Medicine in Ireland advice needed

[timhortons19]

I have been accepted into a 5 year program at a medical school in Ireland and am really considering it. I am currently enrolled in university in Canada and I have tried my best but I don't see myself getting into the medical schools I want here. I applied through Atlantic Bridge as a backup plan, but now I'm seriously considering going. 

The only reason why I am a bit apprehensive about going to Ireland is the low chance of getting residency in US/Canada. If anyone would be able to share their experience of applying for residency or even studying Medicine in Ireland I would be very grateful!

Thanks!

 

[bearded frog]

It's not too uncommon for people to go to Ireland for medical school. Some def match back in competitive programs. Emphasis on "some". The only data is that 1/5 IMG carms applicants match to Canada, but that doesn't account for where they went to school, or if they also applied to the US. In the last three years Carms has a significant increase in unmatched canadian applicants... and ontario has been opening up alternate spots to address these issues. I don't know how this will affect IMGs but I don't think the prospects for IMGs matching to canada will IMPROVE in five years...

[JohnGrisham]

Yeah, IMG prospects have definitely worsened over the last few years, considering J1-SON options for the US. Still possible to match in Canada/US, but by default you will have to be very flexible with location and specialty, and even then nothing is a guarantee. That said, at best it will stay the same, at worst, it will become even more difficult. I highly doubt it will improve, as the trend has been to become progressively harder to match over the last decade. 

 

[SunAndMoon]

On 5/14/2018 at 3:52 PM, timhortons19 said:

 I am currently enrolled in university in Canada and I have tried my best but I don't see myself getting into the medical schools I want here.

 

Can you develop a bit more on that? Currently, IMG prospects are bleak to say the least. Given the matching situation in Canada, it is not unreasonable to think that it may get worse. 

[Edict]

The Irish CSAs collect data on match rates themselves and match rates are usually around 50-60% to Canada/US straight out of medical school. Some match the following year. Most people do end up getting a residency somewhere, but you have to be flexible with location/specialty and you will have to work harder because the cards are stacked against you. 

Ultimately, the question is, are you willing to spend 250-300k with about a 60-70% of matching somewhere and are you willing to uproot yourself for the next 10 years as well as be open to not getting the specialty or location you want? Sure, there are always people who luck out, people who have connections and get the ultimate match, but for every person like that there are many more who don't get it at all. 

 

 

[timhortons19]

Thanks for your responses! I understand that the fact that I will be an IMG applicant puts a block in my path but I am willing to work hard to make the best of my situation. 

My plan, as of now, is to pursue Medicine in Ireland and try to complete the USMLE exams afterwards (or even during the degree, I am still unsure of what specific timeline I should follow). I hope to get a residency in the United States and work there. However, after talking to some family friends of mine who have also completed their medical degrees outside of North America, I know that in order to get a good residency position, it would be better if you did your electives in America. Some people have even said that the places that they did their  electives in were the same places that they ultimately did their residency in, as well. 

I just had further questions about the whole process of it all. For example, when should I take my USMLE stage 1 and 2 exams if I want to secure a residency position straight out of med school or maybe even one year after? Also, how do people apply for electives in America if you are abroad?  

Thanks again!

[timhortons19]

20 hours ago, SunAndMoon said:

Can you develop a bit more on that? Currently, IMG prospects are bleak to say the least. Given the matching situation in Canada, it is not unreasonable to think that it may get worse. 

Hi, what I meant to say was that I am currently almost done my BSc in a Canadian university and have applied to medical schools, but my results were not too good. Given the opportunity of going to a medical school that I have already been accepted in sounds a bit more appealing to me than wasting another year here and trying again. However, there is the issue that the IMG match rates in Canada and US are declining, as you mentioned. Thus, I started this thread to hopefully get more insight and make a better and more educated decision!  

[Edict]

On 5/16/2018 at 8:26 PM, timhortons19 said:

Thanks for your responses! I understand that the fact that I will be an IMG applicant puts a block in my path but I am willing to work hard to make the best of my situation. 

My plan, as of now, is to pursue Medicine in Ireland and try to complete the USMLE exams afterwards (or even during the degree, I am still unsure of what specific timeline I should follow). I hope to get a residency in the United States and work there. However, after talking to some family friends of mine who have also completed their medical degrees outside of North America, I know that in order to get a good residency position, it would be better if you did your electives in America. Some people have even said that the places that they did their  electives in were the same places that they ultimately did their residency in, as well. 

I just had further questions about the whole process of it all. For example, when should I take my USMLE stage 1 and 2 exams if I want to secure a residency position straight out of med school or maybe even one year after? Also, how do people apply for electives in America if you are abroad?  

Thanks again!

Write your Step 1 after your 2nd year. Write your Step 2 near the end of year 3rd year if you want to match to the US directly out of medical school. I would recommend trying to match directly, since that is the way most Americans do it anyways. There are issues with visas and convincing the government of Canada to give you the license to even do your residency in the US, but so far people have been able to do it in the end with some begging. 

If Canadian med is a lost cause, as in, you just aren't competitive enough, then you can consider going abroad, but if you are getting interviews, stick around for another application, you won't regret it. 

[timhortons19]

On 5/17/2018 at 7:10 PM, Edict said:

Write your Step 1 after your 2nd year. Write your Step 2 near the end of year 3rd year if you want to match to the US directly out of medical school. I would recommend trying to match directly, since that is the way most Americans do it anyways. There are issues with visas and convincing the government of Canada to give you the license to even do your residency in the US, but so far people have been able to do it in the end with some begging. 

If Canadian med is a lost cause, as in, you just aren't competitive enough, then you can consider going abroad, but if you are getting interviews, stick around for another application, you won't regret it. 

Thanks for your help!