Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, having discovered it while reseaching medical schools in Eastern Europe. I'm Irish, have a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, but don't qualify under the Graduate Entry scheme to study medicine here (didn't get the all-elusive 2.1). Even if I could qualify, I wouldn't be able to afford the ridiculously high fees and living expenses for the duration of the course here in Ireland. So that's why I'm looking to Eastern Europe and Prague in particular.

I'm interested in studying at Charles University in Prague (any of the three faculties) as I visited a few years ago and was quite impressed.

So my question is this: does the internship year take place during the sixth year of the course, or afterwards?

Also, does anyone know how easy it is to register with the Irish Medical Council after studying at Charles University? Finally if there are any Irish students here who can advise me about obtaining loans from Irish banks to study abroad it would be much appreciated. I've approached some banks here and they don't seem to have anything fixed in place for students going abroad.

I'd really appreciate any info you guys have, thanks,

Louise

Well I think the internship year technically starts after teh 6th yr. However, they do let you do 11 weeks of clinical rotations outside the country (starting from the 5th yr. itself). We have quite a few irish students here in the First Fac. this year doing medicine and dentistiry so I assume it should be easier to get back to Ireland (as it's recognized by the Irish and the British councils)......about the loans I have no idea (i'll try and find out)...

Your use of the word "internship" makes me wonder if this refers to an Irish equivalent of the situation Czech grads. wanting to work in the U.K. find themselves in and which has sparked a good deal of debate and many queries. Just in case it is relevant to the Irish licensing regime and your query -
In the U.K. the G.M.C. does regard the 6th year of the Czech as an "internship" (leastways it did - I cannot guarantee my info is up-to-date). This means/meant that such graduates are/were eligible for Full Registration and FY2 training posts.

__________________
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."
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Hi Shrey. That's great to hear about the large number of Irish students over there - gives me hope that it can't be too difficult to apply the Czech course to working over here in Ireland. It would be wonderful if you could find out about the bank loans for me. Just curious to know which bank they went with and if the bank provides both fees and living expenses. Thanks.

Yes, I think you've got the right idea about what I meant. To get Full Registration with the Irish Medical Council (our G.M.C.) you have to have spent a year working in a hospital under supervision, usually completing 6 months Surgery and 6 months Medicine. This normally happens in the sixth year of an Irish medical course, as I understand it. If the G.M.C. accepts the 6th year of the Czech course as an internship, then I'd say it's very likely that the Irish Medical Council does too. I was mainly concerned that if I had to apply to Irish hospitals to complete my internship, I'd find myself with no offers as the demand for places is very high over here. But is sounds as though I'll be able to do all this in Prague. Again, if anyone can confirm this, that would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for your help,

Louise