Is SABA Europe accredited since it was NVAO approved?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

EternalShadow

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
21
Reaction score
8
If I graduate from SABA would I be able to complete my residency and practice in EU?? or just the netherlands???

Basically, if I want to become a European doctor as a US Citizen would SABA be a good option or would English programs in Poland be better (Warsaw, Ponzan, etc)?

Members don't see this ad.
 
I finished up on the island (SABA) in December 2013. The NVAO and Dutch PM (I think it was the PM) visited around August 2013 and gave SABA NVAO approval. We asked specifically if this means we can practice medicine in Europe and we were told that this is not the case. We are the 8th medical school now in the Netherlands, however in terms of licensing and practice, it seems things will stay the same for the most part. As of now, we cannot do rotations in Europe and are not accredited to practice in Europe. I hope that will change, at least the rotations part.
 
Years ago, I worked with a Dutch-trained physician. I have to say, based on how he explained it to me, that it was one of the weirdest systems I've heard of. Apparently (and anyone correct me if I'm wrong), they pretty much accept everyone that wants to be a doctor, and then the "cutthroat" portion happens after acceptance (i.e., you get weeded-out during the program).

Sound familiar? Maybe, just maybe, this is the "most fair" type of system?

-Skip
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Years ago, I worked with a Dutch-trained physician. I have to say, based on how he explained it to me, that it was one of the weirdest systems I've heard of. Apparently (and anyone correct me if I'm wrong), they pretty much accept everyone that wants to be a doctor, and then the "cutthroat" portion happens after acceptance (i.e., you get weeded-out during the program).

Sound familiar? Maybe, just maybe, this is the "most fair" type of system?

-Skip


Google it Skip. Many European medical systems are this way

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Medicine

per my opinion, I think it is the fairest system of admission. No more subjective factors or requirements for admission. It is only your standardized test scores that matter. No more comparing apples to oranges :)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Yes, I'm aware the French system is similar. It's much more cutthroat, but at least everyone gets a realistic chance.

Bottom line: It's not about who you know. It's not about how much ass you kissed in undergrad. It's not about the whims of a professor and the LOR they were willing or unwilling to write for you. It's not about maneuvering to get the "easy" professor for Organic Chemistry. It's not about multiple practice Kaplan MCAT practice tests. And, perhaps most importantly, it's not about the color of your skin or whether or not you have a vagina. (Yeah, I went there.)

You get the drift.

-Skip
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Yes, I'm aware the French system is similar. It's much more cutthroat, but at least everyone gets a realistic chance.

Bottom line: It's not about who you know. It's not about how much ass you kissed in undergrad. It's not about the whims of a professor and the LOR they were willing or unwilling to write for you. It's not about maneuvering to get the "easy" professor for Organic Chemistry. It's not about multiple practice Kaplan MCAT practice tests. And, perhaps most importantly, it's not about the color of your skin or whether or not you have a vagina. (Yeah, I went there.)

You get the drift.

-Skip

Ya, it is more transparent. It is harder for favoritism or human biases/prejudice to exist in those systems.

On another note, many European medical systems (e.g. French, British, German, etc) are requiring their MD candidates to complete a research/thesis and sucessfully defend it in front of a thesis committee. In this sense, this requirement for their MD degree is equivalent to the PhD degree requirement. (Some European countries have lower tier degree for non-thesis medical graduates, eg. MBBS in the British system or German, while some simply do not have that option like the French, i.e. either you complete/defend that research/thesis for your MD degree or you do not graduate).

Many European medical schools also administer their semester/class exams in oral + written/essay format combination which I'm sure would scare the hell out of many die-hard fans of mutiple choice lol :)
 
Last edited:
Top