How are non-Caribbean IMG's looked at?

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

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So, some of the leaving the country talk got me thinking about some people I know who are foreigners, kids of foreigners, etc. Can these people ever come back to the U.S.?

-EDITED: A specific case I probably shouldn't have posted... please disregard if you've already read it.

-Another one, An individual I heard of and has already left went to Turkey (happens to be a turkish citizen) and entered Med School (at age 19). Not sure what to make of it, extremely homesick with no desire to ever leave Turkey again though.

-Various other people with a foreign national (France, U.K., Germany, etc.) thinking about going back home to their nations and expecting to practice in the United States. To emphasize they have citizenship through their parents and are probably in for culture shock if they go back there. To be fair some would start now without finishing undergrad. But how, don't most start after high school over there?

I'm just curious about the end outcome for these people.



Edit: Also for the pole I'm curious what the second choice would be for those who pick the E.U.

 

[Flashfan]

Switzerland is very different from Norway. Maybe you meant to say Sweden?

 

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

Switzerland is very different from Norway. Maybe you meant to say Sweden?

No, they're both non E.U. but happen to be great countries on the European continent (also I hit the max for response choices... was going to seperate Africa, S. America, and the E.U. out as well)

Also, the last episode of the The Flash was amazing and probably a pilot for a Firestorm spin off.

 

[Womb Raider]

Down under ofc. Aussie babes have the sexiest accent.

 

[Instatewaiter]

What no choice for Syria or Iraq? I hear ISIS is looking for people to remove organs to sell on the black market.

 

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

Never imagined Australia would get so many votes. Personally, I would take Turkey, the U.K., then Australia or Germany in that order.

Down under ofc. Aussie babes have the sexiest accent.

Definitely a nation I plan to see some day... along with New Zealand in that region as well. Fought braver than the British at Canakkale (or all of WW1) that's for sure.

What no choice for Syria or Iraq? I hear ISIS is looking for people to remove organs to sell on the black market.

I guess you could use "other": if you want... Personally, I would avoid those areas...

 

[FutureOncologist]

Australia. Last I heard the atmosphere in the land down under was amazing, even with the pay (compared to the U.S.) Next I'd choose France, only because I am fluent in French (keep up with it to this day.)

I know someone from my graduating class who went to medical school in Paris. He was fluent, it was cheap (~500 euros a year), and he wanted to stay there. He isn't french at all, but he lived there for 5 years before attending university so he knew what he was getting into.

 

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

Australia. Last I heard the atmosphere in the land down under was amazing, even with the pay (compared to the U.S.) Next I'd choose France, only because I am fluent in French (keep up with it to this day.)

I know someone from my graduating class who went to medical school in Paris. He was fluent, it was cheap (~500 euros a year), and he wanted to stay there. He isn't french at all, but he lived there for 5 years before attending university so he knew what he was getting into.

The French language can be quite beautiful.... I spent this summer overseas in Turkey and a few hours in Germany (Frankfurt international is a major buzzkill.... especially after experiencing Hamburg.... major let down)... didn't have time to leave the airport because my flight barely made it in time for my connection... There goes my 5 hours (United sucks) and literally on my return flight I spent an hour going through security the lines through that connection flight security were so long... Never seen them get that long and only half the lines were open)

and this song was immensely popular at the time

had to google the lyrics http://lyricstranslate.com/en/dernière-danse-last-dance.html

 

[FutureOncologist]

The French language can be quite beautiful.... I spent this summer overseas in Turkey and a few hours in Germany (Frankfurt international is a major buzzkill.... especially after experiencing Hamburg.... major let down)... didn't have time to leave the airport because my flight barely made it in time for my connection... There goes my 5 hours (United sucks) and literally on my return flight I spent an hour going through security the lines through that connection flight security were so long... Never seen them get that long and only half the lines were open)

and this song was immensely popular at the time

had to google the lyrics http://lyricstranslate.com/en/dernière-danse-last-dance.html

Je peux comprendre pourquoi cette chanson était connue. Elle est très entraînante! Des quelques années que j'avais parlé francais (plus d'8), je n'étais jamais allé aux pays qui parlent francais 🙁

Translation: I can understand why this song was popular. It's very catchy! For the several years that I've been speaking french (8+ years), I have never been to a french speaking country...

 

[mmmcdowe]

New Zealand 100%. English speaking and private medical care system.

 

[tantacles]

The UK. Definitely.

 

[deleted158872]

Anyone care to answer the question that the OP asked? 🙂

 

[getdown]

You can always go to med school outside of the US and for some that is the right choice. However, if you have even an inkling of possibly coming back to the US to practice doing so would be a terrible idea. There are several reasons for this:

1. Residency...

This is the biggest probem. As an IMG you're automatically at a disadvantage in applying for residency spots. In the past few years and upcoming years more and more US medical schools are opening up, which means there will be more applicants while residency spots haven't changed as much. That's even before considering that the competitive specialties like plastics, ortho, derm, etc will be even more competitive and therefore you will be almost relegated to either IM, FM, gen surg, etc and at low tier programs at that. Just think. Why would a US program accept an IMG from a questionable program if they have qualified and proven US applicants? Furthermore, even if you've already become a full fledge attending in another country you still have to retake the USMLEs just to even qualify to apply to residency programs and then go through residency and then boards. That's a very painful process for someone who has already been practicing independently. I've run into a couple of residents who were attendings in their home countries and they're pretty miserable.

2. Licensing...

Certain states like California are pretty strict on which international medical schools are accepted when issuing licenses. Now I don't have the full list but I did remember seeing that certain Carribean graduates are not accepted. So be wary that the school you go to might not be recognized in the state you want to practice. No license = can't practice.

3. Culture...

This is a minor thing but the way things are done in the US are quite different than how other countries practice. Just the inner workings of the health care system, medical culture, physician-patient relationships are all very minor but important aspects in just getting through the day. You can learn all this but those first few months or years can be pretty painful if you have no idea what to expect.

 

[deleted158872]

Why would a US program accept an IMG from a questionable program if they have qualified and proven US applicants?

I doubt any programs from the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia are "questionable".
The fact that some schools like LUCOM are given priority over prestigious/well-ranked UK/Australian schools is ludicrous...

 

[deleted158872]

Very few schools are disapproved by CA BOARD: http://www.mbc.ca.gov/Applicants/Medical_Schools/Schools_Disapproved.aspx .. So... are all the schools approved on the Cali med board legitimate/"real"/fine?

 

[Throwaway692015]

I heard the phillipines offers some great options

 

[Lawpy]

If you had no other choice, what country (outside US/Canada) would you want to be a doctor in?

None of the above. I would pursue an alternative career. Simple as that.

 

[deleted158872]

You have made a simple error: lack of disapproval does not mean it is approved. Many schools never apply for approval (either from cost or from inability to pass). So for a school to be reognized for post grad training or licensing it must have been approved by the board. Schools that have applied and not passed are formally disapproved. Schools that never apply are simply not recognized. In either case you cant be licensed in california as well as several other states

I looked at the approved list, too: http://www.mbc.ca.gov/Applicants/Medical_Schools/Schools_Recognized.aspx

 

[WingedOx]

New Zealand 100%. English speaking and private medical care system.

Private, but the pay isn't great.

Plus Hobbits are notorious for skipping out on their co-pays.

 

[tartesos]

Below is a brief and incomplete list of medical schools in the Caribbean that are NOT recognized by the California Medical Board; their graduates are not eligible for post graduate training or licensing in California and other states whose medical boards have rules or policy adhering to the California medical board recognized list which includes (but not limited to) Georgia, Alaska, New Mexico, Colorado, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama, North Dakota, Vermont


UNIBE and Dominican Medical Schools /Dominican Republic (some may be approved)


7 medical schools Are approved. UNIBE, utesa and 2 defunct others are not approved.

Don't diss please.

🙂

 

[Lost in Translation]

If you had no other choice, what country (outside US/Canada) would you want to be a doctor in?

None of the above. I would pursue an alternative career. Simple as that.

You could go to Southeast Asia. They have multimillion dollar hospitals there that frugal white people from the EU and US frequent.

Private, but the pay isn't great.

Plus Hobbits are notorious for skipping out on their co-pays.

Once a criminal always a criminal.