The UK medical system, how is it structured?

[omniatlas]

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In the US, its 4 years of medical school followed by your residency (3-5 years); then you can finally become an attending.

How is it structured in the UK (or other countries which are modeled after this system)?

Does 'housemanship' or 'post-graduate studies' follow after you graduate with your MBBS? Could you enter a residency program in the US after graduating with your degree, and will you be required to take Steps 1 or 2?

Sorry for all the newbie questions, but I'm seriously thinking of studying medicine abroad (for the experience) and would like to be assured that it would be possible to return to the US sometime in the future.

Thanks.

 

[Annette]

Yes, you can return, but you will have some hurdles. You have to take all the steps, plus the CSA, and TOEFL (English test).

The UK system takes 5 years of medical school, then there are two 6 month long jobs- one surgery and one medicine- as a pre-registration houseofficer. It is similar to being an intern in the US, but kinder and gentler. Then you have several years as a senior house officer, then registrar (which is where you specialize). The whole process can last anywhere from 4-17 years, depending on how competetive the specialty. You would still have to do post-graduate training in the US if you wanted to come back here after you started UK post-grad training- in other words, the training doesn't transfer as far as licensing goes.

You can probably find more info about the different UK schools that accept non-citizens by searching this forum. Good luck!

 

[omniatlas]

Thanks for the info.

Would it be possible to enter a residency in the states after you complete your MBBS degree?

I know several SDN members are studying abroad with the intent of coming back to practice in the USA. When would you take your steps, and would you participate in match day with all the other US medical graduates?

 

[lola]

a word of caution: if you are applying to the 4 year accelerated med programs for those with a bachelor's degree, be careful. i applied to oxford and had to withdraw my application because the degree is not recognized in california. these programs are new and have not yet been accredited.

 

[Annette]

Yes, you can come back to the US after you get your degree. You can take steps 1&2 anytime, but most people try to take step 1 after finishing basic sciences and step 2 and the CSA before the end of December before the match. You won't have the commeradery of a match day celebration with your fellow students, most likely. I found out from the most supporting and personal internet.

As Lola pointed out, double check with the states where you are interested in practicing that they will accept your degree.

 

[MPS]

I would like to clarify a few points. Upon graduation, a UK doctor works for 12 months as a House Officer. After the House Officer year, you are able to enter a speciality as a Senior House Officer (SHO): some people choose to work as an SHO in a few specialities in order to work out what they want to do in the long run, whilst others work as an SHO in one field before moving on to a Registrar's position in the same field. If you are certain of your ultimate speciality, then it is theoretically possible to get through all of the required SHO posts in 2 years, and Registrar posts in 4-5 years. In competitive specialities, it is difficult to secure a Registrar's post and many people complete an MD (which is higher research degree in the UK) or a PhD in order to make themselves more competitive.

As a general rule, graduate courses are only open to EU residents: Oxford is the exception. However, I fail to understand why Californian Medical Board don't recognise the Oxford graduate program, and in view of the fact that 4-year graduate entry programs are required under EU law to provide the same minimum number of hours of training as standard courses, I don't think that this stance is legally tenable.

 

[lola]

However, I fail to understand why Californian Medical Board don't recognise the Oxford graduate program, and in view of the fact that 4-year graduate entry programs are required under EU law to provide the same minimum number of hours of training as standard courses, I don't think that this stance is legally tenable.

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yeah... it is very bizarre, but that's what the woman from the califonia medical board told me (rather rudely) when i asked. i asked for clarification b/c it seemed absurd, but she got really rude and told me that that's how it is & i shouldn't consider the program if i want to come back to california. i used to have the email but recently deleted it. she said it wasn't even on their list of schools to approve so she didn't know when they'd get around to it.