Applying to Ireland

[ciesielczuk]

So Im just curious if anyone knows the reputation of schools like Trinity, UCD, or RCIS, and how they are looked at in North America.

[NLengr]

They have a fine reputation. Pretty much any school in the Western world will give you a decent education. They're regarded like any other Western school.

 

The problem is the IMG status and securing a residency.

[Edict]

So Im just curious if anyone knows the reputation of schools like Trinity, UCD, or RCIS, and how they are looked at in North America.

 

They are looked at pretty decently. There are people from Ireland who are academic doctors in Canada so clearly its not a problem. Its just being an IMG makes it difficult.

[Slashsev]

the other problem is there 5 yrs and worth a **** ton of money with very limited clincal practice outside in the n american system unless you have connections

 

* i have seen, many friends get back to canada with ireland..

[azn_angel_099]

All I know is that Trinity is a very famous school and recognized worldwide

[Edict]

All I know is that Trinity is a very famous school and recognized worldwide

 

I'm sensing a troll. Trinity is most likely the best university in Ireland, however its match rates haven't actually been any better than other medical schools in Ireland.

 

Also, very few people have ever heard of TCD before so its not as if its really that well recognized worldwide.

[karate-kid]

I've heard there are "date" issues when applying back to Canada (from Ireland) as an IMG: something to do with when the final med school exams are held, and when the deadline to apply for IMG spots is. I know of someone who recently graduated from Ireland, who could only apply to select programs in Sask and Manitoba because he/she wasn't able to apply to the other provinces (due to the Irish exam dates).

 

I'm obviously a little fuzzy on the details - thus if anyone could clarify this, that would be greatly appreciated.

[TheBoss]

I've heard there are "date" issues when applying back to Canada (from Ireland) as an IMG: something to do with when the final med school exams are held, and when the deadline to apply for IMG spots is. I know of someone who recently graduated from Ireland, who could only apply to select programs in Sask and Manitoba because he/she wasn't able to apply to the other provinces (due to the Irish exam dates).

 

I'm obviously a little fuzzy on the details - thus if anyone could clarify this, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

To the best of my knowledge this is not at all true. I know someone who graduated from TCD not long ago and matched to a Toronto family med IMG spot, and started that summer.

[jnuts]

This is actually true to an extent. The problem is not Irish exams or schedules but there is an issue on the Canadian end in certain provinces.

 

This is the best resource for application requirements by province (they are NOT the same nationally):

 

https://www.carms.ca/en/eligibility-r-1

 

At the bottom you will find the requirements for each province. Pay particular attention to the exams required to apply for residency. These are all Canadian and often Provincially administered exams. Next look up each exam and look at the requirements or prerequisites to sit each exam as well as the schedule on which the particular exam is administered. Finally, compare that to the application deadlines on the CaRMS website.

 

I will outline the situation in Ontario because that's the only one I'm familiar with:

 

There are two requirements: the MCCEE and the NAC OSCE. In order to sit the NAC OSCE you need to have already written the MCCEE. In order to have the OSCE done in time for CaRMS, you must attend the fall sitting of this practical exam. Here's the practical outcome: Applicants to Ontario who are still in medical school and want to return directly to Ontario for residency have to write the MCCEE in the spring of their second to last year of medical school. The MCCEE score is used as an absolute cut off for interviews most of the residency spots in Ontario (and it's a VERY high/difficult cut off). Writing this exam when you may be missing half of your two clinical years of medical school can depress your score substantially. The alternative is to take a year between graduating medical school and applying for residency and doing something else (an Intern year, research, whatever).

 

That is the situation in Ontario. From what I've heard, BC, Alberta, and Manitoba are impossible to apply to directly out of a foreign medical school. In order to complete the exams for these provinces you must take a year between medical school and applying for residency. I will again express the caveat that my knowledge of these provinces is largely hearsay and outdated at best. For a current answer I'd suggest doing the investigating independently.

 

To reiterate, this has NOTHING to do with the international medical school and is solely an issue created by the province to which you're trying to return. As such it's a ubiquitous problem for all Canadians studying abroad regardless of their medical school or host country.

 

As always when I give advise on this site, keep in mind that the situation is fluid and may change for the better or worse in the coming years.

[Edict]

I'm pretty sure you can apply straight to BC and I believe Manitoba. BC used to have rules that said you had to be a BC resident as in doing uni or spending a number of years there would count, but they lifted those and now anyone from Canada can apply. Alberta still requires you to take at least a year off even if you are an Albertan resident do to the fact you need to be assessed etc but they don't have a RoS.

 

I don't know much about Manitoba but from what I heard Quebec and Alberta are the only 2 provinces u can't apply directly out of med school to.

[jnuts]

Out of interest I took a look at the MCC and it does look like they recently changed their policy this year to let students take the EE earlier which seems to have fixed the issue with BC. It was a very real problem for a long time. It's a fluid situation as I said above.

 

I guess my real concern is having applicants take the EE so far from graduating. Not having done half to two thirds of your core rotations must hurt that score. Hopefully the programs that use the EE as a strict cut off will lower their cut-off this year. Otherwise the year gap may become a de facto requirement to get that score. Not to be a fear monger, but I can tell you that awareness of this change from the program side isn't great.

 

Anyway, I don't want to speculate too much. We'll just have to see how the coming application year pans out.