hey all, i did a search for my sn hoping to find my posts and this forum popped up, and now i feel compelled to throw my two cents in, tho i havent read much of this thread
first off - i think american medical schools do have strengths that foreign medical schools may lack. i'm not saying this is true across the board, but it cannot be overlooked that foreign medical students spend significantly more time studying for an exam of medical knowledge (usmle) and don't do quite as well as Americans. and i'm not sure if the language barrier is a sufficient argument.
second, most foreign medical students will willingly admit that american medical students work much harder than their foreign counterparts, especially when on rotations. the number of hours put in, on the floor, time spent learning, doesn't quite compare.
third, i feel the best students should get residency training. training is an effort of an institution, not a nation. as such, if school X believes that the foreign grad is superior to their american applicant, they can certainly go foriegn. however, it seems to me that foreigners are at a distinct disadvantage - lower board scores, possible problems with communication (unable to speak english), fewer hours of training in medical school, age difference (many don't apply till later), which brings the trend towards american students. its all part of the competitive process; medicine is a competitive field, and should be kept that way. if the majority of funds to train that individual are derived from national sources (ie taxes) then efforts should be made to give preference to american graduates. i believe there is not a dearth of qualified american medical graduates.
in the end, a foreign graduate coming to america and training here, in all likelihood, will stay here, pay taxes here, and put in the necessary effort. if one doesn't like the concept of competition, it brings to question what he/she is doing in medicine, but should also be pleased to note that foreign students are undeniably at a disadvantage, and few successfully compete anyway.
i say this confidently because in my culture, it is common to have very large families. as such, i have many cousins who go to medical school in australia, germany, england, and canada. none seem to compare to american medical school standards. then again, they get kicked out on a whim whereas american schools tend to graduate their kids. then again, i feel that's an artifact of the four years of undergrad and strict, extremely competitive process to get in in the first place, which doesnt happen in england.
that is all