BM BCh/MBBS-UK vs. MD-USA

[neuro2bjc]

Hi, I am an American student who plans on getting my MD within the next 9 years [I'm a junior in high school currently, honors and ap] I understand in the UK one receives a degree after 5 years at college after high school. Do the students in the UK then continue to get a MD or are they considered general doctors? If they are considered doctors does anyone know what degree that would be equivalent to in the USA? I tried researching this on-line and it said these undergraduate degrees are equal to an American MD, which I think is incorrect-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Medicine_and_Surgery

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[Livethedream]

Hi, I am an American student who plans on getting my MD within the next 9 years [I'm a junior in high school currently, honors and ap] I understand in the UK one receives a degree after 5 years at college after high school. Do the students in the UK then continue to get a MD or are they considered general doctors? If they are considered doctors does anyone know what degree that would be equivalent to in the USA? I tried researching this on-line and it said these undergraduate degrees are equal to an American MD, which I think is incorrect-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Medicine_and_Surgery

no thats pretty much correct! in uk and ire you do not have to do a basic undergrad before you do a med degree like you do in the US. you go straight from secondary school into your med degree....i think😀

 

[leorl]

This has been explained thousands of times.

US MD = UK MBBS or Ireland MBBChBAO . The postgrad US MD is the same amount of training/knowledge as the undergraduate MBBS and MBBChBAO degrees. Getting an MD in the UK means that that doctor has chosen to pursue further research (ie. a PhD after the MBBS is granted). It's a research degree. Sort of like if a US MD decided to go back to school for a PhD.

 

[kngkng]

Along with the line of how the UK and the US medical education system is different, I am wondering how come for specialist training, in US, it is usually around 4 years in length while in UK it's usually 6 years (take internal medicine for example)?

 

[VeerTheTIGuy]

Along with the line of how the UK and the US medical education system is different, I am wondering how come for specialist training, in US, it is usually around 4 years in length while in UK it's usually 6 years (take internal medicine for example)?

Because in the UK, before you specialise, you have to do 2 Foundation Years, which are basically an Intern-like, rotation type system through different specialties. Doctorjob's TARGET magazine (http://doctorjob.com/medicine/) has a lot of info about what UK docs do after graduation

 

[Scottish Chap]

Hi, I am an American student who plans on getting my MD within the next 9 years [I'm a junior in high school currently, honors and ap] I understand in the UK one receives a degree after 5 years at college after high school. Do the students in the UK then continue to get a MD or are they considered general doctors? If they are considered doctors does anyone know what degree that would be equivalent to in the USA? I tried researching this on-line and it said these undergraduate degrees are equal to an American MD, which I think is incorrect-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Medicine_and_Surgery

An M.D. conferred in the U.K. follows a two-year research thesis earned after general medical school training (MB BS, MB ChB etc). Most medics in the U.K. just do the M.D. research to make themselves competitive for specialties; I've only met a handful of them that did it because they wanted academic research careers. Some medics that are more serious about research do a three-year Ph.D. after their general medical school training. M.D. is just what North America and other nations confer upon their medical school graduates, that's all. There is no difference in the medical knowledge base between either country, and both systems train medical students well for their own healthcare system.

 

[leorl]

Along with the line of how the UK and the US medical education system is different, I am wondering how come for specialist training, in US, it is usually around 4 years in length while in UK it's usually 6 years (take internal medicine for example)?

This also has to do with the fact that jobs are number controlled. Ie - you can't really get consultancy unless a) a consultant retires/passes away/absolves position or b) they open up more consultant spots and hire more consultants. If there are no consultant spots opening up, people cannot progress through the hierarchy and everything remains in stasis. So...therefore..specialist training takes longer. Meaning, you could be stuck as a registrar or specialist registrar for a very long time before being able to progress. It isn't like the US where there is a defined period of time that you are an intern/junior resident/senior resident

 

[bambi]

Because in the UK, before you specialise, you have to do 2 Foundation Years, which are basically an Intern-like, rotation type system through different specialties. Doctorjob's TARGET magazine (http://doctorjob.com/medicine/) has a lot of info about what UK docs do after graduation

If you include the 2 foundation years though its more like 8 or 9 years, well it is for surgery anyway.