Foreign medical schools have afforded many unsuccessful applicants to U.S. medical schools the opportunity to pursue a medical education abroad, and then return to the U.S. to fulfill their dream of practicing as a physician. However, the challenges of studying in a foreign environment, being immersed in a different language and culture, trying to secure residencies in the U.S., passing the boards, etc. should be carefully examined. There are very good medical schools in other countries and, in some instances, it may be easier to gain admission to foreign medical schools than to U.S. medical schools. There also are some which knowledgeable observers describe as very inadequate. Some schools are very competitive or do not accept students from outside its country. Others will accept almost anyone willing to pay the tuition (be very knowledgeable of financial aid programs, qualifications and payback). Some have good records when their graduates take the exams necessary to practice in the US while others have very poor records. You should be extremely cautious with schools that have less than a proven record of success. Some students who are driven to enter any medical school right out of college should recall that it is advisable to consider working to address weaknesses in the application for as long as two years before applying to a US school. For those students with a strong interest in primary care, the preferred option is Osteopathic medicine, particularly if you plan to practice in the U.S. Find out as much information as possible if you are considering a foreign medical school. The resource that is host highly endorsed by the Office of Pre-Professional Programs and Advising is the following article: International Medical Schools for U.S. Citizens: Considerations for Advisors and Prospective Students, Paul J. Crosby, M.A., and Robert E. Cannon, Ph.D, 2004 (The Advisor, Vol. 24, 1, pp. 36-41).
http://www.naahp.org/resources_ForeignMed_Article.htm This article reviews the relevant literature, clarifies terminology, presents the range of options available, discuss extra challenges in off-shore study, how transferring to a U.S. medical school, the Fifth Pathway and ECMFG Certification (see below), as well as residency matching, specialty certification & licensure. Perhaps most important is that the authors share the important questions to ask if you are looking at a foreign medical school. This article is the place to start! There is a great deal of variability in terms of the preparation level Caribbean medical school students receive and as a result, their performance on the critican Step Exams ranges from very low pass rates through much higher ones. The following article and abstract speak to this point. Medical Education in the Caribbean: Variability in Medical School Programs and Performance of Students. Marta van Zanten, Med, and John R. Boulet, Academic Medicine, Vol. 83, No. 10. October 2008. Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the structure of medical training programs in the Caribbean and the performance of the students.
There are 56 medical schools in 16 countries currently recognized and open in the Caribbean. Almost 30,000 students from this region applied for exams leading to Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification between 1993 and 2007. The authors summarized school characteristics and pass rates on United States Medical Licensing Examinations, by country.
The structure of medical education varies across the region, including existence of accrediting bodies and review processes. First-attempt pass rates by country ranged from 19.4% to 84.4% for Step 1, from 26.3% to 79.7% for the Step 2 Clinical Knowledge Examination, and from 60.6% to 97.2% for the Step 2 Clinical Skills Examination.
Conclusions: There is significant variability in undergraduate medical education and the performance of students of medical schools in Caribbean nations.
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) established the International Credentials Services (EICS) in 2000 to assist international medical registration authorities in obtaining primary source verification of medical education and registration credentials of physicians applying for licensure whose medical education was completed outside their jurisdictions. Through its program of certification, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) assesses the readiness of international medical graduates to enter residency or fellowship programs in the United States that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). For more information on practicing in the US if you are a foreign medical school graduate, you can visit the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates website at:
http://www.ecfmg.org/ The International Medical Education Directory is a free web-based resource for accurate and up-to-date information about international medical schools that are recognized by the appropriate government agency in the countries in which they are located. The agency responsible for this recognition in most countries is the Ministry of Health. The following information is available in IMED:
• Current and former official names of the medical school
• Name of the university with which the medical school is affiliated (if applicable)
• Medical school address, telephone/fax numbers, and e-mail address
• Medical school website address
• Degree title (title of the medical degree currently awarded by the medical school or university)
• Graduation years, which are the calendar years for which the medical school has been recognized by the government agency in the country where the school is located. Although individual medical schools may have been recognized prior to 1953, IMED generally only provides graduation year information beginning with 1953.
• Year instruction began
• Language of instruction
• Duration of the curriculum
• Entrance examination requirement
• Eligibility of foreign (non-national) students
• Total enrollment If you are looking for information on a particular medical school, or for a listing of medical schools by country, you may wish to search the IMED at: https://imed.faimer.org/ A number of schools in Australia have established relationships with U.S. hospitals so that students complete their initial coursework abroad and then do their clinical rotations in the U.S. Medical schools in Israel are also an option that Hopkins students consider and several do each year. Duke has an excellent program in Singapore that is open to both U.S. and international students. Getting Past Rejections: The Next Step in the Process, Paul Jung, The New Physician, May-June 2002, Volume 51, Issue 4. http://www.amsa.org/tnp/articles/article.cfx?id=184 Charting a Course to Medical School: The AMSA Map for Success.
http://www.amsa.org/premed/premedguide/reapplying.cfm
This page was adapted in part from a similar website at The Career Center, The University of Michigan, and The Career Center, The University of California, Berkeley.
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