Postgrad medicine in UK vs EU countries.

Hi there, I was thinking of doing medicine postgrad in 2 years time. At the moment my grades in uni seems to be fine and I'm hoping to keep my grades high to end it with a strong first when I graduate. However, paying 9K every year for 4/5 years might be a little too hefty compared to 6k/7k in other EU countries.

Is doing medicine in another EU country worth it? I know two friends who are currently doing medicine as post grad in other EU country, apart from cheap fees, rent & living - is it worth it?

Are you talking about GEM (an undergraduate course) or normal entry undergraduate medicine? For GEM you only have to pay the first £3.5k. For normal entry you have to pay for every year bar your final one.

You know we won't be in the EU in 2 years time right?! They won't be "other EU countries" by the time you apply!

That doesn't make it impossible - in fact what the rules will be is utterly unknown right now - but just saying.

Also you talk like you can go to any country - how many languages do you speak?!

Yeah, that's what concerning me because of the Brexit, will my degree obtained from lets say - Bulgaria/Sweden etc be invalid simply because UK won't be a part of EU? I do know that some sort of extra exams might be needed to fully qualify to practise here in UK

Haha I like to push myself to edge, I can speak 3 languages fluently and learning a new language is nothing too hard, rather exciting for me

Like i say, its unclear. However its reasonable to assume you will have to sit the UKMLE yes, probably at your own expense and i doubt it will be cheap. You will probably also be given lower priority for jobs and have to take what you are given wherever it is in the country, just like international medical graduates do now, though this is unclear.



Good confidence... but i still doubt your ability to be fluent in a completely new language in, what, a few months? You would need to be fluent to the extent you understand high-level technical language from day 1 or risk falling behind.

There are a handful of English language courses but that would substantially limit your options, of course.

Isn’t priority for jobs based on nationality rather than country of medical school?

I don't think so? I know that international grads of UK med schools get the same priority as UK grads of UK med schools, for instance. But again, this is not something I've had direct experience of, so not sure.

I don't think so? I know that international grads of UK med schools get the same priority as UK grads of UK med schools, for instance. But again, this is not something I've had direct experience of, so not sure.

We (non-EEA UK med school grads) get to apply for FPAS on equal standing as EU nationals (note the term). This means we're considered in the initial Round 1 of FPAS allocations (I mean, Round 2 hasn't existed in like the past 4 years cuz oversubscription but hey ho). As long as you have British right to work (which at the moment is being European or having an Indefinite Leave to Remain), you'll be considered as being equal in allocations.

For CT/ST1 apps: since the UK has its own immigration laws, it gives non-EEA graduates of UK institutions on a student visa (any degree) a one-time exemption for student -> work visa without having to deal with the law that requires Europeans to be recruited first before hiring foreigners.

Anyhoos, in regards to the OP's questions, here's what I think is probs gonna happen, once and if the UK is definitely out of EU (if no agreements are made).

Currently, any EU grad from an EU med school is exempt from taking the PLAB - the licensing exam for foreign medical graduates. This is due to EC rights. Hence why you have British nationals who went to Czech etc being eligible without any further exams/licensing for FY1 (or any later stage in fact). Also why you don't need to take any Fellowship/Membership exams if you are fully accredited in an EU equivalent society.

What is interesting is that non-EEA graduates of EU med schools (for example, if I went to Dublin for uni), have to sit the PLAB. Therefore, if no agreement is reached, and we default to the current legislature, British graduates from EU med schools will have to sit the PLAB (or more likely, whatever the UKMLE would be for foreigners in 5 years time). This is purely on the assumption that EC rights no longer apply to Britain.

So there's that.

Beyond the PLAB/UKMLE though, UK nationals still compete in round 1 as they would now if they did medicine outside the EU right?