Australian Medical Schools

[Wishing4MD]

Hey everyone!
I've searched the forums but wanted some fresh opinions. What do you think about the Queensland MD school in Australia? Or well known schools like that out of the country? If a person were to attend a good international school to get their MD, how difficult is it to get a residency in the states? Thanks in advance!

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[235788]

Hey everyone!
I've searched the forums but wanted some fresh opinions. What do you think about the Queensland MD school in Australia? Or well known schools like that out of the country? If a person were to attend a good international school to get their MD, how difficult is it to get a residency in the states? Thanks in advance!

I think its a much better option than the caribbean.


It will only get more difficult to match in the US with time and the increase in number of medical schools. You will be at a disadvantage to the US senior, but take what you can get.

 

[david199380]

Is it your only option? It's certainly better than a caribbean school, but not as good as a US M.D.

I would think that it would be difficult to get a US residency, let alone one at a competitive hospital.

 

[Bacchus]

Its a fierce market for residency spots. At least as a Big 4 in the Caribbean, there is a good chance you did clinicals in the United States. As such, you set up a connection with programs that you may be interested in. I don't think the other schools frequently rotate through American hospitals.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Although there are a number of physicians from Caribbean schools practicing in the States, I don't think there are many from Australian schools. I wonder if there's data on this somewhere.

That said, I think Australia is a better option because if you don't match into the US, Australia is a way better place to live for many years than some tiny island. IMO.

 

[circulus vitios]

I believe Australian physicians have incomes that are comparable to US physicians.

 

[galaxyx]

The Queensland program allows you to do your clinical years in Louisiana, so in the states. I would guess that it's probably equivalent to the big four Caribbean schools that do clinicals in the states. The biggest thing is you'll put yourself in an awkward position in both Australia and the States. Australia is getting to the point where they're close to churning out more graduates than internships in the metropolitan centers and have to prioritize Australian citizens. So, you could end up with no internship in Australia and no residency in the states. Or an internship in a really remote area of Australia. And rural America is downright suburban compared to some areas of Australia.

 

[Wishing4MD]

Thanks for the feedback! My pre med advisor told me it was a good option, but since I don't believe anything advisors say, I wanted to come on here and ask lol. I take the MCAT may 31 and I'm not doing so hot, so I'm just trying to be realistic. I def don't want to go Caribbean. I'm a URM so I've heard I can get away with a lower MCAT score, but I'm not sure I buy that. At least not with my 3.5 and let's say a 25 mcat score. I don't think being hispanic will help me much if I received a 25. Idk. If I do decide on the Australia route, I wouldn't want to live there or practice there.

 

[BigRedBeta]

Hey everyone!
I've searched the forums but wanted some fresh opinions. What do you think about the Queensland MD school in Australia? Or well known schools like that out of the country? If a person were to attend a good international school to get their MD, how difficult is it to get a residency in the states? Thanks in advance!

Australian Med Schools are in flux at the moment. It's a VERY recent development of the post bachelor degree med school there (within the last 5 years), and the overwhelming majority of their students are still going through a Commonwealth/European format to medical education. Whoever said their MD's are getting compensated the same as US MD's has no idea what they are talking about. Much more in line with salaries in the UK.

As someone else said, the Match is only going to become more and more and more competitive even for US grads going forward. And while I agree that the education one will receive Down Under is superior to a Caribbean education, I'm not sure that'll result in improved success in the Match. This is for a couple of reasons - 1) as mentioned - lack of US clinical experience which many residency programs in the States look for from their IMG candidates and 2) lack of name recognition. For better or worse, the places willing to take IMG's have experience with certain schools. It's a fact of life that if one resident from XYZ med school does well at 123 Residency program, the path for subsequent grads becomes easier - that's as true for US Grads as those from the Caribbean. Because of the difference in educational formats between the US and Australia, there's a lot fewer Aussies who have made the jump, and so despite the higher quality, it may not translate to better match chances.

 

[galaxyx]

Australian Med Schools are in flux at the moment. It's a VERY recent development of the post bachelor degree med school there (within the last 5 years), and the overwhelming majority of their students are still going through a Commonwealth/European format to medical education. Whoever said their MD's are getting compensated the same as US MD's has no idea what they are talking about. Much more in line with salaries in the UK.

As someone else said, the Match is only going to become more and more and more competitive even for US grads going forward. And while I agree that the education one will receive Down Under is superior to a Caribbean education, I'm not sure that'll result in improved success in the Match. This is for a couple of reasons - 1) as mentioned - lack of US clinical experience which many residency programs in the States look for from their IMG candidates and 2) lack of name recognition. For better or worse, the places willing to take IMG's have experience with certain schools. It's a fact of life that if one resident from XYZ med school does well at 123 Residency program, the path for subsequent grads becomes easier - that's as true for US Grads as those from the Caribbean. Because of the difference in educational formats between the US and Australia, there's a lot fewer Aussies who have made the jump, and so despite the higher quality, it may not translate to better match chances.

The University of Queensland Mededpath is specfically for Americans and the clinical years are taught in the states, in Louisiana. They also have USMLE prep courses. It's not the same as attending other Australian medical schools. They're not trying to train Australian doctors. They're basically banking off Americans who don't get into American medical schools.
OP, have you checked out the international forum? I think there might be some people from the program there.

I only know about the medical program from their website, but I lived in Brisbane for 3-4 months when I was in Australia.

Brisbane is a pretty nice place to live if you like big cities. Lots of bike and walking paths, Awesome water taxi service. Good other public transportation. Public lagoon (large outdoor swimming pool). One of the few cities in Australia that will get international music acts, but wicked expensive. Expect your cost of living to be way higher than what you're used to unless you're living in Manhattan right now.

 

[Wishing4MD]

I'll check out the forums! Thank you!

 

[mighalg]

A bit off topic but: what can an American citizen who goes to a carib or other foreign med school do if they fail to get a residency in the US? Are carib schools designed solely for the purpose of getting students to practice in the US, or can carib grads realistically find jobs in other countries?