Medical University of Varna

[pre-med lost]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I found this just a few days ago. I spoke to their North American Office. They gave me solid advice about what to do and not to do. They don't seem to be cutting any corners and actually have admissions standards. It's a first for Eastern European programs! I have looked into a lot of programs in Easter Europe and didn't want to go to any with six-year programs. Their website is: www.varnamed.org Check it out if interested.

 

[Stephen Ewen]

Even if you would never do PG training in the UK, you should find out if the GMC-GB recognition is for LIMITED or UNLIMITED registration. Limited registration actually means very little, but the latter--well, that would be truly impressive and indicitive of very good things.

 

[pre-med lost]

You're talking about UK. Why should one worry about the UK if there is no interest in wanting to practice there? I looked up the information on UK, it seems that even US and Canadian schools are listed as having only limited registration. Are you suggesting that the US schools are not good enough because they have only a limited registration? For that matter, there are many good schools elsewhere in Europe with limited registration too. Are they not good enough to consider? Uk will accept graduates of schools with limited registration. The only difference between the graduates of a school with limited vs unlimited registration is the PLAB. Students from schools with limited registration need the PLAB while others don't. This is the only difference according to the information posted on the GMC's website. This may be a distinction without a difference. I don't think the UK thing is anything to get excited about. Maybe you may want to tell us why this is so important!

 

[naija_pinoy]

yo pre-med lost, hope i'm not outta line here but i've been on the boards for a while and i've read a couple of stephen ewen's posts and i don't think he intended his post to come across the way you apparently interpreted it.

i checked out the site like two days ago, the school has been around for a while, at least their 6 year program has, i'm not too sure about the 4 year program. i think if you intend to practice in cali you should check to see if their 4 year program is recognized.

it seems like a nice place to study, let us know how it goes. all the best mate

 

[JMD]

pre-med lost,
I believe that Stephen Ewen was simply trying to say that unlimited registration indicates reaching a certain level of quality, but in no way was he indicating that the school is no good if it had limited registration.
With so many med. schools in the world, we have to look at certain accreditations, etc. in order to compare.
I am quite sure that Stephen has a pretty good idea what he is talking about, HENCE THE REASON THAT HE IS THE "INTERNATIONAL MED" FORUM MODERATOR.
Don't get so defensive, the point of this board is to share info and help each other out...he wasn't attacking your post.
JMD😀

 

[pre-med lost]

I just didn't understand the rational behind the advice. I wanted to get a little more clarification as to his reasoning.

 

[neilc]

sounds like a good thing to me...at least they seem very organized and on top of things. i would absolutley ask the cali med board what the status is if you want to work in cali. i talked to the organization out of curiosity when i saw the website, and they were very upfront about what the offered, what they required, etc...i thought that was great.

the polish programs have a 6 year and a 4 year option, but i have seen a lot of negative comments about the schools. 2 students from here were going to transfer, and spent a week in poland only to very quicky return, saying that the 4 year program was not what they expected. personally, i think if you want the 4 year program you should go somewhere that has done it for a while, and modeled it after the US, like the carib programs. the european 6 year programs are awesome, but the schools just don't really know the american system, it seems. but, varna seems good, and the price is right!

i do always encourage folks to really consider whether they want to be among the first grads of a program. ask yourself if it may be a better fit to go with a proven entity, or at the very least be aware that it is a risk to go with a program that has no grads or history to evaluate.

but, all that aside, these guys are organized, and have some good standards, etc...maybe they will be the ones to make a good 4 year program out of eastern europe, i can't see why not!

good luck!

 

[Stephen Ewen]

JMD has my rationale correct.

Numerous schools market that their students can "register" with the GMC-GB. But making the deliniation among the types of registration--limited or unlimited--is what might give indication of quality. Just like most any school can get ECFMG, so can most any school get unlimited GMC-GB registration. But neither mean much of anything as far as indicating quality.

On the other hand, if this med school has unlimited registration--and with EU integration pushes, who knows?--then that factor alone would indicate to me that you have found yourself an excellent school. Though the school may be excellent nonetheless, these sorts of "external validators" can certainly carry some clout. And their are hoards of schools around the world that are excellent but have just not gone through these sorts of processes.

Think of it in these terms: Even if you would never practice in California, it can be nice to know that your school "passed muster" with the CA board. It is similar with this unlimited UK registration matter. It is indicitive of a standard in med edu, externally validated. And having this "clout" behind you can certainly mean something come match time when your application starts hitting the desks of people who have the power to say "yes" or "no" over specific, more competitive pathways to your future.

So, that is why I wondered about this.

BTW, I have written to the school myself asking them to clarify this matter.

 

[pre-med lost]

I had the same impression when I spoke to them. This program has very strict standards and they follow it. ? don't think a new program is that risky if you are going to a real, established, medical school. They would have the infrastructure to make it happen. Varna seems to have solicited advice from North America in setting up the program. I don't care about CA since I won't be going there. I think the risks are much higher in the Caribbean schools, regardless of how along they have been around. I think Europe is a much better option, even if the program is new. I agree about Poland; I looked into it and it's just an outright scam. There is even a "Polish Medical School" forum solely on how bad those schools really are. But from all indications, Varna is on the right course to make an excellent 4yr European program. Thanks for the comment, Niel!

 

[The Pill Counter]

Unlimited registration with GMC will be a thing of the past for all non-EU schools eventually. Currently my school is accepted for unlimited registration, not for any quality reasons, simply for historical ones, and even that seems to be on the chopping block.

 

[naija_pinoy]

i don't want to drive this post of topic so i'll make this as brief as possible, very few schools outside of the EU produce students that are not required to take the PLAB i.e. students that have provisional or full registration and i think all that will change after 2004 click on this link http://www.gmc-uk.org/register/section_19.htm for more info.

 

[pre-med lost]

It seems that reliance on GMC is not that important now. They're taking it away from even the commonwealth courties and limiting it only to the EU members. This must be purely EU driven and has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with EU protectionism!!!

 

[Stephen Ewen]

That is new info, and new info to me--this info, particularly, from the above site:

2. Likely changes to this route to registration in 2003

In May 2002 the Government published a consultation document in which it proposes a change in the Medical Act which will remove this route to provisional and full registration for these countries. We expect that the legislation will be passed in late 2002. Current provisions are for a one year transitional period so that doctors from Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the West Indies will after the end of 2003 no longer be able to gain UK registration by virtue solely of their qualification. The registration process for these doctors will thereafter be the same as for all other doctors who qualified outside the UK and the EEA (i.e. limited registration).

🙁 This is a bummer from my perpsective. Now, it will first be about citizenship, citizenship, citizenship, and second about which school was attended; and, the schools switch from the ones formerly to the ones in the European Economic Area (EEA). Anybody know right off hand which countries are currently in the EEA?

And thanks for digging up that info, naija_pinoy. Funny how these sorts of things can pass about so quietly. 😡 We all have things to learn from one another, and many eyes and ears are better than one {two}. 😎

Also, I think it is VERY unfair to have just a one year transitional window. What of the folks who two years ago went to one of these schools specifically because of the registraton status??!? 😕

 

[Stephen Ewen]

Monday, November 11, 2002 6:05 PM

Dear Mr. Ewen:

Thank you for your e-mail inquiry. Please be advised that the Medical University of Varna has a limited registration. If you are considering practicing in UK, we strongly urge you to contact the GMC for the most up-to-date regulations concerning non-EU physicians. You may be required to take and pass the PLAB before being allowed to obtain PG training in UK hospitals. The GMC has recently changed its PLAB regulations to provide an exemption for non-UK trained physicians who have been accepted to certain pre-approved UK PG programs. With the EU, there are many changes affecting medical licensure in Europe. However, graduates of this university are eligible for registration and PG training in UK. We hope this answers your question.

Best Wishes
Medical University of Varna
North American Office
C/O Education Resource Management

 

[DAPLAYA]

Just out of curiosity, what med school did you go to?

 

[pre-med lost]

I will be visiting this school sometime in Feb. I'm working with their North American office to set this up. I will post the results of my trip. I'm planning to stay there a week. I think that's long enough to learn first-hand what the program is all about.

 

[pre-med lost]

Here is a site that might be of help for students looking at 4-yr programs in Eastern Europe. The only other country I was able to find offering 4-yr M.D. degrees is Poland. But students should look at this site and make their own judgement about Polish schools. I don't know the accuracy of the information on this site, but it's worth a closer look by anyone looking at Poland. The site is: http://www.network54.com/forum/183613😀