Thanks for the congrats leorl, we are definitely in the same boat with opposite countries. I got accepted at the University of Sydney and was waiting on Dublin. I don't think you will lose with either. To answer your question Regis, I think you might be better going with the sure thing, but that's just me. I had a friend who did a masters program that really sold her on the fact that she would get into medical school after that and it didn't pan out. As for residency positions back in the US the Atlantic Bridge (AB) sent a list of people and where/what they matched in. I will put them in for you. I had no idea about residency programs until I asked some of the physicians here at Boston Medical, but they were all impressed with how the US/Canadian students matched in the US after studying at Irish schools. Hope this list helps: All of their graduates matched this year and these are the programs they matched in. Most of the students had their first or second choice (this is what I was told by the AB)
INTERNAL MEDICINE: John Hopkins, University of Washington, Seattle, Dartmouth, VA hospital Los Angeles, Boston University, Mercy Hospital Pittsburgh, Albert Einstein New York, Duke University Medical Center, University of Miami, Cleveland Clinic, University of MA, Mayo Clinic, Loyola, Univ of Washington (Spokane), Northwestern (Chicago)
PEDIATRICS: LA Children's Hospital, University of Pennsylvania, University of Utah Medical Center, University of Kentucky, Tomas Jefferson, Dartmouth, Staten Island Medical Center, Valhalla Medical Center (2)
SURGERY: E. Carolina Medical Center, Bay State Medical Center, (Otolaryngology) University of South Florida, Huron Hospital Cleveland, Lankenau Hospital Philadelphia, Univ of Vermont, (General Surgery) University of Florida, (General Surgery: Mayo Clinic), General Surgery (University of Kentucky)
OPTHALMOLOGY: Yale
NEUROSURGERY: Brown
OB/GYN: (4) Boston University, Lakenan Hosp (Philadelphia),
EMERGENCY MEDICINE: (2) Washington University (St Louis), Denver General Hospital,
FAMILY PRACTICE: Mayo Clinic, Stonybrook Univ Hospital, University of Washington
RADIOLOGY: Yale, Johns Hopkins
PSYCHIATRY: Boston University