Would you go to a European Medical School if it didnt out you at a disadvantage ?

[SweetGingerDoc]

I would really love to go to med school in London or Paris or Rome to experience a new culture and lifestyle while I also went to med school. You ?

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[uvce]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=312609

 

[R.P. McMurphy]

I would, but I wouldn't be able to leave all the beer, wine, and cheese

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I would, but I wouldn't be able to leave all the beer, wine, and cheese

 

[Dr. Pepper]

Even though it would be great to vacation there, I would actually rather stay in the US.

Europe's like a huge museum...you can marvel at the history and nostalgia, but after a while, you want your modern lifestyle back.

Of course, London is an expection (sort of). I'll hang with Big Ben any day.
-Dr. P.

 

[Writer1985]

I wouldn't want to go to a European med school, because I do intend to practice in the U.S. or Canada. That said, I would really like to do one (or more) of my electives abroad. One of my undergrad majors is very averse to study abroad, to the point where many professors openly discourage it, so I'd really like to be able to spend some time living abroad at some point. Also I think that with our own healthcare system in such upheaval, it might be good to look overseas for other healthcare models that may work here in the States.

 

[Xypathos]

I would, in fact, I'll be getting my application for Charles University in the mail in the next couple of days --- I've been to Prague 5 times in my life so far and fall more in love with it every time.

Yes, I want to practice in the States like most of us here, but I'm also willing to bust my balls even harder to get there on the USMLE I/II. And at the very least I'm also willing to accept a residency in FP/IM --- why? Because I want to help people, I want to be a doctor. Yes, surgery is my prefered field, but I'm not greedy and will accept what I get, just as long as I can serve my passion to help others.

 

[chaeymaey]

I actually like the European curriculum 100 times better than the US curriculum. They don't have the USMLE holding them back with tons of useless basic science, so they're trained to be clinicians from day one.

 

[akinf]

I would want to go to London or maybe Germany to study medicine. However, I don't think there graduates are nearly as competent as N. American graduates. I have heard good things about some hospitals in Jo'burg, but I don't know if I'd want to live in S. Africa for an extended period - maybe in Port Elizabeth or Durban.

Anyways, for the best education, probably Canada for me since I did grow up here. But if everything goes well, I'm hoping to head to the US for possibly a fellowship if my path leads me there.

 

[notdeadyet]

Europe's like a huge museum...you can marvel at the history and nostalgia, but after a while, you want your modern lifestyle back.

Dude, you really got to get off the of the Eurotrail thing and actually just hang out there a bit. Europe only looks like a museum and history drenched if you're visiting museums and historical buildings. There's nothing unmodern about the place.

 

[Xypathos]

Dude, you really got to get off the of the Eurotrail thing and actually just hang out there a bit. Europe only looks like a museum and history drenched if you're visiting museums and historical buildings. There's nothing unmodern about the place.

lmao --- I love it when people have that feeling about Europe, like it's stuck in some time warp of the 15th Century and has no modern amenities.

 

[akinf]

Yea, I didn't get those comments either. One thing I did notice about some buildings in London though was how historical they looked on the outside, but once you stepped it, completely different story. Felt like I was in the year 2050.

 

[Xypathos]

Yea, I didn't get those comments either. One thing I did notice about some buildings in London though was how historical they looked on the outside, but once you stepped it, completely different story. Felt like I was in the year 2050.

I think that's a Brit thing, I noticed that too when I was in London. But when I was in Paris, Berlin, and through Eastern Europe --- historical outside, but also quite historical on the inside as well, with modern features such as security systems, plasma television, computer kiosk, etc. A nice mix of the past and present.

 

[MedicineNutt]

Europe is overpriced in my opinion! thats why i'll never go there...not sure how much med school costs, but i do know cost of living is ridiculous unless someone knows otherwise

 

[MedicineNutt]

I would only go to a European school if my cock fell off.

LMAO word

 

[MedicineNutt]

I wonder what the requirements are for Medical Schools such as Oxford or Cambridge...those would be awesome schools to attend! i wonder if they accept a large number of international students?

 

[notdeadyet]

One thing I did notice about some buildings in London though was how historical they looked on the outside, but once you stepped it, completely different story. Felt like I was in the year 2050.

Many cities in Europe, especially London, were hit hard by bombing campaigns during WWII with lots of structural damage. Their big approach was to level the building behind it but preserve the facade. That's why you have beautiful and ancient buildings from the outside that are often post-WWII architecture from the inside.

 

[Xypathos]

Europe is overpriced in my opinion! thats why i'll never go there...not sure how much med school costs, but i do know cost of living is ridiculous unless someone knows otherwise

Major western european cities are the only thing overpriced. Paris, Berlin, and Madrid are as overpriced as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City. If you'd take the time to leave the major cities and travel into smaller towns and villages, you'd realize that the prices fall drastically.

For example, in Prague I can get a liter of beer for about $2.50 (roughly) but if I'd be willing to travel out of Prague into a remote village and visit the local bar, you'll find MANY places that still sell for $0.50 a liter.

Anyway, you just have to travel outside of the major cities to save your money.

IMO, Europe is a lot like America ... just prettier.

 

[Haemulon]

I actually like the European curriculum 100 times better than the US curriculum. They don't have the USMLE holding them back with tons of useless basic science, so they're trained to be clinicians from day one.

Clinicians with no foundation in basic sciences? Wow. Hope I never get sick/injured in Europe then. Thanks for the warning! Thank god for American medical science.

 

[mshheaddoc]

suggestion that you guys first look to see what the curriculum is before you start judging doctors from around the world.

I believe she was referring to the fact that from day one they have extensive clinical experience.

And USMLE isn't useless as it is a basis of how well one supposedly knows basic sciences but many just hate the hoops to jump through. They have similar exams but not the same.


I'd love the chance to study abroad if it weren't for my family. I was considering the Atlantic Bridge program although I know it would have been very difficult for my parents. Now that is out of the question as I'm happily married.

 

[MossPoh]

Major western european cities are the only thing overpriced. Paris, Berlin, and Madrid are as overpriced as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City. If you'd take the time to leave the major cities and travel into smaller towns and villages, you'd realize that the prices fall drastically.

For example, in Prague I can get a liter of beer for about $2.50 (roughly) but if I'd be willing to travel out of Prague into a remote village and visit the local bar, you'll find MANY places that still sell for $0.50 a liter.

Anyway, you just have to travel outside of the major cities to save your money.

IMO, Europe is a lot like America ... just prettier.

Berlin isn't very overpriced at all. I got a week of groceries for about 15 euro...and I wasnt trying to go cheap. Rent was about 450 euro a month for a LARGE 2 bedroom apartment with dining room, living room, balcony right next to a park and walking distance to the new trainstation. Electricity and water is expensive there but you learn to use much less so it is fairly compareable to the US. The most expensive thing if you are NOT a student is transportation...but as a student you pay roughly 100 euro (I think that is what it was) for a transportation pass that can be used in all A and B zones aka...all of Berlin. As for clubs...well they can get expensive if you go to the big named ones and don't know people to get in....but once you know the tricks it is easy. By the end I was probably spending 15 euro in a night at a club with a 5 euro cover included. I guess my point is Berlin is not nearly on the same scale as London, Paris, or any of those places. Expensive compared to the country but not overly so. Poland is a frickin bargain and I'd party in krakow anyday as well. I guess I am considering medschool in Germany or an english one in poland/prague although I'd rather stick with the german since I'd actually feel more comfortable overall in the country. Only worry is getting back to the US...which is a legit worry. I dont care where I wind up personally, but I don't think my family could handle me being over there.

 

[MossPoh]

I wonder what the requirements are for Medical Schools such as Oxford or Cambridge...those would be awesome schools to attend! i wonder if they accept a large number of international students?

I have a friend that goes to Oxford. She had to get all A's on her A levels...not an easy feat to do with the ones she took...let alone any of the really. They don't accept to large of a non-eu population I don't think....

 

[Anastasis]

I'd love to go to Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin - Ireland rocks. Too bad it's so expensive for non-EU people.

 

[meehawl]

Europe's like a huge museum...you can marvel at the history and nostalgia, but after a while, you want your modern lifestyle back.

Here's a thought: the World Wide Web was invented in Switzerland at CERN (Organisation Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire).

 

[Xypathos]

Clinicians with no foundation in basic sciences? Wow. Hope I never get sick/injured in Europe then. Thanks for the warning! Thank god for American medical science.

Umm ... as mentioned above, you should bother to take a look at the school before you make such comments. Almost all of the 6 year programs have the students study Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in their 1st year. Europeans teach their students how to read, write, and the basic sciences in high school --- so there is no mandatory degree to get into their schools. Case in point, take your average European student and drop him into an American high school and I'd bet 8/10x he'll out perform the vast majority of American students.

and yes, European schools expose their med. students to medicine much quicker than Americans do --- I've been told by many students that the schools have them in the operating room observing by the end of their first year and the brighter students are given minor tasks that they're allowed to perform in the operating room. Case in point, I know of two students who were permitted to perform part of the procedure to remove a ruptured appendix at Charles University while under the struct guidance of their surgical professor --- and guess what? They were 2nd years. Both are now in the US - one is a general surgeon, the other went into IM.