Thread: What's it like as an Israeli med student?

Hi,

I'm a British surgeon running a course for medical school applicants who are considering applying to Israeli med schools.

If anyone reading this currently attends an Israeli medical school and can spare a few minutes to do a brief interview or better yet write an article about medical student life in the Israel, please get in touch with me.

Essentially, I just need some information on what it's like to get in and survive as a medical student there. What hurdles you have to overcome to get in. What the quality of teaching is like, whether the political problems have any influence on your training etc.

In exchange I could offer some help and advice on breaking into the UK medical career structure if you are at all interested.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks!

Sam

Hi Sam,

Technion TeAMS alumnus here. Avoid the Technion American Medical School at all costs.

Hey Sam,
I am an American student studying in Israel and would love to speak to you about life as a medical student in Israel.
I am actually a student at the Technion and all of us here love it- it is an excellent program.
Notice how the above user has been banned. He is a student that changed his name and applied to our program after being expelled from Emory medical school (Google it) He has posts all over this forum from many different usernames (most have been banned).
Google what happened at Emory to see who you are dealing with. Look at the google images.
I invite you to speak to me and other current students about the school if you care for the truth.
Please message me if you would like to speak further.
Also, I invite you to explore the school's official website at: The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine

-Mack

Sam, you should see all the press articles about the troubles that the the TeAMs program is facing. These articles are all over the international media. I would hope that the conclusion your students reach is that outside of all the political and social and safety problems, the Technion's "American" program seems destined to be dissolved due to malfeasance.

Sam: good question- what it's like as an Israeli medical student is very dependent on the school you go to. Sackler and Ben Gurion seem to have satisfied students and good residency placements. The Technion program is a different story. The students there tend to be on the right-wing religious side, and they have had a 60% unmatch rate over the past 3 years. That combination makes for a bitter, frustrated population that tends to lash out.

In terms of political/social issues, Technion students are disengaged and have virtually no knowledge of anything outside. Ben Gurion and Sackler students seem very engaged, socially active, and well adjusted- diametrically opposed to the Technion students.

MDSupreme -- I think it is unfair to label ALL BGU and Sackler students as happy and ALL Technion students as right-wingers/unadjusted/bitter/myopic/ or-disengaged. Yes, the Technion is a nightmare but please don't exacerbate the situation by announcing to the world how bad it is. By the way, do you find the video posted by the bloggers to be funny? I think it is funny and harmless. It is true that everything is going to be just fine.

Hey everyone! I am glad that I obtained my PhD from Heidelberg University and not the Technion! My friend Dr. Mengele verifies that the Technion program is not very good for matching into residency programs.

This thread is a mockery, most likely started by one of the loons that trolls on here. Frankly, the TEAMS program had its share of problems over the last 6 years; but ultimately, the program appears to be improving with Dr Andy Levy in charge.

One has to understand that as an IMG, regardless of where one goes, the USMLE score is going to make or break the applicant. Technion students with high board scores have a considerably high number of interviews; naturally, those with lower scores had fewer interviews- many students matched regardless.

Quality of life as a medstudent is a separate argument; if one wants to hash out the differences between living in Tel Aviv and Haifa that is fine, but do not project those issues onto the program, the Technion medical school is not in control of the Haifa social scene.

Your reasoning is flawed in a few areas. Big time. You attests to the "quality" of clinical education. I attest to its pooh poohty quality. Stats back me up: a moderate number fail both their step 1 and step 2 there- even the clinical skill exam. That is because students have little to no responsibility and usually rotations are simply lectures each day in the given area. It is irrelevant that some are given by "department heads". The fact that one person here and there every few years matches well is no triumphant accomplishment. The program has a new figurehead. Not real new leadership. It will always be a second rate moneymaker for the school- as that is what it was founded to be. Lastly, but not least, the students are generally just awful people.*

Even you- you took multiple years to get a residency. Not in the field you wanted, either. And the school made you take 5 years to finish, charging you full price.

The Technion medical school is not in control of the Haifa social scene? *What a pointless comment. *Apparently the chief difference between an over industrialized haven for chemicals/pollution and an urban center is the social scene. *Truly an ignorant comment.