What to consider

[mikey1294]

Could someone help me out on what to consider when choosing an international school. I know that they would have to speak english and be able to have their students come back to the US and practice but is there anything you guys can thing of that you didn't think of until you got to school. Thanks for any help you can give me.

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[neilc]

make sure the school is approved in all states! go by the CA list...

things are getting tougher, and the states are looking for ways to verify that offshore schools are legit, valid, accredited, have oversight, whatever...the toughest credentials to meet at this point are the CA approval. so, by going to one of these schools, you are somewhat protected...

other things to consider:
1. US clinicals
2. residency placements
3. usmle results

then there are many other things on a more personal level, such as where is the school, how big/small classes are, style of education, where the rotations are, etc...but, before you go looking for that custom fit med school, at least make sure that you can come home, and work in ALL of the states when you are finished.

you don't want to get home and have a shrinking list of options, as states start getting more strict. nor do you want to limit your future options before you even have any! big stuff first, than get choosy..

best of luck

 

[Skip Intro]

Neil pretty much hit it right on the head. But, I tend to think that, at least for the foreseeable future, Family Practice is going to remain wide open. If you already know that you'd be happy as a family physician, then I think you just pretty much need to be sure that your school is listed in IMED and that you can get ECFMG certification. Unless you have visa issues, you'll get a spot somewhere. Just make sure that you don't have to scramble, though. Scrambling is tough. While the vast majority of my classmates matched this year, I have a couple of colleagues that had to scramble and it was really tough on them. One took a prelim spot and will have to go back through the match next year.

Pass your exams on the first try, score well, and get good letters. Then, apply to an adequate number of programs - including what you feel are back-ups - and rank as many as you interview. Do not scramble, if you can avoid it.

-Skip

 

[Saipan]

neilc: Where is the CA list posted? Can you share the name of a website with us?

Thanks,

Saipan

 

[neilc]

the list is here:

http://www.medbd.ca.gov/Applicant_Schools_Recognized.htm

please note that if a school has a program in a native language and english, than the english program must be specifically mentioned to be approved! for example, look at the hungarian schools...the approved schools have this notation (including english program)...if that is not there for the CE schools, than they are not approved.

i do agree with skip, that FP will likely be a reasonable match for most everyone that graduates and passes the steps. but, i still think it is far better to go to a universally approved school, even for the FP. it would suck to graduate from a smaller school, and wind up being limited to 30-40 states...what if you decide later you want to move? or your family moves? or you want to do locum work?

pick a good school, and suffer through it. at the end of the day it will be worth it.

best of luck!

 

[Skip Intro]

but, i still think it is far better to go to a universally approved school, even for the FP. it would suck to graduate from a smaller school, and wind up being limited to 30-40 states...what if you decide later you want to move? or your family moves? or you want to do locum work?

Excellent point.

-Skip

 

[skypilot]

I would stick with the best bets:

Australian Schools (Sydney, Flinders)
Irish (RCP, UCD, Trinity)
Israel (Sackler)
SGU
Ross
AUC

No need to be a pioneer. Go to schools which have 1000s of docs practicing in the U.S. already.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Yes, residency placement in the US is a top consideration. Also, don't make the mistake of taking the Step 1 exam after you graduate... just take it after your basic science years like US grads.

One finaly important point is the quality of life you will have in that country and the quality of teaching hospitals of the school.

 

[Trader56]

NeilC,

In the California list post, you used the term "university approved school."

Can you tell me what this term means?

Thanks, and thanks for the great reference for the California-approved schools!

Trader

 

[neilc]

i used the phrase "universally approved" by which i meant approved in all states. not "university".

hope that clears it up

 

[Trader56]

NeilC,

My mistake, sorry, but thanks for the reply!

 

[WhatisLIFE]

I would stick with the best bets:

Australian Schools (Sydney, Flinders)
Irish (RCP, UCD, Trinity)
Israel (Sackler)
SGU
Ross
AUC

No need to be a pioneer. Go to schools which have 1000s of docs practicing in the U.S. already.

Can you please tell me what are the best bets in UK? Thanks.