I sympathize with UAG students in regards to the social service issue, as I too have to deal with this issue as. But I also sympathize with the UAG; on the one hand, I’m sure they like nothing more than to resolve this issue, hence, continue to play a role as mayor medical school for international students. On the other hand, the year of social service in medicine is a touchy subject, it’s regarded by the Mexican Gov. as a successful program, and any suggestion of abolishing the requirement could easily be seen as an attack against a great Mexican legislative initiative by a private pro-gringo school.

The truth is that what in effect the Mexican Gov. is doing is placing an ENCUMBRANCE in your diploma for no legitimate reason other than because they can. An encumbrance is a legal term. “It is also a term used by universities to describe limitations placed on a account due to late payment, late registration, or other reasons stated by the institution. An encumbrance can prohibit students from registering, affect the release of their transcripts, or delay the reception of their DIPLOMAS.” Wikipedia

I think the best bet is to encourage the UAG and other Mexican school to persuade the ECFMG to drop the year of social service as a requirement for graduates of Mexican schools, given that the social service plays no teaching role as stated by the Mexican government.

The UAG should also seek support from the AMA on this. The year of internship would be a great way to substitute to the 5 Pathway as internships are regulated by the schools and can be done in the USA.