MDs in Italy

[spudbunny]

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Hello,

Is anyone out there either studying at an Italian med school or hoping to practice there someday. I have heard that Italy has a surplus of doctors and that they will not recognize a US residency. As I have Italian as well as American citizenship I would like to hear from anyone with knowledge/experience regarding the Italian medical system. Thank you.

 

[PathOne]

Not Italian, but have friend who is.
Having double citizenship is a big plus, but I'd think long and hard about my options, if I was in your shoes: Basically, either option is hard, because it's basically one or the other.
You don't say if you have a US degree. If you do, it'll have to be approved in Italy, and while it certainly shouldn't normally be difficult, it's ALWAYS on a case by case basis, and they may force you to sit extra exams and/or take unpaid clinicals (this applies to all Europe). Good part is, that once you have Italian license that entitles you to work anywhere in EU. (acutally easier than getting US State license).
If you don't have a degree, you'd probably find getting into an Italian school as challenging as getting into a US Med sch. Your background will be hard to assess, and you'll prob. have to show formal papers of total fluency in Italian.
Main prob., however, is specialization. If you train in Italy, NO TRAINING will be accepted in the US, if you decide to go back. It's back to PGY-1. If you have US boards you -might- get approval after supervised work in a hospital setting, but there's no guarantees. Still, it's possible, which it will NEVER be if you train in Italy/Europe.

 

[xmxpro]

One point I would like to make. If you are a Cit. of any EU country, you can move to any other EU country. This is not without problems, but being part of EU has a few good points.

Regards,
MD

 

[tlew12778]

There one Italian dr on these boards who knows of someone who got their US residency approved in Italy. I Can't remember his nick though.

However, we (bf and I) have been researching this thoroughly and found that it's near impossible to have done (there are obviously a few exceptions). BF is just about to graduate med school here in Italy (he's Italian, I'm American) and needs to decide where to do his residency -- Italy or the US. The problem with Italy is that it's hard to get in (lots of drs wait more than a year before entering a residency program) and the pay sucks (900 euro a month gross, about 800 euro a month net). There is also the issue of the US not recognising the Italian residency if, at any point, we decide to move to the US. The problem with the US is that if at any point in his career he decides he wants to practice in Italy, they may not recognise his US residency (something about reciprocity and not having it).

However, I should note that it's quite possible to practice privately (ie. outside of the national healthcare system) with a US residency. There are many drs who run private practices after moving to Italy. I think they do quite well too as their fees are outrageous (100+ euro per visit not incl. tests/labwork).

BTW, do you speak Italian? BC that would be key to both practicing as well as getting through all the bureaucratic red tape to get a license to practice in Italy.

 

[Vitaliano333]

There one Italian dr on these boards who knows of someone who got their US residency approved in Italy. I Can't remember his nick though

You may be referring to me. Yes I do know an Italian who trained in the US and had his residency/fellowship validated in Italy. He even went back to work in Italy for some time before returning as an attending at my training program. You may find this website useful (if you know Italian): amityitalia.com . Thus, it is doable. The only catch, from what I hear, is that you may not be eligible for a position at a university hospital center in your specialty.

 

[xmxpro]

You may be referring to me. Yes I do know an Italian who trained in the US and had his residency/fellowship validated in Italy. He even went back to work in Italy for some time before returning as an attending at my training program. You may find this website useful (if you know Italian): amityitalia.com . Thus, it is doable. The only catch, from what I hear, is that you may not be eligible for a position at a university hospital center in your specialty.

Hello,
Can you shed some light on how a person like me might be able to move to italy. I am a Polish Cit(EU), and I am thinking of moving after my fellowship in Endocrinology. At the moment I am a PGY1, but my husband and I are thinking about leaving for Europe after fellow; Italy or Germany being on the top of our list.

I know that as a EU mem. we can move to other EU countries, but I am not sure on the fact of using my US residency and fellowship in Europe.

Regards,
MD

 

[Vitaliano333]

Hi:
actually,that website gives the best and most detailed information I've seen. Unfortunately,though, the relevant part is in Italian. Hope that helps

 

[xmxpro]

Hi:
actually,that website gives the best and most detailed information I've seen. Unfortunately,though, the relevant part is in Italian. Hope that helps

Not to much... lol.. I am not to current in the language yet. I am working on that part.
If you happen to have more info, please pass it on.

Thanks,
MD

 

[Vitaliano333]

Not to much... lol.. I am not to current in the language yet. I am working on that part.
If you happen to have more info, please pass it on.

Basically, it gives a list of the documents you would need and where to send them to.
ciao

 

[tlew12778]

OMG! That is GREAT! Thank you so much for that website. With the new rules for the specialty exam in Italy we were really worrying about my BF getting into one next year (he graduates in October). He'll breathe easier knowing how he can get a US residency validated in Italy. At least it'll double his chances of starting residency next year.

 

[PathOne]

Hello,
Can you shed some light on how a person like me might be able to move to italy. I am a Polish Cit(EU), and I am thinking of moving after my fellowship in Endocrinology. At the moment I am a PGY1, but my husband and I are thinking about leaving for Europe after fellow; Italy or Germany being on the top of our list.

I know that as a EU mem. we can move to other EU countries, but I am not sure on the fact of using my US residency and fellowship in Europe.

Regards,
MD

Basically, it's hit or miss getting a US specialization approved, esp. since the vast majority of European board certifications are made based upon the completion of a certified training program, NOT a board exam. Some get their training approved, but some don't, and you might get it approved in one country, and not another (tho' you can transfer your board approval from one EU country to another, go figure...).
Also note, that I think there's some special rules for docs from new EU member states such as Poland, which may or may not affect your chances.

 

[mean old levee]

I have heard that Italy has a surplus of doctors

Can anyone address this part of OP's question? The World Bank estimates that Italy has about 4 physicians per 1000 people (~ equal to the figure in the rest of the EU, Australia, and Israel). But if anyone can speak more qualitatively about this, I would be interested to hear your experiences.