In What Country Is It Easiest to Become a Doctor?

Can we study MBBS in India and then work in the UK?

I'm Kashan and I got a 95.5 mark in grade 12. I want to study medicine but here in Iraq I can't get admitted to the medical university. Can anyone tell me which college will admit me?

Do not bother coming to Canada if you are a foreign graduate. Don't make the same mistake that we did.

Can anyone tell me how competitive it would be to enter a Thai Medical school? I just wonder because I've read an article saying: "Some Thais choose to attend the private medical school or attend a medical school in a foreign country due to relatively few openings and high college entrance examination scores required for enrollment in public medical schools." In my country, it's very competitive to enter the reputable med school. People must pass national exams with high marks, so some choose to attend med school in China. There's no private med school here.

I live in New York and I have been wanting to go to Costa Rica and study over there for both Time and Financial reasons. I would like to know: How long is pre med in Costa Rica? How long would it take to complete both pre med and med school over there?

How much is the cost of living and tuition fees in India colleges of medicine for a year?

My father became a heart doctor in Czechoslovakia in 1972, worked in the field for 10 years, then went back to school in the United States, and became a specialist in the field, earning the highest marks in both universities. In other words, he trained for 12 years. Now you tell me, wouldn't you want someone like him doing your loved one's operation?

@post 29: Don't talk if you don't know anything about Indian education. Doctors from India are viewed with high regard all over the world. They get more exposure than any US college will ever give. Here in India, people who studied abroad have to write a test for practicing in India. Guess who is the faculty dean of your Harvard medical school? An Indian, that's right. He did his mbbs at AIIMS, India.

An mbbs programme in any government college in India is awesome. The best part is that you get to see lots of patients and the fee is dirt cheap. It comes to about $120-400 a year in government colleges. The most reputed institution is AIIMS, the top institute for doing your degree.

I am currently studying in a government college. To study at a government college, you've got to secure high ranks in an all India entrance examination, which about 1,000,000 people take. And one more thing: medical colleges in India give you some of the best practical experience and they do not encourage rote learning. You get to see lots of patients too, who are poor and can't afford to go to private hospitals.

I want to do my MBBS. I am in India right now. Should I go to Ukraine to study medicine? And after that, if I want to go to the USA for PG, then what would it take? Would I be able to settle there in the USA? I don't want to come back to India.

I am an Indian student of mbbs course from Bangladesh. Please inform me how can I get registration in India.

I'm an American about to do med school in Ecuador, South America. I was wondering if I transfer to the states would they except my credits even though I didn't do four years of undergrad school, and just went straight into med school. Can someone please help me out, and telling me what should I do, if I should graduate here in Ecuador then go back or should I just go back to the states, finish undergrad school and then do med school there.

I live in U.S and in ninth grade. I am planning my future in medical courses. People say that it is easy to be a doctor in U.S whereas India is the shortest time to be a doctor. Can someone tell me where should I plan to go?

Medicine was and will never be easy. Hard work and determination s everything in this field. Every country tries to produce the best doctors so its unfair to say that its easier in one country and difficult in another. In the end, it's the knowledge you gained that matters. --Sam F.

I studied Medicine (MBBS) in an affiliate program at Vinayaka Missions University's offshore campus in Bangkok,Thailand headquarters and at the office in India after I finished four and a half years of MBBS. I didn't get certification in India/Thailand since this program was not recognized in both countries. I screwed up, but I am genuinely done with all medical subjects and had good scores, but have not yet finished my internship since my program was not recognized.

I have hospital certifications and my my scores from the university, and now I want to transfer to a Caribbean or US school with the intention to get residency in the US. Can I transfer into the third year of a program so that I will save my time? Could someone please guide me? How and what are the possible ways for me to do this, and to which medical schools should I apply? Please help me.

Germany has a six-year program.

The Indian system encourages rote learning and lacks practical experience. But Indian education is tough to pass as the syllabus is complex.

Is it any wonder Indians do not invent much, but where hard work is needed, Indians are the best.

I intend on studying medicine in India but am Nigerian. How easy will it be for me to get admission as a foreigner in a reputable medical school in India 2. Also, how good is it to study medicine in the Ukraine?

Do you get to do your residency in U.S after studying in Ukraine. I am really confused. I need your help.

Becoming a doctor in India is difficult if you are *from* India (and are not extremely wealthy). This is because there are so many people - obviously you have more competition with more people. If you are from the US, you can go to India and train with ease. The only requirement is that you have money. If you have money, you are basically automatically admitted.

I know more than a few Indian people who were born in the US who traveled to India because they could not get into med school here in the US. But their parents had money, so they went over to India for med school, then came back to the US for residency.

The only problem now, is that it is extremely difficult for an IMG (international medical graduate) to get any residency in the US in anything other than in "Family Practice."

Greetings, I wanted to post some important information, I just completed law school in the United States, however I studied abroad in Bangladesh, for my last six months. The government in Bangladesh is really wanting American students to become doctors in their country. The program is five years at $10,000 a year, I think.

The requirements are rather simple: just have a four year degree from a college or university with a B.S. in Biology, Chemistry or Physics.

MBBS study in Nepal is really tough. It is a four year degree with a one year internship. However, I decided not to study medicine.

Now I study the access to nursing program here in UK. Because of the fact that I did schooling in Nepal, where we are told to be focused and study all the time, I am finding my access course easy and I am doing it really well, not to mention I am also working part time, while the locals here they are struggling with basic maths and other stuff. Probably they are good, well they are very good in talking but they are not up to to our standard, academic wise.

I've completed my MBBS in Bangladesh. Is there any way to be a physician and practice as a doctor in India?

@anon155840: First of all, there are no refugees from India. Get your facts straight. I think people from India and other parts of Asia are the ones who bring the "reputation" to Canadian universities. You know how hard it is to get into a medical university in India compared to Canada? And it's a whole lot about competition in India.

Don't talk until you know the facts. And what's up with you and taxis? And I know a lot of Americans and Canadians who go to India to do their undergraduate or postgraduate.

I want to be an MBBS doctor but my age is 32. how can apply for this study? I am available for this study.

I never post comments but I am forced to post one right now, seeing how some people ridicule Indian medical education.

First of all, it's damn tough to get into a government medical college in India (which are more respected than private ones, unlike in the US). With a selection hope of only 1.5 percent annually in my state medical entrance. Some institutes select only 45 MBBS students annually (e.g AIIMS) out of thousands of aspirants. Have you any idea what that means?

Clinical experience bestowed here is the longest (4.5 years). I am a medical student and I was shocked to see that my Physiology class test question papers are harder than USMLE step 1 which is like the harshest exam a US med student undergoes.

I know US students get to see more technology than Indian ones, but that doesn't mean that Indian students are under trained in clinical approaches. There are good and bad students everywhere, in the US and in India.

Medical education is very hard in India. Even if we don't study four years of pre med, but the same syllabus as they have in undergrad colleges in USA, we have in our high schools. So basically, what they study in four years, we ought to do in just two.

If you see some doctor of indeterminate skill from a country that would imply that all its students are that way. The best doctor is the one with the best treatments.

Look people, all medical schools teach the same stuff. Medical schools are standardized world wide. You study medicine in India or USA you are still learning the same stuff. The only differences from country to country are the requirements and acceptance rates. It's actually the residency training that separates one doctor from another in terms of quality.

I'm a Ghanaian registered general nurse with a diploma. How can I study medicine or continue my nursing outside the country at a less expensive cost.

I don't know if it is only me and my wife that we feel doctors in the Philippines are better than doctors in Canada. My comparison is on the family medicine and specialist levels. I cannot say anything on surgery because I have not had one.

In the Philippines, all of the medical schools in the Philippines are connected to hospitals, either private or government. In the last year of medicine proper, the medical students are deeply into actual observation and learning at the teaching-training hospital. After that he/she needs a year of internship either in the hospital or at the rural areas in an actual primary health care exposure.

I have obtained my MBBS degree from Bangladesh(Dhaka university). I would like to study on medical microbiology. Where can I apply for higher education? What are my career opportunities? Would you guys please be so kind to reply? I'm feeling really helpless.

@anon208971: I am not a doctor, but I do know a thing or two about degree programs. If you want to go to medical school in the United States, you need to actually *contact* the dean or head of the school of medicine and tell him or her what you said here! You could even probably send the department secretary an e-mail and get a comprehensive answer.

Second, you need to contact the admissions office. As I understand it, medical school in the United States is a post-bachelor program, although many universities that offer medical schools also offer a pre-med program so a student can transition seamlessly into the medical school program. The admissions office should be able to give you information, too.

Third, contact some of the smaller medical schools. I say this because you will probably be able to get with a real person more quickly.

Anytime you have a question about a degree program, while looking online will give you a wealth of information, for situations like yours, contacting the medical school department directly is *always* the best thing to do. Someone actually affiliated with the department can assess your situation and give you the best answer, based on your particular needs. Good luck.

Wow! I can't accurately comment on the post because everything about it is fairly new to me. I had, initially, thought it was good article but after reading the comments, I'm not so sure anymore.

But, aside from that, I wish I had read these comments before this past summer. You see, I did an undergraduate program in my country (The Bahamas)(where the time to get an undergraduate degree in my field is, roughly, six years (but I completed it in five) for Biology with a minor in chemistry and I already have my bachelor's degree, but now I want to go to medical school.

I was looking at a particular school in the Caribbean because, not only is it cheaper for me, but I was told it was one of the best in the region. But now, I've come to realize that, it isn't as it seems. From my experience, they have organizational problems. For example, you don't find out whether you get in or not until the week semester starts (already miss orientation and everything you are supposed to experience). So I've decided looking into other options (just in case they don't call me by the time semester starts) to try and get in next year. I've found other colleges, both in Asia and the United States, that have high ranking standards. And I also found scholarships I could get for Asia to go and study there (still currently looking for the United States).

What I want to know is, (1) why does it seem easier to go about medical school in the United States? At this current time, China seems very bright to me, but the other problem is a one to two year college prep course in Mandarin I would have to take and should have taken in my last year of college if I was thinking, but I am also interested in US colleges like Dartmouth, Penn State and University of California - San Francisco.

(2) Do you think it is easy to get into med school in the US, already having a bachelor's degree in my current field? I was looking on different sites and they keep sending me to undergraduate programs, but how it's set up, I am not sure if it's pre-med or med. They just say undergraduate programs, and on more than one occasion I can't find what I need to find, because I already have a degree.

Finally (3) Pretty similar to no. 2: Do you think it is easier to get into a Chinese or UK high ranking college/university already having a degree? For China, the scholarship doesn't specify.

From what I gathered I could use my high school transcript and diploma or my college transcript and diploma (if I read it correctly) to get in. None is preferred over the other; and that's pretty daunting. I already did five years and I can't go another round of premed school. I just can't. So, someone, please help.

TO PV22591: It's true that admissions committees put more emphasis on a GPA from undergraduate years than a Masters. Some universities don't even acknowledge the Masters GPA because, apparently, it renders a student's individual work, whereas a Bachelor's degree is a comparative evaluation imposed on all students. It is therefore considered easier to increase your grades during the Masters degree (which is not the case with the Bachelors).

@ post 37, and to everyone talking about the India issue, this should clear it up.

Becoming a doctor in India is difficult if you are *from* India(and are not extremely wealthy). This is because there are so many people - obviously you have more competition with more people. If you are from the US, you can go to India and train with ease. The only requirement is that you have money. If you have money, you are basically automatically admitted. I know more than a few Indian people who were born in the US who traveled to India because they could not get into med school here in the US. But their parents had money, so they went over to India for med school, then came back to the US for residency.

The only problem now, is that it is extremely difficult for an IMG (international medical graduate) to get any residency in anything other than "Family Practice."

getting into the kenyan program is not as easy, though.

To the uploader: You're wrong about Europe though. The five-/six-year programs offered here are NOT undergraduate degrees. They are MDs. Except for the United Kingdom which offers Bachelor's (undergraduate) degrees.

What crap. When the USA president says that study like Indians, then where is the doubt? They base their judgment on a few not so competent people which got in through loopholes in their system. But we (Indians) make judgments on what we say in their system as we get in touch with their system too.

I have a few relatives whose children are studying in schools and colleges in America. I am shocked to see how things work there. All good colleges and schools in India have a very stiff competition to get in first (highly intelligent people get in) and then there is a real tough curriculum to study then.

I respect America for their organization and system but it's utter crap when biased, insecure, ill-informed Americans (even others) open their mouths disgracing the education of India.

Many Americans live in their ignorant superiority complex shells where they lack any practical knowledge about the world.

Anyway, the doctor who saves the most lives or gives good treatment to his patients is the best, regardless of any other crap people talk.

okay pedro from nigeria: are ukraine medical schools recognized in uk, usa and canada?

Medical studies in India are super hard. In fact, it's the easiest in US and Canada. But the downside is, there is more time requirement.

India provides the very finest and quality education. I myself studied in India through grade 10 and graduated from the ICSE board. Then I moved into Canada, and found everything as a joke.

In India, under a good institution, teachers train you in such a way that you are perfect in everything. Whereas in north America, it's not the same way. They just leave everything to everyone else's will and wish (not good, not quite encouraging)!

To those few posters who said doctors from India are a joke, you are absolutely wrong! As most of them said, it is a pain to pass those entrance tests and qualify to get a seat in India!

Does anybody know anything about studying medicine in the Ukraine? Can a graduate from a Ukrainian medical university practice in the UK or in the heart of Europe? Can he or she complete residency and house job in the USA or Canada? And, do they have limited options to jobs across the world because the fees in the country are relatively cheap?

I agree with post 29, so true.

@anon185465, Post 31: Honestly, it will take a lot to get anything other than family practice. Like post 29 said, Residency directors want US grads. Nothing against anyone else, the fact is just that those residency directors want someone who trained like them. So it may be possible for you to do your one year internship here, followed by a residency, but you are definitely going to need a stellar resume, one that outshines all the US grads applying for the same position that you are. Good luck.

I am currently studying medicine in Nigeria. I have the intention of moving over the US for my one year internship, then residency. What do you think it's going to take?

Entering into med school is never be easy in any country i think. In sri lanka, it is a dream come true, but highly competitive. Med school is not easy. i think it is easy for us to pass USMLE and enter into the US medical system than getting a good rank here in our final year exam.

Med school in India (and Caribbean) is a joke compared to the US. When grads from India come over to the states, no one takes them seriously. I'm a medical student here in the US, and everyone looks down on international medical graduates because its much harder to become a doctor when doing it the right way.

For example, here in the US, after completing grade 12 of high school, we have four years of undergraduate course work. Then, we have to complete rigorous entrance exams, followed by a series of two applications, and face-to-face interviews. If you get in, you have four more years of medical school. After that, it is generally a four to six year residency to become a full physician here in the states. That is 12-14-plus years after high school. Oh yeah: I forgot to mention fellowships, so tack on a few more years if you want to specialize. So now can you see why people over here would think the way they do?

My little sister's friend (three years younger than I) went over to India after high school and just completed her training there. That means she started three years after me and is done with her training in India one and a half years before I have even completed medical school (not to mention my residency).

But enough of all that. I'd like to share something from a more objective point of view. The following information is something that I discovered once I came to medical school.

An important thing that people don't understand is that if you go to a foreign medical school, it is nearly, or essentially impossible to get a competitive residency position (e.g., derm, ortho, general surgery, neuro, etc.) here in the states (all foreign docs must do a US residency). This is because you are competing against all US MD grads, plus the US osteopathic grads for a spot. Obviously, most of the residency directors will, and do pick US grads. Most international students are forced to be a family practitioner or general med doc. No joke: talk to residency directors here or search the web.

This is the information that foreign schools don't tell you when you apply there, because they obviously don't want you to know how narrow your spectrum of practice will be, once back here in the states. I hope this sheds some light on the subject. -US student-doc

This is a rumor they are spreading purposely to defame the doctor's fraternity in India to reduce its medical tourism (remember the "Delhi bug" which was not from Delhi?) But the name was given purposely but the foreign medical fraternity apologized later in a medical magazine.

I'm in high school year 9 and I'm picking my gcse's. i want to be a doctor (not sure medical or surgeon,but i can make my choice on the way). Are there any tips while trying to get into medical?

I'm not the smartest but I'm willing to put in the effort and i know the more effort i put in the more i get out of it. I would really like some tips! thanks!

To all the people saying India is easy for medical school, you guys are so wrong. My friends are doctors from India and had to clear their board exams with like almost a 95% score to get in!

Also there are the entrance exams and stuff.

Anyhow, I would say American schools in contrast may be easier, especially if you're an international candidate - with cash!

I wouldn't consider it easy to become a doctor in any country - it requires hard work, sacrifice and a lot of determination - including putting up with miserable allowances during training periods and junior years!

This comment is intended for anon155840. I think it is unfair for you say that people from India are not qualified doctors. Your entire stance is rude and ignorant, especially the part about driving taxis in Toronto.

Immigrants often have unique challenges. When they come to a different country, they have to get used to a different culture, diet, financial problems and not enough social support. These people "complain" because often they have lost a lot and government does not do a good job in fairly recognizing foreign qualifications.

Furthermore, often these immigrants come with their families and have to find employment right away. They often do not have the time or resources to go back to school and get all the prerequisites which they had to begin with.

Most of them are also not refugees as you called them. If you look into the process of immigration in India, through the Canadian embassy, you will learn that these individuals are often enticed into coming to Canada with the promise of better jobs or better future. The embassy usually employs the point system, in which professionals have to go through a lengthy documentation period. At the end of this process, they have pass an interview testing their professional skill, English competency and so forth.

They get points on the basis of these areas and then they become permanent residents in Canada. As you can see, these individuals are quite qualified and are almost cheated into coming here. The immigration process to Canada and the US has contributed to an immense amount of brain drain in India with the professionals leaving the country.

These individuals do not "deserve to drive taxis". They are an example of injustice due to inefficient social systems in Canada and the US, which do a lot to attract professionals from abroad but provide no support for successful adjustment to a new country.

I am a first generation Canadian and I have seen the kinds of sacrifices my father made in this country. He drove a taxi during his initial years in Canada to provide stability to his family.

My father is a professional engineer and was branded "overqualified" by the accreditation agency in Canada, but he could not find job in his own field because people still required him to get more education, which he could not do because of his family commitments.

To conclude, I would urge you treat people with respect and educate yourself about their circumstances before making judgments.

I takes a lot to be a doctor and only people who have completed the required courses and studies should be allowed to apply for medical school. They are taking people's lives into their hands and all the refugees coming to Canada from India and the middle east are not qualified to be doctors in Canada. They gripe and complain but none of them want to go back to school here and complete the prerequisites for becoming a real doctor and until they do, they are where they deserve to be -- driving taxis in Toronto.

I finished a 4 year undergraduate school then proceeded to medicine school proper for 4 years. I then had my 1 year internship after graduating my medical school then took the Philippine board exam for physicians, and luckily passed the board in 1 hit. I then practiced as a general practitioner for 1 year and 3 months to be exact. Then proceeded to my 4 year specialization in OB/GYN and finished it.

What's going to happen if I will transfer to Australia. what should i do to become a doctor also in there? thanks

I am doing my final year of high-school, and once I am done I would like to study medicine. I would like to know if it is better to study in India or is Argentina better!?

For all those who think its easy to do mbbs from india are wrong. here in this well populated country where a maximum of the students want to pursue their career in medicine, there is a fairly large amount of competition to get into any govt aided medical school.

the best of the lot gets through the medical entrance and further the mbbs curriculum is also strict here, so not that easy as much as people think to do mbbs from india. it's tough.

I am from India and preparing for undergraduate course(MBBS)entrance. Mind you that competition is really tough and moreover the best medical colleges offer very limited seats.(AIIMS-which is considered the best college and hospital in India admits only 50 students per year).

Interesting article. In Costa Rica, programs go from 4 1/2 years to 6 years, including internship. The better the school, the longer it takes. This grants you a title equivalent to a United States M.D. Afterward, you can apply to a residency program or you can work as a general doctor. However, getting into a residency program is hard, so you can usually tell a good doctor from a bad one if he is not a specialist.

I read the views and opinions of many experts on wall. I am canadian citizen and studying medical program (m.B.B.S.) At medical school in india. Besides i knew that it would be a difficult challenge for me to get my further p.G. Study at canada and practice there.

Can someone give me the detail steps to pass through for the goal.

in indonesia, in some popular universities, only five years are needed to be a doctor. 3.5 years medical undergraduate and 1.5 years clinical rotation. after that you get a title as doctor. but you must work two months under supervision in primary health care, and you are not paid for it.

to be registered and able to work, you must pass UKDI (indonesian medical competencies examination), and wait for about three months for the registration certificate (if you pass the exam). however, to be a medical student of these popular universities you must pass a tough public universities entry examination.

if you fail this exam, you can retry (the limit is three years after secondary school graduation).

I agree with whosoever says that training (UG,and specially PG) in India is not easy at all. The working hours are a minimum of 72-96 hours a week (and depending on the university, the variety of patients a student gets to see is immense- (look at the population).

90869, lets see you try and fit in a different system. there are different kinds of people everywhere, and as far as I know, many Indian docs are doing very well in the US!

Uh, we have a resident from India at our internationally recognized hospital in the eastern United States, and he doesn't have a clue! Has no bedside skills and zero ability to collaborate with nursing or any other service within our system. Most of our nurses and NP's have a better grasp of neurology (hello, more school time) than this doofus!

The author says, "the United States requires graduates of foreign programs to study in the U.S. before they can become a doctor in this country." That is mnot true. The U.S. requirements for IMGs is that your school is IMED-LISTED so you can take a series of exams, USMLE 1, 2CCK, CS and this will give you the ECFMG certificate and you can compete for residency.

Totally different than requiring you to study here again.

i assume that the author of this article has little clue about medicinal training in india. just to clarify- medicinal training in india is in no ways very easy. In fact, the grinding of students here in this country is probably seen nowhere else in the world. also it is extremely tough to qualify through the competitive exams.

Actually, you can graduate medical school in Australia after five years of undergrad study depending on the University.

I what to become an doctor but i do not think it is so easy in india.

I am not sure who wrote this article. I do not agree with the statement "India nor Nepal makes medical students undergo rigorous testing before they become a doctor".

I am from India and I worked in Australia and New Zealand for 10 years and here in US for 10 years. The US system is the easiest to pass exams, you can practice as a specialist without passing boards (after residency training you can practice as board eligible and after passing boards as board certified). To the best of my knowledge, there is no other developed country allows any doctor to practice as a specialist without passing boards.

I have an undergraduate degree from India and a Masters Degree from the United States. Does anyone know if the medical schools in the US entertain applicants with such combination - Bachelors degree from outside the US and Masters from the US? What I have gathered so far from several sources is that, admission committees put more emphasis on GPA from undergraduate years than Masters. I would appreciate if someone can tell me otherwise. Thanks!

Interesting article. I was looking at a couple six year programs at a med school in Bulgaria. out of curiosity, how difficult would it be for a person to pursue a medical degree in say Bulgaria and then move back to the US to practice medicine?

Zachary