Study Medicine in Top Universities

Study Medicine in Top Universities

Studying medicine abroad is a dream profession for a lot of international students but is everyone aware of the nitty-gritty involved in it? More often than not it involves meticulous planning and execution along with long-term dedication towards the profession. We, at GoToUniversity, are devoted in providing just the right guidance to students/parents and hence we have listed out a few key takeaways below:

Best Countries for Medicine Studies

The most lingering question of all, which country to look into? You will be quite astonished to    see that there are many countries who welcome international students. Usually, we see the trend moving towards the UK, USA, Europe & Australia. Apart from these, there are some countries which provide the same education with lower entry requirements, which is quite the cherry on the top.

That being said, the most important thing from a country selection perspective should be looking at the licensing and specializing opportunities. The availability of seats for further learning or will it be necessary for me to learn the local language are intrinsic factors which cannot be overlooked. One other factor could be to see the possible transfer in terms of Specialization to another country and its effects on your journey towards a rewarding medicine profession.  

Cost of Medicine Studies

The study in the field of medicine is relatively expensive and hence it becomes imperative to plan things accordingly and know about the right costs of tuition and living expenses that you will incur throughout your journey of pursuing medicine. For your understanding, we have listed down some approximate fees that you have to incur:

Accreditation of Medical Collages

It is necessary to look at the medical school accreditation before joining any university. Like for instance, if it is registered under the World Directory of Medical Schools (http://www.wdoms.org/).  There are other important federations like the World Federation for medical education (WFME) & the foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and research (FAIMER), they have extensive list of affiliated medical schools around the globe. This is one of those requirements which should not be overlooked under any circumstance.

Medical School Entry Requirements

Once the decision is made to study medicine, the next important thing is to understand the entry requirements. There are several factors that each country or a university looks into especially for medicine and hence you may need to start your profile a year or two in advance for beginning your undergraduate journey. For instance, UK needs a student to write UCAT/BMAT which has to be completed a year prior to travelling to the university and therefore it becomes obvious to start early to get ahold of the preparations for the tests. Europe on the other hand, makes you write entrance tests and along with your academics they assess a students’ capability to complete a degree in medicine. India prefers NEET but the tragedy being that the acceptance rate is quite low and only 15-20% of the students on an average are able to acquire a seat. There are a couple of requirements which most often don’t strike until last moment, one being the age factor and the other being the international seats, some universities prefer students who have completed the age of 18 for the course while some accept students with 17 years too and some universities might have 18 seats while some might have only 4. To sum up, it is extremely essential to check all the requirements, application deadlines, and acceptance rates for the best possible results.

Medical Licensing Requirements

If you’re a citizen of the country where you intend to complete the medicine degree then you usually don’t have to complete an exam to get the license. But is the same for international students?

International students have to be very careful with how they plan this whole career as it is essential to know how they would be able to practice in a country after finishing their degree. Like in Europe, countries with language other than English might want students to have a hold of the local language to get the medical licensing. Now, this along with completion of the degree can be very challenging.

Usually referred to as the “International Medical Graduates” (IMG) are the students who need to complete an external examination like the UKMLA (Effective 2024) or USMLE 1 & 2 for the US and India requires several screening tests conducted by relevant authorities. The important thing to note here is the time that it can take for an international student which is approximately a year or two.

Post Medical Studies Progression for Specialization

It is essential and important for a student to know the progression after the completion of his medicine journey to know if it is going to be easy or tough. Every country through their medical council has its progression mapped out for students.

In the UK, students are requested to take up two years of foundation program and MSRA (Multi Specialty Recruitment Assessment). Sometimes there will be other exams which are needed to be taken depending upon the Specialization planned.

India has NEET PG, AIIMS or JPMER or other such exams depending upon the Specialization intended and from where the earlier degree has been completed.

USA has a slightly different process; students are asked to register with the NRMP (National Resident Matching Program) which matches residents and hospitals accordingly. Only sometimes, students are even requested to apply through ERAS which is administered by ECFMG especially for the international students.

Henceforth, it becomes quite prudent to understand these terminologies and progression beforehand to make sure you plan the journey well without any hassle.

Duration of Specialization (PG)

Depending upon the Specialization intended by the student, the time invested could be anywhere between 3-9 years. It is also important to notice that in different countries the rules and regulations are quite different, like in India you will have to complete a Specialization to start working but, in the USA, & UK you can get paid while working on your Specialization.

Top Universities to Study Medicine

Here are the best medical schools in the UK, according to QS Rankings 2021 by Subject Medicine:

• University of Oxford
• University of Cambridge
• University College London
• Imperial College London
• King’s College London
• The University of Edinburgh
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• The University of Manchester
• University of Glasgow
• Queen Mary University of London

Europe :

• Karolinska Institute, Sweden
• Heidelberg University, Germany
• University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
• University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• LMU Munich, Germany
• Sorbonne University, France
• KU Leuven, Belgium
• Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
• University of Zurich, Switzerland

USA :

• Stanford University
• Harvard University
• California Institute of Technology
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• University of California, Berkeley
• Yale University
• Princeton University
• University of Chicago
• Johns Hopkins University
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of California, Los Angeles

Canada :

• University of Toronto
• McMaster University
• McGill University
• University of British Columbia
• University of Montreal
• University of Ottawa
• University of Alberta
• University of Calgary
• Western University

Australia :

• University of Melbourne
• Monash University
• University of Sydney
• The University of Queensland
• UNSW Sydney
• Australian National University
• University of Adelaide
• University of Canberra
• The University of Western Australia
• La Trobe University

France :

• Paris
• École Polytechnique
• Sorbonne University
• University of Paris
• Paris-Saclay University 
• Télécom Paris
• École Normale Supérieure de Lyon

Conclusion

Medicine is a rewarding career but one needs to wisely study it before choosing. The important assessment being that there should be great deal of commitment as there is technically no way back for a student once they get in there. Once the decision is made, looking to the process, fees and the overall progression becomes crucial to have a great journey onward the medicine route. Terms like Medical licensing and practicing where you complete the degree or how you can globally utilize the degree that you gain are the key points to study before venturing out in to this field.

Our team is well- equipped with the latest knowledge to help you sort out all the queries & begin walking down the path of medicine.

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Our experienced consultants will guide you throughout your journey in pursuit of higher education and admissions into your dream universities/colleges. In specific but not limited to, following areas of assistance is provided by our consultants:

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