Thread: Naive question about California license

If I attend MUA, will I never be able to practice medicine in California, since MUA isn't approved by the California Medical Board? What if I pass the California medical board exam to meet the requirements needed to practice medicine in California, like many foreign schools graduates do. I know doctors who are practicing and living in California when they went to Philippines or India for their medical training. I know that those schools weren't US affiliated, so how are they practicing in Cali?

Originally Posted by Doga

I haven't heard back from Sgu and Aua yet. I'm hoping Sgu accepts me in the foundations program. I know students who applied to Sgu after Merp and got in to the foundations program. They did nothing to improve their application after Merp, while I retook the Mcat, got a 30, and put in more volunteering/research hours...although, they didn't mention anything about Merp in their Sgu app. I did...so maybe that will be my down fall. I'm okay with Aua. Which school do you attend?

I'm matriculating to SGU this August. So you took MCAT twice? "I retook the MCAT and got a higher score of 27" was in your old post.

Actually, no. That I made that post after I took the Mcat...and I estimated my score to a be around 27 for the purposes of that post. Keen observation.

So, without being a d-bag, what do you think are my chances at Sgu. I'm intrigued by your honesty.

Originally Posted by Doga

So, without being a d-bag, what do you think are my chances at Sgu. I'm intrigued by your honesty.

I'm not qualified for that type of answer. Sorry. Hopefully you get in though. Sounded like you learned a lot from your mistakes for failing MERP, and got your act in order. Best of luck!

I'm almost regretting mentioning Merp in my Sgu app. I know people who never mentioned it and were fine...but I did. I hope my honesty doesn't count against me. I asked you what are my chances because you said I can't go to Sgu. And Thanks.

Originally Posted by Doga

So, you're telling me that I'm more likely to be able to practice medicine in Cali if I went to India for school? Why is that? I'm lost.

Yes, that is precisely what I'm saying. Heck, California is in play if you attended medical school in Iraq (assuming you lived through it), or Cambodia, or New Zealand, or Iceland, or Austria, etc. Essentially, any foreign medical school program that is primarily intended to educate native citizens in the native language, (while still potentially accepting foreigners for study in that native language), will not usually have a problem getting CMB approval. It's a political thing, as I mentioned before.

Simply put, MUA obviously does NOT exist for that purpose... it exists to make money teaching medical students from the rest of the world, so it needs CMB approval at a different level than other foreign schools. The CMB is not comprised of chuckleheads... they know that just because a Carib school sends students to the US for clinicals, that does not make it a US institution. Rather, the school simply exists to serve a largely US-based market. As another example, my school has an English language program, but that program exists primarily as a money-making venture drawing students from four continents. Because of this, the English program requires a different type of approval from CMB than the native-language program, which already has CMB approval... even though the programs have the same curriculum and the professors of the English program also reach in the native language program.

I'm not saying it is inherently logical, but it doesn't have to be. CMB makes the rules for the state (as well as any other state that follows their list), and we get to live by them. That's how it rolls.

Originally Posted by Doga

Are you from California?

Nope.

Originally Posted by Doga

Which school are you in?

I am a 6th year student at the Medical University of Sofia, Bulgaria.

Originally Posted by Doga

If you wanted to practice in Cali, why did you choose that school when you knew that it wasn't approved?

I have no desire to practice in California... but it would be nice to have the option of at least applying to the MANY residency programs there, especially now that it is getting harder and harder for IMG/FMGs to match. Not having CMB approval removes literally thousands of potential programs from consideration, which really bites the weasel.

When I made my decision to complete my degree here, I was operating under partial information and some foolish (albeit logical) assumptions. I've learned a lot more about it since then, accepted my lot going into the match this September, and hopefully it will all work out well.

Originally Posted by Doga

Is your school a better choice over Mua?

I really don't know a pantload about MUA, but my initial guess would be "no." Neither school has CMB approval, but MUA at least offers USCE and electives. My school has no agreements or affiliations for USCE, despite having opportunities gift wrapped for approval by students, and does not even offer electives. The entire program is completely proscribed with no flexibility whatsoever -- welcome to the former East Bloc, in that regard. Students at my school who want USCE have to schedule it for themselves over vacation periods at home.

If I were advising my brother, and he wanted to work in the US as a physician, I would recommend:
1) US MD or DO programs. Failing that...
2) Big 4/5 Carib or Irish/UK/Oz programs. Failing that...
3) W-EU (or other foreign) native language programs, if he could speak the native language fluently. Failing that...
4) E-EU English programs with CMB approval. Failing that...
5) The rest of the (decent) Carib, with US rotations but no CMB approval. Failing that...
6) E-EU English programs without CMB approval.
7) Other options... assuming there are any.

Originally Posted by Doga

I just have lots of questions. Please help.

There is a whooole bunch of information here on VMD... enough to choke a rhino. Search, devour, and enjoy. Good luck.

we were told by the clinical coordinator at mua that after your are a us board certified physician, you can practice in any of the us states. it doesnt matter what school you went to, the imp thing is that you have to be a board certified physician and then you can even work in cali even if you are from mua or any other international medical school.

Originally Posted by Big Baller

we were told by the clinical coordinator at mua that after your are a us board certified physician, you can practice in any of the us states. it doesnt matter what school you went to, the imp thing is that you have to be a board certified physician and then you can even work in cali even if you are from mua or any other international medical school.

Then they lied to you...unless your school is on the Cali approved list you WILL NOT be able to practice in Cali...period
The board cert thing is a loophole for Texas.

rokshana is correct. Without explicit approval from the CMB a graduate of MUA will be unable to practice there. It does not appear there is any mechanism to fix this. I believe the CA statute says something about "remedial training" that a disqualified physician can obtain in order to fix the deficiencies but the CMB does not offer this remedial training nor do they certify any such training. If someone who was politically connected in CA would pursue this then they might create such training, but it does not appear to currently exist.

Originally Posted by Big Baller

we were told by the clinical coordinator at mua that after your are a us board certified physician, you can practice in any of the us states. it doesnt matter what school you went to, the imp thing is that you have to be a board certified physician and then you can even work in cali even if you are from mua or any other international medical school.

What?! Oi... this alone would make me extremely leery of attending MUA. As rok pointed out, that is a complete falsehood, and any employee of a Carib school should know better. They were either lying to you or they don't know what the hell they are talking about, and neither of those are qualities that I would seek in a medical school.

There are a few states that follow the CMB list that might allow practice rights after x number of years as a BC doc in another state, but it is definitely not all of them, and CA is completely out without specific approval... or if you are working for the fed.