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Ireland for Medical School


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Hey everyone,

I have recently learned of the Irish route that is taken by many well qualified Canadians that just can't get into a Canadian school. If those on the forum who are attending or know about Irish schools can shed some light into some questions, that would be great! My first question is about schools. After looking through all the schools, it seems that the University of Limerick has a curricular model that is pretty much identical and can be considered the 'closest' in this way to the majority of Canadian med schools (mix of some lecture with pbl and lots of early clinical experience). Would this be a correct assessment? Are any Irish schools in any way closer to the typical Canadian model? Do program directors in Canada care about the curricular model of schools?

 

How do Canadians find coping with medical school in Ireland? Like I know in the states and carrib, its a large volume of material which students must get through, taught in a lecture based format. In the carrib this results in the high attrition rates but why are the attrition rates in Ireland so low?

 

In addition, with regards to rotations, how does that work. In Ireland I would imagine that Canadians don't drive so how would you get around if you get a rural rotation? Where do you stay during the rotiations? Furthermore, there seems to be reputation of Limerick for instance of not being the safest of cities? How true is this?

 

Finally, and perhaps the most important question is the future. For those in Ireland, what does the future look like for Irish grads. I keep hearing numbers like everyone who wants to match back in Canada does in FM or IM but will this still be the case in your opinion 4-5 years from now?

 

Thank you

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  • 1 month later...

Hi

i'm a canadian studying medicine in limerick, i've been here for almost two years now, the course is the closest you'll get to the canadian model. the uni is fantastic with all the facilitis any top canadian uni has to offer. As for limerick itself, it is a safe place, i've partied a lot in the city center and i've never seen any trouble. It's much safer than Dublin or cork. i think irish people are jealous of limerick university and limerick in general. The people are awesome. Limerick is bang in the middle of cork and galway too, so i can go to either for weekends, limerick is pretty cool though, i don't go away to many times.

aj

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I'm interested in this as well, as this may be an immediate consideration to me. I've been hearing that if one wanted to come back to do something like family med, psychiatry or emerg, then going to an international school like Ireland is no big deal.

 

Granted, there would have to be a Return of Service for the canadian gov't/CaRMS, but it may be worth it. Can anyone comment?

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Its good to know about Limerick. From what I have read and heard from a few students at the school it seems like an awesome program, its pbl, clinical skills training early one and even get to work with a few of your own patients from year 1. The small things are also there too apparently like its very canadian like campus unlike some of the other irish schools(its not in downtown its in like a suberb), with rez for med students and its apparently very beautiful. I also heard you get to write the mcmaster personal progress index, the identical ones that mac students write at the same time as them to gauge your education with Canadian med students. It seems really good. It also seems to have a very strong reputation in anatomy as well, but if anyone has any more insight it would be great.

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  • 1 month later...

Macballa--I am a 2nd year Canadian studying in Limerick.

 

The pros are definitely the anatomy program--we have REALLY good, clinically based instruction in that regard.

 

The school is not so hot in the pharm/micro/biochem department, which they are trying to ameliorate. S l o w l y.

 

The nice thing is, it is only a graduate program so you are not joining a stream of undergrads as a 2nd year in a 6 yr program (i.e. surrounded by 18 year old classmates that are in their 2nd year of university/medical school).

 

We do write the PPI and score better or on par with Canadian/Auz schools, so that is nice to see. The early patient contact program is essentially a 'make work and essay' project. The campus is beautiful (and the nicest part of the area--Limerick itself is a dive IMHO).

 

It's a bunch of eye-gouging hurdles to come back to Canada--especially if you want to do something other than GP or IM (and if you don't feel like signing a ROS to Ontario or SK for 5 to 7 years respectively). Though things are apparently changing so in the next 5 years a lot of that could improve.

 

I am planning to write the USMLE and study in the US for the above reasons. More opportunities for IMGs there.

 

If you have to leave Canada, Limerick is probably the best choice in Ireland. Overall the program is quite good, I think. Ask me again in 2 years when I am trying to match in North America! :)

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  • 8 months later...

Hey Guys and Girls,

 

I applied to several schools in EU and I have an EU nationality (French one). I was wondering what are my chances to get into any medical schools in Ireland with a cumulative and science gpa of 3.1 but a very low mcat PS 9, BS 9, V 6, and P. and if so which medical school do you advise me to apply into?and which are the easiest to enter for the 4-year medical system? Please provide with links if possible.

 

Thanks a lot!!!

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Hey Guys and Girls,

 

I applied to several schools in EU and I have an EU nationality (French one). I was wondering what are my chances to get into any medical schools in Ireland with a cumulative and science gpa of 3.1 but a very low mcat PS 9, BS 9, V 6, and P. and if so which medical school do you advise me to apply into?and which are the easiest to enter for the 4-year medical system? Please provide with links if possible.

 

Thanks a lot!!!

 

a 24 mcat is probably way too low for any irish school

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  • 3 weeks later...

Consider Caribbean schools. In terms of probability, you'll have a better chance matching to a competitive residency program from an Irish school but you will more likely be better prepared for residency coming from a Caribbean school. Also, I would choose the Dublin schools and Cork over Galway and Limerick.

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a 24 mcat is probably way too low for any irish school

 

Agreed. Irish schools aren't that easy to get in. Sure the standards are lower than Can/US schools but 3.1 gpa plus 24 MCAT won't get you anywhere for sure. Remember, there are tons of applicants with competitive gpa and MCAT scores who chose to attend Irish schools too because they could not get into any Can/US ones, and you will be competing against them. I'm not even sure if you can get into the Big 4 Caribbean schools, and even if you do get in, it's pretty damn hard to stay in the program due to the difficulty of the curriculum. You should try to improve that MCAT score first.

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  • 1 year later...

Some Caribbean medical schools have very good reputation even if others don't. Irish medical schools are also a very good option and so are medical schools in England. With your GPA, I think you should go to one of those 3 countries if you cannot get in to American medical schools. With a lower GPA, there is always the option of going to Eastern Europe such as Poland, Czech Republic, etc.

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  • 1 month later...
Macballa--I am a 2nd year Canadian studying in Limerick.

 

The pros are definitely the anatomy program--we have REALLY good, clinically based instruction in that regard.

 

The school is not so hot in the pharm/micro/biochem department, which they are trying to ameliorate. S l o w l y.

 

The nice thing is, it is only a graduate program so you are not joining a stream of undergrads as a 2nd year in a 6 yr program (i.e. surrounded by 18 year old classmates that are in their 2nd year of university/medical school).

 

We do write the PPI and score better or on par with Canadian/Auz schools, so that is nice to see. The early patient contact program is essentially a 'make work and essay' project. The campus is beautiful (and the nicest part of the area--Limerick itself is a dive IMHO).

 

It's a bunch of eye-gouging hurdles to come back to Canada--especially if you want to do something other than GP or IM (and if you don't feel like signing a ROS to Ontario or SK for 5 to 7 years respectively). Though things are apparently changing so in the next 5 years a lot of that could improve.

 

I am planning to write the USMLE and study in the US for the above reasons. More opportunities for IMGs there.

 

If you have to leave Canada, Limerick is probably the best choice in Ireland. Overall the program is quite good, I think. Ask me again in 2 years when I am trying to match in North America! :)

 

Any updates ? It seems like a good choice...

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
I'm interested in this as well, as this may be an immediate consideration to me. I've been hearing that if one wanted to come back to do something like family med, psychiatry or emerg, then going to an international school like Ireland is no big deal.

 

Granted, there would have to be a Return of Service for the canadian gov't/CaRMS, but it may be worth it. Can anyone comment?

 

just for your information, emerg is one of the most competitive residencies in canada

 

still for FM,psych look at carms stats, and you'll find that it's still pretty low that it's almost like applying to a canadian med school all over again

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  • 1 month later...

eu citizenship... cheaper tuition than i paid in canada... usmle... means i've got a shot at road again (no more psych, im psych policy, i.e. writing, public health, politics, not interested in clinical work anymore... helping one patient at a time with all i know in terms of corruption is depressing)... i don't ever plan on practicing in canada ever... and british health service is pretty good, although i plan on nailing a derm/ lifestyle specialty, so i can do pub health, psych advocacy... my cv and the fact that i have the duaghter of the first surgeon from irelands top school writing my ref... yeah, not gonna worry much

 

IMG = most likely no rez = if not rich, crippling debt = ruined life.
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cheaper tuition? have you lived in europe for at 5 years before applying...?

 

This.

 

Everything else you said is pretty on point provided you have the brains to back it up. Having an EU citizenship is a great advantage because it guarantees residency, but you need to have lived in Europe for 5 years (for Ireland at least) to have access to reduced tuition.

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eu citizenship... cheaper tuition than i paid in canada... usmle... means i've got a shot at road again (no more psych, im psych policy, i.e. writing, public health, politics, not interested in clinical work anymore... helping one patient at a time with all i know in terms of corruption is depressing)... i don't ever plan on practicing in canada ever... and british health service is pretty good, although i plan on nailing a derm/ lifestyle specialty, so i can do pub health, psych advocacy... my cv and the fact that i have the duaghter of the first surgeon from irelands top school writing my ref... yeah, not gonna worry much

 

I don't understand what you are saying. You went to a med school in canada already? And now you want to go to Ireland to pay cheaper tuition?

 

Shot at road again? So you already went to a med school?

 

If you could clarify...would be great...

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my patient centered views sort of contrast with dr interests... and well, people's self interest doesn't matter, because outside a few fields in med, well... the axiom of evidence basis is great, except im an encyclopedia, so values and self service (i.e. ophtho's who think they deserve six million... sorry, that stops, no contest), it looks less and less like it'll matter anyway, i know half the big shots in canadian med... something about sincere interest (i.e. profs skipping an hour after pbl to chat while you skip class because well mathematical immunologists have a hard time finding people who know immunomodulatory effects of the immune system on the brain... and who look at things in a whole picture... yeah, so students don't like me cause well, i should be in a suit to maintain the leverage over patients and i should talk to profs as if i'm interested in learning... sort of ask for research jobs and stuff, not just chill and get offered benchwork in tropical area's for the us army (yeah, i also got offered a funded MSc after a casual convo, lol... although I got a dirty look from the MD/PHD co-ordinator when I asked if I could do a Phd in humanities... ****, lol... people's perceptions of physicians shape social scripts in how we act and well, noting how to modulate, get Joe of his B-Blockers because he's comfortable telling his GP about the ensuing erectile dysfunction means we can prevent expensive surgeries, basically... like your CMA pres, I wanna cut the sick care budget, invest in preventative health, including immoral things like harm reduction, and all sorts of scary things that scare people, because well, that's morally wrong, except, as you might of noticed, I prob have 2-3 times the highest word count on here and am a semantic enclyclopedia, which makes me a target, until well, don;t send me to a gun range when you don't know how to fire, the executioner only cares about themselves, and I have scary linguistic fluid intelligence, and the crystallized intelligence, and well, I get what I want... always, as in I went into medicine to change it, which is why the guy who walked buy me today with the stiff upper lip thinking I left can shove it, because well, no one care that a group of doctors oppose things, public opinion is marketing... ever wonder why those derm's are so quiet... someoneone might wonder why a low cost per individual training program trains less than rad oncs, who are tied to million dollar machines... shoot... if we can train like 900 psychs and almost 100 rads yeah... that's extreme trade unionism we all shut up about because while some have it better than others, everyone benefits... i'm meritocratic (can you tell, sort of why I don't lost, if I sleep 3 hours in 2 days to achieve something I believe in, I do, and that's instead of 7 because I need people time... basicallly if I did derm I'd a double residency, write books, travel... honestly, i never though it was possible, but I've had enough people tell me I should be at the head of right behind the head of medical politics, self regulation, un violations of img canadian citizens born abroad who lose spots to people who fail qe1's (yeah, sorry, i'm chill, but go into selling investments to make money, because we need to cut the subsidization of twenty percent of the bottom of CMG spots in Canadian med schools, charge the money Saudi pays us to the IMG's (200k if we restrict to FM) because I'd rather take an Md/phd with a top board score than some slackers I've seen, cause... you save 720 g, lose no saudi rev, and increase family docs (or whatever you need at the time... which is awful anyways, since the 5 year licensing means their citizens and well, **** the UN right... yeah, don't argue... I live with a big shot in this an tutor them for MMI for res spots, I know oh so many dozens of canadian citizens to dumb cmg's who squeak by at a 780 k cost... compared... to free, and superior, and well, not to selective... yeah I got one school locked here, one in Ireland, and well, let's say that Ivey's without bias toward Canadian's wouldn't be a problem, minus the cash, but well, the money I owe, well, banks shouldn't violate contracts they create and commit fraud... not to mention I get insane bursaries meaning I can use my free gov loans to pay any remaining bank loans and then because of this magic adhd thing, only pay back half the principle... yeah... sorry, i;m not trying to be cocky, it's just well, i'm really empathetic, insanely, and I don't appreciate watching my fam die and my dad go cachexic because of stress over me because he doesn't understand that me not being a lawyer doesn't mean i don't have much to worry about... after all, today I got my car back, 8 g grant, 1500 scholarship, and stuff I won't mention... people think I'm fickle, I'm just so obsessive about life (work hard, play hard) that I never end up stuck, but that leaves the paradox of choice... not in what I'll do, but in what order

 

I don't understand what you are saying. You went to a med school in canada already? And now you want to go to Ireland to pay cheaper tuition?

 

Shot at road again? So you already went to a med school?

 

If you could clarify...would be great...

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lol, i already posted half my life a while back, i don't bs... being the person who wrote that post gets you recruited to teach the mcat, asked to stay half time by a diff company when u quit even with 10's on the sciences... cause not many people can rail 13-15 vr's and i guess back in the day t's with no practice on the ws... lol, i'm more a chat person and a write, and post hoc edit guy... but seriously, i'm spending time to edit forum posts... i get paid to write... i practically wrote a dudes masters thesis... guess sucking at lab stuff means getting moved from the bench to the doing the stats, writing the paper and running most of the subjects dept. plus setting up the apparatus and the experiment room, who sais nsercs are boring... :P

 

Understanding that post get you an automatic 15 VR score.
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lol, i already posted half my life a while back, i don't bs... being the person who wrote that post gets you recruited to teach the mcat, asked to stay half time by a diff company when u quit even with 10's on the sciences... cause not many people can rail 13-15 vr's and i guess back in the day t's with no practice on the ws... lol, i'm more a chat person and a write, and post hoc edit guy... but seriously, i'm spending time to edit forum posts... i get paid to write... i practically wrote a dudes masters thesis... guess sucking at lab stuff means getting moved from the bench to the doing the stats, writing the paper and running most of the subjects dept. plus setting up the apparatus and the experiment room, who sais nsercs are boring... :P

 

I don't understand most of your posts. How come you write this way? It would be so much more effective if you could just list out your points instead of writing a bunch of stuff.

 

For example: asked to stay half time by a diff company when u quit even with 10's on the sciences. What are u trying to say?

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