UK medical school graduate working in the USA?

[stars_n_stripes]

hi all, first off i apologise if this thread has been done before, but i really would appreciate any help erm, well i know this is early to hink about this, as at the moment- im still in the process of applying to medical school in the UK (in the last year of high school) but my ultimate goal is to work and live in the USA after graduation from a medical school here. so far, its not looking good - i only have one more school left to reply to me and i was thinking - is it realisticly possible for a UK graduate to pass the USMLE with a good score, and be able to successfully obtain residency spots in the USA with all the competition from home students? it just seems very very daunting and if the chances are very slim, then i may have to re-consider on what to do next.

thanks so much for reading the ramble, but if anyone has any ideas, they are really appreciated!

[-Petrie-]

unless you have US citizenship, it is incredibly hard to gain a residency post in the US and therfore practice.

Though it can be done.

[Scottish Chap]

Originally Posted by -Petrie-

unless you have US citizenship, it is incredibly hard to gain a residency post in the US and therfore practice.

Though it can be done.

Not true. Lack of U.S. citizenship is a lesser issue and J-1 work visas are not hard for a British citizen to obtain. Most of the issues relate to U.S. residency directors considering U.S. graduates before foreign medical school graduates, that's all.

Do well in the USMLE and, unless, you're only interested in the most prestigious specialties and/or institutions, you'll be fine.

[McCarthy]

since residency posts are state funded, i thought it was really hard to get a place as an international?

or am i thinking of internships? or US med school places in general? ha ha i'm so confused!

[Scottish Chap]

Originally Posted by McCarthy

since residency posts are state funded, i thought it was really hard to get a place as an international?

or am i thinking of internships? or US med school places in general? ha ha i'm so confused!

It's a general preference for giving out positions to local applicants that plays the biggest role. The order of preference is like this: U.S. medical school graduates>foreign medical graduates with U.S. citizenship>everyone else. Securing visas in time can be problematic and I think that's a headache that residency directors don't like to deal with unless they really have to.

Keep in mind that foreign medical school graduates drive a huge part of U.S. health care and many of them have no intention of staying in the U.S. when qualified. They are often open about that. If it were not for foreign medical graduates, MANY residency programmes would cease to exist. Some of the smaller community hospitals are staffed entirely by foreign medicals school graduates.

Getting into a U.S. medical school as a foreigner is a herculean task, however.

[stars_n_stripes]

thanks for all help guys its a relief knowing its possible. scottish chap- you said that many people dont stay after residency - is that because they arent permitted?
also - does anyone know the specialities that arent so competitive?
thanks so much

[samfwz]

OK. Does anyone think the medical school in the UK would matter? say, UCL vs leeds. Would a UCL doctor have better chances in the USA? Or in my case King's vs Nottingham.

King's has a great international reputation. Im wondering how much of a role this could play.

[aapl]

Originally Posted by samfwz

OK. Does anyone think the medical school in the UK would matter? say, UCL vs leeds. Would a UCL doctor have better chances in the USA? Or in my case King's vs Nottingham.

King's has a great international reputation. Im wondering how much of a role this could play.

none presumably.

[Scottish Chap]

Originally Posted by stars_n_stripes

thanks for all help guys its a relief knowing its possible. scottish chap- you said that many people dont stay after residency - is that because they arent permitted?
also - does anyone know the specialities that arent so competitive?
thanks so much

Several of the FMGs I have met tell me they will be going back to their country of origin as soon as they finish their residency here. Several have said that an American residency will give them a competitive edge in securing faculty positions. I can't say if that's entirely true so please consider it anecdotal.

Keep in mind that almost every U.S. residency director will sponsor only the J-1 work visa and that has a two-year home requirement when it expires. There are creative (read: expensive) and cumbersome ways to obtain waivers of that condition, but it remains a major issue. In good conscience, I can't hazard a guess as to how many FMGs fall into the latter category.

Currently, family medicine, psychiatry, and pediatrics are not that competitive. Internal medicine is not that competitive either. This can change quickly, though. General surgery was never THAT competitive, but it has become quite competitive even for U.S. medical school graduates in the last few years. Ditto for pathology.

[Scottish Chap]

Originally Posted by aapl

none presumably.

All British medical schools (as you know) are pretty uniform and provide equivalent training. However, America likes brand names (Harvard, Yale, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, Wash U etc.) and so don't think that Oxford and Cambridge will be dismissed so quickly.