Atlantic Bridge 2017

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Clarus said:
Nice! What year did you join RCSI and which program? I already have a BS and was planning on doing the 4 year program. What field are you doing your residency in?
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I did the 4 year GEP program from 2012 to 2016. I'm a family medicine resident.
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RCSI student said:
I did the 4 year GEP program from 2012 to 2016. I'm a family medicine resident.
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Nice! That's good to hear. Do you have any advice on going to RCSI? It's one of the schools I applied too. Also, I'm a little considered about the rotations. Aren't most of them in Ireland? How did you do yours in the States? Isn't that the most important part of all, especially when you need to impress the program directors for residency?
 
Clarus said:
Nice! That's good to hear. Do you have any advice on going to RCSI? It's one of the schools I applied too. Also, I'm a little considered about the rotations. Aren't most of them in Ireland? How did you do yours in the States? Isn't that the most important part of all, especially when you need to impress the program directors for residency?
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Your core clinical rotations are in Ireland as all the schools predominantly train docs to work in Ireland. RCSI allows you to do two months of elective rotations anywhere you want including US and Canada. Additionally, there is 10 weeks of vacation time between third and fourth year when everyone who is serious about matching to north america will do an additional 2 months of electives for a total of 4 months. RCSI does have a handful of connections and agreements which guarantee some students electives in the US and Canada. Outside of that, I applied individually to places around the country to set them up. Electives are very important as many programs have a minimum U.S. clinical experience cutoff. This amount ranges from 1 month to 2 years but, the majority are in the 2-3 month range and many programs don't have a minimum requirement at all. Electives are also important as an "audition" since many people will end up doing their residency at a place they did an elective particularly if they performed well.
 
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RCSI student said:
Your core clinical rotations are in Ireland as all the schools predominantly train docs to work in Ireland. RCSI allows you to do two months of elective rotations anywhere you want including US and Canada. Additionally, there is 10 weeks of vacation time between third and fourth year when everyone who is serious about matching to north america will do an additional 2 months of electives for a total of 4 months. RCSI does have a handful of connections and agreements which guarantee some students electives in the US and Canada. Outside of that, I applied individually to places around the country to set them up. Electives are very important as many programs have a minimum U.S. clinical experience cutoff. This amount ranges from 1 month to 2 years but, the majority are in the 2-3 month range and many programs don't have a minimum requirement at all. Electives are also important as an "audition" since many people will end up doing their residency at a place they did an elective particularly if they performed well.
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Interesting. Seems like it's quite a bit of work to go through. How about those elective rotations? I heard that you have to do a lot of paper work for each rotation site you apply to as well? Also, how much you choose to do Atlantic Bridge versus going to a Caribbean medical school like SGU or AUC?
 
Clarus said:
Interesting. Seems like it's quite a bit of work to go through. How about those elective rotations? I heard that you have to do a lot of paper work for each rotation site you apply to as well? Also, how much you choose to do Atlantic Bridge versus going to a Caribbean medical school like SGU or AUC?
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Medical school in general is a lot of work and medical school abroad is even more work. There is no centralised application service for electives, you have to look at each one individually. The upper years will have a list of places that they did electives so you'll have a place to start. If you have connections, that would be the time to use them. I chose Atlantic bridge for predominantly personal reasons but, here are some common reasons people pick one over the other.

Pros of Caribbean schools: cheaper, better preparation for USMLE exams, 2 years of clinical experience in the U.S.
Cons of Caribbean schools: really high attrition rates (you either sink or swim), quality of life on the islands can be truly horrific according to some of the people I've talked to who went there, some U.S. states don't recognise degrees from certain Caribbean schools meaning you can't apply for residency there (I also believe you need to jump through a bunch of bureaucratic hoops to even work there when you've finished residency), delayed graduation/zero tolerance (any slip up with assignments or tests and you will be required to either repeat a semester or wait a semester before continuing, this happens all the time and is an immediate red flag on your residency application)

Pros of EU schools: european training, personal/travel experience (many people manage to see multiple new countries while they are there), very low attrition rates (my entire GEP class made it through all 4 years with no one repeating a year although a few had to repeat a course or two) , advantages at certain programs who have a long history of taking EU grads, back up plan (a handful of people do get intern spots although you can't exactly bank on this).
Cons of EU schools: more expensive, more work (you have to take all your Irish exams plus the USMLE exams and/or Canadian exams), less clinical electives in the U.S.
 
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RCSI student said:
Medical school in general is a lot of work and medical school abroad is even more work. There is no centralised application service for electives, you have to look at each one individually. The upper years will have a list of places that they did electives so you'll have a place to start. If you have connections, that would be the time to use them. I chose Atlantic bridge for predominantly personal reasons but, here are some common reasons people pick one over the other.

Pros of Caribbean schools: cheaper, better preparation for USMLE exams, 2 years of clinical experience in the U.S.
Cons of Caribbean schools: really high attrition rates (you either sink or swim), quality of life on the islands can be truly horrific according to some of the people I've talked to who went there, some U.S. states don't recognise degrees from certain Caribbean schools meaning you can't apply for residency there (I also believe you need to jump through a bunch of bureaucratic hoops to even work there when you've finished residency), delayed graduation/zero tolerance (any slip up with assignments or tests and you will be required to either repeat a semester or wait a semester before continuing, this happens all the time and is an immediate red flag on your residency application)

Pros of EU schools: european training, personal/travel experience (many people manage to see multiple new countries while they are there), very low attrition rates (my entire GEP class made it through all 4 years with no one repeating a year although a few had to repeat a course or two) , advantages at certain programs who have a long history of taking EU grads, back up plan (a handful of people do get intern spots although you can't exactly bank on this).
Cons of EU schools: more expensive, more work (you have to take all your Irish exams plus the USMLE exams and/or Canadian exams), less clinical electives in the U.S.
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Thank you for the insight! I'm sure myself and others appreciate this. I will definitely take these things into account when ultimately choosing where I want to go in the future!
 
Any of you guys know when we are supposed to hear back from the program about schools and the like?
 
End of this month for first round, based on last years Atlantic bridge forum


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RCSI student said:
Pros of EU schools: european training, personal/travel experience (many people manage to see multiple new countries while they are there), very low attrition rates (my entire GEP class made it through all 4 years with no one repeating a year although a few had to repeat a course or two) , advantages at certain programs who have a long history of taking EU grads, back up plan (a handful of people do get intern spots although you can't exactly bank on this).
Cons of EU schools: more expensive, more work (you have to take all your Irish exams plus the USMLE exams and/or Canadian exams), less clinical electives in the U.S.
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Not that i disagree but just wanted to emphasize this point.
You practically have 0% chance of getting an internship in Ireland as a Non-EU grad currently, even if you graduated from an Irish school.
The citizenship plays a major role. Something to consider for the Non-EU applicants considering this route.
 
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learner01 said:
could you elaborate further on clinical years? where did you do it?
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All of my 3rd year clinical rotations took place in Ireland. I did those rotations in Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Cavan and Waterford. After finishing third year I did 10 weeks of clinical rotations during my vacation time in North America. Fourth year was a mix and I was able to do 2 more months in North America as electives and the remainder mostly in Dublin.
 
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RCSI student said:
All of my 3rd year clinical rotations took place in Ireland. I did those rotations in Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Cavan and Waterford. After finishing third year I did 10 weeks of clinical rotations during my vacation time in North America. Fourth year was a mix and I was able to do 2 more months in North America as electives and the remainder mostly in Dublin.
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Did you feel that doing clinicals overseas put you in a disadvantage when it came to residency match?
 
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learner01 said:
Did you feel that doing clinicals overseas put you in a disadvantage when it came to residency match?
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NeuroCritDoc said:
On the contrary, as an IMG applying to North American residencies, North American electives provide you with a great advantage.
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I think what learner01 means in doing core rotations abroad and not in the US, instead of doing all of your rotations in the US.
 
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Has anyone heard back from any of the schools yet?
I received an offer to interview for RCSI.

Just wondering if any of the other schools have gotten word out yet.
 
drmmh said:
Has anyone heard back from any of the schools yet?
I received an offer to interview for RCSI.

Just wondering if any of the other schools have gotten word out yet.
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Ditto.
 
When did you hear about the interview?
Also how did you get the invite (phone call, email, letter)?

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I haven't heard anything yet. All I got was an email asking me to update my transcript.
 
Hey everyone!

Here are my stats:

Citizenship: Canadian & Italian
GPA: 2.74 (with an upward trend, I have As in all my current subjects)
MCAT: 499 (this was without studying much, so if I retook it I'm confident I can do very well)

ECs: President of 1 club, VP of another, exec of another, research experience abroad (got a grant from uni for this, oral presentation and poster presentation), 2 summers as a research student at a hospital, clinical shadowing, service trip abroad, 800+ hours of volunteering as international language instructor's assistant

Paid work: international language instructor at the local school board, retail

Reference letters: 4. From 2 research supervisors, department coordinator, and doctor I shadowed.

What are my chances for the 4-year programs in Ireland? I realize my academics are low, but I had some personal struggles which negatively impacted my GPA, which I explain in my personal statement.
 
futuramedica said:
Hey everyone!

Here are my stats:

Citizenship: Canadian & Italian
GPA: 2.74 (with an upward trend, I have As in all my current subjects)
MCAT: 499 (this was without studying much, so if I retook it I'm confident I can do very well)

ECs: President of 1 club, VP of another, exec of another, research experience abroad (got a grant from uni for this, oral presentation and poster presentation), 2 summers as a research student at a hospital, clinical shadowing, service trip abroad, 800+ hours of volunteering as international language instructor's assistant

Paid work: international language instructor at the local school board, retail

Reference letters: 4. From 2 research supervisors, department coordinator, and doctor I shadowed.

What are my chances for the 4-year programs in Ireland? I realize my academics are low, but I had some personal struggles which negatively impacted my GPA, which I explain in my personal statement.
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They're pretty holistic. Your EC's are really good. I'd say you have a shot if you had applied much sooner, or maybe next cycle.
 
Anyone have any idea how much the deposit costs after an acceptance at these schools?


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Haven't heard anything from the RSCI and UCC. I know they invite for interviews. Anyone else heard about an interview and if I haven't heard yet is that good or bad?
 
Hey everyone!

I believe RCSI sent out another wave of invitations for interview today via e-mail. Received mine a couple of hours ago :)

Has anyone heard anything from any other schools? The previous years didn't start hearing back until early-mid February...
 
Not as far as I know. The general trend is acceptances start rolling in late February, March-ish for the 1st round. It seems like the schools send out acceptances in waves based on previous years..
 
For those who reicived interview offers, what city are they in? Vancouver, Toronto, New York? Just wondering if they are offering each wave by city?
Thx!
 
Looks like wave by city. New York was last week


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drmmh said:
I was also offered for New York last week.
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Congrats! I'm also pretty sure RCSI only does the one interview since they fly their adcom members over from Ireland and they do a little 3 city tour (must be nice). So we're essentially already in the final step


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If we haven't received anything from RCSI does that mean we are not getting an interview?
 
RyGuy1994 said:
If we haven't received anything from RCSI does that mean we are not getting an interview?
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I looked through last years thread and it looked like they only did one round of invites, but you should email the people at AB. they always answer my questions super fast and are very helpful.


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Dr_Jan_Itor said:
I looked through last years thread and it looked like they only did one round of invites, but you should email the people at AB. they always answer my questions super fast and are very helpful.


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Thanks. Do they send an email saying "sorry but you didn't get an interview"??
 
I just emailed AB. They will be sending out first round invitations for the next several weeks. A second round invite goes out in early June.


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RyGuy1994 said:
Thanks. Do they send an email saying "sorry but you didn't get an interview"??
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From the looks of it they do the rejections the same as the acceptances and II's; in big waves.


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Anybody have any idea what the interview:acceptance rates are like for RCSI? Curious if they interview by masses and take a small percentage of interviewees or if the interview is to "check sanity". I've read people say both in other threads and was wondering if any of you had any info about it. A good friend of mine at NUIG got interviewed but wait listed by RCSI 2 years ago along with some of the other people in his year at NUIG so idk how close the interview is to the finish line.

Thoughts?
 
Got an invite for an interview yesterday via email... Soo excited
 
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Gameface81 said:
Anybody have any idea what the interview:acceptance rates are like for RCSI? Curious if they interview by masses and take a small percentage of interviewees or if the interview is to "check sanity". I've read people say both in other threads and was wondering if any of you had any info about it. A good friend of mine at NUIG got interviewed but wait listed by RCSI 2 years ago along with some of the other people in his year at NUIG so idk how close the interview is to the finish line.

Thoughts?
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Well the way to look at that is to just figure out how many North Americans are typically offered an interview slot, vs. how many are accepted. A quick email to Atlantic bridge should get both of those numbers for you.


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Hey guys l, has anyone got an interview for the 6 year program from Irish Medical school?
 
Khan12 said:
Hey guys l, has anyone got an interview for the 6 year program from Irish Medical school?
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I got an invite from RCSI for the six year program. The interview is still in 4 weeks and they are still inviting people, but good luck :D
 
Dr.Saxman said:
I got an invite from RCSI for the six year program. The interview is still in 4 weeks and they are still inviting people, but good luck :D
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CONGRATULATIONS! Btw where are you applying from?
 
Anybody hear back from 4 year programs other than RCSI?
 
Can anyone speak to how to Atlantic Bridge program, say for example the program at RCSI, compares to MD and DO programs in the states in terms of residency placement and reputation? I was accepted to a number of DO programs and applied originally to Atlantic Bridge as more of a backup or second option.
 
zbrittingham said:
Can anyone speak to how to Atlantic Bridge program, say for example the program at RCSI, compares to MD and DO programs in the states in terms of residency placement and reputation? I was accepted to a number of DO programs and applied originally to Atlantic Bridge as more of a backup or second option.
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In my opinion you should take the DO simply because you won't be an IMG. That'll open so many more doors for you especially now that DO students can take part in the MD match. US MD > DO > IMG MD
 
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zbrittingham said:
Can anyone speak to how to Atlantic Bridge program, say for example the program at RCSI, compares to MD and DO programs in the states in terms of residency placement and reputation? I was accepted to a number of DO programs and applied originally to Atlantic Bridge as more of a backup or second option.
Click to expand...

Im replying to this assuming you're applying from Canada. Although I don't know too much about DO vs ABP.. from my understanding speaking to people from pre-med to physician-scientists, some Canadian provinces consider Canadian citizens w/DO as CMGs whereas others will consider them IMGs. If you plan on doing your residency in the states then DO is definitely your best route. The accreditation of specific DO schools makes 1 school "better" than the other in terms of matching so definitely look into each specific school.

This is the CARMS site which has information about each provinces view on DO's: http://www.carms.ca/en/residency/r-...ntake-criteria-osteropathic-school-graduates/

This second link is the provincial eligibility for IMGs: http://www.carms.ca/en/residency/r-...incial-criteria/summary-intake-criteria-imgs/

I definitely think DO is your safest bet personally. If you kill your USMLE's and worst case end up matching in the states, finishing your residency then finding an open door in Canada.. You'd still be in good shape. Being an IMG is a bit of a gamble. I'm sure all of us in this thread are worried about to some degree. The Irish schools have some pretty solid matching rates as far as IMGs go but US DO definitely is more secure.

If your from the states, forget about everything I mentioned above and go the DO route if USMD isn't an option. Decent article: http://www.usnews.com/education/blo...asons-to-consider-osteopathic-medical-schools

Not a big fan of citing news articles but its fairly recent and it might help guide your decision.

Cheers and congrats on your acceptances! Hope whatever decision you end up making works out for the best!

https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/u-s-do-as-img-in-canada.1067471/
 
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zbrittingham said:
Can anyone speak to how to Atlantic Bridge program, say for example the program at RCSI, compares to MD and DO programs in the states in terms of residency placement and reputation? I was accepted to a number of DO programs and applied originally to Atlantic Bridge as more of a backup or second option.
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Your chances of matching to a US residency will be higher through a DO program than any IMG program full stop. Even with the AOA merging with the main match DOs will still have a statistical advantage. I've spoken with several DO physicians (who are all great btw) and they mentioned that there are two main things to consider when accepting a DO spot. Firstly, if your goal is to do residency in a highly competitive specialty at a big program (neurosurgery at mass gen for example) you will have a very hard time doing that as a DO or an IMG and may want to consider trying for the USMD spots first. Secondly, if you don't agree with the DO philosophy and are simply using the DO program as a means to an end, you will likely be extremely frustrated for 4 years and are still not guaranteed to get the specialty or residency of your choice.

As a side note, you as an individual will be the reason that you get a residency placement of your choice or not. There's not a school in the world that can make up for a horrible work ethic and failures/really weak scores on your board exams. On the other hand, people from schools across the world match to extremely competitive specialties and its because they earned it not because their school has a great reputation.
 
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