U.S student for asian med school?

[clumsy_gurl]

Is it worth for a U.S student to go to an asian country for med school and come back to practice in U.S??? Will any good hospitals hire me or will I be left with one option > open my own practice???

[jenson300]

It depends on a lot of things... How well you do in med school, how well you do on USMLE, what kind of residency you get and of course the personal opinions of the people hiring you.

[iguodala_fan]

Is it worth for a U.S student to go to an asian country for med school and come back to practice in U.S??? Will any good hospitals hire me or will I be left with one option > open my own practice???

It really depends on how well you know what you're getting into (do your research), and do remember that this should only be your last option. Med schools in Asia won't prepare you for the U.S. medical boards, you would have to study on your own - on top of their medical curriculum.

If you're thinking about the foreign option, most would suggest considering the Caribbean's Big 3 (SGU, Ross, AUC) over any other international med school. Good luck!

[Locutusofborg]

Clumsy girl, I recommend thinking twice, three times before considering going abroad. US medical schools offer the best training for american doctors, they make it easy for you to pass USMLE, and you feel "streamlined" to your goal.

If, like me, you have no choice but to go abroad due to finances or bad grades, I recommend the Philippines over the Carribean. By going to the Philippines you risk a lot less money, and at least you are in an educational system designed to medically serve a community. Carribean schools do not serve their community, and their only goal is to extract money from you.

Whatever your foreign option, keep in mind that it will take you LONGER to get a residency compared to US students. US students take step 1 after year 2, and step 2 after year 3, and transition to residency training after year 4. As a foreign student in ANY school you risk either failing Step 1 first time, or (as the case with the Carribean) the school maintains a high "passing rate" by not permitting you to take Step 1 till you score high on a shelf exam. Most foreign grads dont take step 2 till after graduation. So your best case scenario is to have a lag year between graduation and residency, and worst case is 2 years. Do you want to spend 2 years in lag while owing a Carribean size tuition? Think of it as you consider Philippines vs. the Carribean.

I am currently finishing first year at a medical school in the Philippines. I am no longer naive, i see many problems here. But I know I made the right choice in terms of location, and I have no doubt i will be an MD, and might even get into the residency of my choice if I study hard. Study abroad is self-motivated, and you can't rely on professors to give you all that you need. Your books are known. Expectations for the boards are known. The rest is up to you and your desire for success...

[Locutusofborg]

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