International MS Student entering PhD program - then MD (Canada)

[Ettecent]

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This is a rather complicated case so I'm going to try and explain the best I can.

I'm a 25 year old international student who has completed an MS in Microbiology from a university in Canada. I will be entering the PhD program soon. After this is over, I would like to do an MD.

The reasons for this are -
a) I want to be able to help people who are ill. I like human interaction, and I think the best reward in the world comes from making someone who is sick, healthy again.
b) I love trying to understand the workings of the human body and mind. I've been fascinated with it since I was 12.
c)A medical degree will let me work with Doctors Without Borders and arrange for aid towards my home country and other similarly deprived nations.
d) Canada accepts non traditional student, I do not have this choice back home.

Now the reason as to why I didn't join medical school back home was that I messed up my college (12th standard) grades); being young, immature and silly. And in India, you do not get second chances. Therefore, I went into an undergrad course in general Microbiology, and excelling in this continued in the graduate program in Canada.

I want to do a PhD because I like the topic I will be working on, and I do understand the amount of blood sweat and tears I have to put in. I'm obviously apprehensive about whether I will succeed or not, but I am willing to take the chance.

Additionally, citizenship and permanent residence is an important factor for MD programs. During my PhD, I should be able to obtain PR status (~ 3 years into the program). Once this is done, and my PhD is complete I wish to apply for an MD program in Vancouver (i.e UBC's MD program).

These are my questions:
1) Do I have to take pre-requisite courses? If I do, how will I fit them in to my PhD schedule? It was during college that I studied Physics, Biology and Chemisty.
2) When will be the optimal time to answer the MCAT examination?
3) How do I finance the MD program - student loans only?
4) At what time during medical school will I begin to have a source of income?
5) How do students manage with finances through medical school and beyond?
6) How do I convert my Indian grades in to the GPA format? Will this negatively affect my application? My graduate program did not require this conversion, they simply asked for transcripts. The MD program seems to require grade conversion.

I hope to find someone who has taken a similar pathway to mine towards getting a medical school. I realise that I will probably be 40 by the time I start earning a proper salary (5.5 years PhD + 4 years MD + Residency). But I really want to do an MD and I've been trying to figure out the best way to go about this for a while. I need some advice.

 

[DrMidlife]

We really don't have much of the Canada-specific info you need here, but there's apparently a Canadian version of SDN: premed101.com.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Scottish Chap]

These are my questions:
1) Do I have to take pre-requisite courses? If I do, how will I fit them in to my PhD schedule? It was during college that I studied Physics, Biology and Chemisty.
Canada is a little more forgiving than the U.S. Some Canadian medical schools have loose science requirements (not caring about physics, for example) and many will take international science credits as long as you have the grades evaluated by a professional agency like WES (different from the U.S. who treats almost all international credits with contempt).

2) When will be the optimal time to answer the MCAT examination?
The year you apply. The exam expires after a few years.


3) How do I finance the MD program - student loans only?
If you have Canadian citizenship, loans.

4) At what time during medical school will I begin to have a source of income?
Don't expect this. You will be too busy. Most people live of loans. I had a part-time job as a Kaplan tutor but frankly the extra money is so little it's not worth the extra stress and distraction.


5) How do students manage with finances through medical school and beyond?
Loans.


6) How do I convert my Indian grades in to the GPA format? Will this negatively affect my application? My graduate program did not require this conversion, they simply asked for transcripts. The MD program seems to require grade conversion.
Google commercial companies that will evaluate international credits. Canada likes WES. I applied to a couple of Ontario medical schools through their application agency (called OMSAS) and found it to be quite open to the WES evaluation. This may be province-specific.

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This is a VERY rough path you have chosen. If you really want to be in medical school and that is your terminal goal, doing a PhD en route is a horrible idea. Many of us did that by accident, and I would not recommend it. It (a PhD) confers no special advantage and I'll submit to you that few people perform at a very high level if they try to do both for a career...something usually has to give.

I was an international applicant and managed to win an interview at the University of Toronto school of medicine about 8 years ago--probably because they have a special interest in PhD applicants. That's one medical school in the entire country, and they were only saving 7 seats for internationals when I applied. The competition is severe. As you know, there are so few medical schools in Canada and they almost never take internationals. I would really question if this is the best strategic move for you based on what you've posted above. Good luck!

 

[sagain]

Solid advice!

These are my questions:
I was an international applicant and managed to win an interview at the University of Toronto school of medicine about 8 years ago--probably because they have a special interest in PhD applicants. That's one medical school in the entire country, and they were only saving 7 seats for internationals when I applied. The competition is severe. As you know, there are so few medical schools in Canada and they almost never take internationals. I would really question if this is the best strategic move for you based on what you've posted above. Good luck!