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Want To Study MEDICINE In The US?

THE STUDY OF MEDICINE IN THE UNITED STATES


Unlike medical education in the UK, the study of medicine in the U.S. generally begins AFTER completion of four years of undergraduate study which includes meeting the pre-medical school course requirements along with obtaining a bachelor's (B.A.) degree in any subject. Medical school itself usually lasts four years and is followed by 3-7 years of graduate medical education (internship/residency). A few medical schools provide limited programs beginning after high school that combine undergraduate college study with medical education. Students are admitted provisionally to these programs based upon their high school credentials and, if their performance is satisfactory, are permitted to progress to the M.D. degree. This program generally takes six or seven years and admission to it is extremely competitive for foreign students.

There are very few opportunities for foreign students to obtain the Doctor of Medicine degree in the United States. American medical schools receive twice as many applications from qualified U.S. citizens as can be accommodated and many of the publicly-supported medical schools are required by law to admit only state residents.

Most institutions require foreign students to have completed at least the last two years of their undergraduate study in a U.S. college or university. An increasing number of medical schools require a bachelor's degree from a U.S. school. Even with a U.S. bachelor's degree, medical schools admit few foreign students since space is so limited. In 2001, of the 34,859 submitted applications, there were 17,456 accepted of which 230 were foreign students.

( http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/archive/archive.htm )

ADMISSION


All applicants to medical schools are also required to take the Medical College Admission Test. The MCAT examines understanding of the basic concepts in Biology, Chemistry and Physics as well as verbal reasoning skills and it includes two writing samples.

The test should be taken 18 months prior to the intended date of enrollment. The deadlines for registration at overseas centers are two months in advance. Application materials for the MCAT are available directly from :

MCAT Program Office,

2255 North Dubuque Road,

P.O.Box 4056

Iowa City, IA 52243

USA

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm


The medical school's admissions committee will consider the following factors when deciding whether or not to admit a student to their medical program:

· undergraduate academic record,

· scores on the MCAT,

· letters of recommendation,

· extracurricular activities,

· personal qualities and

· commitment to medicine.


PRE-MEDICAL STUDIES


The majority of American students who intend to apply to medical schools take their bachelor's degree in Biology, Chemistry or another science-related subject, although this is not mandatory (or even encouraged). The nature of the American liberal arts degree allows students to obtain a strong foundation in the natural sciences and humanities. All medical schools advocate the importance of such an education.

A "pre-medical curriculum" is a particular sequence of subjects including Calculus, Psychology, Biology, Organic/Inorganic Chemistry, Physics and English. Note that a "pre-med" degree does not guarantee entry into a medical school and may not be the best curriculum for all students, depending upon your individual interests. It is also possible to take this sequence of subjects while majoring in an unrelated subject.


TUITION FEE COST AND EXPENSES


Annual tuition and fees at public medical schools in 2005-2006 averaged $19,961 for state residents and $38,865 for non-residents. At private schools, tuition and fees averaged $36,271 for residents and $37,872 for nonresidents. These figures do not include housing or living expenses.

Foreign students seeking admission must be prepared to cover the entire cost of their medical training, as there are no scholarships announced for international students.http://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/report_median.cfm?year_of_study=2006
For a List of Private Medical Schools: http://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/report.cfm?select_control=PRI&year_of_study=2006
For a List of Public Medical Schools: http://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/report.cfm?select_control=PUB&year_of_study=2006



APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCHOOLS:


Applications is made either to individual schools directly or, where required, through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). AMCAS is a centralized, nonprofit application processing service and does not make admissions decisions nor does it advise students where to submit applications. It provides a single application form which is sent by AMCAS to as many medical schools as the student specifies, each for a fee, and this may considerably reduce the time and expense necessary for multiple direct applications. At present 96 medical schools participate in AMCAS. The AMCAS form is obtainable from:

Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)

2450 N Street NW

Washington DC 20037-1123

USA

E-mail: [email protected]

http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm

It must be returned to AMCAS no earlier than June 15 in the year prior to the year of intended admission (for example, June 15, 2004 for entry in September, 2005). Medical school application deadlines generally fall between October and December for admission the following September. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) publishes the Medical School Admission Requirements , which gives general information about medical education in the U.S.A., as well as the requirements of each medical school. This publication can be obtained from:

Association of American Medical Colleges

2450 N Street, NW

Washington, DC 20037-1126

USA

http://www.aamc.org/

OTHER POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMS IN THE HEALTH SCIENCES


Dentistry, Optometry, Osteopathy, Podiatry and Veterinary Science : As with medicine, these are 4-year programs which are taught only at the postgraduate level and which require an American Bachelor's degree including the pre-medical curriculum for admission. Physical Therapy is another field that is developing into a postgraduate program, although there still are a few bachelor programs in physical therapy at this time. They rarely accept foreign students. Optometry and veterinary schools usually will not even consider applications from foreign students unless they are already practicing professionals who wish to complete advanced studies.

Pharmacy: Pharmacy is a 5 or 6-year program, consisting of a 2-year pre-pharmacy curriculum followed by 3 or 4 years of professional studies. The pre-pharmacy segment is similar to the pre-medical curriculum and may be completed at any university offering those courses. The professional segment must be completed at one of the 72 recognized pharmacy schools. Admission to pharmacy schools is highly competitive, especially for foreign students.

*Source: Fulbright Commission
(edited 12 years ago)

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Reply 1
Stickied as a seperate thread for now, hopefully we can merge this into a FAQ thread that we're working on :smile: .
Reply 2
This thread is excellent but my only concern is that i haven't taken physics for gcse so i'm likely to not have an A level in physics. The Mcat test involves physics so am i screwed?
FunkyPunk
Reply 3
John Hopkins University is the best for medicine
Reply 4
wat???...4 years first then 4 more years them 3-7 more years??.. did i understand that right?
Reply 5
natasha02
wat???...4 years first then 4 more years them 3-7 more years??.. did i understand that right?


No you didn't. You finish school at the end of year 12 (not 13 as in the UK). Then you do an undergraduate degree for 4 years. Then your degree in medicine takes 3-4 years.

So not that long.
korektphool
No you didn't. You finish school at the end of year 12 (not 13 as in the UK). Then you do an undergraduate degree for 4 years. Then your degree in medicine takes 3-4 years.

So not that long.



Almost all medical course(leading a MD) are 4 yrs,unless you know the exceptions!!!!!.In Canada ,Mcmaster has a 3 yr program
The pre-med part can be 2-4 yrs in some US & Canadian universities.
Reply 7
heroshima
Almost all medical course(leading a MD) are 4 yrs,unless you know the exceptions!!!!!.In Canada ,Mcmaster has a 3 yr program
The pre-med part can be 2-4 yrs in some US & Canadian universities.


OK 4 years then. So 4+4 = 8 years then.
Reply 8
is it possible to practice in america, being a uk qualified doctor???
what is the procedure for that?
Reply 9
yes, you can enter residency training under a special sorta 'training' visa, cant remember exactly what it is, but you would have to come back to the UK after your years in residency-its not for permanent moval to the US. If you are a fully qualified consultant in teh UK, i think it would be somewhat easier, especially if they want you.

If you want to do your residency training you would have to enter the 'match' after taking your USMLE exams (have a look on Wikipedia for this-looks like hell)
Reply 10
is there financial aid in medical school
Reply 11
elvito
is there financial aid in medical school

only for US citizens and permanent residents.
Reply 12
So basically the gist of this thread is that unless you're super rich you won't be able to afford and american med- school. And even if you could, you wouldn't get in.
Reply 13
Francypants
So basically the gist of this thread is that unless you're super rich you won't be able to afford and american med- school. And even if you could, you wouldn't get in.

um...yer. Well you could get in, but only into private ones, and then they would expect you to be stronger than the home applicants.
Reply 14
FunkyPunk
This thread is excellent but my only concern is that i haven't taken physics for gcse so i'm likely to not have an A level in physics. The Mcat test involves physics so am i screwed?
FunkyPunk


you don't need to take the MCAT straight out of six form (or college or whatever is equivalent to highschool). you take it 2.5 years into your UNI course. be comforted :p:
I used to consider it. It seems I know nothing of it
thanks for taking the effort to write that up.:smile:


quote - ""a "pre-med" degree does not guarantee entry into a medical school and may not be the best curriculum for all students, depending upon your individual interests. It is also possible to take this sequence of subjects while majoring in an unrelated subject.""

since a pre-med degree does not guarantee entry, what other degrees can we take , after which we can still get into med-school?
it wud b really helpful if someone cud make a list or something
Reply 17
breadnbutter
thanks for taking the effort to write that up.:smile:


quote - ""a "pre-med" degree does not guarantee entry into a medical school and may not be the best curriculum for all students, depending upon your individual interests. It is also possible to take this sequence of subjects while majoring in an unrelated subject.""

since a pre-med degree does not guarantee entry, what other degrees can we take , after which we can still get into med-school?
it wud b really helpful if someone cud make a list or something

any... they don't care what major your degree is in. You just have to take certain courses to fulfil the pre-med requirements such as orgo, bio and calculus
Louise_1988
any... they don't care what major your degree is in. You just have to take certain courses to fulfil the pre-med requirements such as orgo, bio and calculus


so u mean- i take any degree with orgo, bio and calculus?
by orgo - do u mean organic chem?:confused: :redface:

are u doing/planning to do medicine?>
if so - what degree are u doing?

thanks
Reply 19
breadnbutter
so u mean- i take any degree with orgo, bio and calculus?
by orgo - do u mean organic chem?:confused: :redface:

are u doing/planning to do medicine?>
if so - what degree are u doing?

thanks

to go to med school in america, you pretty much need as US undergrad degree. Its too long to explain everything about how US degrees work... the info is out there, but to get into med school after the typical requirements are:
1 year of orgo (organic chem)
1 year general chem
1year bio
1/2 year calc
1/2 year writing.

It is way to complicated to explain everything but columbia has an informative site for their students http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/preprofessional/health/

Yes, i intend to go to med school in the US, although it depends on a huge number of factors. if i go to US next year for undergrad I will major in econ and hopefully double major in neuroscience.

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