telling me a different story. Not only was this person from ACA professional, I could feel a genuine honesty through her voice. So I took a leap in faith and decided to become a student of ACA, and BOY was I right to listen to my gut feelings, but we’ll come back to that later.
In August, I send all my residency documents to ACA to be professionally reviewed and edited. The documents included my CAF, CV, and personal statements in every specialty applying for. As you probably already know, application into residency begins in September so I was in a hurry to get these documents as soon as possible. When I received my edited documents, I was absolutely amazed at the quality of work in front of my eyes. Not only were the actual text/contents professionally revised, but the anesthetic properties of these documents were very appealing. In addition, the Acculturation and Residency Application Services Senior Advisor kept in close contact with me as she made multiple revisions according to my needs.
In September, I send out my applications to numerous programs as advised by ACA. I also began my first official US hands-on externship in Internal Medicine. With re-found energy, I threw myself into this externship and truly got the most out of it. The attending I was working with was also an IMG. He empathized with my situation and was a great mentor during my stay at his clinic. This month was also the time that I started my didactic online course. Hand-in-hand, the externship and online course was the beginning of my acclimation and acculturation into the US healthcare system.
So from September 2010 to February 2011, my time and energy was consumed by extraordinary externships (in IM, FM, and OBGYN), online courses, and my family (wife and 4 munchkins all under the age of 7). These months were extremely busy and frantic, to say the least, but so very productive. I could feel my confidence in my medical knowledge and clinical skills peaking but something was missing. I had not secured a single interview!!! How could this have happened? In some ways, not getting interviews was somewhat expected since I was not able to document US hands-on externships at the time of sending out my applications back in September. But I had not received a single interview request and the interviewing season had pretty much come to a close.
March 2011, Scramble Month. Although I had not received a single interview, I did not let this discourage me. I knew that all the work that I had put into externships and the online courses would only strengthen my application going into the Scramble. In addition, I had faith that ACA was doing all that it could do to prepare me for the Scramble. All requested documents were re-reedited, webinar were conducted, and I was constantly advised and encouraged by several staff members of ACA.
At noon, when the Scramble officially started, one of the ten volunteers in my team got through to a program that agreed to talk to me. The initial interview went well as I answered questions in the manner advised by ACA. The interviewer told me to expect another call in approximately 30 minutes. This next interview was from a faculty member and also went extremely well. She then told me that I would be expecting another call in 30 minutes, but this time it would be the program director. When the PD called he stated that he pretty much had all the information he needed about me from the others and that he would be sending me a Letter of Intent. WOW, this was it. I had finally been offered a residency position.
What a drastic change from just a year ago. A year ago, I was entering the Match riding a tricycle. This year my application was upgraded to a Maserati through the fabulous efforts of Advanced Colleges of America. I cannot praise ACA enough. Every part of my involvement with ACA (supporting documents, externships, online didactics, student counseling, etc.) was extremely professional, yet gracious. I truly felt that the ACA staff cared about me as a person and gotten to know several of them very well.
I cannot fully tell you how invaluable ACA was in my quest for residency. The only way for you to find out would be to take this journey yourself. And please do not be mislead to think ACA is a magic bullet and you can just sit back and relax. By no means will your residency application succeed without great effort in your part. But be assured that whatever you put into this program, it is returned twice in dividends. ”
T. B. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“Awesome! All those late night iced coffees really paid off. lol Thanks Dr. Serbia! See you this Thursday! I start my externship in 2 weeks and this class really helped me gain more insight into dealing with patients of all ages and disabilities and I just feel more confident. When I was doing medical clerkships, they never really taught this stuff to us. We had to learn it on our own, but this class laid it out for us and I appreciate it.”
S. R. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“I completed a two month Pediatrics rotation with ACA and had such a wonderful experience that I make time to go back and visit with my attending every now and again. My attending was my mentor and my role model. Both my attending and the rotation as a whole far exceeded my expectations for the experience. It was in this hands-on clinical experience that I gained greater knowledge and insight into being a Pediatrician and a good doctor.
During the outpatient rotation I saw many different patients and cases. I witnessed flare-ups of chronic conditions including asthma, sickle cell disease, CF, Wegener granulomatosis, and Hashimorot disease. There were also cases of acute conditions such as URI, UTI, acute appendicitis, Kawasaki disease, AML, and cancer. I was also presented with cases of congenital heart disease, child abuse, and other difficult and sensitive cases.
Though I gained great knowledge, all of these cases and illnesses are not explicitly why I found the outpatient rotation a better learning experience for me than my inpatient rotation. The reason I enjoyed the outpatient rotation more was because I was on the front-line with my attending. Pediatrics has it’s own complications, with the main hurdle being that the patient experiencing the symptoms can’t always talk or express what is hurting or what they are feeling. The Pediatrician has to play detective to make the proper referral or diagnosis. My attending during this rotation gave me a chance to work with the patients and collect as much information as needed to form a differential diagnosis. One memorable case was that of a 5 year old boy who came in with a URI but his mother, during conversation, complained he always fell down. My first thought was Duchenne muscular dystrophy. My attending allowed me to examine the patient and send in the lab work. When the results returned and my attending confirmed my suspicions of Duchenne muscular dystrophy I had to take away the good from the case; I was provided with the opportunity to put into practice my clinical knowledge and to challenge myself to find the correct diagnosis.
I greatly enjoyed this rotation for a variety of reasons but the primary reason was the mentoring I was given by my attending and the Medical assistant. They allowed me to get hands-on experience and gave me a lot of help in working effectively with patients. My attending also allowed me the opportunity to deliver a case presentation, morning report, and lecture. She asked me to attend grand rounds in the hospital. The learning experience of this rotation was much more than “time well spent.” The most enriching part of working in her office was having a daily reminder that medicine is not only an intellectual endeavor, but also a human one. This was an experience and a lesson I will treasure and carry with me always.”
Y. S. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“I start my externship in 2 weeks and this class really helped me gain more insight into dealing with patients of all ages and disabilities and I just feel more confident. When I was doing medical clerkships, they never really taught this stuff to us. We had to learn it on our own, but this class laid it out for us and I appreciate it.”
S.R. – Current ACA-MRT Student
“Hello Everyone,
Hope you all are healthy and happy.
Yesterday was my last day with Dr. X and the FM externship went very well. I was able to learn and reinforce clinical skills and knowledge in the 70/30 split that was expected.
Specifically, I was allowed to take complete patient histories and conduct physical examinations. After most encounters, I would present my history and physical findings of the patient to the attending, and then propose my management plans. The attending would then agree or disagree with my plans and also comment on how to improve my histories, PE’s and management plans. She would then explain what her management plans were and the reasons for them. In this way, the learning process was amazing. In addition, I was allowed to assist with pap smears and OB/GYN procedures; skin biopsies; removal of sutures, warts and toenails; casting/splinting; tx of impacted ears; and joint injections.
While working with the other MA’s and staff at this clinical site, I was allowed to prepare examination rooms, bring back patients to be roomed, take vital signs, give immunizations, draw blood, perform EKG’s, PFT’s, and ABI’s. I also gained much experience with EPIC (the EMR used at this site). Pre-authorizations, referrals, receiving and returning patient calls, communicating with pharmacies, were other responsibilities given to me.
I’m so thankful because I know these skills and experiences greatly enhance my residency application. I hope all of you are having similar experiences during your externships. Overall, I was extremely pleased with this externship. I am in great anticipation of my next externship, hoping that it will be similar, if not better, than this one.
Happy Holidays,”
T.B. -Current Student