UERM and philippine med schools.

[FSUNOLE08]

Yes...sorry...it's me again.

I want to know how many semesters there are in a year of med school in the Philippines.

Also, I have read that UERM gives an option of doing US rotations for the 4th year. I want to know if a Fil-Am does decide to do their rotations in the US for the 4th year, does that student have to go back to the Philippines after finishing their rotations. This is considering that the student does not want to walk for graduation, etc. Will they just mail the diplomas, or is there more stuff to do after those rotations.

Last, I need some of ya'lls opinions about the difficulty of the curriculum and the adjustments to USMLE's. (I know, I know...P.I. schools does not cater to USMLE's). I can't make decision and it's keeping me up at night.

[hunteradam07]

Yes...sorry...it's me again.

I want to know how many semesters there are in a year of med school in the Philippines.

Also, I have read that UERM gives an option of doing US rotations for the 4th year. I want to know if a Fil-Am does decide to do their rotations in the US for the 4th year, does that student have to go back to the Philippines after finishing their rotations. This is considering that the student does not want to walk for graduation, etc. Will they just mail the diplomas, or is there more stuff to do after those rotations.

Last, I need some of ya'lls opinions about the difficulty of the curriculum and the adjustments to USMLE's. (I know, I know...P.I. schools does not cater to USMLE's). I can't make decision and it's keeping me up at night.
Listen, it seems like u are having a hard time deciding what to do and where to go. The bottomline is how much do u really want to be a Dr.? Are u willing to take a risk? No school is perfect outside of US medical schools. If u are really having problem with PI medical schools, have u considered DO schools? Nobody here on the forum can give u all the information, why not visit each schools and find out for urself? Good luck.

[samahantayo]

as HA said, no school is perfect no matter where its - US or abroad. There will always be adjustments. In your case, you had said you were born there but it sounds like you have not visited the Philippines for a while. Visiting and staying for a few weeks will answer many of your questions. THis is an imprtant step in your life.

Visiting more than once helps. I know it ain't cheap to travel there but what is it worth to you? But airfare is nothing compared to the money you will save if you decide to attend school there.

[Locutusofborg]

I strongly suggest you come to the Philippines a semester early, and take up some undergraduate medical classes (histo, physio, biochem, etc) from a med tech program. This will give you a better indication of the glaring differences between US and Philipino style education, and will give you a leg up during your first year med school.

However, you have a choice of staying in the US as a DO you should take it.

[trauma]

Yes...sorry...it's me again.

I want to know how many semesters there are in a year of med school in the Philippines.

Also, I have read that UERM gives an option of doing US rotations for the 4th year. I want to know if a Fil-Am does decide to do their rotations in the US for the 4th year, does that student have to go back to the Philippines after finishing their rotations. This is considering that the student does not want to walk for graduation, etc. Will they just mail the diplomas, or is there more stuff to do after those rotations.

Last, I need some of ya'lls opinions about the difficulty of the curriculum and the adjustments to USMLE's. (I know, I know...P.I. schools does not cater to USMLE's). I can't make decision and it's keeping me up at night.
As many are already telling you, exhaust all your options to be able to study in the US whether MD or DO schools.
As far as UERM, I think you still have to take some rotations in the Philippines (better ask the admin about this) particularly Community Med and Ophtha/ENT (based on a post of an alumnus).
As far as difficulty of adjustment, most schools will give you the nuts and bolts (basics). It's the way they structure their exams that will be different. Most students use Kaplan QBank or USMLEWorld to familiarize themselves with the type of USMLE questions. There are no easy schools there (some are more difficult) as it should be as med school anywhere is hard.

[iguodala_fan]

As many are already telling you, exhaust all your options to be able to study in the US whether MD or DO schools.
As far as UERM, I think you still have to take some rotations in the Philippines (better ask the admin about this) particularly Community Med and Ophtha/ENT (based on a post of an alumnus).
As far as difficulty of adjustment, most schools will give you the nuts and bolts (basics). It's the way they structure their exams that will be different. Most students use Kaplan QBank or USMLEWorld to familiarize themselves with the type of USMLE questions. There are no easy schools there (some are more difficult) as it should be as med school anywhere is hard.

Thanks doc (trauma)! As always, your posts are very helpful.

[GregoryG]

I agree, those who haven't been to the Phil or who haven't been there for a long time should pay a visit and check out the schools, so no surprises. Because you can't visit every country or school you want to attend, it's best to get the basic info prior to planning to visit, narrow down your list to one country, then go and visit that country and the schools. If a student is resourceful enough, he/she can narrow down the country and school to go to.

as HA said, no school is perfect no matter where its - US or abroad. There will always be adjustments. In your case, you had said you were born there but it sounds like you have not visited the Philippines for a while. Visiting and staying for a few weeks will answer many of your questions. THis is an imprtant step in your life.

Visiting more than once helps. I know it ain't cheap to travel there but what is it worth to you? But airfare is nothing compared to the money you will save if you decide to attend school there.

[lungdoc]

This is for FSU.... i am a fil-am who graduated from uerm med in 1998. uerm has a 2 semesters each year. All classes are in English. So as far as adjusting, you have to adjust to the workload. It's the same as if you were studying medicine in the US. Medical school is difficult no matter where you study. Otherwise, just become an unskilled laborer. The style differences is mainly adjusting to being very respectful of your teachers. You can change the school to fit you. You can do clerkships in the us but you set them up yourself. There are some that are you required to complete at UERM. You should put your US clerkships at the beginning of the year. I didnt do any clerkships in the us. I scored well on my USMLE's. I got interviews for surgery and IM residency. I matched at my second choice, a university hospital. A residencyt program doesnt wat to have to deal with visas. You should walk for graduation. Plus, you have to have physically "sign out" of school. That is, you need to personally obtain a clearance signature from each department before graduating. As for studying for USMLE, bascially use First Aid for USMLE and study the A rated books under each topic. Sit down and totally immerse yourself.