International Students & U.S. Health Professions
Over the past year, ISSS has heard from our students who are participating in post-completion OPT that networking is an important part of their career pursuits. Networking is a powerful way to connect with others in the field, meet potential employers, and learn from each other.
Students in F-1 status who wish to pursue a career in health professions may face unique challenges. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recently published an article about these hurdles that students face and how networking and mentorship can support students.
Azan Zahir Virji, MPH is an MD/MBA candidate at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Business School. Virji authored the AAMC article and is the founder of a web-based platform focused on helping non-U.S. citizens apply to health professions schools in the United States. This platform is called F-1 Doctors.
Virji says, “[The F-1 Doctors] mission is to cultivate a community of foreign-born health care workers who uplift one another through a free, online, peer-to-peer mentorship platform. Moreover, [F-1 Doctors] aim[s] to break the myths about applying as a non-U.S. citizen and assert that international students can be accepted to health professions schools and that financial aid does exist.”
F-1 Doctors is a networking resource for students interested in pursuing a career in health professions. Virji writes, “In just over a year, F-1 Doctors has grown from fewer than 20 mentors to more than 130 who represent 44 countries from a variety of health professions backgrounds. Many of our mentors are eager to support students who are embarking on a journey like theirs, wishing that this resource had existed during their application process.”
In addition to resources like F-1 Doctors, CU Boulder Career Services empowers students and alumni to become more employable and find meaningful work by being active participants in the career development process. Remember that even as an alumni of CU Boulder, you have lifetime access to Career Services!