Medical school in Ireland

[mmmdddd]

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1. What are the general requirements for admission to medical school in Ireland?

2. This is a very critical question for me: If I am accepted, how in the world do I pay the staggering tuition? I have no idea about loans and I come from a very poor background (I am an American).

3. How easy or difficult is it to sponsor parents for permanent residency in Ireland? Parents are Americans. If my parents cannot live in Ireland with me and if I can't take care of them in their old age, I am definitely not interested in moving there permanently however attractive or high paying opportunities there might be.

 

[chx]

Hi!

1. Check out the http://www.atlanticbridge.com/med/faqs/fqindex.htm. As an American, you must apply through the atlantic bridge, who kind of works like AMCAS does in the US. The requirements depend on whether or not you have a bachelor's degree or not (what is your situation?)... Read through the pinned threads to get an idea of typical GPA/ degrees/ MCAT scores of successful applicants.

2. As someone applying for loans right now, it is an incredibly daunting sum. Basically, if you are questioning your commitment to a career in medicine at all, definitely think very hard about the fact you will have to pay around half a million USD after interest. I know at RCSI and UCC (and am fairly certain at all the other schools, but don't have any info) they are eligible for US federal loans (GRAD PLUS and STAFFORD) and they will loan you the full cost of tuition and cost of living as set out by the individual schools. If cost is a determining factor, really consider getting into any American school, even if that means post bac, SMP, retaking MCAT, considering DO or PA/NP etc.

3. As I was told at my interview, you should not expect to be in Ireland more than 4 years. While it is possible, they iterated many times that it is not guaranteed that you can get an internship in Ireland (unless you have an Irish/EU passport, then different story). So unless you are currently caring for your parents in old age right now (and if you are, an intensive 7 year commitment to medicine might not be best for you), I think it is a non-issue as you should expect to Match in the US and work in the US. Now, that doesn't answer your question necessarily, but based on what I've read about immigration, it seems very difficult (unless you are a student). Maybe someone else can answer this one.

 

[mmmdddd]

Hi!

As I was told at my interview, you should not expect to be in Ireland more than 4 years. While it is possible, they iterated many times that it is not guaranteed that you can get an internship in Ireland (unless you have an Irish/EU passport, then different story). So unless you are currently caring for your parents in old age right now (and if you are, an intensive 7 year commitment to medicine might not be best for you), I think it is a non-issue as you should expect to Match in the US and work in the US. Now, that doesn't answer your question necessarily, but based on what I've read about immigration, it seems very difficult (unless you are a student). Maybe someone else can answer this one.

My parents are healthy and fine. I am going into Ireland with the assumption that American congressmen or American medical interests will do something stupid like banning all foreign medical graduates from practicing in the US. I trust them to do something stupid. It is a conservative assumption to make. I don't want to be stuck in Ireland with my parents stuck in the US all alone in their old age.

 

[doc2beIRELAND]

3. How easy or difficult is it to sponsor parents for permanent residency in Ireland? Parents are Americans. If my parents cannot live in Ireland with me and if I can't take care of them in their old age, I am definitely not interested in moving there permanently however attractive or high paying opportunities there might be.

you come to Ireland on a 4-year student visa. You have no right to work here, either during your 4 years (so you must entirely fund yourself with loans from home) or afterwards. You are only entitled to do an intern year in Ireland if you have a European passport - although you could apply and if they happened to be short of interns they might take you, but unlikely.

So if you came to Ireland, in short, you would be going back to the US or Canada to match - there is no question of your parents getting any sort of residency as you yourself wouldn't be getting it.

The pay is much less than in the States, by the way, as EU law states the working week cannot exceed 40 hours and the salaries traditionally have not been anywhere near as high.

I think you are being a bit paranoid about the US rejecting graduates from Irish schools - they have always had no problem matching in our school and the standard of teaching etc is exactly the same. You guys only come over to us because demand seriously outstrips supply in your country.

 

[mmmdddd]

you come to Ireland on a 4-year student visa. You have no right to work here, either during your 4 years (so you must entirely fund yourself with loans from home) or afterwards. You are only entitled to do an intern year in Ireland if you have a European passport - although you could apply and if they happened to be short of interns they might take you, but unlikely.

So if you came to Ireland, in short, you would be going back to the US or Canada to match - there is no question of your parents getting any sort of residency as you yourself wouldn't be getting it.

The pay is much less than in the States, by the way, as EU law states the working week cannot exceed 40 hours and the salaries traditionally have not been anywhere near as high.

I think you are being a bit paranoid about the US rejecting graduates from Irish schools - they have always had no problem matching in our school and the standard of teaching etc is exactly the same. You guys only come over to us because demand seriously outstrips supply in your country.

Yes, I am being paranoid but when I read articles in the New York Times about backlash against Caribbean MD's, I get worried. Can I not apply for permanent residency in Ireland? And if so, what is the chance of being approved?

 

[Facebookaddict]

Well the standard of Ireland is higher than that of the Caribbean from what I understand. And it's not that easy getting Irish nationality unless your parents/grandparents are Irish citizens. Are you applying for the 4 year program? On top of tuition, you also have to think of accommodation, plane tickets if you plan on visiting your parents, food, and other things you will have to buy. Hope this helps!

 

[doc2beIRELAND]

Well the standard of Ireland is higher than that of the Caribbean from what I understand.

The standard of Ireland is that of England, US, Canada, any other Western developed country or whatever you want to call it. You will have no problem matching! unless you're not very smart and fail everything, of course.

*Feels a bit miffed that people think Ireland is some sort of barren wasteland*

And no, you have no right to permanent residency if you go to college here - unless you get married to a European. You could of course apply for intern place and then job here when you graduate and then for permanent residency after a few years but that's an immigration law matter, not too sure of the requirements and TBH that is years down the road. Your parents would have no right to residency here though, even if you did. We are a small country. We can only fit so many people 😀

 

[Facebookaddict]

The standard of Ireland is that of England, US, Canada, any other Western developed country or whatever you want to call it. You will have no problem matching! unless you're not very smart and fail everything, of course.

*Feels a bit miffed that people think Ireland is some sort of barren wasteland*

And no, you have no right to permanent residency if you go to college here - unless you get married to a European. You could of course apply for intern place and then job here when you graduate and then for permanent residency after a few years but that's an immigration law matter, not too sure of the requirements and TBH that is years down the road. Your parents would have no right to residency here though, even if you did. We are a small country. We can only fit so many people 😀

Uhhh yeah I used to live in Ireland actually 🙂 started school in Co. Clare and all. I'm just saying it's a bit harder to get residency in something very specialized and competitive in the US, because there are more applicants than spots..

 

[doc2beIRELAND]

Uhhh yeah I used to live in Ireland actually 🙂 started school in Co. Clare and all. I'm just saying it's a bit harder to get residency in something very specialized and competitive in the US, because there are more applicants than spots..

Yeah I hear things like Derm and Radiology are v competitive in the States- is that true? Has that always been the case or do these things come in fads?

 

[Lbgem]

Yeah I hear things like Derm and Radiology are v competitive in the States- is that true? Has that always been the case or do these things come in fads?

The ROADS specialties are known as super competitive in the states (Rad, Ortho, Anesth, Derm, Surg) - someone correct me if I messed up the abbrevs there. Even with stellar scores (USMLE, clinical grades) some US med grads don't match. And I want to say it comes and goes, but those I think have been competitive at least for the last few years. Like EM is becoming more competitive than it used to be I believe.

FM/IM are on the lower end of competitive specialties.

 

[med2UCC]

you come to Ireland on a 4-year student visa. You have no right to work here,.

Actually, unless something has changed drastically, you are allowed to work 20 hours a week, part time. You aren't allowed to take a full time job. That being said, I worked essentially full time through my 4th year at UCC and no one batted an eyelash (except my friends, who thought I was going to lose my mind, or already had). I also did some self-employment stuff through the other years. I was in the 5 year program, just before they revamped it to make spare time a thing of the past. We had oodles of free time to work, travel and do other non-medical things. Oh, and study, of course. Cheers,
M

 

[kermicrzy]

Actually, unless something has changed drastically, you are allowed to work 20 hours a week, part time. You aren't allowed to take a full time job. That being said, I worked essentially full time through my 4th year at UCC and no one batted an eyelash (except my friends, who thought I was going to lose my mind, or already had). I also did some self-employment stuff through the other years. I was in the 5 year program, just before they revamped it to make spare time a thing of the past. We had oodles of free time to work, travel and do other non-medical things. Oh, and study, of course. Cheers,
M

And Im pretty sure it changes to 40 yours a week during the times college is out...

 

[med2UCC]

And Im pretty sure it changes to 40 yours a week during the times college is out...

It does. You can work full time through the summer - I had a couple of friends who had research jobs for the summer. Cheers,
M
Oh, and in Cork CUH used to hire med students to be weekend phlebotomists and EKG techs. One student even got a job in the morgue.

 

[doc2beIRELAND]

no way! apologies! the North Americans in our class are under the impression from some evil visit to Garda station that they can't work. I think some checked it out as they have fiancees/spouses who want to work too. I doubt any of them would get jobs if they knew they could work, though. I don't know how anyone can work during med school... getting up in the morning and going to lectures is hard work enough after the first couple of months 😡

 

[med2UCC]

no way! apologies! the North Americans in our class are under the impression from some evil visit to Garda station that they can't work. I think some checked it out as they have fiancees/spouses who want to work too. I doubt any of them would get jobs if they knew they could work, though. I don't know how anyone can work during med school... getting up in the morning and going to lectures is hard work enough after the first couple of months 😡

Does your school have an international officer? UCC does, and she is very good (or she was when I was there, Suzanne Buckley, the most helpful person on campus). She arranged for the Garda to come in for a day our 1st year and explain our rights as students in Ireland, including the right to work. I worked full time and went to school full time before I did med school (and I do mean full time - typically I worked a 60 hour work week and took a full course load, 5 credits a term) so med school without a job was actually kind of like being on vacation. The year I worked full time in med school was hard, but I wouldnt' have been able to afford it otherwise. It's amazing what you can do when you have to. I've never had much of a problem getting up in the morning😉. Cheers,
M

 

[doc2beIRELAND]

Wait... Did you do the undergrad course or the graduate one? cause the graduate one is definitely no vacation... 8-4 solid every day before study time. I need extra €€€ too, but I would have a breakdown if I had to whittle down what little free time I get at the weekend any more. Fair play to ya is all I can say !

 

[med2UCC]

Wait... Did you do the undergrad course or the graduate one? cause the graduate one is definitely no vacation... 8-4 solid every day before study time. I need extra €€€ too, but I would have a breakdown if I had to whittle down what little free time I get at the weekend any more. Fair play to ya is all I can say !

I did the 5 year course, and after many years in university while working full time I'm a very efficient studier. And it wasn't a matter of extra cash, it was a matter of basic survival - I lived off my crappy job in 4th year and put away money for 5th year living expenses. Without that it would have been go home and declare bankruptcy. FYI, in 1st and 2nd year, with labs and clinical teaching, we were in classes from 9-5 most days. 4th year was a little easier, but we were still technically in some form of teaching all day most days (it just didn't work out that way most days, 'cause they were kind of slack and sometimes forgot to tell the clinicians we were coming, or the clinicians decided they'd rather not have us around).
Having every evening free to cook, clean, do laundry or study = kind of on vacation after my previous schedule. Cheers,
M