Doing Medical School in a Foreign Country!

[neuroscientist]

Hi everyone! I frequently peruse SDN, but I had a unique question, so I decided to join in on the conversation! Anyway, I want, and I mean I really, really, want to go to medical school in a foreign country. I'm not talking Carribean foreign... I'm talking foreign as in the Middle East. Now, I know that this would be an incredibly unique experience, but, of course, it could have serious implications on my future in practicing medicine. Here is the deal. I am an Arabic major who will soon have completed all the required Med School prereqs (that is, American med school prereqs) . I am pretty confident I could get into an American school (OA GPA is at 3.95 currently and I'm confident I'll do well on MCAT), but I want to go to med school in the middle east because I love the culture, people, language (I'm fluent) and would love to practice there some day. The problem? If I ever did want to return to practice in the US, I probably couldn't, could I?

If any of you have ANY information/suggestions/experience please help! I would go to med school in America and then go somewhere in the middle east, but I really want to jump in to the country and culture now. ( I have lived there for a few years). I know I would love to go to med school over there. I have looked around the forum and noticed a couple med schools in jordan. They look very interesting and I would love to apply there. So, sorry for the long post! Thoughts?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[al112987]

Just put off going abroad for a few years, go to a US medical school, then you can pretty much practice wherever the hell you want.

 

[tkim]

In order to return to the US and practice, you would have to apply for and match into and complete a US residency, regardless of what training you had abroad with few exceptions. That's becoming increasingly difficult to do as an IMG. And if you trained as an dermatologist in Jordan and wanted to do that in the US, good luck. If you did FP perhaps. Not a knock of the FP's - the one's I've met are smart and hard-working. Just a supply-and-demand thing.

Think hard about making this choice.

 

[Doublecortin]

Hi everyone! I frequently peruse SDN, but I had a unique question, so I decided to join in on the conversation! Anyway, I want, and I mean I really, really, want to go to medical school in a foreign country. I'm not talking Carribean foreign... I'm talking foreign as in the Middle East. Now, I know that this would be an incredibly unique experience, but, of course, it could have serious implications on my future in practicing medicine. Here is the deal. I am an Arabic major who will soon have completed all the required Med School prereqs (that is, American med school prereqs) . I am pretty confident I could get into an American school (OA GPA is at 3.95 currently and I'm confident I'll do well on MCAT), but I want to go to med school in the middle east because I love the culture, people, language (I'm fluent) and would love to practice there some day. The problem? If I ever did want to return to practice in the US, I probably couldn't, could I?

If any of you have ANY information/suggestions/experience please help! I would go to med school in America and then go somewhere in the middle east, but I really want to jump in to the country and culture now. ( I have lived there for a few years). I know I would love to go to med school over there. I have looked around the forum and noticed a couple med schools in jordan. They look very interesting and I would love to apply there. So, sorry for the long post! Thoughts?

really bad idea. You'll be better off finishing school here and then going over there to practice. Having an U.S. MD degree is very marketable and you'll be able to practice anywhere, not the other way around.

Plus, Americans aren't exactly loved in the Middle East

 

[tkim]

Having an U.S. MD degree is very marketable and you'll be able to practice anywhere, not the other way around.

No, not really. The US MD is not a universal medical degree.

 

[NonTradMed]

You go to med school in the country that you want to practice in. If you want to practice in the States, you go to school here, if you want to practice in Jordan or Qatar or whereever, you go to school there. There's no 'universal' medical degree. Many countries will require you redo your residency if you want to practice there (and some countries will require other things too).

If you want to do the mideast thing for a few years before coming back to the states to settle permenently, then do med school in the US, get licensed, do a medical exchange/medical mission program in other countries then come back again. There's always a need for doctors in third world countries and numerous programs that will allow you to work there temporarily.

 

[hra87]

http://www.qatar-med.cornell.edu/

They match this year, so it would be interesting to see how easy it is to get a US residency from there.

I'm not sure how it all works, though.

 

[neuroscientist]

http://www.qatar-med.cornell.edu/

They match this year, so it would be interesting to see how easy it is to get a US residency from there.

I'm not sure how it all works, though.

This is very interesting. How would I be able to view the results of those trying to match with a residency in the U.S.?

Thank you for the information and suggestions everyone. I understand that obtaining a MD in a foreign country might seem a bit strange to many of you; however, it seems to me like it would be a very awesome opportunity to diversify my education experience and experience an entirely different world.

 

[tkim]

This is very interesting. How would I be able to view the results of those trying to match with a residency in the U.S.?

Thank you for the information and suggestions everyone. I understand that obtaining a MD in a foreign country might seem a bit strange to many of you; however, it seems to me like it would be a very awesome opportunity to diversify my education experience and experience an entirely different world.

That's fine. Just realize that you will face significant problems returning to the states - either as a practicing foreign-trained physician, or as an IMG applying for residency here. Either way, you will have to complete a residency in the US before being able to practice.

But, I thought you wanted to practice over there first? Doesn't that mean residency there? Or do they not have residency there? I'm asking honestly.

 

[neuroscientist]

You go to med school in the country that you want to practice in. If you want to practice in the States, you go to school here, if you want to practice in Jordan or Qatar or whereever, you go to school there. There's no 'universal' medical degree. Many countries will require you redo your residency if you want to practice there (and some countries will require other things too).

Understood. Thanks for the advice!

Does anyone have any idea on if I did, in fact, do my M.D. and residency in Qatar or Jordan whether I would be able to practice almost anywhere in that region in general? I understand that every country is specific; however, it seems that the region as a whole might be more acceptable to doctors trained in another region of the Middle East. I don't know, though.

Thanks!

 

[neuroscientist]

That's fine. Just realize that you will face significant problems returning to the states - either as a practicing foreign-trained physician, or as an IMG applying for residency here. Either way, you will have to complete a residency in the US before being able to practice.

But, I thought you wanted to practice over there first? Doesn't that mean residency there? Or do they not have residency there? I'm asking honestly.

Oh, sorry if I wasn't clear! If I decide definitively that I want to matriculate at a school in the Middle East then I will definitely do my residency there! I was just curious because if at some point I wanted to come back to the U.S. for any of a number of reasons (family, danger, hell, all out war!) that I would be able to... even if I did have to "redo" a residency in the states.

 

[tkim]

Oh, sorry if I wasn't clear! If I decide definitively that I want to matriculate at a school in the Middle East then I will definitely do my residency there! I was just curious because if at some point I wanted to come back to the U.S. for any of a number of reasons (family, danger, hell, all out war!) that I would be able to... even if I did have to "redo" a residency in the states.

I see. Well, you certainly can return, but you would have to do another residency and perhaps not one of your choice if you weren't in primary care in the first place. You would also have to pass the first two USMLE steps before applying for a US residency, so the farther out from med school the harder it will be to pass them. Things to think about.

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/10141.html

 

[marvinGardens]

I'm sure you already know about the three American MD granting medical schools in Israel, right? You take the USMLE's and do your residency in the U.S. They are:

Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv U.
Ben Gurion School of International Health in (loose) Collaboration with Columbia Medical School
Technion U. School of Medicine in Haifa (has MD PhD program)

As said previously, its next to impossible to do any highly competitive specialities out of those schools. Also, these schools happen to be better known in NY, parts of CA, and the northeast than in the midwest w.r.t. residency matching.

I got into a top 20 medical program in the U.S. but at this point am planning on going to Sackler or Ben Gurion. I won't be able to do radiology, derm, neurosurgery, etc, but EM, anesthesiology, and all the less competitive ones are possible if I do well. I love to travel and have no interest in spending 8+ years straight in the states for medschool + residency.

If you want to do medschool in the mideast but not in Israel, I'd second the idea of looking into Cornell's Qatar program which also grants a US MD degree, and which is, I believe, far more closely aligned to Cornell's medical school than Ben Gurion is to Columbia and thus more far more competitive to get into. The residency match list will be telling I suppose.

 

[neuroscientist]

If you want to do medschool in the mideast but not in Israel, I'd second the idea of looking into Cornell's Qatar program which also grants a US MD degree, and which is, I believe, far more closely aligned to Cornell's medical school than Ben Gurion is to Columbia and thus more far more competitive to get into. The residency match list will be telling I suppose.

Yes, it should be interesting. I completely understand your desire to do medical school in Israel rather than run an eight year marathon of medicine only in the U.S. We are in the same boat!

So, are you planning on completing medical school and your residency in Israel, or are you planning on trying to get back in the states for that? Guess it's not really a choice you have to make now, right? Anyway, about what you were saying in specialties... What exactly are you talking about there? Are you saying those are the only specialties you'd be able to do residencies in after completing medical school in Israel?

 

[Twiigg]

I think it would be awesome to go to a medical school outside the states, but you really have to make sure you take a long, hard look at what you want to do in the future. You never know how quickly your mind will change, especially in a foreign country, and by then it will be too late!

 

[neuroscientist]

I think it would be awesome to go to a medical school outside the states, but you really have to make sure you take a long, hard look at what you want to do in the future. You never know how quickly your mind will change, especially in a foreign country, and by then it will be too late!

It's what I want to do.

 

[Twiigg]

I'm just thinking that if you can have the advantage of getting an MD at an American school, why not do it? It will put you ahead of the pack for the rest of your life. At least, you'd think it would.

 

[jordan26]

hey, i'm jordanian and i was wondering about what happened wwith u? i'm trying to get into cornell in qatar. i finish my undergrad next year and I REALLY want to go to qatar...i say u shud go over there because ive lived in jordan most of my life and i have friends that finished their education from there and came to the u.s , it didnt work out for them and one ended up doing a phd program and going back to jordan..i understand it would be great..i'm probably going to end up helping in jordan as well..but why not finish ur education at a u.s medical school where u can (unlike me i'm an international student so my chances are close to zero) and go to the middle east and help over there...they dfntly cud use ur help..
or u can finish in qatar like i'm planning n it wud b just like studying in NY at cornell and then move to jordan or stay in qatar egypt w.e

please update me on what u did i see u posted this two years ago..
i hope u got in to cornell n cud tell me how u got in haha!
thanks

 

[bannie22]

Cornell Qatar

 

[nonsciencemajor]

do med school here (MD... DO may not be accepted in middle east)... do residency here... and then apply for jobs in middle east if you are interested.... they are always looking for american board certified physicians (in places like dubai and kuwait) so you should not have any problem finding a job there.... i sometimes think they want american board-certified physicians over there own native physicians... this is just an opinion though

this way it keeps all your options open

so go to an MD school here. It is important though that you go to MD here and not DO as DO may not be accepted in middle east...

 

[jordan26]

i'm an international student in the u.s though so my chances are low of being accepeted here....but i'm goin gto try and i might get the permanent residency before i apply..idk
if not i'll do my masters and then apply again..maybe that will give me a better shot at it
and if that doesnt work then qatar..or the caribbean i guess!