Does anyone have any info on European Medical schools(England, France, Spain)? How hard is it for foreign grads to do their 4th year or residency in the States?
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European Medical Schools
- Thread starter Supafly MD
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It's easier if your schools are in English-speaking countries (Britain or Australia); Germany is the next close one--they have outstanding medicine, too. I would not recommend Spain or Italy or even France; they are all nice countries (been to all!) but it would be harder to get US residencies or get through the boards here. Also, if you have a foreign medical degree, getting into competitive residendies is EXTREMELY difficult, unless, of course, you are a Nobel prize winner from Oxford. If you can, stay in the US! Grass is not always greener on the other side of the ocean... 🙂
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Just out of curiosity, how do U.S. med schools compare to foreign med schools? Don't most pre-meds start med school a lot earlier in other parts of the world?
I heard in some parts of the world, doctors aren't even considered as a respectable job.
Just wondering...
I heard in some parts of the world, doctors aren't even considered as a respectable job.
Just wondering...
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I'm a fourth year, premed undergrad who is doing a study abroad in Greece right now. here, high school is extremely difficult, and after graduation they have a huge exam which places them into their fields of opportunity. that is, if they score in the top percentile, they have a choice if they wanna be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc. In any regard, the whole program here to become a doctor is a straight, 6 years (sorta like ours, i mean we have 2 years premed then 4 years med school, only difference is we have 2 more years that we study to get a bachelors degree). Doctors here in greece are highly respected, like gods almost. it's ridiculuos, actually.
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Doctors are very well respected almost everywhere in Europe. I believe France holds the #1 spot in med system rankings at this point. Although landing a spot in a British school would be nice, getting a place is very hard. I believe there are only 4 schools (Oxford being one of them) which have a 4 year graduate program. Otherwise, you would have to do the 6 year program, and I'm not sure what the acceptances are for that. Plus, England is very expensive, pretty much my #1 factor for not applying there. Tuition is cheaper, but living expenses are very high. However, Irish education is very very well respected and they are very open to foreign students, especially Americans and Canadians because they want our money.
The way it works there - at the end of secondary school (high school), they take an exam known as the leaving cert. This differs according to country, but essentially the idea is the same. It's a very rigorous exam, harder than our SATs because they're subject-based. How high you score on the test determines where you can go to college, and which department. If you want to go into medicine there, you have to score rather high on the exam. Then, after high school they start a 6 year program. As Americans who've already completed undergrad degrees, we can apply to their medical programs as 5-yr. students (this is for Ireland. Britain has special 4 yr. programs, but I already told you, they're very hard to get in and not very popular because not a whole lot of us are well-to-do or even want to live in england).
Aussie schools are also rather welcoming of foreign schools. As far as non-English speaking countries, I don't know how it works, but know it can be hard to get into some programs - like France, and can be even more difficult getting back in the US. A lot depends on board scores as well.
I don't know of any place where being a doctor is not respected. While the US seems to hold the top spot in med education (at least from our biased point of view), it's recognized that schools in Canada, Australia, Ireland and Israel are on part with our schools, and are very reputable. I'll list some names - Royal College of Surgeons (Ireland), Trinity College (Ireland), McGill (Canada), Univ. of BC (Canada), Flinders Univ (Australia), obviously Univ. of Sydney and Univ. of Melbourne (Australia), and Sackler (Israel). I'm sure others will have more to add. If you're thinking about international eductation, it can be the most wonderful experience...but be careful where you choose so it doesn't affect the rest of your career future.
The way it works there - at the end of secondary school (high school), they take an exam known as the leaving cert. This differs according to country, but essentially the idea is the same. It's a very rigorous exam, harder than our SATs because they're subject-based. How high you score on the test determines where you can go to college, and which department. If you want to go into medicine there, you have to score rather high on the exam. Then, after high school they start a 6 year program. As Americans who've already completed undergrad degrees, we can apply to their medical programs as 5-yr. students (this is for Ireland. Britain has special 4 yr. programs, but I already told you, they're very hard to get in and not very popular because not a whole lot of us are well-to-do or even want to live in england).
Aussie schools are also rather welcoming of foreign schools. As far as non-English speaking countries, I don't know how it works, but know it can be hard to get into some programs - like France, and can be even more difficult getting back in the US. A lot depends on board scores as well.
I don't know of any place where being a doctor is not respected. While the US seems to hold the top spot in med education (at least from our biased point of view), it's recognized that schools in Canada, Australia, Ireland and Israel are on part with our schools, and are very reputable. I'll list some names - Royal College of Surgeons (Ireland), Trinity College (Ireland), McGill (Canada), Univ. of BC (Canada), Flinders Univ (Australia), obviously Univ. of Sydney and Univ. of Melbourne (Australia), and Sackler (Israel). I'm sure others will have more to add. If you're thinking about international eductation, it can be the most wonderful experience...but be careful where you choose so it doesn't affect the rest of your career future.
It looks like its MOST beneficial to stay in Canada or the US to attend medical school as a North American. I think that to get any international experience, it would be best to try a year abroad program at a Canadian or US school.
Does anyone know how easy it is to practice abroad with a US a Canadian medical doctorate degree?
Does anyone know how easy it is to practice abroad with a US a Canadian medical doctorate degree?
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