please take time to read my story

[irene_s01]

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so here's my story!

I am a medical student in a carribean school. I went to med school back home rite after high school and transferred into a carribean school. I already took my step 1 and am starting my rotations soon. I am worried about my lack of premed ... all i have is 40 credits from that year that i did back home considered as 40 credits of undergrad according to World Education services...

I am worried about my licensing! what should I do? i was thinking about taking my premed online while i do rotations but i dunno if this is such a good idea? SOMEONE PLEASE HELP! I AM FREAKING OUT! I MADE A MISTAKE AND I WANT TO FIX IT <<< I JUST DON:T KNOW HOW!

 

[armybound]

so you got into medical school without an undergraduate degree?

what?

 

[irene_s01]

no i transferred from a 6 year program into a 4 year program ! my school didn;t know the difference,,

now i want to take those premed credits? do i really need all 90 or can i take the prerequisites?

 

[xylem29]

I don't see why you need these credits - if you graduate with an MD and pass all the steps, what's the deal?

 

[irene_s01]

need 90 credits for licensure rite?

 

[xylem29]

90 credits from undergrad or 90 credits from med school?

oh wait, i get it. your med school credits from home count only as undergrad, and you transfered into carribean schools in year 3 and are starting rotations already - which means you skipped the basic science credits??

 

[irene_s01]

undergrad

 

[BellyDancingDoc]

Irene,

It sounds to me like you really, REALLY need to call the licensing board, explain your story, and determine what they require of you.

If you're going to have to take 50 more credits, I don't see any possible way you'd be able to do something like that while in med school. You'd probably have to take at least a year off of med school, complete the necessary undergrad work, and then return and finish your 4th year rotations.

Good luck... it sounds like you may need it.

 

[irene_s01]

i was thinking,. maybe i can do them online!

 

[spicedmanna]

i was thinking,. maybe i can do them online!

You might be able to do some of them online, but probably not all. We are talking about a lot of credits here; some of which may involve lab. I second that you should check with a licensing board on this issue; they will be able to give you a more definitive answer.

PS: It's amazing that you were able to take Step I without a basic science foundation (unless I am misunderstanding your post). My hat's off to you.

 

[irene_s01]

no no i did my basic sciences,, i just didn;t do 90 credits in undergrad

 

[coffeebythelake]

How did you get yourself into this mess?

 

[spicedmanna]

no no i did my basic sciences,, i just didn;t do 90 credits in undergrad

Ah, yeah, I guess I did misunderstand your post. My apologies. Well, I still recommend checking with a licensing authority on exactly what must be done and to what extent.

 

[spicedmanna]

I'm not sure you have all the facts straight, that's why I recommend calling the state medical board (in the state in which you want to get your license). You can find out exactly what's necessary. I looked at New York's requirements, and I didn't see anything about undergraduate credits; they just required that you have an MD/DO, passed the appropriate tests, and have done clinical rotations. But this is from my cursory overview, because my eyes kind of glaze over when I see long legal documents that aren't relevant to me yet. Here's the link for your examination:

http://www.op.nysed.gov/article131.htm

Good luck and contact your state medical board. I see that you are in Canada. I don't know how their regulations are set up. You most definitely need to check with them about their specific rules on licensure and possible options from where you are standing right now. It's always better to get it directly from the horse's mouth.

 

[Karina 07]

Good luck! When you figure this out, please let us know. I don't know that anyone will come by with a similar problem later, but we're rooting for you!

 

[foofish]

I don't see why you need these credits - if you graduate with an MD and pass all the steps, what's the deal?

Actually, the OP has a valid concern...e.g. to get a medical license in Massachusetts, the requirements state: "Pre-medical Education: A minimum of 2 or more academic years at a legally chartered college or university for U.S. and international medical graduates." So the OP at this point couldn't practice in MA....but maybe different states and countries have different requirements, and the OP needs to find out the requirements where she wants to practice.

 

[PathOne]

It's a pretty uniform licensing requirement that you need to show at least 90 credits from undergrad. That's probably the sole reason why even the most shady Carib schools have that as a requirement. You generally simply can't be licensed without it.

But I agree that the most prudent thing is to call a licensing board (or two) and discuss with them.