Why not UK?

[medpak]

Hi,

I see a lot more threads on Ireland, US, Australia, Caribbean medical schools.. but rarely on the UK or other european countries. Why is it that people don't apply there? Especially, if coming back to Canada is pretty much the same from any country as an IMG.

It doesn't seem bad if one wants to stay there for residency either. So, I am really lost here. 

Would love the insights on this.  

[JohnGrisham]

UK is the toughest of all the IMG locales to get into medical school for Canadians, because they restrict the number of seats for internationals.  It is also one of the best options because by attending a Uk school you gain right to residency training in the UK, unlike other jurisdictions where you are put on lowest priority as a non-citizen foreigner. 

Its simply that Aussie, ireland have a lot of seats and rely on high foreign tuition to subsidize their local students . And carribs are purely targeted towards US/Canadian premeds who want a 2nd chance at getting a medical degree.

 

[medpak]

So, If I go to a med school in Ireland, are there options of doing residency there? 

Is UK better in this regard than Ireland?

[JohnGrisham]

33 minutes ago, medpak said:

So, If I go to a med school in Ireland, are there options of doing residency there? 

Is UK better in this regard than Ireland?

Definitely better in that regard. There is no guarantee you can stay and do residency in Ireland. Not impossible however, but not a guarantee.

[RadCdn]

Try to go to one of the 4 year programs in the UK rather than the 5-6 year programs if you can. Back in the day I took the UKCAT and got accepted to the UK. I strongly considered going there. I have strong connections to the country as well. I came to the conclusion that it was one of the best options out there. And obviously the quality of the education would be superb. I ultimately decided on going to Israel for many reasons, among them cost, strong interest in the region. Most importantly, my school had great connections to strong US institutions which allowed me to match without too much difficulty at a top US residency program. I've completed all my training and I'm back in Canada now. 

[medpak]

Yes, I intend on doing some more research on both the undergrad as well as post-grad programs for medicine in UK. I want to do postgrad there and it is definitely more competitive, so let's hope for the best. 

Thank you both for the answers.