PhD student caught at a cross roads

[bwatts]

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Hey Everyone!
I seem to have met a cross roads and I could really use some advice. I am a Canadian PhD student at McMaster in Medical Sciences. I am about to graduate this January. Previously I did my masters as well. I have written the MCAt with a 10/10/10 and bachelors gpa of 3.2 - I know its not amazing these stats but I really want to do med school. PhDs seem to be highly regarded at University of Toronto so I ideally want to go there (and I feel that I could have a good shot) but I have so far been accepted into Sydney, Melbourne, and Queensland. But unfortunately I will not hear from Toronto, Queens, Mcmaster or the other 15 schools I applied to in the US. I am wondering if I should try to defer my Australia acceptance and wait to hear on these other schools. I could stretch out the PhD till May so that I have an excuse for deferral. Or should I just go and stop wasting time waiting around?? I have already been in school for 9.5 years so I am eager to start med school but the whole residency issue worries me going overseas. Any suggestions would be great!!!

 

[QofQuimica]

Where do you intend to wind up practicing? Ideally, it would be best to train in the country that you intend to practice in. It will just make your life so much easier in terms of getting a residency, licensing, etc. So if you plan to end up in Canada, it's probably worth trying to get into a Canadian school, especially if the Australian schools will grant you a deferral.

 

[Aelius]

Hey Everyone!
I seem to have met a cross roads and I could really use some advice. I am a Canadian PhD student at McMaster in Medical Sciences. I am about to graduate this January. Previously I did my masters as well. I have written the MCAt with a 10/10/10 and bachelors gpa of 3.2 - I know its not amazing these stats but I really want to do med school. PhDs seem to be highly regarded at University of Toronto so I ideally want to go there (and I feel that I could have a good shot) but I have so far been accepted into Sydney, Melbourne, and Queensland. But unfortunately I will not hear from Toronto, Queens, Mcmaster or the other 15 schools I applied to in the US. I am wondering if I should try to defer my Australia acceptance and wait to hear on these other schools. I could stretch out the PhD till May so that I have an excuse for deferral. Or should I just go and stop wasting time waiting around?? I have already been in school for 9.5 years so I am eager to start med school but the whole residency issue worries me going overseas. Any suggestions would be great!!!

I'm a bit confused by your posting. You applied to medical school in Australia, Canada, and the US for admission for Fall of 2014 or 2015? If it is for Fall of 2014, wouldn't you have heard back from every school already?

As a sidenote, do you want to practice in the US, Canada, or Australia? I'm not sure how easy it would be to secure a residency spot in Canada with an Australian medical degree but it would be pretty difficult to try to do that in the US. You would be considered an IMG and would pretty much have equal priority as the Caribbean students.

 

[Scottish Chap]

Hey Everyone!
I seem to have met a cross roads and I could really use some advice. I am a Canadian PhD student at McMaster in Medical Sciences. I am about to graduate this January. Previously I did my masters as well. I have written the MCAt with a 10/10/10 and bachelors gpa of 3.2 - I know its not amazing these stats but I really want to do med school. PhDs seem to be highly regarded at University of Toronto so I ideally want to go there (and I feel that I could have a good shot) but I have so far been accepted into Sydney, Melbourne, and Queensland. But unfortunately I will not hear from Toronto, Queens, Mcmaster or the other 15 schools I applied to in the US. I am wondering if I should try to defer my Australia acceptance and wait to hear on these other schools. I could stretch out the PhD till May so that I have an excuse for deferral. Or should I just go and stop wasting time waiting around?? I have already been in school for 9.5 years so I am eager to start med school but the whole residency issue worries me going overseas. Any suggestions would be great!!!

I strongly recommend that you complete your medical training in Canada or the U.S. Defer overseas offers if you can (they'll probably know what you're doing, and may take the spot away but you can try), and wait on hearing back from North American programs. As others will tell you, a medical school in the country where you intend to practice will prepare you best. This is even ignoring the issues you'll face with medical licensing examinations which medical schools in other counties won't know much about, and you'll find yourself preparing alone.

It's true that U of T gives special consideration to those who have graduate degrees and, more importantly, to those with academic publications. I received an interview there, though I applied as an international (they had around 7 places reserved for internationals back then). I'm sure you know your chances at McMaster are probably less than a U.S. program.

FWIW, I know several Canadians educated in U.S. allopathic medical schools who were able to match in Ontario following graduation. Yes, there are a couple of logistical rules, but it's possible--particularly if you are willing to work in a slightly remote area for a while. If you become obsessed with a very competitive specialty this will be a problem, but I'm sure you know that.

It boils down to how far you are willing to go. From what you've posted, you seem to have the academic ability and drive to get through medical school. Those who attend medical schools in countries outside of where they live and wish to practice truly have a disadvantage right from the beginning. Those that have huge success (obtain their first choice residency/location, for example) are truly exceptions and you should not embark on this path expecting that you will be one of those. I've met a few of the unlucky ones while moonlighting in remote areas--often they are forced to take short-term contracts in undesirable locations with not-so-great working conditions, and often they are working in specialties they were not originally trained in (IM or family medicine doctors working in rural emergency rooms is a common one I see).

I wish you the very best.