I am thinking of going out of the country to Med school, then coming back to the US. My family is from Lebanon, and I want to finish my undergrad here in the US and then go to AUBMC because I want to get in touch back with my culture and be surrounded by people who are more like me and hold similar values. Also Lebanon is very beautiful, and when I visit there in the summer, I get a comforting sense of familiarity.
However, I read that if I am a US citizen it is not advised to go abroad because it could be looked at negatively, or not as competitive as US med schools (since the acceptance requirements/GPA/price are slightly lower than the ones here), and it would make it more difficult to get a US residency (i have to be at the top of my class, take the TOEFL, etc.)
What do you guys think about this?
What you have read is true. The majority of people who graduate from foreign medical schools do not end up in american residencies. For some specialties it will essentially close the door on you completely. In the specialties that will accept you, you will be held to a much higher standard than US MD graduates. Leaving the states for medical school is one of the most damaging things you could do to your future medical career.
Oh gosh, thank you for the confirmation. What about going to a foreign undergraduate school and applying for US med schools. Would that hold me to higher standards as well?
I have several friends who are FMGs. There were accomplished specialty physicians in their own country and came to the US went through the whole nine yards to become physicians in the US.
Basically, not only you have to make up some US medical school classes, pass USMLE tests and went through the residency round. Regardless what their past specialties were, they all ended up with Family Practice. It is not a rewarding venture.
Attending undergrad in a country that is not the US or Canada will close the door to US medical schools. US medical schools require 90 or more credits, including ALL pre-requisite coursework, to be taken at an accredited US or Canadian college.
Neither AMCAS nor AACOMAS (the application clearinghouses for allopathic and osteopathic medical schools respectively) will accept or verify transcripts from foreign institutions. Without verified transcripts, your application is DOA and won’t ever get forwarded to medical schools.
There are 4 or 5 osteopathic medical schools that may accept foreign transcripts, but those are handled on a individual case by case basis.
Somewhere it states that US med schools (or maybe it’s AMCAS) doesn’t know what to do with classes from foreign schools. The schools aren’t accredited by US agencies, and therefore it’s not known if the content is sufficient.
Hmm. Looks like my travel aspirations will have to wait until later…or right after undergrad. Thank you for advice! Well noted and understood.