Are you curious as to how you can combine your Family Medicine residency with your other passions? Family Medicine attending Dr. Esther Nkem Ufot who also specializes in Obesity and Lifestyle Medicine is here to show you that it is possible!
Currently serving in Atlanta, Dr. Ufot attended medical school at the University of Benin, Nigeria, where she graduated in 2011, before migrating to the US that same year.
Dr. Ufot was always passionate about preventative medicine. As such, she elected to focus on Obesity Medicine. She also stated the following as some of the possible Family Medicine pathways and opportunities:

Obstetrics
Geriatrics
Obesity medicine


Dr. Ufot also discussed the following challenges that she experienced when transitioning to working in the US:

She did not have the proper paperwork from Nigeria needed for the ECFMG process.
She lacked guidance.
Because the initial part of her process took quite a while, she decided to do all of her USMLE steps within one year.
She worked in addition to preparing for the USMLE.


When asked how she was able to achieve success, Dr. Ufot stressed the importance of networking and mentorship. Here are a few of the highlights of her story which exemplified this:

Dr. Ufot, through networking, got a job in a medical capacity that cemented her interest in family medicine.
Her employer motivated and supported her throughout her USMLE journey by granting her time off and bonuses.
This doctor also helped her to score observerships with his colleagues which led to her gaining valuable letters of recommendation and clinical experience.


As such, here are a few of the highlights of Dr. Ufot’s match story:

Passed Step 1 with a score of 216
Achieved a Step 2 score of 239
Passed CS
Passed Step 3 with a score of 229
Applied in 2014 and matched in 2015
Became pregnant during the interview process
Applied to 140 programs, landing 5 interviews
Looked at criteria carefully to select programs
Personalized and made each personal statement specific to each goal program
Took care to stand out during the interview process and asked intelligent questions to mutually vet target programs.


With her journey in mind, Dr. Ufot states the following inspirational key points to share with IMGs:

Stay focused at every step.
Make everyday count.
Everybody’s path is different - own your story and put in the hard work.
Don’t give up - constant improvement is all that matters.
Consistency, commitment and passion are key.
Healthy living should always be one’s priority!


You can reach out to Dr. Ufot to find out more about her extraordinary journey via her Instagram @drnkemufot.
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