Last Updated on October 23, 2024 by Laura Turner
Since the Student Doctor Network was founded 25 years ago, the forums have supported international-status students navigating the U.S. medical school admissions process. Unlike undergraduate or graduate admissions, U.S. medical school admissions policies have historically favored only US citizens or permanent residents, with roughly 50 allopathic medical programs welcoming international applications (AAMC Aspiring Docs blog, ADA Health Policy Institute). Navigating higher education policies affecting international immigrating students has been challenging, especially within the last few decades.
Few highly educated immigrants work in the U.S. healthcare workforce compared to other industry sectors, like computer science and information technology (Migration Policy). Medical schools do not usually have dedicated staff who help immigrant students with visa issues; residency programs also may not be able to help secure a proper work visa before the start of the residency term without advanced planning (Iwai 2024). Most programs will not consider coursework taken outside the United States or Canada, including health professional bachelor’s degrees that are more accepted for entry outside North America (such as the bachelor’s in dental science/surgery, BDS). This means that many international students face increased costs to repeat prerequisite coursework at a U.S. community college or undergraduate program or must find work opportunities as allowed by their visa status (ADEA Foreign-Trained Dentists).
Where do the few hundred or thousand immigrant-status students get help navigating the process of becoming future physicians or dentists? F1 Doctors is a non-profit, peer-organized mentoring organization formed to fill this gap. SDN discussed its plans to support non-US-citizen students with their leadership.
History of the Organization
F1 Doctors was founded in 2020 by Azan Zahir Virji, now a first-year Internal Medicine resident at Massachusetts General Hospital, during his time as a first-year medical student at Harvard Medical School (see AAMC News profile). He was joined by co-founders Ben Gallo Marin and Ghazal Aghagoli, both medical students at Brown University at the time, and now residents in dermatology and OB/GYN, respectively.
F1 Doctors is a free, centralized mentorship network that connects international graduate health students and professionals (M.D., D.O., D.M.D., D.P.M., etc.) with pre-health students seeking guidance on applying to health programs in the U.S. With community at the core of its mission, F1 Doctors aims to build a supportive environment for international students and improve the visibility of their presence in both undergraduate and graduate health careers in the U.S.
Azan’s motivation to create F1 Doctors came from the numerous challenges he encountered as a non-U.S. citizen applying to U.S. medical schools, a process filled with barriers that many international students face. He realized that international applicants often lacked access to critical resources and reliable guidance on key issues like visa requirements, financial aid, and the application process itself. These challenges left many students feeling isolated and uncertain as they navigated a system that was not designed with their unique needs in mind. After securing admission to several U.S. medical schools, Azan made a personal commitment to help others in similar situations by founding F1 Doctors. The organization now provides international students with the mentorship, resources, and community support needed to overcome these barriers and pursue their dreams of becoming healthcare professionals in the U.S.
Services Provided
F1 Doctors currently has over 200 mentors offering individualized and ongoing support to more than 1,000 mentees through its online platforms, including a website and social media channels. The organization’s mentors represent a diverse array of backgrounds, hailing from 53 countries, and mentees have been accepted into medical, dental, and other competitive health programs in the U.S. These mentors volunteer to guide international students interested in pursuing similar paths.
When a mentee expresses interest in a health career in the U.S. and seeks advice, they can use the F1 Doctors platform to connect with a mentor whose career trajectory aligns with their goals. Through virtual or in-person meetings, mentors will provide long-term, personalized support that covers a wide range of topics, including application essays, interview preparation, study strategies for standardized exams, and transitioning to life in the U.S. from abroad. Throughout this process, mentors and mentees will build a lasting relationship that can shape future sessions and, in some cases, evolve into a friendship.
In addition to one-on-one mentorship, F1 Doctors hosts regular office hours where mentors review applications, conduct mock interviews, and answer questions during application seasons. The organization also offers other resources, including podcasts, blogs, and social media posts on topics relevant to international students pursuing U.S. health careers.
One mentee shared the following testimonial about their experience with F1 Doctors:
“The guidance I received from my mentor through F1 Doctors has been instrumental not only in helping me discover my path in medicine but also in teaching me how to navigate challenges and adversities. It has motivated me to achieve goals I once lacked the courage to pursue.
As an international and first-generation college student, entering the world of medicine felt like navigating in the dark. With little experience, I quickly became overwhelmed by the flood of information and constantly questioned if I was taking the ‘right’ steps. I found myself stressed, overly concerned about completing the typical pre-med activities.
It was during this time that I discovered F1 Doctors, and honestly, every conversation with my mentor has been an aha moment. Because he has been through similar experiences, my mentor is able to see through my anxieties and offer perspectives that shift my thinking and clarify my next steps. What would have taken me months or even years to understand on my own often becomes clear with just one sentence of advice.
What my mentor did was not telling me what my narrative in medicine should be. Instead, he taught me how to discover one that aligns with my true passions. To me, this is the most invaluable mentorship I could ask for.”
Interprofessional Efforts
F1 Doctors fosters interprofessional collaboration by bringing together healthcare professionals from diverse fields—such as MDs, DOs, dentists, and international medical graduates (IMGs)—to mentor international students interested in U.S. healthcare careers. The platform offers guidance not only in medicine and dentistry, which are traditionally more popular, but also in underrepresented fields like podiatry, physical therapy, and the physician-scientist track.
By recruiting mentors from a variety of educational and cultural backgrounds, F1 Doctors provides tailored mentorship that addresses the unique challenges international students face in pursuing health careers. The organization’s commitment to diversity strengthens its ability to guide students as they navigate the complex processes of achieving their career goals in healthcare.
Ongoing Advocacy
As F1 Doctors enters its fourth year, the organization stands at a pivotal moment. Its network of mentors and mentees has grown globally, establishing a strong presence within the international pre-health community. Now, F1 Doctors seeks to expand its advocacy and outreach efforts by collaborating with national organizations such as AAMC, APAMSA, and SNMA while increasing its visibility on pre-health networks like the Student Doctor Network (SDN).
Recognizing the lack of data on the experiences of international students applying to U.S. health professional schools, F1 Doctors is launching its first quantitative research initiative, led by the Education Resource and Research Committee with the Health Professional Student Association. This research aims to identify institutional challenges and develop policy solutions to create a more equitable system for international students.
To enhance the user experience, F1 Doctors is continuously updating its platform based on post-mentorship surveys and data analysis. These efforts are designed to improve mentor-mentee interactions and provide valuable insights that inform the organization’s advocacy work.
References
AAMC Aspiring Docs. Applying to Medical School as an International Applicant | Students & Residents. Accessed September 30, 2024.
American Dental Association Health Policy Institute. International Students at U.S. Dental Schools infographic. Accessed September 30, 2024.
ADEA GoDental. Foreign-educated dentists. Accessed September 30, 2024.
Iwai, Yoshiko. (2024 May 19). Applying to Residency as an International Student at a US Medical School. Association of Women Surgeons. Accessed September 30, 2024.
Migration Policy blog. College-Educated Immigrants in the United States. Accessed September 30, 2024.
Virgo, Azan Zahir (2021, July 29). As a non-U.S. citizen, I faced hurdles applying to U.S. medical schools. Now that I’ve made it, I want to help others like me. AAMC News. Accessed September 30, 2024. AAMC article about F1 Doctors.
Zezhou (Zach) Zhao and Zhengyang (Kevin) Sun are the Co-Executive Directors of F1 Doctors; Marwa Belhaj, Nashwaan Khan, and Chi M Trinh are Members of the Executive Team.