I am almost finished my second year at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and have been feverishly researching foreign medical schools to study at next year. Since I only have 2 years of university and no MCAT I am looking to enter a premed program. I have researched Ireland and the Caribean and have already applied to some schools but have now turned my attention to Australia. My final goal is to practice medicine in the States. I like the look of Australia because it is cheaper than St.Georges in the Carib and the Irish schools. What I don't understand is that if your clinical rotations are done in Australia how can you get the hours at ACGME approved hospitals in the states in order to be eligeable for residency in the sates?????? Do US residencies except your clinical rotation hours in Australia??????? Are Australian graduates pretty much guaranteed residencies in the states if they pass the UCLME and required tests or is it possible that you won't find one???????? As far as practicing medicine in the US where is the best place to go Australia, Caribean, or Ireland????? Do I have a good shot at an Australian school with a 91% in high school and an 85% at Queens after 2 years??????

Thanks for reading this and I DESPERATELY hope someone will answer as I really want to study somewhere else next year.

For most Canadian provinces(especially Ontario and British Columbia) it is extremely difficult to practice medicine if you graduated from a non-Canadian or US school. As for the best path to practice in the US, the top three Caribbean medical schools are the best path to becoming a doctor in the US. Why? Because you spend only two years in the Caribbean and the other two in the USA doing your clinicals, this will give you an advantage over other IMGs in applying to US residency programs. The education at the Caribbean schools are geared towards the USMLE, this is not a focus at Australian and Irish schools. Australian and Irish medical schools are still a good bet if you want to practice in the US but the only catch is that you have to be self motivated for the USMLE, and that is a very HARD exam.

Thank you for replying. I can see how going to Australia or Ireland makes it more difficult to get into the states. I was wondering if anyone knew exactly how hard it really is. I mean, is there a chance of not getting a residency even with passing the appropriate tests and recieving the appropriate visa?

Thanks

Australia and Ireland are not bad choices if you want to practice medicine in the US. There are quite a few grads from both places practicing medicine in the US. The issue is, that Australian and Irish schools are not geared for preparing you for the USMLE and in most cases you can only do your electives in the US. At a good Caribbean school you will most likely do your entire clinical education at a US hospital and this is definitely a serious advantage if you want to become a doctor in the US. If you study in Australia or Ireland you will need to put aside the time to study for the USMLE on your own.

Thank you for your help guys. I would definately prefer going to a Caribbean school after hearing more of the details. I like structure and am not a huge fan of PBL which Aussie schools use.

I emphasize that you should choose a good Caribbean school with a solid reputation of sending their graduates to US residency programs. Not all Caribbean schools are created equal. There is a book which details international medical schools for North American students, you should try to look it up in the library. It gives a lot of information for Caribbean and other medical schools.

Before you consider giving up Australian schools altogether consider a few things,

Since you don't have a complete degree anyway you will HAVE to go to an australian "under grad" medical school 5 years or 6 years (still in total cheaper than any top 3 school). The advantage of this is that if you really like australia these schools will afford you the best opportunity to stay there (look for my other posts in this section), additionally you could also practice with ease in the UK, or if you do your residency in Australia you could use that to return to Ontario (new program that allows you to practice in another country for 5 years and then return without ANY tests - posted under the cdn section somewhere).

Another point of note is that PBL is more developed in the post grad aussie med schools, undergraduate ones are more lecture orientated (though some are also PBL based, it's really dependent on the particular one you will apply to).

Also while aussie unis aren't geared towards the USMLE it would be pretty inaccurate to say they don't really prepare you for it. All of the USMLE material is taught in one form or another in these schools (pass rates are generally very high for aussie grads writing the USMLE) the main problem is that they dont' prepare you for the MCQ style questions, or the lenght of the exam. As for content, all of it will be taught.

All of these are important things to consider. If you are 100% sure that the US is the ONLY place you want to practice then perhaps the caribbean is the best choice for you.

Thank you guys for your posts. I really appreciate the advice you guys are giving me.

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additionally you could also practice with ease in the UK.[/quote]

Update. As of the end last of this year (You had to complete your studies and make application before the end of 2003), graduates of Commonwealth medical schools have to do PLAB, pay fees, take the English test and meet the same requirements for registration as those from any other country outside the EU. Check GMC website for further info.

additionally you could also practice with ease in the UK.[/quote]

Update. As of the end last of this year (You had to complete your studies and make application before the end of 2003), graduates of Commonwealth medical schools have to do PLAB, pay fees, take the English test and meet the same requirements for registration as those from any other country outside the EU. Check GMC website for further info. [/quote]

yeah that sucks, they changed that rule as of December last year. OH well....

however i hear the PLAB isn't that bad. And docs are back on the skilled occupations list in Australia so staying is getting easier again.