Medical Possible to do a year abroad during residency?

[Question]

I was just wondering if it is at all common or possible to do a year abroad and practice abroad during your residency? I'm sure this must be organized through your residency program, but I was just wondering if anyone had heard this being done.
Thanks

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[NotAProgDirector]

This is extremely difficult to do. Residency programs have a specific quota of residents at each PGY year. If you "take a year off", they then have a class that's a resident short. If they fill that spot with someone else, then there isn't room in the next year to fit you. In addition, as a resident you aren't fully trained, so the concern of sending you to an international site where you may have little / no supervision is an issue. There may be a few programs with a global health focus that have some international experience time built into the program -- you'd still get credit for that time so not end up off cycle. Also, residency programs lose all Medicare funding if a resident is off site, so that also limits options.

 

[GoSpursGo]

@NotAProgDirector beat me to it. This really isn't a thing. If you really desire to do something like this you should do it before med school.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I highly advise AGAINST this. You have 3-5 years to learn your craft. Take it seriously.

 

[PerioDont]

I highly advise AGAINST this. You have 3-5 years to learn your craft. Take it seriously.

Also I can’t see why one would want to extend this time period more than it already is.

Graduate and do whatever you want abroad or stateside

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Also I can’t see why one would want to extend this time period more than it already is.

Graduate and do whatever you want abroad or stateside

Agree. Once you learn your craft, take those skills and you can go abroad. Residency flies by.

 

[gutonc]

While, as outlined above, the answer to your question is "no", I'm curious about your motivation for this.

I ask because there are definitely ways to scratch that "overseas itch" but the mechanisms for doing it will vary based on motivations and end goals.

 

[MusicDOc124]

This is VERY unlikely. Some programs already have abroad rotations set up as a form of community outreach and/or cultural competency. Some programs may allow you to go abroad for a rotation if it's not already set up, but this takes a lot of leg-work, and still would typically for for a single rotation or 2, and typically an elective. As mentioned above, there are quotas, so taking time off for this is also very unlikely and it would affect the program later down the line because they'd need to retain your position, which means the following year they may need to recruit 1 less person as there is a cap for number of people in total. As for practicing abroad outside of being with an organized group or sponsored through the group, you'd need to be licensed, and then apply to the country where you'd want to go. This could take years in some cases, would cost money, and in some cases you would need to take their exam(s) in their language. Then there are questions of who is paying you, malpractice, etc.

TLDR: No. Go abroad for vacation during residency. Practice however/wherever you want after.