American medical universities. Education abroad, study abroad, study abroad - Students International
One quick glance at the TOP of highly paid specialties in the States is enough to understand which industry specialists are most in demand today. An American medical degree is definitely worth all the years of study and hard work. The ZagraNitsa portal tells about medical education in the USA: universities, courses, exams, the procedure for admission or confirmation of a diploma for foreigners
Higher medical education in the United States is one of the most prestigious, and a doctor here is perhaps the most respected, highly paid and privileged profession. However, medical education North America very different from similar in other countries: both by the process itself and by the cost.
Which medical school to choose
In 1876, the Association of American medical colleges. Its tasks include the improvement of health care and organization medical care through innovative medical education, advanced nursing and pioneering research in medicine. AAMK includes 145 American and 17 Canadian universities accredited in the field of medicine, about 400 major clinical hospitals and more than 80 scientific communities.
Traditionally, the best medical schools are the Ivy League colleges:
Also, do not forget that the cost of education in the most prestigious universities much higher than the less popular ones.
Studying proccess
After graduating from high school, a graduate will not be able to immediately apply to the university for a medical specialty. Before that, he must obtain a bachelor's degree in any discipline, but preference is given to those as close as possible to medicine. It can be chemistry, biology, ecology or even security. environment. Usually such training, called pre-medical study, lasts 4 years. Similar programs are offered by various colleges throughout the country. After a four-year pre-med program, a student takes the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) exam, after which he can apply to a medical university. Of course, each university has its own additional selection criteria, but absolutely everyone takes the MCAT.
Photo: Shutterstock There are no directly medical universities in the USA - documents are submitted to regular universities, accredited in the field of medicine (higher medical schools). Since there are not many such universities, the competition is quite strong. Upon admission, preference is given to applicants living in the state, since after graduation they will be able to stay to work on the spot. Also important is the high score obtained in high school, for the period of study in the bachelor's degree and at the entrance exam.
At the higher medical school, the student studies for another four years. The first two years are spent exclusively in classrooms. Students listen to lectures, attend practical classes in general subjects: anatomy, biochemistry, physiology and others. Clinical practice in hospitals starts from the third year of study. It is then that students first meet with patients. Workshops divided into modules. Each module lasts from six to eight weeks and includes practice in one of the departments: surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics and others. The fourth year also takes place in the hospital, but now students can spend more time in those departments that are of primary interest.
Not all universities follow such clear rules. Some educational institutions admit their students to hospitals much earlier, but the course of lectures can last all four years.
After graduating from a medical school, a student takes the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). This exam is multi-level.
- USMLE Step 1 is a computer-based test consisting of questions on the subjects of the first two years of medical school.
- USMLE Step 2. It is divided into two steps. The first is Clinical Knowledge, a computer-based test with questions on subjects from the last two years of medical school. The second is Clinical Skills, a practical exam in which actors take on the role of patients with various diseases and conditions.
Postgraduate medical education
After successful delivery In the first two stages of USMLE, students must complete an internship in their chosen specialty in order to become real doctors. For each specialty, the internship lasts a certain number of years, depending on the complexity of the chosen profession (therapy - three years, various types of surgery - from five to nine years). The internship accepts the most successful students who not only excelled in their exams, but also scientific activity during training, helped in hospitals in free time and have proven themselves in the workplace.
Photo: Shutterstock During the internship, young doctors take internal exams in their discipline, and after the internship - USMLE Step 3. Having passed the last level of USMLE, interns receive a license, thanks to which they are officially considered practicing doctors and can work in their specialty throughout the United States.
Some specialties such as neonatology, oncology, cardiology require additional training, which is called fellowship. It continues for another two or four years.
In this way, medical training in the US takes a minimum of 11 years. If the practitioner decides to change specialization or choose a narrower direction, he re-enters the fellowship and goes through the entire course of study with the rest of the students.
For foreign specialists
To work in the United States by profession, a Russian certified doctor must confirm his qualifications and obtain a license to practice medicine. This can be done in two ways.
The first way is to enter the higher medical school. Since education in Russian medical schools usually lasts six years, a diploma of higher medical education in the United States will be equated to a bachelor's degree. That is, having a Russian diploma, you can skip the general four-year education. Also, having a transcript of the grade book on hand, you can go through a simplified program at the medical school itself. For example, if in a Russian medical university the subject "Pathological Anatomy" lasted 48 hours, during this time 2 tests and 1 exam were provided, and in American university this subject is given only 24 hours and 1 credit, then the student will not have to repeat the course of pathological anatomy. But vice versa, if Russian university less hours were devoted to the subject, they would have to be finalized abroad.
However, not all American medical schools accept international students. It is worth studying in detail the website of a particular university to find out about such an opportunity.
Having chosen medical schools that are ready to accept foreign students, you need to send a request to each of them (Request for Application Materials). educational institution will provide a list of documents required for admission, including the required result of the TOEFL language test, and also offer a list entrance exams, such as MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). Availability scientific works will add additional points upon enrollment.
Photo: Shutterstock After enrolling in a medical school, a Russian applicant will have three or four years of study (depending on the number of hours passed in a Russian university). During this time, he will prepare for the USMLE exams on a par with American students.
Thus, it will take at least three years of additional education and thousands of dollars to pay all the expenses for education, housing, food, and so on.
Another way is to validate your diploma and get a place in residency. But in this case, the candidate will have to independently prepare for the exams. Of the costs - the cost of the tests themselves and all related costs.
The first thing to do in this case is to contact the Commission that provides assistance to foreign medical students (its name is ECFMG, Educational Commission For Foreign Medical Students), and find out if your Russian university is on the list of those whose diplomas can be confirmed in USA. If included, the ECFMG sends out various brochures that explain the admission process. After submitting the documents, the Commission sends an invitation to USMLE 1, which can be taken in Russia. You can prepare yourself by using special literature, or by enrolling in one-year Kaplan Medical courses, which prepare for all parts of USMLE.
After successfully passing the first two levels of USMLE (USMLE 2 is held in some US cities), you can apply for residency.
Applications with test results and resumes can be sent to all clinics of your interest via the Internet. After reviewing the application, the hospital invites the applicant for an interview. Further, all information about the results of interviews, the preferences of the candidate when choosing a hospital and vice versa is sent to the American Medical Association (AMA - American Medical Association) for consideration and processing. Then the computer produces a match (a special program of combinations), and the applicant receives a list of places ready to accept it.
If a candidate has not enrolled in a residency in a specialty of interest, and the number of places was limited, he can apply for admission to a residency in less demanded specialties with the largest number of places. Job seekers usually find jobs in the "second wave".
If a foreign doctor has proven himself well during the residency, the hospital can guarantee him employment as a licensed specialist. This will help in obtaining a residence permit if a person wants to stay in the country.
I am sure that you are well aware that the profession of a doctor in the United States is one of the highest paid. In the article "" I already wrote about this. The average income of an American doctor is over $200,000 a year. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of people who want to go to study as doctors, and the process of obtaining a medical doctor's diploma is very long and expensive.
Today is about how to enter a medical school in the USA and get a Medical Degree. There are two ways for foreigners to become an American doctor. First, go through the entire learning path, starting with getting a B.A./B.S. The second option, which allows you to cut costs, is to graduate from a medical university in your home country, where you can also start taking tests. Then in the USA to confirm your diploma, pass residency and get a doctor's license.
Briefly about the second option. I know several doctors from the former union who went through all the complicated process of confirming their diplomas, found and completed a medical residency training program and received licenses to allow them to practice. All this took them seven years.
Now about the option when you started studying to be a doctor after high school. The first step is to receive a diploma from V.A. or B.S. at a 4 year old university. As a rule, students who are guided by subsequent admission to medical school take biology, chemistry and other majors. natural Sciences. At the same time, you can go to medical school with a liberal arts degree.
Getting a bachelor's degree does not absolutely guarantee that you will be accepted into medical school. That is, as usual, they accept the best of the best.
Only one question always torments me, when I encounter the sloppiness of local doctors and their incompetence, why these best ones become such bad specialists.
Maybe because they went to get a doctor's degree in order to earn money, and the process of treating people does not cause them pleasure. They are called unhappy doctors here.
Next, after graduating from a four-year university, you must pass the Medical College Admissions Test. The higher the school's rating, the better the results should be. Like all other standardized tests, the MCAT is taken in a compressed period of time and the student is constantly under the pressure of a ticking clock.
If you did well on this test, have a high GPA, and have the money to study, then the next stage is a four-year medical school. Admission Probability foreign student in such a school is not very high.
Information for those who learn English: Skyeng Language Center offers a free introductory English lesson: http://skyeng.ru/go/usaconsult If you like everything, then when you purchase your first lesson, you will receive two lessons as a gift with a promo code ENGLISH SKYPE
You will need to prove that you have the money for all four years of study, and this is approximately 160-200 thousand dollars for tuition alone, not including the cost of accommodation and meals. If you have good grades and money, then you can be accepted.
You then need to take the USMLE exam, which has three parts. It is very complex and time consuming. Delivery of each part takes one to two days.
Then, depending on the specialty, you need to complete Fellowship Training.
After completing this program (if it is necessary for your specialization), there are pleasant little things like obtaining a medical license and joining an association of doctors in your specialty.
Not surprisingly, after going through all this training and paying off huge debts, some doctors believe that life has been successful and now you can relax. Fortunately, most doctors still perform their duties fairly conscientiously.
For those who find this whole process very long and expensive, I can advise you to go to study as a nurse (nurse), it will take 2 to 4 years and give you a stable job and a salary of 50 to 70 thousand dollars.
There are also many other specialties that are in demand in the medical industry, and do not require such temporary and financial sacrifices. One of my acquaintances, for example, graduated with honors from the university in her specialty foreign languages, entered master's program to a speech therapist.
It took her about three years to study, internships and all the formalities. Now she works in private school plus your practice. I don’t know about the salary, but apparently it’s very high, no less than the average therapist who studied longer and paid several times more.
In conclusion, there are a lot of doctors in America, at least in our district, who speak with a terrible accent, who graduated medical universities in Iran, Egypt, Turkey and other distant countries and confirmed their diplomas here. If they could, why can't you? Keep it up, everything will work out for you.
If you need advice on admission to American universities, please contact us using the form
Let's start the conversation with existing myths, most of which come down to a couple of main stereotypes. Stereotype one: working as a doctor in the States is cool. Doctors earn a lot of money, have full respect in society and are part of a social caste called the “cream of society”. Stereotype two: it is impossible for an emigrant from another country to be a doctor in America. As if, foreign medical diplomas are not recognized here, and the learning process is medical faculties in America itself it is so expensive that it is scary to think about it. In fact, the situation is not quite as daunting as they say.
Let's go over the statistics right away, which, as we know, is a rather stubborn thing. And she (that is, statistics), armed with figures, says that now every fifth doctor in America is a foreigner, namely, a specialist who has a medical education received outside the United States. How did they do it?
To say that it is very simple would be a big exaggeration. However, nothing is impossible.
Diplomas of medical institutions obtained outside the country are not only not recognized in the United States at all - they are recognized, but special confirmation will be required, and not formal, as a ton of additional certificates and confirmations, but the real thing, expressed in the amount certain knowledge and skills. In the United States, there is a structure called ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates). From its name it becomes quite clear that it is engaged in confirming the qualifications of foreign doctors, in other words, it is a kind of filter. In order to obtain the right to practice medicine, a foreign doctor must pass the USMLE licensing exams, which include two stages - Step1 and Step2. There is no discrimination - medical students from America take exactly the same ones in the process of studying, therefore, here we are talking about the usual restoration of justice.
What are these exams?
Step1 is a standard computer test consisting of questions in areas such as pathology, pharmacology, physiology, microbiology, anatomy (with an emphasis on neuroanatomy) and biochemistry, in addition to a special subject called behavioral science - a certain complex discipline that requires knowledge in the field of psychiatry, statistics and medical ethics. In addition, the test contains questions regarding interdisciplinary knowledge - genetics, embryology and molecular biology.
The exam must be passed in one day, seven hours are given for it (with a break of one hour). The questions (and there are 350 of them) are quite complex, and few people can answer them all. In practice, it can be seen that the correct answers to approximately half or slightly more questions guarantee a minimum passing level. However, the higher the result, the better the opportunity to get to work in a decent place.
In order to prepare for the exam, specialized literature is offered, which, of course, does not replace basic medical education, but allows you to master its format and eliminate standard errors. There is also an opportunity to buy a bank of template questions in advance (there are about 1500-2000 of them) and practice answering them using the Internet in real time. It is worth saying that the result justifies itself.
Those who have passed through the first stage will have to overcome the second. The Step2 exam has two parts: a theory part and a practice part. The first (Clinical knowledge) consists of 9 sections of 46 questions from such areas as surgery, pediatrics, therapy and gynecology. And the second (Clinical skills) is a simulation of a doctor's consultation. The future doctor needs to examine 10 "patients" - specially trained people who were given the task of simulating a certain disease - and then diagnose and prescribe treatment for everyone, entering the necessary data into the medical history.
Level of Knowledge in English no additional tests need to be confirmed, although it is quite clear that a low language level can be a significant barrier during the passage of all sections of medical licensing exams.
But those who cope with them - and there are enough such people - can be enrolled in a residency (like our residency), that is, start working in a clinic in which they will practice under the guidance of more knowledgeable doctors, receiving a salary . The duration of the residency will depend on the specific specialization: family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics - three years; radiology and anesthesiology - four years; surgery and gynecology - five years; neurosurgery - six years. After completing the residency, you need to pass another exam, which also has a theoretical and practical part: a computer test of 480 questions and consideration of 9 clinical cases. Having successfully overcome the tests, the doctor receives a class “H” visa and the right to exercise medical practice, as well as continue their studies in medical graduate school.
So, with the myth regarding the unreality of becoming a doctor in the United States, we seem to have sorted it out. And we can say that it is still possible and more than realistic. Difficult, but possible. It remains to be seen whether American doctors really bathe in gold?
Their salary level is actually quite high: depending on the direction of work, from 150 to 650 thousand dollars per year. The most highly paid are anesthesiologists and radiologists, and pediatricians are considered “poor”. Even in the first year of residency with American doctors, the salary is kept at a level of at least 45 thousand per year. However, this barrel of honey has its own fly in the ointment. As we know, no doctor is immune from making mistakes. However, in the United States, the whole matter is not limited to moral anguish. A physician who has committed a medical error becomes a defendant in litigation, and the amount of payments to the affected client (or his family) can reach quite astronomical proportions. So, doctors cooperate in insurance associations, and enough goes to pay for insurance most of salaries. According to all-knowing statistics, the profits of doctors in the United States between 1995 and 2004 fell by about 7%. Perhaps everything is known in a clear comparison. Therefore, even taking into account the cost of a decent life, high taxes and insurance payments, American doctors are clearly among the wealthiest classes in society.
