Hi! So, I was hoping (after pursuing medical school) to move to the middle east (maybe the UAE or Qatar).However, I was wondering if it is better to stay here (in America) and complete up to an MD or is it better to get an education from UAE or Qatar? Like I’ve researched a few universities like the Weil Cornell Medical University-Qatar. Do these give American degrees? NYU Abu Dhabi? So just wondering what is a better option overall?Thanks!
Generally, your best course of action is to earn a medical degree and complete your clinical training in the country in which you wish to practice…
If you want to practice medicine in the Middle East, then go to med school there.
Cornell-Qatar and NYU Abu-Dhabi are American-style medical programs ( 4 year, graduate entry), but degrees earned from either school will not make one eligible for US medical licensure. Graduates of these program are considered international medical graduates (IMGs) and must have their degree certified by the [url=<a href=“https://www.ecfmg.org%5DECFMG%5B/url”>https://www.ecfmg.org]ECFMG[/url]. Next the student must take & pass a the USMLE exam series, do a series clinical observerships in the US to gain US LORs, then apply for, match into & complete a US medical residency.
IMGs have difficulty matching into US residencies. Very strong preference is given to US medical grads (both MD and DO) over IMGs. And the number of US medical grads is rising rapidly while the number of US residencies has remained stagnant since the 1990s. It’s estimated that US medical grads will fill every available residency slot by the mid 2020s.
IMGs are typically limited to less competitive specialties (family medicine, general internal medicine, pathology, neurology, psychiatry) and less desirable locations (rural Midwest or South community clinics).
Ehhhh, I would say that advice is probably true in general, but U.S. medical education is widely recognized as some of the best in the world. I don’t think someone who earned an MD in the U.S. would have a hard time finding work as a doctor in the Middle East.
However, suppose that you get a medical degree in the UAE, work over there a few years and decide you want to move back to the U.S. As WayOutWestMom outlined, being allowed to practice in the United States will be difficult! There are many stories of people who were doctors in their home countries who do all kinds of other things here because they weren’t allowed to get licensed here in the United States.
Oh ok, yes that surely makes sense! Thanks! @julliet