Hi, I am about to start Grade 12 here in my homeland, Canada. I just
want ask whether it is a good idea to attend medical school in a
foreign country that accepts individuals right after high school
graduation. My cousin, who is now 20 years old, did his first year in
UBC when he was 18 years old. Unfortunately, he did badly. So, he
applied to the Windsor University School of Medicine in the Caribbean
and got accepted there. He will be studying there in September. The
university only wanted to see his Grade 12 marks!
So, is it a good idea to apply to a medical school that accepts
individuals after high school graduation? Or should I only apply to
universities like my cousin is going to as a last resort in case I do
badly here in Canada?
Here is a list of the pros and cons that I can think of attending
medical school in a foreign country after high school graduation:
PROS
-saves time(do not have to go through undergraduate degree)
-possibly more years of annual wages as a doctor
CONS
-high tuition
-more tension(different country, new people, new culture)
Can anyone suggest anymore advangtages or disadvantages?
Bill - 29 Aug 2005 06:44 GMT
> Hi, I am about to start Grade 12 here in my homeland, Canada. I just
> want ask whether it is a good idea to attend medical school in a
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
> Can anyone suggest anymore advangtages or disadvantages?
People may not trust you as much as a Dr. if they see a degree from the
Caribbean.
Bill
bae@cs.toronto.no-uce.edu - 29 Aug 2005 15:18 GMT
>So, is it a good idea to apply to a medical school that accepts
>individuals after high school graduation? Or should I only apply to
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
>Can anyone suggest anymore advangtages or disadvantages?
A medical degree from this diploma mill may not be accepted in Canada
or other developed countries. This will leave you the choice of (1)
working in the Third World, not a good option for someone who wants to
Make Money Fast as a doctor (2) starting over, getting an undergrad
degree and applying to an accredited medical school in a developed
country or (3) making your living by some other means.
Note that even if the degree is accepted, you'll still have to do a
residency in Canada in order to get licensed here. There's substantial
competition for good residencies, and people are known to "flunk out"
of residency programs, sinking their hopes of ever becoming licensed in
Canada.
Don't take the word of this Caribbean college that their degrees are
accepted elsewhere. Find out from the Canadian sources that will be
evaluating you. Note that there's a bit of a scandal in Canada that
many experienced immigrant doctors with accredited degrees from foreign
medical schools may have to wait for years to get a residency so they
can be licensed here. I'd think someone with only a degree and no
experience would be far down the list, if they get onto it at all.
If you don't think you can manage a good undergrad program and med
school, or you want to go into the medical field as soon as possible
after high school, consider some of the other medical occupations. You
can get a diploma in 2-4 years after high school that will qualify you
as a technician or technologist, doing lab work or performing a variety
of different diagnostic and therapeutic methods on patients. For
example, radiological or imaging technician, nuclear medicine
technician, medical technologist, etc. There's increasing demand for
people with these qualifications. You might also consider nursing,
which is a more active and responsible profession than it was some
decades ago. Pharmacy is also a growing and important field, and IIRC,
is a four year university program, leading to a responsible,
interesting and well-paid profession.
Think about what you want from a medical career. Is it the patient
contact and feeling of helping people directly, or are you more
interested in the technology and science? If it's mostly the income
you are after, you might be further ahead going into certain areas of
engineering these days.