Founding Cohort Open
Founding cohort launches Fall 2026 · Limited to 25 physicians · $999 launch pricing ($1,899 thereafter)
◆ For Physicians Returning to Medicine

Get back
to medicine
— confidently.

A 10-week live cohort program for foreign-trained physicians, doctors returning from a career break, and anyone ready to dive back into clinical thinking with structure, support, and confidence. Taught by a practicing US hospitalist.

Apply for Founding Cohort → View Curriculum
10
Weeks of
live instruction
25
Maximum
cohort size
1:1
Personal session
with instructor
Taught by
Essam Rashad, MD
Hospitalist · Internal Medicine
  • → Active hospitalist at JPS Health Network
  • → Board certified, American Board of Internal Medicine
  • → Board certified, American Board of Obesity Medicine
  • → Published in peer-reviewed gastroenterology
  • → Trained hundreds of USMLE Step candidates worldwide
Founding Cohort
$1,899 $999
Launch pricing · 25 seats only
Who This Is For

If you're navigating any of these,
this program was built for you.

01

Physicians on a Career Break

You stepped away from medicine for kids, a move, family, illness, burnout, or just because life demanded it. You've been thinking about coming back, but the gap feels overwhelming. You want a structured, friendly path back to clinical confidence.

02

Foreign-Trained Physicians

You trained in another country and you're working toward US clinical practice. Whether you're preparing for USMLE, between Steps, or post-Match, you need to bridge the gap between your home-country training and the realities of American medicine.

03

Returning to Medicine, Hesitant to Test

USMLE feels like a mountain. You're not sure you're ready to commit to it yet — or maybe you don't need to. This program lets you reconnect with clinical thinking, refresh your foundation, and decide your next step from a place of confidence, not pressure.

A Different Kind of Course

Coming back to medicine
shouldn't feel like
starting over.

For physicians returning after time away, or for foreign-trained doctors stepping into a new system, the path back can feel intimidating, isolating, and unstructured. Most resources are textbook-heavy, exam-focused, or built for medical students — not for physicians who already have training and just need a thoughtful way to dust off and sharpen up.

Back2Medicine is designed differently. It's a small, supportive cohort. Live, conversational sessions. Real cases instead of abstract review. A practicing US hospitalist who treats every cohort member as a peer, not a student. The goal isn't to drown you in content — it's to walk you back into clinical thinking with confidence, structure, and even some enjoyment along the way.

What you can expect
  • Live cohort, real cases
  • Mentorship from a practicing physician
  • A supportive peer community
  • The hidden curriculum, taught
  • 10 weeks of structured preparation
  • A thoughtful, unhurried pace
10-Week Curriculum

A structured progression from
foundation to fluency.

Each week features one 90-minute live session, recorded for later viewing, plus access to instructor and peers via a private cohort community.

Module One
Weeks 1 – 2

Orientation to American Clinical Practice

The hidden curriculum that nobody teaches in textbooks. How rounds work, how clinical reasoning is structured, how the assessment-and-plan functions as a thinking tool. You'll leave these two weeks understanding the architecture of American medicine.

Week 01
The Architecture of US Clinical Care
Hospital structure, attending hierarchy, the role of the hospitalist, and how decisions actually get made.
Week 02
Clinical Documentation as Reasoning
SOAP notes, A&P construction, EMR philosophy, and the writing of clinical thought.
Module Two
Weeks 3 – 7

High-Yield Clinical Domains

Five intensive case-based sessions covering the conditions you will absolutely see, taught the way American clinicians actually approach them.

Week 03
Cardiovascular
Chest pain workup, heart failure management, arrhythmias, and the practical bedside cardiology of a working hospitalist.
Week 04
Pulmonary & Critical Care
Dyspnea, COPD/asthma, pneumonia, oxygen escalation, and the basics of managing a ventilated patient.
Week 05
Infectious Disease
Sepsis bundle, antibiotic stewardship, common inpatient infections, and when to escalate.
Week 06
Endocrine & Metabolic
DKA, electrolyte management, thyroid emergencies, and modern obesity medicine — an instructor specialty.
Week 07
Acute Care & Urgent Decisions
AKI, GI bleed, stroke triage, when to consult, and the calculus of escalation.
Module Three
Weeks 8 – 9

Communication & Hospital Systems

The interpersonal medicine that determines whether you thrive or struggle. How to present, consult, document, discharge, and navigate the unwritten culture of American hospitals.

Week 08
Presenting, Consulting, Communicating
How to present to attendings, request consults effectively, and work productively with nursing and ancillary staff.
Week 09
Transitions, Families, Endings
Discharge planning, family meetings, code status conversations, and the difficult ones — done well.
Capstone
Week 10

Mock Rounds & Individual Assessment

A culminating session of mock clinical rounds with real anonymized cases from the instructor's practice. Each cohort member presents, receives individualized feedback, and leaves with a clear sense of where they stand and what to keep working on.

Everything Included

More than a course.
A cohort experience.

10 Live Sessions

Weekly 90-minute live cohort sessions with the instructor. All sessions recorded and available for the duration of the program and 60 days after.

Killer Feature

1:1 with Dr. Rashad

A personal 30-minute mentorship session with the instructor during Week 5 or 6. Discuss your specific situation, your goals, and your roadmap forward.

Cohort Community

Private group chat for the duration of the program. Ask questions between sessions, share resources, and build a peer network of physicians on the same journey.

Curated Reading

A reading list pulled from the actual references practicing US clinicians use — Pocket Medicine, NEJM Knowledge+, MKSAP, and key landmark trials.

Certificate of Completion

A signed certificate documenting your completion of the program. Useful for portfolios, residency applications, and demonstrating commitment to ongoing professional development.

Real Clinical Cases

Every week features anonymized real cases from the instructor's hospitalist practice — not textbook scenarios, but the messy, ambiguous patients you'll actually encounter.

The Instructor

A working hospitalist,
not a textbook.

Dr. Essam Rashad is a dual board-certified physician practicing hospital medicine at JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, Texas. Every other week, he is on the wards managing the exact patients you'll be expected to manage.

He's been on the other side of this journey too. Years ago, he taught hundreds of physicians around the world — first through Wyzant, later through private referrals. He understands what it takes to absorb medicine in English, in a foreign system, while life is happening around you.

Back2Medicine was built for the physicians he kept hearing from: those returning from career breaks, those navigating life transitions, and those who feel the spark of medicine still in them but need a structured, supportive way back in.

ABIM Certified
ABOM Certified
Active Hospitalist
Published Author
Dr. Essam Rashad in his consultation office, lead instructor of Back2Medicine
Essam Rashad, MD · ABIM · ABOM · Hospitalist
"

There are so many talented physicians out there at different stages of life who had to take a break — for kids, for moving, for stress, for whatever life threw at them. This course is designed to help you dive back in confidently — and have some fun while you're at it.

Essam Rashad, MD
Founder & Lead Instructor
Frequently Asked

Direct answers
to common questions.

Do I need to have taken USMLE to enroll? +
No. This program welcomes physicians at all stages — those who have completed USMLE, those preparing for it, those who are unsure whether to take it, and those returning to medicine after a career break who may or may not need licensure exams. The program focuses on rebuilding clinical thinking and confidence, which serves you regardless of where you are in the testing journey.
How is this delivered? +
All instruction is live, taught via video conference, scheduled to accommodate physicians across multiple time zones (likely Saturday mornings US Central Time). Sessions are recorded for those who must miss occasionally. The cohort interacts asynchronously through a private community throughout the 10 weeks.
Will this help me match into residency? +
This program is designed to make you a more confident, prepared, and capable clinician — which is genuinely useful in residency interviews, in your application narrative, and once you start working. However, we make no specific Match guarantees. Anyone who promises one isn't being honest with you.
Is the founding cohort price guaranteed? +
The $999 founding pricing is available only for the inaugural cohort and only until all 25 seats are filled. Subsequent cohorts will be priced at $1,899. We honor the founding rate for everyone admitted to the first cohort regardless of how full it gets.
What if I have to miss a session? +
Every session is recorded and available within 24 hours. We encourage live attendance whenever possible because the discussion and case work is where most learning happens, but life happens. Occasional misses are expected.
What's your refund policy? +
If you're not satisfied within the first two weeks of the program, contact us for a full refund. After Week 2, the program is non-refundable but seats are transferable to a future cohort with 30 days' notice.
Who is this not for? +
If you're looking for USMLE Step prep, board review, or residency interview coaching, there are better dedicated resources. If you've been practicing as a US-trained physician without interruption, you don't need this. And if you're not willing to commit ~3 hours per week for 10 weeks, this program will not serve you well.
Founding Cohort Application

Apply for the
founding cohort.

Tell us a bit about your background and goals. We review applications individually to ensure cohort fit. Spots are filled in the order applications are received.

Founding Cohort
$1,899 $999
Cohort Size
25 physicians, max
Duration
10 weeks · live

We review every application and respond within 48 hours. Submitting an application is non-binding — payment is only collected after admission and your written acceptance.