Im a senior in High School and due to some mathematics related mistakes made in my junior year I'm afraid that I wont be able to gain admittance into an accelerated medical program. The other option, then, is going through graduate school, medical school, and then residency, and by the time I'm complete I will be 30 or more. An alternate path, I've heard, is going straight into medical school in a foreign country and then returning, taking some tests, and doing my residency and Voila I'm a doctor by 26. Can someone with either experience or inside knowledge of the field please give me a list of pros and cons for doing this?
Thanks.
LA Sports fan
Many physicians do not enter an accelerated program after high school. They go the traditional route which is 4 years undergraduate, 4 years medical school and residency (3+ years depending on specialty). The United States has the best medical schools in the world and you will still graduate with your medical degree at 26 as long as you only spend 4 years to get your undergraduate degree and go straight to medical school. If you chose to go the foreign route when you come back to the US you will have to do a residency in order to practice medicine so it really is the same thing. Nearly all physicians are over 30 by the time they have completed their residency. The disadvantage of going to a foreign medical school is that it's harder to get more competitive residencies. My advice is to stay in the US and good luck!
PE2008
A clarification on the previous response because it is a common misconception...
It is NOT necessary to do a residency to practice as a physician. All the practitioner needs is an MD (or DO) + internship and licensing exams. Many MDs and DOs set up shop as general practitioners in the USA without a residency.
This is also the practice almost everywhere else on the world. In the USA far too many physicians are specialists. It drives up medical costs.
MomSezNo
If you're looking for an easy way out, I'd say medicine is not for you. If you can't handle the workload, you don't make it. That's how the weed out people who won't make good docs.
Orignal From: Medical School Outside the US?
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