Experience of US students in Indian Medical School

[ahmedabad]

Hi,

I am new to this forum but I share a common interest of going to Medical School in India probably one in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. I want to know hows the whole transition of going from US school to Indian school. Also, hows the medical school exams? Feel free to share some of your own unique experince while in medical school in India. Anyone went to Gujarat for medical school? I am a US citizen.

Is it possible to get internship in US after finishing 4.5 years in India? Do I need USMLE step 1 before getting the internship in US?

I would love to talk someone who has gone through all this.

Thanks in advance!!

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[OneoftheGuptas]

I'd love to post a reply, but am a tad short on time right now, and your questions will no doubt require some long answers.

Search the forum, there are LOTS of threads answering your exact queries.

 

[schandan13]

Let me start of by asking you why you have specific interest in attending a medical school in india when you are a US citizen ! Have you just completed high school and want to save time ? Or have you exhausted all options of going to US MD/DO or Big 3 Caribbean MD schools and are now left with India as the only/last option ?

Now to answer to your query, when you do MBBS in India, remember, the basic aim of the college is to prepare you to be a doctor in INDIA. NOT the US. So if you go there thinking of being better prepared for the USMLEs, then you'd be in for a disappointment.

The duration of the course is 5.5 years (that is, if you clear all profs in 1 go and don't have any repeats/absents during internship). As for internship in the states goes, you'd be on your own to arrange "electives" during your internship year (after final prof) in India. Many places require you to have passed Step 1, some don't. Some require you to pay money (~Harvard), many others don't. But at the end of it, you would probably not have more than 2 (maximum 3) months of hands on clinical experience in the US. Also this would come at the cost of missing your internship duties in India, which would lead to "extensions" and hence you would take longer than 5.5 years to be done.

If you tell me more about your situation, i'd be able to help you better.

 

[drumfreek]

I think it depends on the student in regards to the USMLE test prep and such. There are lot's of individuals there who do very well on the USMLE even though Indian schools are preparing them to become doctors in India. IF you are prepared to put in significant time and effort to prepare for the USMLEs I think you will be fine.

Indian med schools must be doing something right if there is such a large amount of indian doctors coming to american.

I'm also thinking of applying to a medical school in ahmedabad (V.S. probably)

 

[schandan13]

The reason why so many indians have been able to get good residency spots is because they were the cream of the crop from their own countries. Residency programs may not know how some colleges would be willing to take just anybody out of high school who has the ability to pay the cash. It's a whole different story, if as an american, you step outside your own country to pursue medical education, in which case you are called a US-IMG.

Also remember, that alot of those who get 99s on their steps are inherently brilliant and great test takers. The college usually has little or no role to play in it. And as i already said, the reason residency programs take them, is because they are considered to be the best their country has to offer.

The way healthcare is being reformed in the US, the last thing you would want is to be considered second grade in your own country. All this without factoring in things like 1) you have to be thousands of miles away from home, 2) there may not be the best of living conditions, 3) have a strong anti NRI bias going which may lead to you being targeted by professors & teachers.

I'm not saying there aren't good medical colleges in India. But do your homework and take a calculated risk.

 

[dggopal]

I think schandan is correct in that you should really think hard before choosing to come to India for med school...

To give you a little insight into the changes that one would have to get accustomed should you decide to come here... i suggest you check out a thread I started long ago... It's called "To all NRI's thinking of coming to India for their Education." just search for it or you can get to it by going to my profile and checking all the threads I have started.... we have discussed a lottt of the problems that NRI's face when coming to study here in India...

 

[svora]

I have similar queries. I'm doing my Bechalors at a University in States. But what are my options if I wanted to go to medical school in india and practice medicine there?

Please reply. Thanks in advance!

 

[schandan13]

I have similar queries. I'm doing my Bechalors at a University in States. But what are my options if I wanted to go to medical school in india and practice medicine there?

Please reply. Thanks in advance!

You'd have to do your homework well, very well. There are many "agents" that are out to make a buck from prospective NRI families promising them admission in "top" colleges in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Chennai. Hefty fee is involved and most of the colleges they promise to get you into are substandard.

First of, the top medical schools in india are government run. These colleges always have a certain number of seats set aside for foreign nationals. The catch is that you have to belong to a specific state in order to be eligible for admission in that state's medical school. It's called "Domicile". For eg. if your parents or grandparents belonged to the state of Punjab, you can apply for an MBBS seat under the "NRI" quota at the government run medical schools.

To the best of my knowledge, the system of admissions is pretty legit and transparent. More often than not the competition for these seats is very fierce and since the reputation of the college is at stake, the fee is charged as per rules and there (usually) isn't any "donation"/"administrative fee" involved.

Since i graduated from a government run school, my knowledge about private schools is limited. I do, however, know that Kasturba Medical College (MAHE) is rated amongst the top 10. There are also some good schools in states like Punjab (~DMC Ludhiana).

Just be careful of private schools that aren't transparent about their fee structure and narrow down your choices state wise. Then perhaps try and get in touch with students from the US studying there and ask them their experience.

Hope that answers your question.