Considering Irish Medical School 2018

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Allosteopath

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2018
Messages
241
Reaction score
283
I am a 26 year old Canadian (also has US citizenship) who has completed their undergraduate a year ago and is applying for Canadian schools for the second time, after being unsuccessful last year. I unfortunately had very poor grades during my first attempt at university so I am limited to universities who consider the latter years exclusively (Dalhousie, Queens, Western) where I had grades between 3.9 and 4.0 GPA for 3.5 years.

My ultimate goal is to practice general practice or family medicine in Canada or Europe, specifically Ireland or the UK. From what I understand internships are difficult to attain in Ireland, but with an Irish degree how difficult would it be to get an internship position in the UK? I already am aware that matching back to North America is quite difficult.

Are there any particular circumstances which would warrant applying internationally?

I understand that I should likely consider US medical schools but I am slightly hesitant since I have not completed all of the prerequisites (since there are very few course requirements in Canada), and that I would have to wait another year to begin my studies. Furthermore this is something I am considering to supplement my Canadian applications should I fail to attain an acceptance this year.

Could anyone share some insight? What are the prospects of someone matriculating in 2018, and what are the odds of having a successful career anywhere (even if not first choice)?

Members don't see this ad.
 
Honestly, in your case, I would rather wait the extra year to apply to the US. If you are an EU citizen, you can apply to the UK for foundation and GP training after Ireland, but the UK is also leaving the EU soon, which could be risky, maybe they will still let you, maybe they won't.

If you go to Ireland, your best bet would be doing residency in North America, if you work hard, your chances are probably about 80% to get something in North America, but this depends on yourself as a person. A motivated person will have a 100% chance, someone who isn't probably won't do well. You know what kind of person you are better than we will.

Getting into family med is more doable in North America, but what if you discover a different specialty you like? In that case, going to the US for medical school is infinitely better. That way you can do whatever you want and theres no consequences, if you ask me, that is worth the extra year's wait.
 
I appreciate that you mention the idea that the match isn't just about extrapolating a statistic, but rather how hard you work. When people say you have a 50-70% of matching back, many overlook the most important aspect the applicant's motivation and their subsequent CV. I also understand that you may be giving up on a specialty that you may not know that you like, but I certainly think I will be happy as a generalist, while you may be a master of none, you certainly do get to dabble in a lot.

On to motivation...

If you had asked me in high school whether I would consider going to an Irish medical school to shorten my time in school I would have said yes, but I assure you that I certainly would not have performed at a level that would ensure a competitive match. Fast forwarding to the present, I could tell you a lot changes in 8 years, and I would be fully motivated to create my own success.

I also tend to wonder how non-EU citizens who are Irish medical graduates fare in the acquisition of a foundation programme position, assuming that there are no issues when acquiring a right to work. Furthermore, with Brexit is this going to change for the better, or am I just being too optimistic.

One of the things that really is resonating with me is the idea that I get to spend 4 years in Ireland, having gone on vacation there for a month after finishing my Bachelor's I can say that I would be absolutely thrilled to go to the Emerald Isle to complete my education, the culture, the architecture, the people, the history, and even the climate are all aspects of this truly enchanted place. The problem is that internship positions are definitely limited in Ireland, so I would be quite hard pressed to continue my education in Ireland despite how much I may want to.

So I guess all I can say is that while I may be a little naive, I likely will put an application in to the Atlantic Bridge program and see what happens.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I think it's a bit rash to apply internationally after only 2 years applying in Canada. You're not old, 3.9 is an excellent GPA (no matter if years were dropped), and it's not unusual for people to get into Canadian med schools after 3-5 tries. That's just my (risk-averse) opinion.
 
I think it's a bit rash to apply internationally after only 2 years applying in Canada. You're not old, 3.9 is an excellent GPA (no matter if years were dropped), and it's not unusual for people to get into Canadian med schools after 3-5 tries. That's just my (risk-averse) opinion.

Thanks for answering pms_testosterone, I appreciate your thoughts.

You are right, my GPA is competitive for the schools I am applying to. If I recall correctly, the average number of applications for a Canadian medical school is around 2.7 before matriculation. I also am still trying to improve my supplemental application, but have some difficulties finding meaningful things to do in my small city, perhaps I need to think more creatively (any suggestions?).

I also feel that I tend to struggle with the MMI, I hope to see if I improved with practice when Dalhousie sends decision letter.
 
The OMSAS supplemental application is a mystery to me. The people I talked to who got interviews in Ontario seemed to mostly have typical pre-med volunteer experiences (hospital volunteer, first aid volunteer at events). It's hard to know what makes the difference.

MMI definitely improves with practice; good luck!
 
Top