Russian Doctor - US MD?

[Ascetic4321]

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I have a friend in Russia who just finished his Master's in medicine. I am trying to find out what his path is from here if he wants to practice in America.

Does he need to take the USMLE if he wants to apply to a US school for a Phd / MD? If not, what does he need to do?

I would really appreciate if someone could at least point me in the right direction. Thank you in advance.

 

[DrMidlife]

I have a friend in Russia who just finished his Master's in medicine. I am trying to find out what his path is from here if he wants to practice in America.

Does he need to take the USMLE if he wants to apply to a US school for a Phd / MD? If not, what does he need to do?

I would really appreciate if someone could at least point me in the right direction. Thank you in advance.

If he has the Russian equivalent of an MD (MBBS or whatnot), then he needs to do residency in the US to practice in the US. Med school's over.

That means TOEFL, transcript evaluation, USMLE and the match. See http://ecfmg.org/ for info.

Getting a PhD would be completely separate.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Ascetic4321]

Thanks a lot for the info.

One more question - I don't quite understand what a medical PHD is in the USA. Basically, it means that you can do research / teach but not practice? Would that just take the TOEFL and being accepted to a US school based on grades?

 

[DrMidlife]

One more question - I don't quite understand what a medical PHD is in the USA. Basically, it means that you can do research / teach but not practice?

There is no medical PhD. You get an MD, or you get a PhD, or you do a combined program to get both MD and PhD. There's a federal program for training medical scientists that funds these combined programs, and some schools fund institutional support. Somebody with a foreign medical degree isn't eligible to do such programs because they already have the equivalent of an MD.

If you have an MD, you can practice medicine or teach or (arguably) do research.

If you have a PhD, you can teach or do research.

If you have both, then you can do all of the above. Note that "research" can mean a lot of different things - clinical studies, bench studies, epidemiological studies, etc. Note that MDs frequently also have JDs or MBAs or MPHs or MHAs.

Would that just take the TOEFL and being accepted to a US school based on grades?

This question doesn't make any sense, but I'll guess that you're asking how your Russian "MD" friend would get into a US PhD program.

Generally for a foreign student to get into a US PhD program, the TOEFL is required as well as transcript evaluation, and then you have to get a program to accept you and figure out student visa issues. Generally for US residents, PhD study in a research science is funded and "free". But a student who is not a US resident is expected to pay tuition and living expenses on their own.

You'll get better information by finding somebody who has done what your friend wants to do. There's no standardized PhD admissions process - it varies by school, and there are hundreds of schools in the US that offer PhDs.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Ascetic4321]

Thank you very much again. I used the term "MD" loosely - I don't quite know what it is. He finished 6 years, which makes him a "doctor" in Russia. This isn't a phd though. Seriously, thank you.

 

[Starlightembers]

Thank you very much again. I used the term "MD" loosely - I don't quite know what it is. He finished 6 years, which makes him a "doctor" in Russia. This isn't a phd though. Seriously, thank you.

Here, a PhD is an advanced degree that you pursue after your Bachelors that trains someone to do research (and, arguably, teach) in a particular field. One can get a PhD in essentially any subject: Sociology, Psychology, Microbiology, Biophysics, Physics, Chemistry, Anthropology, etc. Though one can do medical research with a PhD (ex, research the causes of cancer), it is an entirely separate degree and path; it is not a medical degree of any kind.

Here, an MD is our medical degree -- the one that makes someone a doctor. It is completed in four years after one receives their Bachelors degree (which can be in any subject). It trains someone to practice medicine generally and prepares them for further, required training. This training is called a Residency program and is the point where one specializes. This training is needed to practice medicine in the US.

(Sometimes, someone will have both an MD and a PhD. Usually, people who pursue both degrees want to be able to both practice medicine and do research).

As your friend already has a medical degree -- what is considered to be an international equivalent to our MD -- to practice in the US he must complete a Residency program in a particular specialty, ex Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Surgery, etc. To do this, he must first apply for Residency.

Before applying for Residency, he must take the USMLEs. These are the licensing examinations given to ensure competency in licensed doctors. There are three of them (Step 1, 2 and 3). They must all be passed and done well on. Studying is usually required.

If your friend, on the other hand, just wants to come here to do research, not practice, he would get a PhD in whatever field he wanted to do research in. To do this, he would have to take a test called the GREs, the TOFEL and apply to each particular school.