UK med students matching in Canada?

[Ella]

Hey everyone,

My brother just finished grade 11 and is entering grade 12 this fall. He wants to do medicine but we are in Canada and the chances of him getting into a canadian medical school is very low. He is looking at options of doing an undergrad degree and then applying into medical school in US but again, it's a gamble.

Recently he has shown a serious interest in going to medical school in the UK in the 6 year program right after grade 12. However, we have concerns about this. I am currently a carribean medical student and so do not have much insight into the UK schools.

The first and foremost question is what are his chances in getting back into Canada for residency? I would greatly appreciate if any canadians that have attended the UK schools (esp the ones in ireland) could tell me their experience with getting a residency position in canada. He does not want to "just settle" for family med. Do students get decent residencies in Canada coming from the UK? By this I mean does he have chances for internal med, psychiatry, etc.

I'm sure there is a bigger selection of residencies for these student in States....but he is interested in returning back to canada.

We don't want to make the mistake of sending him there right after highschool without fully knowing all the facts of what to expect in the future.

Any insight in this matter esp from fellow canadians having done this route would be greatly appreicated!

Thanks.

[Ella]

wow....over 200 views but no replies?? Does any one have any information??

Thanks.

[BossHogg]

hey wahts the school he wanted to go to...with the 6 year MD program right outta high school???

[ind3r]

Hello, ella. Yes it is true... Universities in teh UK/Australia/Ireland all have a medical degree called MBBS short for bach. of medicine, bach. of surgery and the programs range from 5 1/2 - 6 years. It's equivalent to the MD here. Most students who graduate have little to no problems obtaining the a residency as long as the schools are well known. Ireland is world renowned for its med schools and i think the residency rate for one of the unverisity is 100% (including canada). For more info on the Irish universities try: The Atlantic Bridge Program. (http://www.atlanticbridge.com/med/index.htm)


Before you get too interested in it, I must advise you that getting into any of these universities for the med program is undoubtly the most competitive. To be realisitic, he really shouldn't consider applying if he isn't maintaining atleast a 95% average... and getting near to perfect SAT scores. Or if he has taken the IB program and is getting predicted 38+. Don't fret though, another option is going to a well recognised university for a year( UT, UBC, McGill, UofWaterloo) and then applying to Ireland/UK unveristy (granted you maintain a decent gpa (3.5-4.0). You won't be able to get any credits and will start from year 1. He will still have to take the USMLE Step 1 2 and 3 all after he has finished his degree b/c they structure their program quite differently than the average MD program. (Though, I think you can take the USMLE step 1 after your fourth and a half year b/c after that you are required to do one year a clincial).

I must remind you the only reason the residency match rate is soo high is that the students who already enter the programs are already quite bright and possess the work ethic.

In Canada, there is no med program for undergrads. It's identical to the US. You must first obtain an undergrad degree and then take the MCAT and apply to the faculty of medicine in the univeristy (note:not all universities have it).

[ast44]

hi there i also have a very similar question cureently in gr 12 mid 80's average i want to go into a UK med program. is it possible to come back here and practice .. eat are my chances

thanks for the posts

[XLNC]

Hey everyone,

My brother just finished grade 11 and is entering grade 12 this fall. He wants to do medicine but we are in Canada and the chances of him getting into a canadian medical school is very low. He is looking at options of doing an undergrad degree and then applying into medical school in US but again, it's a gamble.

Recently he has shown a serious interest in going to medical school in the UK in the 6 year program right after grade 12. However, we have concerns about this. I am currently a carribean medical student and so do not have much insight into the UK schools.

The first and foremost question is what are his chances in getting back into Canada for residency? I would greatly appreciate if any canadians that have attended the UK schools (esp the ones in ireland) could tell me their experience with getting a residency position in canada. He does not want to "just settle" for family med. Do students get decent residencies in Canada coming from the UK? By this I mean does he have chances for internal med, psychiatry, etc.

I'm sure there is a bigger selection of residencies for these student in States....but he is interested in returning back to canada.

We don't want to make the mistake of sending him there right after highschool without fully knowing all the facts of what to expect in the future.

Any insight in this matter esp from fellow canadians having done this route would be greatly appreicated!

Thanks.


A UK graduate has a much better chance of obtaining residency in Canada compared to Caribbean graduate, in fact there is no competition.

At one point, 90% of the worlds doctors were trained in the UK, the setup, teaching and accreditation is unbeatable.

[onetwothree4]

Hey, I am a Canadian Student(HIGH SCHOOL) as well. And I am also interested in applying to med schools in europe could u please provide with a few names??

[ForeignMed]

This site is good for info on UK schools.

Medschoolsonline - A Guide to Getting into Medical School in the UK (http://www.medschoolsonline.co.uk)

[onetwothree4]

Hey "ForeigMed" thanks for the medschoolsonline site. but i would like to know if there are any med schools in Europe that accept students out of highschool or a first year undergrad. If anyone knows any schools please post their names. Thanks in Advance.

[ForeignMed]

in the link I sent you, almost all the schools accept UK students straight from High School. Traditionally that is the way medicine has been taught in the UK, which is one reason the courses are usually 5 years (occasionally 6).

There is a trend to more grad entry, many of the school entry courses now take up to one third grads, and there are some specific grad only 4 year courses (which are listed in a separate section on this website).

I am British (though I studied in the US) so I do not know if the schools will take non-grads from Canada, not something I have ever had to ask. Can I suggest you spend an hour, email each high school entry med school listed (the website lists a contact email for each) and ask them. Or, if you are feeling less lazy, check their websites first (though some don't really address foreign applicants, others do - which is also a clue which to apply to, I guess).

[ForeignMed]

meant to add, the great thing about UK med schools is that no high school leavers want to be a doctor in the UK, so there is no competition for places and you can get in with really low grades.

warning: I may be joking here, depends whether English irony is at work or not. I leave you to guess.

BUT: many schools have a specific quotas of international places, so you are not competing directly against local students, however you are competing against students from the British Empire. BUt Canada as a colony should be ok on that score. (still joking)

[Chemist_11]

meant to add, the great thing about UK med schools is that no high school leavers want to be a doctor in the UK, so there is no competition for places and you can get in with really low grades.

warning: I may be joking here, depends whether English irony is at work or not. I leave you to guess.

BUT: many schools have a specific quotas of international places, so you are not competing directly against local students, however you are competing against students from the British Empire. BUt Canada as a colony should be ok on that score. (still joking)

:rolleyes:

[onetwothree4]

Hey Foreign MD thanks for the information u have posted. and i will follow ur suggestion to e-mail the universities.

[Mike77]

i think the residency rate for one of the unverisity is 100% (including canada).

WOW! hahaha! What's your source on that man?

Not even Harvard Med school has a 100% match rate, even in domestic schools, lol.

[euromd]

Some provinces guarantee a residency spot to every graduate of that province (I know of Ontario and Quebec, there may be others). However, this does not mean a residency of your choice. Technically then, there could be a 100% match rate for all the schools of those provinces.

[Anahita]

I graduated from a university in the USA and am now in my final year at the University of Aberdeen medical school in Scotland. It is an EXCELLENT school and the staff are very helpful and friendly to international students (and their own of course!) I would suggest that you give the medical school you are interested in a call and speak directly to them about your situation. At the end of the day you brother will be an international medical student and the requirements are different for that student set. Thats the best thing to do; make a list of schools and give them a call and tell them exactly what his scores/marks etc are. They will tell you what his chances of getting in are and when to apply. I strongly suggest that he goes for it. The teaching is amazing. I am in the process of getting back to the USA now for residency and I am not really running into any problems. Its all about your USMLE scores, what you did in med school etc.

[englishmedic]

Or if he has taken the IB program and is getting predicted 38+.

You don't need to be getting 38+!!!