US,EU double citizen, US premed, seeking to move to UK

[WmPet77]

Hello,

I am currently a junior pre-medical student at a US university. I moved to the US 15 years ago from an EU country and now have a double citizenship. I am very interested in having a life and a medical career in an English-speaking country that is not the US, and was wondering how I might go about doing this. Should I get my medical degree here and then make the move, or is there an affordable way to get a postgraduate medical education in the UK?

Also, can I expect to benefit from my EU citizenship (in terms of tuition, job placement, etc) if I have not resided in the EU since 1997?

Any advise or direction is much appreciated. This is a bit of an odd case, and I really haven't found anything useful online.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[JohnSnow]

There are a few options for you.

To be considered an EU resident for tuition purposes at medical schools in the UK & Ireland you must live in Europe for 3 out of 5 years before the course starts.

If you packed up and moved to Europe today you could expect to receive EU tuition benefits from these countries commencing in 2016 (unless you have been to Europe for a few trips over the last 5 years, I believe every day an EU citizen spends in Europe "counts" toward residency). By doing this you would save a considerable amount of money.

The University of Groningen in the Netherlands has a 6 year program. The first 3 years are taught in English, the last 3 in Dutch. I don't believe there is a residency requirement to get EU tuition for this program. So if you forgo Senior year, applied to start next year, you would get a MUCH cheaper education (I believe tuition is around 3000 Euros, $4000, a year) at the expense of being in medical school one year longer (than if you took the traditional 4+4 US approach).

There are also less expensive English language programs in Italy, and Poland. Poland has some 4 year graduate entry programs, I believe the programs in Italy are all 6 year.

Or you could opt to attend medical school in the UK or Ireland as an international student and pay international fees, if you don't want to live in Europe for 3 years prior to the course. There are 4 years graduate entry programs in both places, and they all cost about $50,000/year, give or take, based on current exchange rates.

Regarding job placement after graduation, whether or not you pay domestic or international tuition for your degree, you will be viewed the same as all other EU applicants. Essentially, if you're an EU citizen, and possess an EU medical degree, unless there is a major red flag somewhere, you'll get a job. Unless you come from Romania & Bulgaria, then I believe you need some sort of approval.

 

[WmPet77]

Thank you for the information! As it happens, I am from Bulgaria. If I did get an EU medical degree, say at the University on Groningen, what extra approval would I have to get in order to obtain a position, given my background?

Also, what are my options if I get my medical degree in the US and then want to practice in Europe? I have read a lot about US citizen doctors having to go through a series of approval processes, but how would this process change with my EU (Bulgarian) citizenship?

 

[JohnSnow]

Thank you for the information! As it happens, I am from Bulgaria. If I did get an EU medical degree, say at the University on Groningen, what extra approval would I have to get in order to obtain a position, given my background?

Also, what are my options if I get my medical degree in the US and then want to practice in Europe? I have read a lot about US citizen doctors having to go through a series of approval processes, but how would this process change with my EU (Bulgarian) citizenship?

It's my understanding that Bulgarians need approval from the UK government to work in the UK. But requesting the right to work in the UK to be a doctor would probably be a formality, since the UK, like everywhere else in the world, needs doctors. But it's best to check with their immigration officials. I actually just did a quick google search. The restrictions placed on Bulgarians & Romanians for the UK expire in 2013, so it wont effect you anyway.

Going to medical school in the US, your best option is to get into a US MD school, not a DO school, as the MD degree has better global recognition. If you want to practice in the UK later you'll have to sit their PLAB exams.

If you went to Groningen, you should have no major problems practicing in the UK, I believe you would be exempt from the PLAB due to graduating from an EU medical school and not being a UK citizen (a weird loophole that exists) and you could just apply for registration with the UK's GMC to start your foundation year training (kind of like their version of a medical residency).