Questions/Concerns about Ireland - any advice?

[TexasGuy41]

Hey everyone,

I have a few questions about Ireland - specifically UCD. I was recently accepted there and I'm trying to figure out what to do.

I've noticed that the Irish grads do really well in the match - so I'm assuming that they do well on the USMLE as well. My questions is this: when do they take both steps? Their curriculum seems great - but it seems to progress at a different timetable than the US schools. This is a big concern to me -because I do not want to end up in Kaplan after 5 years of Ireland trying to pass the boards.

Also, do any Irish students do rotations in the States - UCD has some info on this but it seems spotty and tough to figure out?

What would everyone do if you were comparing SGU/UCD or a post-grad Master's (like Gtown, Finch, or BU)? I'm sure I'd have an awesome time in Ireland - maybe TOO good of a time. Plus I want to be absolutely certain I can come back and do a residency.

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[leorl]

Timing of the USMLE depends on personal preference a bit. Some students like to take it the summer after their third year (sort of a marker between preclinical and clinical years). The problem with that is that you still get material during 4th and 5th years that are applicable to the USMLE, so those people teach themselves quite a bit. I don't know how that works for them. The majority of people I've seen take it the beginning of their 5th year. So they take Step I 5th year, and Step II during 6th year. This takes quite a bit of discipline, as several major examinations happen during those years.

I don't think you have anything to worry about concerning residency and ending up in Kaplan .

Irish students do rotations in the US if they choose. I am unsure of the process, but it is a possibility.

 

[JMD]

Personally,
I would definitely choose UCD before a postgrad Master's, or SGU. Just my personal opinion. I don't think there is any problem doing rotations, passing boards, obtaining residency, etc. if you are coming from Ireland. In my case, had I decided on Ireland, it would have been for the life experience, not just because they offered me a spot in medicine. If you just want to go and get done with your 4 yrs. of med, I think SGU is a good option, but if you are looking for a broader life experience, then Ireland would be great. Again, it depends on exactly what you're looking for. If you will never be content without the U.S. "MD," then do a master's program.

 

[roo]

You can write the USMLE I after 2 years are completed. Since the med school at UCD is 5 years most at UCD write it after 3. A five year course just has more opportunity to learn the details so you will pretty much demolish the exam to whatever extent that you need for your desired field. Better scores will be had by using the First Aid for USMLE Step I recommended texts when doing the UCD courses (eg BRS Pathology). You won't have studied behavioural medicine by that point, but it is a 3-4 days to learn it from BRS Behavioural. Most write Step 2 in the summer before final year. Some fields don't require Step 2 for the interview trail, so you can leave it as late as the wintertime (end of Jan) of final year. Step 2 results are usually the same or a bit lower than Step 1 (sucked down by medicine and surgery components, of which 2 big slices are in the second half of final year). The CSA is done in the summer/fall of final year and is an utter snap compared to what you need to know for clinical examination in Ireland, so the CSA does not need to be prepared for--you just book an appointment for Philly or Atlanta and go do it.

If you are a Canadian, you write the MCEE exam in the Nov of Final year (for going to USA on a J1 visa, or for Canada to enter the Canadian match).

Best wishes,
roo

 

[Badkarma25]

hey texasguy,
thanks for your positive encouragement about my chances at SGU...now I just need to get my rear in gear and take a half course in physics this summer, write the august mcat, and i'll be all set to apply.

with regard to your dilemma, i just had one thought after reading the posts...a lot of people keep making the whole "life experience" comparison between ireland and the carribean....i am going to play the devil's advocate and say that living in the carribean would be an excellent life experience also, and i see no reason why you couldn't consider that to be on par with ireland...as a canadian, these experiences seem roughly equal to me. on one hand you get to live in europe and have access to a lot of places...on the other hand, you live on a carribean island for a short time, and then get to experience different areas of the u.s. (most likely)...so really it depends on your perspective, and as jmd said, your goals...if you want to get in and out, then it seems as though the carribean route might be for you...but if you're not in any real rush and want to smell the roses a bit, then i say head for the emerald isle. you'll get a fine education either way, and as an american you won't have any trouble with residency issues coming out of either program (lucky you!).

i think a major issue comes down to the perceived stigma of going to one school over another...there doesn't seem to be any stigma attached to going to irish schools, but many people feel stigmatized (and usually unnecessarily i might add) over going to carribean schools....i'm not sure if that's a consideration for you or not, but something to think about....good luck with your decision, i'm sure you'll enjoy it no matter where you go.

 

[roo]

The UCD ones that they describe are the ones that are pre-configured, and scholarship based. You get your lodging, tickets and some spending money paid for by UCD. I didn't take one of these, but some friends did. The rotations are at UPenn or Kansas. They are for 2 months in summertime. Most are clinical (med/surg) and a few are research based.

Most likely though you will want to arrange your own, taking ones that are in a place where you want to work, or desired field, and preferably both. Beth Israel, Mayo, Cleveland Clinic are 3 most popular destinations for UCD students, as well as going to one's home area. Most are in the summertime (so that you don't step on their normal med students), which fits well since is your breaktime from UCD anyways.

Some electives cost money, others don't. Some require that Med,Surg,Peds,Obs be done before starting, others don't. You get to select the order of Peds/Obs/Psyche in final year at UCD, be sure to pick Peds/Obs before summer and psyche after summer if you want to do an elective where Med/Surg/Peds/Obs have to be done before starting the elective.

There is a boatload of time for electives/independent study/research in your five years of training including as much as a month at Christmas and long summer and spring breaks especially in the first 3 years. If you use your breaktimes wisely, your CV will be pretty slick by the time it gets to application time for residency (plus you yourself will have lots of first-hand experience about what things you enjoyed doing, so that you can make a better life career choice).

Best wishes,
roo