futuredoc Posted April 18, 2008 Report Share Posted April 18, 2008 Interesting, any reason in particular that you declined the U Queensland offer? I'm assuming this is a "no duh" thing, but you should really email the college of physicians and surgeons (national one) to find out if the schools you are applying for are accredited here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlh Posted April 18, 2008 Report Share Posted April 18, 2008 So is Queensland unacrediated?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THX Posted April 18, 2008 Report Share Posted April 18, 2008 All Australian med schools, except for Wollongong (it's too new) are accredited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted April 18, 2008 Report Share Posted April 18, 2008 Interesting, any reason in particular that you declined the U Queensland offer? This is a bit off topic (sorry guys and gals). I declined mostly due to the difficulties in obtaining residency spots when returning to Canada, the cost, and personal matters. Also, I thought I had a reasonable chance to get in here in Canada so I wanted to try first! It had nothing to do with my questioning of Australia's quality of education, etc! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive Posted April 18, 2008 Report Share Posted April 18, 2008 I'm assuming this is a "no duh" thing, but you should really email the college of physicians and surgeons (national one) to find out if the schools you are applying for are accredited here. Outside of Canada and the US (which are LCME accredited), the only type of accreditation needed is WHO, which almost all schools have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THX Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 Outside of Canada and the US (which are LCME accredited), the only type of accreditation needed is WHO, which almost all schools have. I'm pretty sure individual states accredit med schools as well, texas and california being the toughest to be accredited by (many carib schools are not accredited by these two). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medisforme Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 don't get me wrong, i agree with you about the minimal prospects of coming back to do a residency in canada after autralian med school, but whats the point of applying there if it is at least not even a fall back school? It seems like people are just wasting money applying at overseas schools, when they have very little intention of ever going there. I for one, am saving my money and applying only to canadian schools. I don't know if my desire to be a physician is less than others on this thread, but i would rather work as a nurse (i'm an RN) in canada the rest of my life than drop everything i have to go study medicine overseas, knowing there is about a 5-10% chance i will ever get back to canada, and even if i do, i will probably need to do a residency in the frozen tundra somewhere before i would ever get to settle down and have a life. Just my thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuckman Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 It's definitely not a 5-10% chance of coming back. I've talked to physicans who came to work here and I've done a lot research on this. If you want to do FM or psychiatry it's not too difficult to come back right now. Zuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THX Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 Well, I think the Canadians that are applying to Australia/Ireland realize that they probably are not coming back to Canada, but they are not staying in those countries either. The end game is to do a residency in the united states. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwbl Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 hmm....I know you are all anxious about the future and must be frustrated about the lack of responses from admission committees, etc. Look, all these concerns about being (or not being) able to return to Canada are valid. And yes, I must admit that The Atlantic Bridge Program is anything but helpful when it comes to providing more information about costs, living, residency opportunities, etc. As far as I'm concerned, the ABP is a one-man show run by that guy....what's his name again? But as a current med student at UCC (from Canada), I'll tell you this: to my knowledge, not a single Canadian or American student here has complained or fret about "going unmatched". Not now and not for a while now...at least not that I know. And from what I've read here, I see that my other colleagues in other Irish med schools are also doing quite well when it comes to matching for residencies back in North America. If you are unwilling (for whatever reason) to leave Canada or simply cannot afford tuition....then that's a totally valid reason. In terms of finance, I'll admit it: most of us are funded by daddies and mommies (at least to some extent). That's how we can afford to come. But as difficult as it might be to get information about Irish med schools, please don't generalize and take everything that everyone has said as the truth. If you really are unsure about something, just give the med schools here a call. Why not check out their website? The people working at the UCC med office are so friendly and so helpful. Why not write them an e-mail? Why not contact some Irish/Australian banks to see if they will give you a line of credit (so you'll get two...one from Canada and one from Ireland/Australia)? After all, if you decide to come, these people will be making a fortune out of you! No doubt, going to school in Ireland (and probably Australia) would present a set of hurdles and drawbacks when it comes to returning to Canada to practice/do residency....but from what I have read, it seems like a lot of people on these boards are misinformed about things or seem to have information that is outdated. I don't have time to elaborate....like I said, write to or call the med school offices. In my very humble opinion, despite having an AMAZING range of medical faculties and some top-notch training positions, Canada's medical system and medical schools also have their many flaws. Sometimes, it takes getting out of your own country and exposing yourself to other countries, other education and health systems and meeting other people to see these things....gives you a different perspective. I think this is why some Canadian students decide NOT to go back to Canada for their residencies. A guy I know (from BC) who is finishing up will be heading to Harvard to do his residency. Is a Harvard residency position less rigorous and less prestigious than one at UBC? Also, more and more Canadians seem to like the idea of doing an internship year here....make some $$$ to pay off those crazy debts before heading back....that's not going back to Canada by choice (not because they went 'unmatched'). A few of the posts I've read seem to suggest that Canada med schools and the Canadian healthcare system are the only gold standard out there....it's not. There are many gold standards around the world....I just want to clarify that. Being a doctor in Australia does not make one less of a doctor. A 'typical' doctor in Australia or the UK or Ireland or the US are probably just as well-trained and qualified as one from Canada. If I go vacationing in these countries and I get sick, I personally would not hesitate to go see a doctor practicing and trained in these countries. As I have posted in another discussion before, Memorial University of Newfoundland actually came to our school and talked to us and tried to convince us to apply to their Family Medicine program. From the sound and tone of the representative, they want us back! Yes, for sure....we Canadian students studying Medicine abroad probably will not be able to get a surgical residency in Downtown Toronto....but not all of us want to do that. Having moved around so much in my life (including living in 4 provinces myself)....I don't really mind where (in Canada...or Canada at all) I live. I think the Australian and Irish med schools are more meant for those like us...those willing and not too bothered to leave their home country for a few years. It's not for everyone. We had a North American student here for a little while and she was miserable because she was missing her boyfriend, her family, seeing a Starbucks at every street corner and having KD Mac n' Cheese (serious). If you think you will get that homesick....well, you really should think about NOT coming (and not applying to Ireland or Australia at all). I'm sorry if this comes out as blunt or offensive...I mean absolutely no offense at all. But most of us who decided to come just want to be doctors....that's why we've taken this big move. And from what I've seen and heard so far, all recent North American graduates at UCC have been able to fulfill their dream in becoming one (i.e. getting a residency). Going to an Irish med school no doubt has its many frustrations, drawbacks....I'll be the first one to admit it. Their system is far from perfect. But it's also opened up my eyes in so many different ways. It made me realize that going back to Canada is one of several options...and NOT the only one. If I go back to Canada to do my elective, I will be able to say that I've worked in 2 different healthcare systems in the Western world....I think this will probably be to my advantage later on in my career....just my opinion. Like I said....going abroad is not for everyone. Please consider this very carefully and if you are unsure about anything....call up some of these schools/programs yourself....if anything else, just to get a peace of mind! Good luck and hope to see some of you next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redlan Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 Thank you bwbl for your post and the time it took. I can say I do appreciate the negatives being pointed out in depth - to know what the difficulties are in getting back here - but your post was refreshing as it pointed out the better side of going to an Irish medical school. Could you put a good word in for me at UCC... kidd'n - kinda. Hope to see you there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futuredoc Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 So is Queensland unacrediated?? No, I mean international schools in general. Sorry about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medisforme Posted April 20, 2008 Report Share Posted April 20, 2008 1) The previous posts about being able to return to do a residency in north american = United states (not canada per se) 2) I will probably get blasted for writing this without any evidence, but if you blog the studentdoctor forum, you will find candian IMG links, where it states that there are over 500 canadian born IMG's trying to get a residency in canada (ie: it's is extremely competitive) All i am saying is that due to the protectionist stance that the canadian medical association has taken, those who go to med school overseas are no where near guaranteed a chance that they will be able to practice medicine in canada. I know that there were previous posts about caribbean grads or irsh grads working in canada, but you only hear about them because that is the exception, not the rule. If that were the case you would have a &*%$load of more canadians applying to caribbean med schools and then mosying there way on back to canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redlan Posted April 20, 2008 Report Share Posted April 20, 2008 Medisforme - It is my impression now that what an IMG is can mean various things in terms of getting a residency back in Canada. While I am less certain of whether it is easier to get back via Irish or Aussi medical training - I'm under the impression the former makes it a little easier - I am however certain now, after much discussion, that it would be easier to get back into a Canadian residency having gone to one of these two countries medical schools over having aquired your degree from a Carribean school. For a ad hoc scale then perhaps we can say the order of best to worst chance of securing a Canadian residency via an IMG degree is simply Ireland/Australia - Carribean - Western Europe - other IM schools. This order I think is reflected in the number of applicants applying abroad - and from what I understand a @#$%^load of Canadian applicants have applied to Ireland and Australia. Apparently, as stated above, Canadians are having little difficulty getting back from Ireland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobey Posted April 20, 2008 Report Share Posted April 20, 2008 It may be more informative to use your own school's numbers, as I would expect that schools differ greatly in their likelihood of matching cIMGs in CaRMS. So when you're thinking about a particular school, make sure you find out how many Canadians they graduated last year, and how many of these matched back in Canada. How do you find this out, though? Will a school really tell you if you call them? And students probably don't know these numbers. I'm deciding between RCSI and UCD (and still waiting on Canadian schools), and I'm really wondering which one has better matching stats...on the ABP website, under the 'residency' section, most of the examples/pictures they give of people who have come back to Canada are from UCD and UCC for some reason. Maybe this means nothing, though. Does anybody have insight into this issue, or which school is better? I'll keep doing my research and will get back to you if I find out anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobey Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 If they won't tell you anything, that's probably a very bad sign. If a school did well, they'd be happy to boast about it. Good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlh Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Just got my rejection email from UCC. Bah. Its so frustrating! Anyone know what the chances are for NUIG and UCD??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobey Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Just got my rejection email from UCC. Bah. Its so frustrating! Anyone know what the chances are for NUIG and UCD??? Sorry to hear. Rejections are always frustrating, and I've gotten a lot of them this year! But there is still hope for Ireland. I just got accepted at UCD, but will decline the offer...so maybe it will go to you. They are definitely still sending out acceptances, though, and I assume they will be doing so until after people hear from Ontario/other Canadian schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlh Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Thanks for the encouragement.... fingers crossed I quess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlh Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 congrats on the interview rogerroger. Best of Luck!!! Unfortuantly I have recoeved another rejection from UCD. Still waiting on Galway.. I called this morning and apparently my application is still being concidered and I should know next week. Tension is high now... only have Galway and MUN to hear back from. Bah... I just want it so bad. Hows everyone else doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall&Oates Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I still haven't heard a word from either Trinity or UCD. It actually works out for me because considering the 2-week 4000 euro deposit "scam", I can hear back from Mac on May 15 and still not have to decide on the Irish schools until few days after that, should I get an offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoithinkyouare Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I still haven't heard a word from either Trinity or UCD. It actually works out for me because considering the 2-week 4000 euro deposit "scam", I can hear back from Mac on May 15 and still not have to decide on the Irish schools until few days after that, should I get an offer. ditto ............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyndal Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 All Australian med schools, except for Wollongong (it's too new) are accredited. Slight correction Wollongong is WHO and IMED accreditaed and fully accredited in Australia. Our graduates (when we have some) will be eligible to apply for MCCQE or USMLE etc. The only difficulty with being a new school is that American students cant apply for federal assistance until we have had 2 graduating years, Canadian students are fine. Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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