Dr. Rubina Khan’s story
My name is Rubina Khan. You can call me Ruby. I am a foreign medical graduate. I like the effort you are putting to help foreign physicians to get their Liscence. I am willing to participate and work as a team member. Here is my story.
I was born in Kashmir, Northern Parkistan. I graduated medical school Fatima Jinnah Medical University 2003.
I married to my husband who came to the US under H1 visa in 2004, so I got H4 visa to be with him in the US. We located in Pennsylvania at this time. As a visitor, I were not eligible to work in the US. Almost two years later in 2006, my H4 visa was converted into green card as permanent resident visa. I became US citizen in 2011. I started working on my USMLEs in 2004 and I was pregnant with my first daughter with hyperemesis gravidarum in 2006. 4. I became ECFG certified in feb 2009. I also passed step 3 exam in year 2012. I became ECFMG certified in February 2009. I also passed step 3 exam in year 2012. Then, I got a volunteer position at a research institute for breast cancer in Florida 2006 to 2009. We moved to Florida. I was pregnant my twin boys at this time with even more serious of hyperemesis gravidarum. Then, I was volunteer three days a week at Mayo Clinics for both family practice and Psychiatry in Florida to see patients with the doctors there. They eventually wrote me good recommendation letters which I used for my medical residency applications. I started applied for residency from 2009 to 2013, spending averagely $3,000 to $4,000 per application per year. I stopped at 2013 after finding out it was a futile investment with my hard-earned money. Then, I applied into PA Physician Assistant Programs, but they denied me saying I had to go the PA school all over again saying all my degrees are from foreign countries and I should re-school in America to make American degrees! It is absurd, isn’t it? I stopped applying to PA programs after losing a lot of money as well! In 2012, we moved back to Pennsylvania because I tried to apply for volunteering in hospital programs for training, but they refused me with the reason I have been out of medical school for more than three years! Isn’t it ridiculous? In 2013 and 2014, I applied into a training program for foreign medical doctors who want to become MD in the US. This program was almost like a medical school program; foreign-trained doctors have to go through all schooling just like a domestic-trained medical student! However, they looked at my profile that I already passed all the USMLEs so they only put me on waiting list for both years 2013 and 2014! I was never accepted into the program!
Too much despondent with the current medical licensing system and a family with three kids I have to provide, I found a paid cashier job for a Giant Get Go store. Then, in 2015, I applied into a nursing school and now I am a nursing student; I will be graduated in 2019 as a RN. I got about $20,000 federal student loan at this time. I believe this licensing system should be changed so that qualified MD like myself should be used properly. I joined Dr. Katherine Miller’s Organization, the American Physician Associates Organization to realize this mission.