Trinity College, Ireland or University of Queensland

[mai83]

Hey everyone,

I have quite the dilemna to which I have to sort out ASAP. What is a better school for a Canadian student who eventually hopes to return to Canada one day? Is there a website that compares international medical schools based on different variables?

If you have any information on the quality of education either at Trinity or Queensland, please share!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Winged Scapula]

There is no website that I am aware of that compares the two schools.

Trinity is probably much more well known in the US and has a longer history of taking grads here to work; not so sure about Canada.

I think its probably 6 of one, half-dozen of the other as far as quality of education goes; Trinity may be more old fashioned, but then again, the UK tends to be that way when compared to Oz. Ireland will be closer to home so you could visit more often if thats a factor.

If it were me, I'd just pick the place I'd feel more comfortable...

 

[deleted59964]

do you like Guinness?

 

[leorl]

Both are known to be good schools. I don't know anything about Queensland. But at the moment, Trinity College although enjoying a good reputation and performing adequately in terms of education, isn't the most supportive place for students. People have gotten through this obviously but it isn't the nicest of experiences.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

Being that you are Canadian and that Canada and Australia are both Commonwealth nations, Queensland is a better choice, if you undergo some postgraduate training in Australia, I believe that Canada will give you credit for that. Ireland being part of the European Union is very restrictive towards non-EU nationals who plan to work in Ireland after graduation. Trinity College is a 5 yer program, and it is far more expensive due to the strong Euro, I think even at 42K AUD a year, its still less expensive than Trinity.

 

[redshifteffect]

Hey everyone,

I have quite the dilemna to which I have to sort out ASAP. What is a better school for a Canadian student who eventually hopes to return to Canada one day? Is there a website that compares international medical schools based on different variables?

If you have any information on the quality of education either at Trinity or Queensland, please share!!

This is a personal opinion as I got into Trinity College Dublin (but that was 6 years ago) and they even offered me a 1 year exemption.

1) cost of living is higher in Ireland
2) No guaranteed jobs after you graduate in Ireland...because there are a surplus of grads
3) In Australia even though there are no guarantees at least there are excess jobs especially post intern...RMO jobs are hardly ever filled


So basically the reason I chose Oz was because if you don't get a match in Canada the training you get in Oz (esp for Family Med) is recognised in many provinces. I've so far met 5 professors here who have run (ie head) hospitals in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta with no extra exams and only their Australian qualifications. They were offered perm. positions over there (but I guess they may have had to write some exams at that point) but refused (I'm guessing because of family reasons/weather )

I'd like the odds of getting back to Canada this way, then taking a risk with CaRMs. Basically last time I checked the odds of getting a match in Canada for Internationals are not that great...so if your goal is to go back you either have to go via USMLE to the US or stay in Oz and finish training here.

That brings me to the story of a graduate of Flinders that I met. He was a Canadian who got a match in the US. However he didn't realise that to get the J1 visa you needed to have completed the MCCEE in order for the gov't to give you the 'letter'. Then you have to leave the US for 2 years after graduation, during which time you may not be able to get a job anywhere...so you basically have to go on an H1B visa, which is subject to a lot of restrictions.

Basically for all of the above reasons I chose to cover my bets with an Oz school. Things may have changed in the mean time, so I'd welcome other comments.

 

[pattycanuck]

From someone who has worked in Ireland, Australia and Canada, if you had to choose between Ireland and Australia purely for "reputation to be known in Canada" - Ireland with out hesitation.

This does not by any means regard Australian medical education as second to Irish education.

My point is as follows - graduates practicing here (from consultant/attending to junior): Ireland>>>Australia - more recognized because of the +++CURRENT Irish staff on payroll at many centres.

 

[reeve]

Hey Mai83,

I'm a Canadian and I also have a deferral from Australia, the University of Sydney, as well as an offer from Trinity College.

Going overseas for medical school was really a back-up plan for me as I was intending on re-applying to Canadian schools this fall when I complete my Masters. I held back from re-applying in Canada this past admissions cycle and sent out some international applications in hopes of deferring them as backup plans.

However, now I find myself debating the idea of simply skipping re-application to Canada and taking one of the offers. The Canadian Medical Association published a report on Canadians studying medicine overseas (Search the CMAJ site or write me back and I can email you the PDF) which shows that the best odds for returning to Canada, as far as the stats of this report are concerned, were for those students studying in Western Europe. This primarily consists of Irish medical school graduates.

For me, I've always had it in my head that I would study medicine in Canada and get an MD at home. I'm rather stubborn, and would very much like to give things another go in Canada now that I have this Masters. However, I know that the more logical choice is to go ahead with the option in Ireland. I am not aiming for a competitive residency (Comm. Med.) and the current literature and CaRMS' direction (IMGs being allowed to compete in the first round) are pointing towards increased training positions in Canada for those with citizenship or permanent residence. And while this can't be guaranteed, my conversations with TCD staff and students have been promising. It's also interesting to note that currently 25% of practicing physicians in Canada have not been domestically trained.

Lastly, I'm from Ontario. So I didn't feel compelled to take organic chemistry since it isn't required by the majority of Ontario schools, especially the ones in which I was interested. So my options are limited for re-application outside of the province. Realistically, my best shots are with Northern and Ottawa, the two schools with which I previously had interviews. But after recently visiting Ireland, Lakehead & Laurention Universities (and I mean no offense) don't hold much of a candle next to Trinity College.

I believe I've done all the research that I can manage and it has become a personal decision at this point. However, I feel that I've already made the decision and right now I'm slowly warming up to the idea.

Best of luck with your choice.

 

[UQgrad]

Hi Mai83,
I've had a bit of a rant about the quality of UQ under the recent "Is Queensland a good 2nd choice?" thread. Hope it helps.
Good luck
(PS: Having lived in Brisbane and Dublin - I'd pick Dublin every time, amazing city... if you can afford it)

 

[JBA]

Reeve,
Just a bit of advice I wish I had gotten a few years ago. I am currently in my last year of med in Australia and am hoping to get back to Canada. Despite what area of med you want, Canada is no sure bet. If you are halfway through a master's I would seriously suggest you finish that and apply again to Canada. I didn't do a Master's and came to Australia simply because I was jaded over the fact I didn't get into Canada and wasn't interested in a Master's. In hindsight though I would have done the Master's.
I'm sure it seems that getting into med as soon as possible is the most important thing. But don't forger Ireland is 5 years and due the timing of the year in Australia you end up missing a Carms match year anyway. ie if you start in 2007 you are in Carms 2011.
Perhaps the biggest thing I wish I knew was the cost. Tuition is expensive, but that is a given. What you might not know is that to return to Canada you will have to complete electives in Canada which will be $1000-2000, you need to do the MCCEE for $1000, the MCCQE for $700 and the CE1 for $700 (optional but recommended). Add in the cost of flights and the cost of living in Dublin or Brisbane compared to smaller places in Canada and the costs definitely go up. These might sound like a small amount but when they all hit you within a 6 month period it can get pricey. Going overseas is an expensive gamble so don't be too short-sighted.
Regardless, both Ireland and Australia give you an education that will be on par with the Canadians so don't worry about that. Just really give it some though about heading overseas. I wish I had thought about it a little more......Best of luck.