Poland and Cali approval

[carbon]

Hi everyone. Regarding California approval, I would like to add that the whole concept is overrated. I spoke with Ms. Park sometime ago regarding Polands 4 year programs and the California board. My understanding is that the approval process was instituted to prevent potential quacks with a bogus medical education obtained at diploma factories at various sites next to the equator from harming the public. The application consists of approximately 100 pages of fill in the blank questions regarding mundane issues such as size and location of the training facilities, number of teaching personnel, libraries, laboratories, centrifuges, square footage etc.. In addition, professors are required to submit their CV’s showing they are legitimate educators. Most importantly, the schools must demonstrate that they are officially recognized as an institution of higher learning authorized to teach medicine by the local government and ministry of health. EVERY Polish medical school regardless the language of instruction or curriculum length meets these types of requirements. The administrations from these schools just need pressure from the students to rubber stamp the piles of applications. IT DOESN’T COST A PENNY FOR CHRIST”S SAKE!!

Unless I am mistaken, California approval has nothing to do with the quality of a schools curriculum, board pass rates, residency acceptance or anything else that makes you proud of yourself. They just want to know that the facility you attend does in fact exist and you’re not learning gross anatomy in a barn on some potato farm and then being led around by a retired veterenarian on clinicals somewhere in a third world jungle village. They want proof your instructors are peer recognized experts in their field. So all you guys in Hungary, Czech republic, St. George, Ross and others I applaud you for being taught medicine by nobel laureates wearing bowties in beautiful, perhaps even historic cities. At least they can fill out applications. But don’t worry, Polish schools and their contributions to medicine are recognized throughout Europe, North America and the WHO. The American student body is a separate but integral part of the medical school which shares everything with the native students but language of instruction. As soon as the polish schools realize the disadvantages of not being cali approved, they’ll get the ball rolling. Until then unfortunately , California residents should probably study elsewhere if they eventually want to return home. If you have no intention on going to Cali, then Poland is a great place to study if you are interested in a four year curriculum. The 6 year program is certainly no better than the 4. They have been teaching a 4 year curriculum for 10 years already at somepolish medical schools....believe me they are quite used to it by now. All the shortened program does is cut out philosophy, general chemistry, sociology and other nonsense we all took as undergrads

I am a KMU graduate who thanks to polish medicine got off to an incredibly rewarding and prosperous career in the field of my choice. Life couldn’t be better thanks to those con artists. . And another thing, most of those who transferred, were not missed.

[Miklos]

Glad to hear that you have succeeded.

I have no doubt that Polish and other schools will get approved in the near future. I would, however, beg to differ on a couple of points.

1) I do not believe it to be overrated. Why? No approval = no clinicals, no postgraduate training & no license in California (ever)
2) I have seen the questionnaire. It is tedious, long and overly bureaucratic, no doubt about it. It does however include sections on the curriculum, student attrition and USMLE pass rates to help evaluate the quality of the school (e.g. helping prove it is not a diploma factory)
3) Regarding the 4 year curriculum, see posts elsewhere on this forum.
4) It is not necessarily free. If a site visit is required, the school pays for the travel costs for the site visitors.

I think that you would agree with me that schools that get past the process show that they are more likely to go to bat for their students in the future, would you not?

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It is obviously better to be California approved for the reasons you state. What I am trying to say is the general public (potential applicants) naturally will discredit a medical school once state officials do so. The california approval process seeks to legitimize a foreign program by checking the basic infrastructure of that program. This makes people feel safer. It is overrated in the sense that it is insulting to suggest that polish 4 year programs cannot meet the basic outline set forth by California. because they easily can. Practically speaking, if you can’t get licensed or do residency then you’re hosed if that is your ultimate destination….agreed. Perhaps the number of students from California is low dampening the interest in approval by some of these schools? I don’t know why it is taking so long for them to apply, but polish beaurocracy is notorious as elsewhere in Eastern Europe.

Most of the time site visits are not performed, so long as the paper work jibes. It’s like doing taxes. I am also quite familiar with the 4 year curriculum, I completed it. It is a good curriculum that parallels that of the states because the idea is to attract college graduates who have completed the prerequisites which basically comprise the first 2 years of the six year programs. The courses are the same polish students take in the 6 year program with some minor adjustments. As a matter of fact, medical school curriculums are similar worldwide, so time to diploma is not a factor although I believe some states require you are in attendance for at least 36-48 months. Another thing on transferring, very bad idea. State boards will require twice as much paper work from you and both schools. Also if you started at a school that is California approved and transferred to one that is not and vice-versa you’re screwed on cali licensure. Best thing is to commit yourself from the start, no one here knows the difference between medical schools in Poznan, Budapest, Prague or mars and there are plenty of grads here from all those places doing there thing