studing in Spain

[MiNeRVa.Med]

Hi all
I wanna have some information about studing in Spain. Does any body have an idea about that? Do you know which university is the best one in Spain? do you know about cost of studing there?
I wanna continue my medical study as specialty. Do you have any idea about which major do they offer?
Does any of you know about the condition of attendence?

[shrey]

I'm assuming you speak Spanish fluently?

[hamster]

I've been researching about Spanish Medical Schools as well, so I'll share some of the info that I have found.
First of all, you have to speak Spanish fluently (as shrey pointed out) since there are not English programs in Spain. Having said that, you have to consider what school you want to go to because not all Spanish medical school teach in Castellano (the Spanish that most people are familiar with); some schools teach in their regional dialects (like Catalan, Galician, etc) which although they are somewhat similar to Castellano, it might represent a problem, especially for people whose native language is not Spanish.
The public Spanish medical schools are fairly cheap (exact price depends on the school, but i guess i good estimate would be 2,000 USD/year), but you have to do an entrance exam that is fairly competitive(if you're over 25 the exam is a little easier). You also have to consider the number of places for foreigner students the school offers; many small schools may only have one or two places for international students while bigger universities may have more (bigger uni also attract more foreigners).

The only private school that I found, is Universidad de Navarra, is supposed to be very prestigious university and apperently the best in Spain. In order to get in, you also have to do an entrance exam (similar to the SAT in America). The price ranges from 12,000 Euro/year for "Grado" to about 15,000 Euro/year for "Licenciatura" (i'm not sure about the difference between Grado and Licenciatura, I should look into that) plus this university is located in Pamplona which is a relatively expensive city.

If you want to continue your medical studies then you have to pass an exam called MIR (Medico Interno Residente).

I'll add more info later

[MiNeRVa.Med]

thanks for your explenation
I have about 4-5 years left, so I have enough time to learn spanish !
I have no idea about which university I wanna go , but as long as I love spain I wanna go there.
I don't wanna go to private school , because of the high price . among public med school which one is the best one? I prefer universities in Madrid . I have no chance to learn catalonic !
I wanna know your idea about studing in spain, I've heard that there is so many doctors that there's a difficult situation for a new one to employ, is it correct? even for specialist?
Do you suggest me to study in other countries? could you plz compare spain to other countries specially european ones?

[maximillian genossa]

Here is a reference, in Spanish so you can start practicing right away, trust me, if you don't know the language fluently they won't wait for you to catch up.

escuela de medicina en espana | Europe | Student Doctor Network

PM me if still interested en la Madre Patria.


Aviv

[brusmani]

You need to be fluent in Spanish,you definitely need to be...
You need to pass a tough entrance exam and they ask everything,from History of Spain to Mathematics.
The course lasts 6 years...University of Salamanca,Santiago de compostela e complutense de Madrid are very well ranked and internationally recognized.Salamanca is great indeed!The fees are 2000 - 3000 €,but the one in Madrid is more expensive...
There are private universities as well...I think there are 3,the best I think is located in Madrid,and the name is "Universidad europea de Madrid",it costs 1800 € a month.there is an entrance exam too and you need to prove you're fluent in spanish.This is all I know...

[shrey]

Well, Spain doesn't pay too well to start with and yes, there are problems with getting employed. Many spanish medical residents usually end up specializing in other countries (Belgium, Germany, Portugal) due to the stiff competition for training/residency placements. The best thing would be to personally talk to a few Spanish medical students and ask 'em what the job market's like. I do believe the medical system is very tough there and many don't finish within 6 years (just like the Italian medical schools.)

If you like the country so much, you could perhaps go to med school in some other European country and then do an exchange/ERASMUS year in Spain (if you're fluent in Spanish!) or you can even do most of your clinicals there.

[MiNeRVa.Med]

Here is a reference, in Spanish so you can start practicing right away, trust me, if you don't know the language fluently they won't wait for you to catch up.

I know just a few words in spanish and that's not enough to understand the reading ...

You need to be fluent in Spanish,you definitely need to be...

I said that I have 4-5 years and I think that's enough for learning spanish

You need to pass a tough entrance exam and they ask everything,from History of Spain to Mathematics

really? even for forigners who don't know even their own history??
what about residency exam? is it exactly the same?

The course lasts 6 years...University of Salamanca,Santiago de compostela e complutense de Madrid are very well ranked and internationally recognized.Salamanca is great indeed!The fees are 2000 - 3000 €,but the one in Madrid is more expensive...
There are private universities as well...I think there are 3,the best I think is located in Madrid,and the name is "Universidad europea de Madrid",it costs 1800 € a month.there is an entrance exam too and you need to prove you're fluent in spanish.This is all I know...

2000-3000 every semester or year?
what about residency? are these universities perfect for residency? which majors do they offer?

Well, Spain doesn't pay too well to start with and yes, there are problems with getting employed. Many spanish medical residents usually end up specializing in other countries (Belgium, Germany, Portugal) due to the stiff competition for training/residency placements. The best thing would be to personally talk to a few Spanish medical students and ask 'em what the job market's like. I do believe the medical system is very tough there and many don't finish within 6 years (just like the Italian medical schools.)

If you like the country so much, you could perhaps go to med school in some other European country and then do an exchange/ERASMUS year in Spain (if you're fluent in Spanish!) or you can even do most of your clinicals there.

that's a little challenging you know ...
which country do you suggest me? considering all things ...

[shrey]

Well, I can only suggest you to chose a country where you want to ultimately end up. There are several other countries that have great opportunities like Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands etc but getting into these schools is highly competitive (you truly have to be one of those "cream of the crop" students.)

Chose a language that you think might be easy for you (depending on your native language.) If it's English, then you might have an easier time learning Swedish or Norwegian and with a little effort, even German. Try looking into schools in these 3 places. They are very very tough to get into but they're certainly rewarding and you'll be sure to get employed once you've graduated from one of their medical schools.

[MiNeRVa.Med]

even belgium , Norway and Netherland is difficult to be attended? even togher than spain?
what about quality of studing and education? are they the same as englad and france? what about the cost?
my native language is persian, so there is no difference to learn any of those languages, but I know english quite well