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Want To Study MEDICINE In The US?

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Original post by cursepainter
hi guys. Im doing my last year of medicine in russia, and I want to do my residency in the us, whats the procedure to follow...??? and i'd also like to proceed to specialising in OB/GYN..:smile:


Have you even done the smallest bit of research here? Unless you have a US Visa, don't bother as most medical schools/colleges don't accept internationals at all and the ones that due, expect LITERALLY only a handful from their international applicant take.

Take HMS, they (well representatives from Harvard College) came to our school to give a talk about admissions, and they also let us know about HLS, HMS etc. They accepted 3 students from over 1,600 applications from international students. Generally, about 7,000 students applied and offers were made to 130 (with 3 of them being the internationals from the 1,600 who applied).

The reason is that they want students who have preferably studied their undergraduate in the US or Canada, at least studied studied in either country for one year - then your chances are as good as anyone else, as the visa requirements are lessened/eased. If your not in this category, not only do you have to satisfy certain course requirements at your home university from which you have gained a BA from in advance, but your acceptance rate IS ABSURDLY LOW to the point where you have no chance at all.

If your looking at medical schools out of the Top 20/30, then perhaps things may be different, but the visa-internatinal issue is evident at any medical college in the US frankly.
(edited 13 years ago)
Original post by mandy279
what courses will I have to opt for after my 12th standard to become a cardiac surgeon? what exams will get me the admission?

Hard to answer as not enough information is given. Which country are you studying in? Are in in high school? What is 12th standard?

If you are in the UK, you're going to need A levels/highers in the sciences before any medical school will look at you: definitely chemistry, and usually one other science in England and 2 others in Scotland. I recommend studying physics at least at the GCSE/standard grade level. Understanding physics will help you out a lot in medical school physiology.
Original post by seunn
is it possible to, after having done an undergraduate ba course and then graduated from a us med school to come back to the uk to practice?

A U.S. medical degree (with British Citizenship) can get you into an FY1 (basic house officer) post through the back door in the U.K. I almost did this. If you complete a U.S. residency and are the equivalent of a British consultant, there are creative ways to practice in the U.K. (after a LOT of paperwork). I have known a few people to do this. Post-medical school training in the U.K. and U.S. is not interchangeable. It's all or nothing. The U.S. will not give partial credit for house officer training in the U.K. and vice versa. You have to finish what you started or start from the beginning again.
Original post by Choccy94
I'd rather study in America/Canada (Much prefer Canada to be honest) because I've recently had a massive fall out with the NHS, mainly because the doctors seem to be really poorly trained.

Are the requirements/chances any different in Canada?

Yes, it's very different in Canada and, in my opinion, it's harder. You have to pass exams called the MCQEE before you can apply to a Canadian residency (it's called CARMS....ERAS is the U.S. agency).

Don't be so hard on British doctors. That said, with a maximum work-week of 48hrs, something has to give (quality of the training experience) and that's why it will take you about 7 years to become a consultant if you are lucky. I'll stick with my 80-hour work-week in the U.S. and be done in 3-4 years.
Reply 64
Right, so if I get my medical degree in the UK, and do well in the USMLE, do I have a realistic chance of getting a residency place in the US? Cheers
Reply 65
Original post by KCosmo
Right, so if I get my medical degree in the UK, and do well in the USMLE, do I have a realistic chance of getting a residency place in the US? Cheers


Yes? No?
Original post by KCosmo
Yes? No?


Do you have US citizenship or a Green Card?

If not, then no.
Reply 67
Original post by manchild007
Do you have US citizenship or a Green Card?

If not, then no.


Is it not possible to obtain a green card if you are a doctor wanting to work in the US? I thought that they wanted skilled professionals to come over?
Original post by KCosmo
Is it not possible to obtain a green card if you are a doctor wanting to work in the US? I thought that they wanted skilled professionals to come over?


No, you can't get a Green Card if you want to work in the US as a doctor - they have enough numbers within the country, so there is no need to import talent from elsewhere (unless you happen to be an expert surgeon etc, but as you're still to do even your residency, this doesn't apply to you).

There is a reason why you cannot even get onto a reputable medical course at a US university without a Green Card or US citizenship status, let alone a residency programme.

Tough luck sadly.
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 69
Original post by manchild007
No, you can't get a Green Card if you want to work in the US as a doctor - they have enough numbers within the country, so there is no need to import talent from elsewhere (unless you happen to be an expert surgeon etc, but as you're still to do even your residency, this doesn't apply to you).

There is a reason why you cannot even get onto a reputable medical course at a US university without a Green Card or US citizenship status, let alone a residency programme.

Tough luck sadly.


Is there any way to practice medicine in the US with a UK medical degree then?
Original post by KCosmo
Is there any way to practice medicine in the US with a UK medical degree then?


Not if you don't have citizenship and/or a Green Card already.

Sorry.
Original post by manchild007
Not if you don't have citizenship and/or a Green Card already.

Sorry.


If I do have an American passport?
Original post by JChoudhry
If I do have an American passport?


If you have an American passport, you are also a US citizen (you can't have one and not the other), so yes you head to the states to do Medicine - depending on the residency programme you are applying for (i.e. the top/prestigious ones), you'll need to do a medicine degree in the US too (or do a conversion course, which isn't to highly respected though).
(edited 13 years ago)
Original post by manchild007
If you have an American passport, you are also a US citizen (you can't have one and not the other), so yes you head to the states to do Medicine - depending on the residency programme you are applying for (i.e. the top/prestigious ones), you'll need to do a medicine degree in the US too (or do a conversion course, which isn't to highly respected though).


Yeah, I'm a citizen, but I've been in the UK for the last 6 years and plan to start and finish my medical degree here. Well, I'd like to work in Manhattan because that's where I actually lived. Is that specific? ie, what course would I need to do?
Reply 74
Original post by manchild007
Not if you don't have citizenship and/or a Green Card already.

Sorry.


Damn :frown: Thanks for the info though :smile: I guess I'm going to have to marry an American then! :tongue: My auntie, uncle and cousins moved over there a while ago, but I'm sure your immediate family need to be citizens before you can get a green card. Any reasonable ways of getting one? Maybe getting a normal job over there for a while?
Original post by KCosmo
Damn :frown: Thanks for the info though :smile: I guess I'm going to have to marry an American then! :tongue: My auntie, uncle and cousins moved over there a while ago, but I'm sure your immediate family need to be citizens before you can get a green card. Any reasonable ways of getting one? Maybe getting a normal job over there for a while?


If your grandparents are in the US, they can sponsor your mother/father for Green Card citizenship, who would then need to sponsor you as I'm assuming you are over 18. If so, the whole process can take up to 3/4 years each time (usually nearer the 3 year mark), so you're in for a long wait.

Other ways - invest more than $1 million in a US business, which hires more than 10 US citizens etc.

In order to "get a normal job over there", you need a Green Card and/or US Citizenship - you can't just walk-in and say I'll work in the US and then can you guys give me a GC and/or USC, that's backward logic (i.e. you need the latter to do the former, not the former in order to get the latter). They have plenty of workers in the US to do "normal jobs" and with an unemployment rate of 10% and EVEN tougher immigration laws set to come in, don't bet on getting in anytime soon. Though marrying an American is a safe-bet :smile:

Sorry - its tough I know.
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 76
Original post by manchild007
If your grandparents are in the US, they can sponsor your mother/father for Green Card citizenship, who would then need to sponsor you as I'm assuming you are over 18. If so, the whole process can take up to 3/4 years each time (usually nearer the 3 year mark), so you're in for a long wait.

Other ways - invest more than $1 million in a US business, which hires more than 10 US citizens etc.

In order to "get a normal job over there", you need a Green Card and/or US Citizenship - you can't just walk-in and say I'll work in the US and then can you guys give me a GC and/or USC, that's backward logic (i.e. you need the latter to do the former, not the former in order to get the latter). They have plenty of workers in the US to do "normal jobs" and with an unemployment rate of 10% and EVEN tougher immigration laws set to come in, don't bet on getting in anytime soon. Though marrying an American is a safe-bet :smile:

Sorry - its tough I know.


My grandparent's aren't in the US unfortunately, and I don't have $1 million :tongue:

What about this:

I get my medical degree in the UK,
Do a degree in a US university, (possibly some kind of science degree, I could apply as an international student, my chances would be much greater than before as I would already have a medical degree/loads of experience),
then apply for a green card as I will have been studying in the US for X number of years, hopefully X will be greater than the period of time required to apply,
then with a green card I should be able to apply for a job practising medicine (would do the USMLE sometime during my second degree).

I'm scraping the barrel a bit now, I know :tongue: Would this be possible though? I know a girl who is doing a postgraduate degree at Harvard, and is planning on staying in America, would this be the kind of route that she is taking? Cheers
Original post by KCosmo
….


Education is a complete dead-end to be perfectly frank.

If you get a place at a US school, you'll then need to visit the US embassy in London to get your student visa etc. The only/main question they stress upon approving your visa is that you have EVERY intention of returning back to the UK after the completion of your studies. If you plan to stay there, they refuse your student visa altogether.

Thus you won't be able to go to the US and do a course of any kind, under the assumption that this shall somehow lead you to get a Green Card etc - quite the opposite. You can't just say, "Oh I've been studying for 3/4 years, thus I have fulfilled residency for a Green Card etc", as those years have been under a study visa. Unless you can muster up the requirements in my above post, or failing that, marry an American, the US is a no-go I'm afraid.

Why the interest in practicing medicine in the US and not the UK by the way? Just curious...
Original post by KCosmo
Would this be possible though? I know a girl who is doing a postgraduate degree at Harvard, and is planning on staying in America, would this be the kind of route that she is taking? Cheers


She's deluding herself frankly - after she finishes her studies, under what assumption does she believe she'll be allowed to stay in the US?

She would not obviously be eligible to apply for a Green Card and her student visa would have expired - she can either live in the US as an illegal therefore, or she'll have to return back to the UK. Period.
Reply 79
Original post by manchild007
Education is a complete dead-end to be perfectly frank.

If you get a place at a US school, you'll then need to visit the US embassy in London to get your student visa etc. The only/main question they stress upon approving your visa is that you have EVERY intention of returning back to the UK after the completion of your studies. If you plan to stay there, they refuse your student visa altogether.

Thus you won't be able to go to the US and do a course of any kind, under the assumption that this shall somehow lead you to get a Green Card etc - quite the opposite. You can't just say, "Oh I've been studying for 3/4 years, thus I have fulfilled residency for a Green Card etc", as those years have been under a study visa. Unless you can muster up the requirements in my above post, or failing that, marry an American, the US is a no-go I'm afraid.

Why the interest in practicing medicine in the US and not the UK by the way? Just curious...


It's nothing in particular about studying medicine in the US, it's just that I want to move to the US, and also want to practice medicine :tongue: There must be some way of doing it. Thanks though :smile:

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