UK Education, US Practice?

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TheRealSocrates

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I'm a high school student in America and am considering applying to Oxbridge for my medical education. Compared to the American system, the lower cost, high prestige, and less time spent in school, and different culture of Oxbridge highly appeal to me. Ideally, I would be educated there and practice in the States. However, from what I've read I understand it is a tedious and lengthy process of getting re-certified (Steps 1,2, and 3) and apparently many foreign residencies must be redone in America. In addition, I have also read about more competition among foreign graduates for certain specialized residency positions. Any help regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated!

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UK residency training is not recognized in the US. If you want to practice in the US, you can do medical school in the UK, then apply for a US residency spot.

Getting a residency spot as an international grad is definitely possible. You would need to take the USMLE steps (1 and 2). You would really want to do at least one, and preferably several, rotations here in the US. US medical schools might charge you tuition for doing so. Needing a visa might limit your options.

Getting a competitive spot as an IMG is definitely an uphill battle. That said, going to a top notch UK school, having good step scores, and US rotations will likely open doors. All other things being equal, being a US grad will make your application much more competitive.
 
If you actually get into Oxford or Cambridge for Medicine, no one would fault you for going. Getting the opportunity to live abroad for 6 years, study medicine straight from high school and especially at a highly competitive university no US residency program would seriously fault you for that in most cases they would actively want to recruit you.
 
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I'm a high school student in America and am considering applying to Oxbridge for my medical education. Compared to the American system, the lower cost, high prestige, and less time spent in school, and different culture of Oxbridge highly appeal to me. Ideally, I would be educated there and practice in the States. However, from what I've read I understand it is a tedious and lengthy process of getting re-certified (Steps 1,2, and 3) and apparently many foreign residencies must be redone in America. In addition, I have also read about more competition among foreign graduates for certain specialized residency positions. Any help regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated!

I'm doing an MSc at Oxford, and as the above poster mentioned, IME residency directors probably wouldn't hold going here for an MBBS against you.

However, if you came here out of high school, you would have to be committed to medicine since you're basically bypassing a bachelors, where people usually explore/find their interests. So, if you're accepted, be sure that medicine is really what you want to do and understand that it'll take a lot of extra work for the step exams, rotations, etc. as the above poster mentioned. Even if you came here, to match something competitive your step scores and letters will have to be on par with US MD grads.
 
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