Too many choices!?

[Guest boogsie]

I got accepted to Mcmaster for life sciences and Health sciences and I also got accepted for Waterloo Honours Health Studies with coop. I want to get into med school and I'm not sure which programme to go for. Do I have a better chance of getting into mcmaster med skool if I get my undergrad at mcmaster? I also have another option. There is a med skool overseas, in India, which is a 5 year program that gives both an MBBS and an MD degree upon graduation and then you can come back to Canada and take a few exams and after passing them, you are an official doctor. It cuts off a few years and provides a good education. I know people who have done this and become doctors in 6 years but it is a very difficult program and im not sure if i can handle it. These are all my options and I wanted to find out from others which choice would be the best for my future if I wanted to get into med skool. Thanks a lot for ur help.

[Guest coastal79]

1. It doesn't matter where you go.

 

2. These questions are ridiculous.

 

3. You need to do a lot more research before you go to India for medical school. The process is alot more involved than writing a few exams.

[Guest aneliz]

I agree...

 

1. It really doesn't matter where you go - all of the undergrad programs that you have been accepted to are good programs at good schools...and any of them will be acceptable to any of the med schools. That said, there is also no one program that increases your chances of acceptance...and no, going to Mac for undergrad will NOT increase your chances of being accepted to med school at Mac (nor would doing undergrad at UofT increase your chances at UofT, etc). Choose the school/program where you will be happiest - not the school that you think is going to be easiest/ have the best repuation/guarantee you bonus points on your med application/etc...because NONE OF THESE THINGS EXIST and anyone that tells you they do, is feeding you garbage. The key to getting into med school is to work hard at what you have chosen to study and excel...and it may be anything from English lit to flute performance to life science to industrial engineering that you choose to study (and there is someone from each of those programs in the UWO med school right now!). The most important determinate of getting in is your success as an undergrad - and that is largely determined by how well you 'fit' with the school/program that you are in.

 

2. Yes, you may be able to go to India and get a med degree in 6 years total...HOWEVER you will NOT be able to come back to Canada and 'just write a few exams' and be a fully qualified doctor in Canada. Canada has VERY restrictive rules concerning IMG's (international medical graduates) - and an IMG is ANYONE (Canadian citizen or not) that trained outside of Canada (and this includes the US). These people must first apply and have their med degree recognised in Canada...(and this can sometimes be difficult to do... make sure the school in India is on the international 'list' of accredited schools). If your training is recognised, you next have to write an evaluating exam - which you MUST pass. You then do a practical exam - and the top 50ish people are 'selected' (out of 1000's that write) to continue. Theses people then enter the 'IMG program" (in Ontario) and basically 'redo' part of the clinical training from their med school days. Then (and only then) do they become eligible to apply to CaRMS to obtain a Canadian residency position (because you CANNOT practice without a license and to get a full lisence you MUST have completed a medical degree and post-graduate training (a residency)). However, the problem is that IMG's cannot enter the 'first' round of the match...meaning that they are only eligible to apply to the 'left-over' spots after the Canadian grads have matched first. This means that they are left with family medicine (because MOST - if not all of - the specialty residency spots - like surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry, OB/GYN, etc are already filled). BUT...there are many, many more IMG's in the match than there are spots and MOST of them will NOT match to a residency spot. This means that they cannot continue their training and CANNOT practice medicine in Canada...they must wait an entire year before the match happens again and they can re-apply in the hopes of getting a residency spot. If they get a spot, they need to complete the full amount of training (same as a Canadian grad) and then they will become licensed and can practice.

 

Best case scenario - assuming that you pass all exams first try, are one of the top 50 AND match the first time you apply and do a family medicine residency (only 2 years) is that you would have ~5 more years of training to do in Canada before they will let you practice medicine here.

 

There are many, many IMG's that the above scenario has NOT worked for - many are working as medical techs, nurses, cab drivers, etc....because they are unable to qualify to practice medicine in Canada.

 

Deciding to leave Canada for med school means the very definite risk that you will NEVER be able to come back to practice.