The Student Room Group

Studying Medicine Abroad

Applying to medicine can be an incredibly challenging process, from writing a perfect personal statement to obtaining offers.. applicants undergo extreme stress! However, even those who were successful in getting offers cannot rest in peace until results day which is approaching near very fast!! And for those who were not so successful, you may feel hopeless and unsure of what to do next in terms of your medicine career.
Studying medicine abroad is not necessarily the first option that may come to your mind while figuring out what to do. This is not an easy option, requires a lot of thought process and research. To make this easier for those of you who are already going through stress, I have created this thread! From personal experience, I will aim to answer all your questions..no matter how big or small!
I am currently studying medicine in Romania! I have just completed my first year and in october..I will be starting my second!! The course is taught entirely in English and yes you do have romanian language classes everyweek but not much emphasis is placed on learning the language although the faster you learn it, the better for later years! The course structure may be slightly different from UK medical schools but even in the UK, each medical school differs from one another.. The course content is pretty much the same when I compare to my other friends who are in UK medical school. The students orginate from all over the world...Greece, Turkey, Sweden, Norway, Israel, England, Germany...
The degree is recognised by WHO, GMC... which makes it possible to come back here and continue with our medical careers!
If you have any further questions..please ask! I am willing to answer as I know that this is a very difficult choice to make!! :smile:
(edited 11 years ago)

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Reply 1
Is it any easier (less competitive) to get into med school if you apply abroad rather than in the UK?
When you study medicine abroad, will you be at a disadvantage to english graduates when you come back to practise in england? I'd like to study abroad, knowing that i'm able to come back and be able to fairly get the opportunity to work wherever.
Original post by ytemps7
Is it any easier (less competitive) to get into med school if you apply abroad rather than in the UK?


Yes..its easier to get a place into the medical school abroad if you have good GCSEs and A-Levels in sciences. However this does not mean, the medical school itself is any easier..the way we are taught is a bit different than UK students which means we have exams every week that we must pass!! When i discuss this with my friends in UK medical schools, they find that it is different to theirs where they are not constantly tested.
Original post by MissPotentialDR
When you study medicine abroad, will you be at a disadvantage to english graduates when you come back to practise in england? I'd like to study abroad, knowing that i'm able to come back and be able to fairly get the opportunity to work wherever.


I am not 100% sure about the answer to this question as I am not a graduate yet however as your degree is fully recognised by GMC then I shouldnt think it will be a problem and if you look around hospitals in UK, you will be able to see the large amount of international graduates that work in our hospitals so I dont think we should find it difficult to find a job!
In your case, are all your patients you practice on romanian?
Original post by laura111294
In your case, are all your patients you practice on romanian?


I havent started my placement in hospital properly yet as I have just completed my first year but I did have a module of behavioural sciences this year which meant I visited the psychiatric hospitals a few times...there I saw patients that were from Turkey and Italy aswell as Romania. The city that I am in is very multicultural so we get people from many different places!
Original post by medicine_abroad
I am not 100% sure about the answer to this question as I am not a graduate yet however as your degree is fully recognised by GMC then I shouldnt think it will be a problem and if you look around hospitals in UK, you will be able to see the large amount of international graduates that work in our hospitals so I dont think we should find it difficult to find a job!


Okay, thank you for your help. How did you know that romania was for you? I wanna study abroad but I don't know where to start! I was thinking the caribbean, in particular, St Georges, but the fees :O !
Reply 8
Original post by medicine_abroad
Applying to medicine can be an incredibly challenging process, from writing a perfect personal statement to obtaining offers.. applicants undergo extreme stress! However, even those who were successful in getting offers cannot rest in peace until results day which is approaching near very fast!! And for those who were not so successful, you may feel hopeless and unsure of what to do next in terms of your medicine career.
Studying medicine abroad is not necessarily the first option that may come to your mind while figuring out what to do. This is not an easy option, requires a lot of thought process and research. To make this easier for those of you who are already going through stress, I have created this thread! From personal experience, I will aim to answer all your questions..no matter how big or small!
I am currently studying medicine in Romania! I have just completed my first year and in october..I will be starting my second!! The course is taught entirely in English and yes you do have romanian language classes everyweek but not much emphasis is placed on learning the language although the faster you learn it, the better for later years! The course structure may be slightly different from UK medical schools but even in the UK, each medical school differs from one another.. The course content is pretty much the same when I compare to my other friends who are in UK medical school. The students orginate from all over the world...Greece, Turkey, Sweden, Norway, Israel, England, Germany...
The degree is recognised by WHO, GMC... which makes it possible to come back here and continue with our medical careers!
If you have any further questions..please ask! I am willing to answer as I know that this is a very difficult choice to make!! :smile:




Do you HAVE to learn the language? And is it needed in the course/further on in the course?
Original post by IgorYakov
Do you HAVE to learn the language? And is it needed in the course/further on in the course?


You have a lesson every week on the language and also an end of year test in which they pass everyone! But still yes you should make an effort in learning the language as its useful later on when your communicating with patients!
If you apply to a European university does it count as one of the choices on ucas?

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my HTC Desire
Original post by laura111294
If you apply to a European university does it count as one of the choices on ucas?

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my HTC Desire


No it doesnt :smile:
I'll be applying through UCAS and abroad simultaneously this time...Romania is one of my options, along with Russia, Poland, China, Japan

How did you apply to the Romanian universities? and to which one did you apply to? and did it require an entrance exam?
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 13
How much doesthe degree cost per year?
Original post by medicine_abroad
Yes..its easier to get a place into the medical school abroad if you have good GCSEs and A-Levels in sciences. However this does not mean, the medical school itself is any easier..the way we are taught is a bit different than UK students which means we have exams every week that we must pass!! When i discuss this with my friends in UK medical schools, they find that it is different to theirs where they are not constantly tested.


will you be able to come back in practice in UK? if so, do you have to do your F1 and F2 years in Romania or K?
Original post by AishaTara
will you be able to come back in practice in UK? if so, do you have to do your F1 and F2 years in Romania or K?


Yes definitely you will be able to practice in UK! Your degree will be recognised fully without needing to do any further exams such as PLABS when you get back! The degree course is six years long which means you will be able to do F2 back in UK if you wish!
Original post by medicine_abroad
Yes definitely you will be able to practice in UK! Your degree will be recognised fully without needing to do any further exams such as PLABS when you get back! The degree course is six years long which means you will be able to do F2 back in UK if you wish!

thank you very much! emailed the gmc and got the same response, however how likely is it to get offered a job? if that makes sense, I imagine alot of priority goes to UK med graduates, but I'd be happy to work anywhere within the UK. I don't know if anyone knows the stats, but how many jobs do they have for FY1 and how many do graduates abroad get? :l
Original post by medicine_abroad
Yes definitely you will be able to practice in UK! Your degree will be recognised fully without needing to do any further exams such as PLABS when you get back! The degree course is six years long which means you will be able to do F2 back in UK if you wish!



Those wishing to return to the UK after their Foundation Training are not permitted to undertake both Foundation Year 1 and Foundation Year 2 years abroad. Most Foundation Schools will not give permission for F1 to be completed overseas (for example, North Central Thames Foundation School NCTFS - only permits non-UK/EEA citizens to apply for this in their home countries and they need to accept that they will apply in open competition for any vacant F2 posts, if they decide to return to the UK to complete F2). It is likely that you will need to gain permission from both your Medical School and Foundation School

As always, you need to plan very early and allow at least 8 months planning time ahead of your start of F1 year.


:frown:
Original post by AishaTara
Those wishing to return to the UK after their Foundation Training are not permitted to undertake both Foundation Year 1 and Foundation Year 2 years abroad. Most Foundation Schools will not give permission for F1 to be completed overseas (for example, North Central Thames Foundation School NCTFS - only permits non-UK/EEA citizens to apply for this in their home countries and they need to accept that they will apply in open competition for any vacant F2 posts, if they decide to return to the UK to complete F2). It is likely that you will need to gain permission from both your Medical School and Foundation School

As always, you need to plan very early and allow at least 8 months planning time ahead of your start of F1 year.


:frown:


Yes I understand that its difficult to get FY1 and FY2 jobs but that applies to the UK graduates and EU graduates! Its difficult for both! But that does not mean its impossible! It is still possible to get a place if you stay determined but in any case, many graduates complete both years of their foundation years abroad and come back to practice in the UK which is also a good option!
Reply 19
Hello, which school are you studying in at Romania? Thanks in advanced

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