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It is better to study medicine in Ireland or Australia?


VigoVirgo

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Hi all, undergrad here reviewing options/putting together a back up plan in case I don't get into a Canadian med program in the next few years.  In your opinion when it comes to tuition, quality of education, student support, and the like,  which country is better to study in? Ideally I would prefer to complete my training (residency or clerkship rather) in the country of graduation and eventually come back to Canada. I am interested mainly in a few primary care specialties.  I hold Canadian citizenship and an EU passport. Any advice/experiences from others is appreciated.

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I don't really know if practicing medicine is really worth going overseas to learn. 

If you have the finances and are willing to endure the lengthy and dehumanising training process, then sure.

At the end of the day, it becomes just another way to collect a cheque. It takes effort to maintain passion and empathy.

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10 minutes ago, freewheeler said:

I don't really know if practicing medicine is really worth going overseas to learn. 

If you have the finances and are willing to endure the lengthy and dehumanising training process, then sure.

At the end of the day, it becomes just another way to collect a cheque. It takes effort to maintain passion and empathy.

Haha I am.  Money isn't really the concern honestly. There isn't anything else I see myself doing. I really mean that, I've explored a lot of different options over the years. It's not glamorous like some people think and you'll probably be underappreciated and burnt out but I still feel strongly about pursuing it. If I wanted to collect a cheque there are other far less grueling options available to me via nepotism but I really don't want that. 

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13 hours ago, VigoVirgo said:

Hi all, undergrad here reviewing options/putting together a back up plan in case I don't get into a Canadian med program in the next few years.  In your opinion when it comes to tuition, quality of education, student support, and the like,  which country is better to study in? Ideally I would prefer to complete my training (residency or clerkship rather) in the country of graduation and eventually come back to Canada. I am interested mainly in a few primary care specialties.  I hold Canadian citizenship and an EU passport. Any advice/experiences from others is appreciated.

I would do it in Australia. Australia has been offering training to their international students whereas in Ireland, there just aren't enough spots. If you do choose to go to Australia, there is one state that offers in-state international students internship spots over out of state international students meaning that it is easier to get a spot there than elsewhere. I forgot which state that is, but this just goes to the point that if you are considering going abroad you need to really do your research. There is almost 0 sympathy to people who go abroad and fail at achieving their goals. With that being said, both countries are similar quality wise, they all follow the British system which unfortunately means that you have very little responsibility as a clinical student, but you will probably have more book knowledge. The main negative of Australia is that it is quite far from Canada, so it will be hard to travel back and forth often. 

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9 minutes ago, Edict said:

I would do it in Australia. Australia has been offering training to their international students whereas in Ireland, there just aren't enough spots. If you do choose to go to Australia, there is one state that offers in-state international students internship spots over out of state international students meaning that it is easier to get a spot there than elsewhere. I forgot which state that is, but this just goes to the point that if you are considering going abroad you need to really do your research. There is almost 0 sympathy to people who go abroad and fail at achieving their goals. With that being said, both countries are similar quality wise, they all follow the British system which unfortunately means that you have very little responsibility as a clinical student, but you will probably have more book knowledge. The main negative of Australia is that it is quite far from Canada, so it will be hard to travel back and forth often. 

Anecdotally, Ireland seems to have a bit better in the way of clinical experiences than Australia, but you're right both are generally far less than Canada/US.

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2 hours ago, Edict said:

I would do it in Australia. Australia has been offering training to their international students whereas in Ireland, there just aren't enough spots. If you do choose to go to Australia, there is one state that offers in-state international students internship spots over out of state international students meaning that it is easier to get a spot there than elsewhere. I forgot which state that is, but this just goes to the point that if you are considering going abroad you need to really do your research. There is almost 0 sympathy to people who go abroad and fail at achieving their goals. With that being said, both countries are similar quality wise, they all follow the British system which unfortunately means that you have very little responsibility as a clinical student, but you will probably have more book knowledge. The main negative of Australia is that it is quite far from Canada, so it will be hard to travel back and forth often. 

 

2 hours ago, Edict said:

I would do it in Australia. Australia has been offering training to their international students whereas in Ireland, there just aren't enough spots. If you do choose to go to Australia, there is one state that offers in-state international students internship spots over out of state international students meaning that it is easier to get a spot there than elsewhere. I forgot which state that is, but this just goes to the point that if you are considering going abroad you need to really do your research. There is almost 0 sympathy to people who go abroad and fail at achieving their goals. With that being said, both countries are similar quality wise, they all follow the British system which unfortunately means that you have very little responsibility as a clinical student, but you will probably have more book knowledge. The main negative of Australia is that it is quite far from Canada, so it will be hard to travel back and forth often. 

 

Understood, thank you for the feedback. What you said about Australia is certainly very appealing. After I would be done residency in Australia do you know how difficult it is to come back to Canada as a fully certified psychiatrist or family practitioner?

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2 minutes ago, VigoVirgo said:

 

 

Understood, thank you for the feedback. What you said about Australia is certainly very appealing. After I would be done residency in Australia do you know how difficult it is to come back to Canada as a fully certified psychiatrist or family practitioner?

I don't think it would be too difficult. Not too sure on the specifics. 

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6 hours ago, Butterfly_ said:

Just keep in mind that if your end goal is to practice in Canada, it’ll be more difficult to return from an overseas program. 

 

Definitely..it's pretty scary. I would not consider the overseas option if I didn't have an EU passport or otherwise am guaranteed a training spot. I've heard a lot of Canadians end up writing the USMLE since coming back to Canada for residency is so uncertain. And even then, there is some uncertainty.  But that's the thing,I think I would prefer to stay in Ireland or Australia for residency. If I become fully certified in either of those countries is coming back to Canada just as difficult as it would be trying to get a residency spot or is there less red tape? Just for my own personal tastes I love both countries and the idea of living in either for about a decade does not scare me. Especially if it's Ireland, being an EU citizen and all, plus I'd be close to family.

 

 

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