University of Oradea education standard

[Osaid]

Hello people. I came accross the uni. of Oradea medical faculty and after a research of 2 weeks I find it very good. It is reconized by WHO, students are eligible to give PLAB and USMLE. The teaching staff is also good. Now the only problem I have is that what is the standard of education there?.....My MAIN AIM IS TO PASS USMLE. Is the education standard good enough that I would be able to pass USMLE or PLAB without having to resit in these exams!!!!? They say they have 88 Phd proffesors but I just wanted to confirm cause this is an imp. decision and I should know the standard of education of the place where I am going!!! Thanks for the help....

[Batman007]

.....My MAIN AIM IS TO PASS USMLE.

So is ours.



Personally, I'd steer clear of Romania alltogether... have you considered the big three? ya know.. poland, hungary, and... what was it??? ...oh, yeah... czech republic...

...look into the big three too, that's it!


gl

[Osaid]

yes I have but Romania is the least expensive and it will become a member of EU in 2007 which means medical graduates from Romania won't have to appear for PLAB....

[Tiza]

There's no guarantee that Romania joins in 2007. their last elections failed to elect the reformers, so it may delay their entry. I would also verify that PLAB requirement. Are you an EU citizen? graduating from an EU school does NOT entitle you to skip exams unless you are an EU citizen. double-check that before jumping in. By the way, How much cheaper can it be???

[Osaid]

Well I've found plenty of articles on the net stating that Romania has signed the agreement with EU and will join on first Jan 2007. I have confirmed this news with their embassy as well.Cheaper....its $3600/year tuition fee!! I found this on GMC(General Medical Council) site....."The PLAB test is the main route by which International Medical Graduates demostrate that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to practise medicine in th UK." Then I found the defination of International Medical Graduates on the same site...."International Medical Graduates(IMG's) are defined as those doctors seeking registration with the GMC who have qualified outside the UK and the EU." So there's no restriction on your nationality!!!According to this I won't be (IMG) cause I would have studied in the EU. Even if somehow I have to give PLAB my degree will be recognized in all of the EU so I won't have problems in postgraduate studies in countries like Finland, Germany, France etc.... Please tell me what you guys think about this???

[Miklos]

Well I've found plenty of articles on the net stating that Romania has signed the agreement with EU and will join on first Jan 2007. I have confirmed this news with their embassy as well.

This only comes into force if all member states ratify the accession treaty by the end of the year. Not a done deal yet. Regardless, Romania will join either next year or in 2008.

"The PLAB test is the main route by which International Medical Graduates demostrate that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to practise medicine in th UK." Then I found the defination of International Medical Graduates on the same site...."International Medical Graduates(IMG's) are defined as those doctors seeking registration with the GMC who have qualified outside the UK and the EU." So there's no restriction on your nationality!!!According to this I won't be (IMG) cause I would have studied in the EU. Even if somehow I have to give PLAB my degree will be recognized in all of the EU so I won't have problems in postgraduate studies in countries like Finland, Germany, France etc.... Please tell me what you guys think about this???

Not that simple.

According to the current flowchart (http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/how_to_register/registration_flowchart.asp), without EU rights, you'd only be eligible for limited registration (yes, they are changing the rules) -- which means the PLAB.

In addition, the problem with working as a doctor in Europe aside from having your medical degree recognized are manifold.

1) You need postgraduate training somewhere. Generally, local graduates are first in line. Some countries will only train local graduates.
2) You need to speak the local language fluenty.
3) The most difficult step of all: a work permit. In many continental European countries this is mission impossible.

[Rex3050]

I am a nigerian who has passed the UK PLAB test.
To skip PLAB,you must be an EU citizen not just an EU graduate.
I advise you to focus on the USMLE.
There is a new work permit requirement in the UK which has effectively eliminated most foreign graduates.
Getting a job for a non EU citizen in UK irrespective of training school is now a miracle.

[PathOne]

'tis true. Mutual recognition of medical qualifications among EU members requires that you've graduated from an EU medical school AND that you have EU citizen rights. So even if you pass the UK PLAB, that would NOT make you automatically eligible for licensure in Germany, France, Finland etc.

Additionally, as posted above, getting work and residency permit for non-EU citizens is increasingly turning into a Kafkasque nightmare.

Finally, the real need for doctors in the EU is currently at the consultant/attending level, where there's generally plenty of jobs. But getting a residency is a lot harder in most countries.

Overall, I'd venture that it's easier to get licensed in the US than within the EU - if you're not an EU-citizen. If you're an EU-citizen, graduate of an EU medical school and have board certification from an EU country, you're nominally better off than in the US, as your qualification is accepted in all member countries (plus Norway, Iceland and Switzerland), unlike the US. However, you'd really need to have local language proficiency to work effectively, which in reality puts a severe brake on your ability to work across borders.

Finally, it must be noted that both pretax and especially after-tax income for European physicians is basically lower than the US across the board.

[snack]

how did you obtain your admission to oradea.did you go through thier medical school advisors,how much did you pay for it

[Osaid]

I haven't taken admission yet but I am looking for someone who is currently studying there so I could get some idea of their edu.

[diogenes]

.... Is the education standard good enough that I would be able to pass USMLE or PLAB without having to resit in these exams!!!!? They say they have 88 Phd proffesors but I just wanted to confirm cause this is an imp. decision and I should know the standard of education of the place where I am going!!! Thanks for the help....
I am sure that the faculty members are extremely well-qualified, as indeed they are in most of central and eastern Europe.
I think this is another instance of the need for application of the "Miklos" test: if at first review the school looks promising you really should visit it for at least a few days; attend a variety of lectures if possible; talk to a good cross-section of current students; get the feel of the local town and society; generally ask lots of questions and adopt a critical approach to the replies you receive.
You would also do well to search these forums for input on the schools in CZ, Poland, and Hungary (though I cannot guarantee that things will be the same in Romania- it is significantly poorer than those countries).
Regarding PLAB, if the knowledge and skills imparted at Oradea are good you will have little difficulty with the exam or with adapting to U.K. practice- provided that you are sensible and take the time to prepare for the tests through PLAB books or courses and try to get some rotation/shadowing experience in the U.K. while you are still a student.

[luvurpals]

hi,am a 2nd year student of oradea uni. about the education here, to be sincere with u,its not fantastic.i actually had a great expectatin b4 i got here but i was disappointed .but if u really insist on studying in romania i would advice u to try the uni in bucharest and cluj napoca.the educational system there is better.am still here in oradea because transfer is a "mission impossible" here.they wont grant you a transfer .i hope i was of great help.if i had gotten the type of information i am giving you now before i got here i wouldnt have been here.

[ddd]

Oradea is a very nice city to live in ; however , I 'd recommend studying in Bucharest or Cluj since these 2 universities have been around for quite a while.. However, there is something to be aware of : the education system is quite different from the one in USA or Canada. In my opinion , it'd very difficult for someone that studied in Oradea to pass the licensure exams in USA /Canada. That is because in Oradea ( at least that's how it was about 8 years ago) the exams are not multiple choice exams , and the material is tested very differently from how it is tested on the USMLEs. So, if your goal is to practice in either USA or Canada , you'd be better off studying in a school that follows the USA curriculum. This is not to say that the medical doctors in Oradea or Romania are not qualified in what they do. Hope this helps .... Good luck !

[xxatti]

I cant speak from personal experience, but I'd be very wary about med schools in Romania. Especially Oradea, which looks like what we'd call a community college in the US. Comming from someone who's been to Romania (Bucharest to be exact), based on what I've seen they have a little way to go to be able to stand next to most other major European cities. I'd also be particularly concerned about the facilities there. Cause I'd be willing to bet that they wont be of very high quality. Although Bucharest is a great city (lots of fun to be had there;) ) it's one place that I can say that I was actually somewhat concerned about my safety. It seemed like everyone there wanted to rip you off and steal from you, and I felt like I needed to be very aware of my surroundings to be sure I didnt put myself in a position to get robbed.

[Night_Star]

luvurpals... I think u could transfer if u want. I have seen many students transfer from oradea. u could simply ask ur file from the dekanat! without mentioning u want to transfer! once u have ur file u could apply to the new university.No?

[xypathos]

I haven't taken admission yet but I am looking for someone who is currently studying there so I could get some idea of their edu.

Goto Romania and see for yourself, sit in on a class. Don't just apply and show up on Day 1.

[Mister]

rubayee, y post the same question three times? why not just call the schools in question?

[Mister]

rubayee, why post the same question three times? why not just call the schools in question?

[Mister]

rubayee, why post the same question three times? why not just call the schools in question with regards to their specialities?