Oradea University??

[blueskys]

I'm considering Oradea U in Romania. Has anyone heard of it? Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

[cristagali]

Unless you have Romanian connections or heritage, I would look at other schools within the EU, like Czech, Hungary or Poland. They have better track records. Personally I have never heard of the school, and I've been in Hungary for 5 years, but doesn't mean it's not a good school...IMO 8)

[Miklos]

I'm considering Oradea U in Romania. Has anyone heard of it? Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

I agree with cristagali. Unless you speak Romanian, and intend to study in Romanian, I would not consider the school as the English programs in Romania are (sadly) notorious for their corruption.

[blueskys]

Are the any other schools anyone could suggest? Either in Europe or elsewhere?

I currently live in Zambia where I am working with an NGO. I thought of Ghana University SOM but haven't been able to contact anyone.

[Miklos]

Are the any other schools anyone could suggest? Either in Europe or elsewhere?

There are plenty of schools.

However, without you disclosing some background, such as your goals, your previous education, etc. I doubt that anyone can provide you with decent guidance.

If you answer (at least in part) questions such as the ones below, perhaps someone can come up with a suggestion.

-Where do you want to practice medicine?
-What kind of medicine do you wish to practice?
-What is your educational background?
-What is your nationality?
-How much do you want to spend on med school and how will you finance it?

Miklos

[blueskys]

Yeah info might be helpful huh ? :-)

My educational background is liberal arts. I have an Associates degree in Theology and by trade I'm a professional violinist. I am also an EMT II. I was planning on medical school during high school so I took all the science and math classes I could. After high school however I decided to go into humanitarian work. I am US Citizen and I currently live in Ndola, Zambia (Africa).
My desire for med school came back after realizing that all the knowledge and experiance I had as an EMT wasn't enough to really help or train anyone. I work out in the bush and while most things are basic there are cases that require more education than I have.
I'm wanting to go into General Practice and to gain as much experiance as possible during school so that I can be of more help here and so that I can teach the people I work with more than just basic first aid-for example how to handle pregnancy....which they see alot of but can't really help with.
As far as how much I want to spend, preferably not more than 6 thousand USD a year but that depends on the program.
Basically my goal is to attend medical school and then use that education with the organization I am with currently as a medical missionary.
I have no intention of practicing in the US but I do want to take the USMLE.

That all is still sort of vague but if someone has further questions you can ask.

I appreciate your help!

[Miklos]

Yeah info might be helpful huh ? :-)

My educational background is liberal arts. I have an Associates degree in Theology and by trade I'm a professional violinist. I am also an EMT II. I was planning on medical school during high school so I took all the science and math classes I could. After high school however I decided to go into humanitarian work. I am US Citizen and I currently live in Ndola, Zambia (Africa).
My desire for med school came back after realizing that all the knowledge and experiance I had as an EMT wasn't enough to really help or train anyone. I work out in the bush and while most things are basic there are cases that require more education than I have.
I'm wanting to go into General Practice and to gain as much experiance as possible during school so that I can be of more help here and so that I can teach the people I work with more than just basic <a href=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071429484/qid%3D1085033910/sr%3D2-1/valuetheplace-20>First Aid</a>-for example how to handle pregnancy....which they see alot of but can't really help with.
As far as how much I want to spend, preferably not more than 6 thousand USD a year but that depends on the program.
Basically my goal is to attend medical school and then use that education with the organization I am with currently as a medical missionary.
I have no intention of practicing in the US but I do want to take the USMLE.

That all is still sort of vague but if someone has further questions you can ask.

I appreciate your help!

Well that makes it a little easier.

Given your background and desire to enter medical school now, this rules out four year programs as you don't have the pre-reqs.

So, you'd be looking for a six year program...

Your budget of US$6k per year eliminates all of the programs in the new EU countries. If you would be willing to take up US federal loans, you could finance your education in most English language programs in the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary.

Otherwise, as far as Europe goes, you would need to look eastward.

Miklos

[neongoat]

What an interesting person you seem to be. First I would like to congratulate you on your choice of moving to Zambia and helping people (I know very few people with either the courage or determination to do something like that).

As far as medical school, as Miklos has said, you do not "qualify" for a 4-year school right now, and USD 6000 per year will not cover most medical schools in eastern europe. As far as money goes, 6000 per year would even be pushing it in the Ukraine or Russia. More on this in a moment.

What I would be asking myself if I were you is: What do I want to do once I become a doctor? I think this is an important question because the pathway to becoming a doctor can usually be different depending on the type of doctor you wish to be and the type of practice or environment you plan to work in.

For example, if you felt your time in Africa was finished and you wanted to live in the US and join a medical practice, then many people here could tell you the steps you need to take in order to realize that goal. If you wanted to live in Africa and have a license to practice medicine as a doctor in Zambia for example, then you would have to go through whatever procedure this country has established in order for people to obtain the MD or its equivalent. I imagine that Zambia will not allow you to enter medical school there and obtain the degree because of your nationality (and then maybe your age, educational background, etc.)

You state that you wish to finish med school and then continue to work with your current organization as a medical missionary. I have met many people who worked in some area of health care and later came back to school to get their MD because they were not satified with the level of care they were allowed to provide to the patient. I think I understand how you feel. At the same time, this goal presents you with a long road ahead. No matter where you get your degree, you are looking at a minimum of 6 years of medical education for the degree, and then 1-3 years of post-graduate training. You may be able to do this training in Zambia, but I would not assume that you can without thoroughly investigating this.

Further, if your organization is American (I imagine so), do they allow doctors who are licensed from other countries to work with them? In other words, does your degree have to be from an American or Canadian medical school?

You may have already heard of an organization called medecins sans frontiers or doctors without borders. This is an international volunteer medical aid organization. I will use it as an example. In order for you or me to join this organization as a physician, we are required (normally) to have at least 2 years of experience beyond medical school. This equals at least 8 years for you. How much experience does your organization require for its doctors to begin work with them? Are you really sure you want to work with this specific organization 8 years from now, or were you just using it more as a guideline?

The point I'm trying to make is that if you want to become a doctor you might benefit from trying to imagine how you will want your life to be 10 years from now. Family, location, money, area of specialty, etc. Some of these are probably much more important to you than others and this can really help you make your decisions so you do not become bored or even unhappy with your career 10 years down the road.

It is not easy for a doctor in Zambia to simply come to America and begin practicing medicine, or vice versa. It is not easy for a doctor in Germany to go and start or join a medical practice in the Ukraine, or vice versa. Thus, knowing which country(ies) you would like to be practicing in 10 years from now will actually help you decide what your next step should be tomorrow.

Sorry to go on so long :)

[blueskys]

Thanks for all your input. Sorry it took me so long to reply, the uh, phone has been down now for several weeks...long sabotage story, anyway that's just part of life here.

I still haven't reached a conclusion as far as education goes, and I'm still searching. I'm also still counting the cost.....by that I mean the amount of effort and time I'd put into schooling and what I want to use it for vrs. just continuing with what I've started.

I've looked into some of the legalities and future impact of getting an MD is all is do able.

The step now is to find a school :-)

I've read these boards for quite awhile and some of the info I've gotten has been good...some of it , I came to realize is really just specific to individuals and the fact that everyone attending an overseas school (of any kind) goes through the same culture shock and adjustment that I have :-)
The complains about the lack of water, phones, electricity, differences of the staff ect. That's normal and That's part of living overseas :-) It can be really great experiance depending on your perspective. Frankly, people really are the same whever you go...same needs, same desires ect. Our cultures color us and so we express those needs and desires and personalities differently and therefore we don't understand each other as well as we could .
But hey, that's just my rambling and probably really doesn't belong here anway.

Any further advice or input as to where to look for schools or what to expect is always greatly appreciated.

[basinas]

Can anyone plz comment on oradea university english medical programme; and if they join EU in 2007 does that mean you will be exempted from taking the plab exam if you are an EU national. your inputs would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance

[Miklos]

Can anyone plz comment on oradea university english medical programme; and if they join EU in 2007 does that mean you will be exempted from taking the plab exam if you are an EU national. your inputs would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance

Regarding the EU, two things you should keep in mind.

1) It is not certain that Romania will join the EU in 2007. This may be delayed for a year or a number of years. The 10 new accession countries went through this, some of them for nearly a decade. "Promises" from the EU regarding accession are not worth the paper they are printed on.

2) Regarding getting the PLAB exempted IF they join; this isn't a given either. It depends on the country complying with EU directives and informing the GMC. See the info at http://www.gmc-uk.org/register/eu_accession_member_states.htm for how each of the new member states got fully accreditted.

For example, As the competent authorities in Cyprus, Estonia and Malta have not provided us with the dates from which medical training in those countries has complied with directive 93/16/EEC we have to presume that their medical training is non compliant. However, if we are contacted by the competent authorities of any of the above countries with dates of compliance of training we will amend our registration procedures accordingly.

[eu]

hi, I am from Romania.I know that if you choose to do your medical school in Romania you will face corruption sooner or later. I graduated from an university where 1/4 of students were foreigners. 80% of them had to pay in order to pass the exams .Why? Because they didnt't study at all. For them it was only about parties and girls.And avoiding the draft in their home country. But I had foreign mates that did a fine job during school.If you mind your own bussiness nobody's going to stop you from learning.So if you do not have enough money to go to a western country it is worth studying is Romania.
I just passed USMLE, scores in the 90's and I can tell you that my medical background was very important. Because I learned a lot.
It's your choice.
And of course you can study in English.
Oradea is beautiful,I remember the resort nearby.Is not a great university,is a small one.I don't know anything about it.

[anxiousmd]

Hi!
I have been eading ur postings...u seem to know a lot abt medical schools and other systems......is there anyway u can help me with information /advice and suggestions abt the ORADEA UNIVERSITY,ROMANIA?I looked into the site and found it competent,but I am not a resident of Europe,I live in the Middle East.It is very hard for me to go by what the sites say to make important decisions......Is it posssible i can get in touch with anyone urretly studying medicine at the university o who has recently pssed out?
hope you can reply sson,coz i have an application deadline looming over my head.
Anxious MD