Admissions Processes in Other Countries

[jult24er]

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Just wondering .. any SDNers know what medical school admissions is like in other countries?

 

[atomi]

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[jult24er]

In most countries, you don't need to waste 4 years before entering medical school.

Oooh, good point; I forgot about that. Is Canada the only other country that has medical school after college?

Still, i wonder how competitive it is to get into medical school in those countries where you don't have a seperate college education, and what the admissions processes require ...

 

[talbo]

in the asian countries such as hong kong, taiwan, japan, etc, it is pretty difficult to get into medical school; most of their criteria is number based (which definitely has its downfalls) hence if you do not break a certain point on the national or college entrance exam (which used to be offered once a year), then you cannot do medicine or would have to take a year off and retake the test hoping your score will hit the threshold value. Your score might be good enough for a certain major at a certain school but not high enough for medicine, etc.

It is still very competitive in those asian countries but the type of competition is different compared to the states. it is purely a numbers game, i dont know if it's still like that; even if it has changed it is still very number biased.

The same goes for high school and middle school placements, they are placement exams to see where you go to middle/high school which means the best high school is literally the best high school in terms of numbers since no one below the threshold can attend (unless via some connections maybe? dont know).

 

[jult24er]

in the asian countries such as hong kong, taiwan, japan, etc, it is pretty difficult to get into medical school; most of their criteria is number based (which definitely has its downfalls) hence if you do not break a certain point on the national or college entrance exam (which used to be offered once a year), then you cannot do medicine or would have to take a year off and retake the test hoping your score will hit the threshold value. Your score might be good enough for a certain major at a certain school but not high enough for medicine, etc.

It is still very competitive in those asian countries but the type of competition is different compared to the states. it is purely a numbers game, i dont know if it's still like that; even if it has changed it is still very number biased.

The same goes for high school and middle school placements, they are placement exams to see where you go to middle/high school which means the best high school is literally the best high school in terms of numbers since no one below the threshold can attend (unless via some connections maybe? dont know).

Interesting ... seems like Japan and Singapore have highly respected health care systems, Korea and China less so ...

 

[NeuroChaos]

Interesting ... seems like Japan and Singapore have highly respected health care systems, Korea and China less so ...

Agreed. The above also applies to South Asia/Mideast. Primarily numbers. I also want to say UK since much of Asia (or much of world for that matter) follows the UK system, but I am not 100% sure.

The competition there is more intense, IMO

 

[quirks]

In most countries, you don't need to waste 4 years before entering medical school.

Yes, but not all medical schools are 4 years. My friend came to the US for undergrad and is going back home for med school, which is usually 6 years (but you have to take classes all summers if you want to finish in 6 years). She's skipping the first two years by using her credits from here.

It seems like entrance is easier, but ultimately passing and graduating is still hard, so getting in doesn't mean you're capable of making it.

 

[Handy388]

In China, undegraduate medical education is heavily subsidized by the government, and right after high school.

people would go into med school in droves, right?

wrong. even with no debt, due to the fact that we traditionally do not believe in compensating physicians for their times (we have the tradition that medical advice don't cost money, drug do), physicians massively overprescribe to make their ends meet, hence result in huge physician/patients hostility.

as a result, only mediocure student end up going to med school (working hard for the rest of my life, getting paid 700 bucks a month and getting bitched out by patients? YEAH I WOULD LOVE TO)

I remember getting to UC berkeley undergrad, and my Chinese friends were like "WOW, YOU ARE AMAZING"

I told them I am going to med school 4 years later. they asked

"Why dont you do computer engineering?"

that's what happen when physician compensation isn't fair. The free med school + low compensation model does not drive the best talent into the field.

 

[JennaQ]

Interesting ... seems like Japan and Singapore have highly respected health care systems, Korea and China less so ...

This has to be one of the stupidest generalizations I've witnessed on the internet.

 

[jult24er]

This has to be one of the stupidest generalizations I've witnessed on the internet.

I really have no idea at all, was just going off this, http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html , didnt mean to start a war.

 

[sarahg]

In some countries your entire career path is determined by your score on an SAT-like exam in high school.

I knew a doctor from Cuba, she entered med school right after high school but had to go for six years. I'm not sure how competitive it was but I imagine who goes to med school is largely determined by family money -- you have to have enough money to stay in school all through high school and to not need to work immediately when you get out. She was practicing in Costa Rica, basically the only doctor for a very wide radius. But there, people often don't go to the doctor for small complaints because you can get antibiotics, strong decongestants and cough syrups, viagra, etc straight from the pharmacist.