Anyone ever studied medicine abroad?

[AbdullahN01]

Hey guys, all of you are students and there must be hundreds of you who are interested in the field of medicine and becoming doctors. I'm currently studying A-levels in Lahore and have chosen the pre-medical subjects. The problem is, I want to study abroad but people always exclaim that it's too expensive, non-affordable bla bla bla. Is it really true? They also say that you can get scholarships in other fields like engineering but rarely any university provides scholarships in medicine. Could you list some universities preferably in the UK, as I haven't given the SAT (BIG MISTAKE )

And if at all I have to stay and study undergrad in Pakistan, I know King Edward MC is out of question, any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ottoman]

Medical education in Pakistan is second to none. Why are you interested in pursuing Medical studies abroad when you have top notch education at your door step?

 

[AbdullahN01]

I'm aware of that. ''Desperate need for change of lifestyle'' is my reason i guess.

 

[Dr Beowulf]

Im a doctor so lemme give you some advice. Pakistan has excellent med schools. Not only is it cheaper studying here but youll also be saving yourself 4 years of undergrad (requirement Abroad before persuing professional education). Ziauddin and Liaqat are excellent here in Karachi. If you're a great student then theres always Agha Khan. So save yourself the time and your parents the money. Study here then practice abroad.

 

[max414]

I'm aware of that. ''Desperate need for change of lifestyle'' is my reason i guess.

Brother if you're really good nothing is impossible
Im doing my post graduation from sydney uni
U need gamsats to get into med here

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[haroonshaikh]

Getting in to medical university is extremely difficult abroad. You need to pass a ton of exams with excellent grades. But even then it will not guarantee your admission. Even if you have been UK National, the admission chances in foreign universities is close to negligible. By the Grace of God, if you somehow manage to get in one, your Degree would take 6-7 years unlike 5 years program here in Pakistan. Considering that you eventually graduate from a foreign medical university ( Not to forget the immense tuition fee your father would be paying ), you will still need to pass all qualifying exams to start your residency program. Yet again the label that you are from Pakistan would not increase your chances of getting the residency of your choice.

Going abroad for medical education is just not worth the extra effort and money. Study here in Pakistan and then apply for residency programs abroad. This is by far the best way to go. I am sure you are aware of good medical colleges in Punjab. In karachi, Aga Khan and Liaquat National should be your priorities.

Let me know if you need any other information.

 

[hamidkhatri]

I agree wid above 2 docs.
Its even difficult to get admissions in good universities of Pakistan on Merit. So study hard, get urself 80%+ marks in A Level. If u could not qualify for Merit, then there is always an option of Self Finance seats in Govt Univs.

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[AbdullahN01]

Im a doctor so lemme give you some advice. Pakistan has excellent med schools. Not only is it cheaper studying here but youll also be saving yourself 4 years of undergrad (requirement Abroad before persuing professional education). Ziauddin and Liaqat are excellent here in Karachi. If you're a great student then theres always Agha Khan. So save yourself the time and your parents the money. Study here then practice abroad.

Does AKMU offer scholarship programs?

 

[JJDoctor]

Before jumping into medicine, be mentally prepared for some hard studies THROUGHOUT your life. There is no limit. there is so much knowledge and then application of knowledge in patients needs very good skills.

By the time you get into practice you would have passed your precious life of Late 20s and Early 30s in studying only. By that time you will be seeing your colleagues who have done MBA or others earning more than you and enjoying more time. By mid 40s you start earning well and at that time the money you earn wont be for your enjoyment but for your kids. :laugh1: Not to forget your life will be full time busy. Not much time for breaks and family.

But undoubtedly, its one of the respectable professions where you treat patients directly, which indeed is itself gives you road to heaven. If you are not loyal with your profession then you can take lives even with a small mistake or laziness or careless attitude. You will be mechanic of the most advanced machine in this world i.e Human Being. There is no match to it.

Studying abroad doesn't make any sense if you plan to stay here in Pakistan in future. Study medicine in Pakistan and then apply for abroad if you want to live in some other country.

 

[w00t]

Before jumping into medicine, be mentally prepared for some hard studies THROUGHOUT your life. There is no limit. there is so much knowledge and then application of knowledge in patients needs very good skills.

By the time you get into practice you would have passed your precious life of Late 20s and Early 30s in studying only. By that time you will be seeing your colleagues who have done MBA or others earning more than you and enjoying more time. By mid 40s you start earning well and at that time the money you earn wont be for your enjoyment but for your kids. :laugh1: Not to forget your life will be full time busy. Not much time for breaks and family.

But undoubtedly, its one of the respectable professions where you treat patients directly, which indeed is itself gives you road to heaven. If you are not loyal with your profession then you can take lives even with a small mistake or laziness or careless attitude. You will be mechanic of the most advanced machine in this world i.e Human Being. There is no match to it.

Studying abroad doesn't make any sense if you plan to stay here in Pakistan in future. Study medicine in Pakistan and then apply for abroad if you want to live in some other country.

You pretty much summed up my elder brother's life. :laugh1:

 

[max414]

If your father can pay 20 lac for a semster and if u can score exceptional in Gamsats
You're in
And regarding licensing exams dont worry about them ..one who can score that much ,can pass licensing exams too
But believe me pakistan is worst place for a doctor to practice these days
People are thank less and they dont give shit if you're a doc or a technician
I spent my one year in pims ISB
Bhalai ka zmana nai h bhai
And I can work for free but I cant compromise on dignity and self respect
So think over it
And then leap into this field which is not rewarding at all at this moment in pk atleast



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[Dragonballer]

Getting in to medical university is extremely difficult abroad. You need to pass a ton of exams with excellent grades. But even then it will not guarantee your admission. Even if you have been UK National, the admission chances in foreign universities is close to negligible. By the Grace of God, if you somehow manage to get in one, your Degree would take 6-7 years unlike 5 years program here in Pakistan. Considering that you eventually graduate from a foreign medical university ( Not to forget the immense tuition fee your father would be paying ), you will still need to pass all qualifying exams to start your residency program. Yet again the label that you are from Pakistan would not increase your chances of getting the residency of your choice.

Going abroad for medical education is just not worth the extra effort and money. Study here in Pakistan and then apply for residency programs abroad. This is by far the best way to go. I am sure you are aware of good medical colleges in Punjab. In karachi, Aga Khan and Liaquat National should be your priorities.

Let me know if you need any other information.

You're right, he should get his degree from Pakistan. And Oh please. Did you seriously put a really mediocre or I should say a low level Liaquat National there with AKU? There are some really good teachers in Liaquat National and the hospital itself is great, but students with shit grades, some of them who don't even deserve to become doctors get admission there. Well, not all of them are like that, but most of them are. Their grades in A'levels/Inter are crap. My cousin studies in this college and guess what, he is a good student, but not a really good one, but he tops the shit out of every student in his batch. Toppers of AKU, DUHS and SMC are next level. I'd still prefer Baqai or Hamdard over Liaquat. They have much better infrastructure.
AKU is next level thing OP, it should be your first priority. DUHS and SMC are great as well here in karachi. If you don't get admission in them, then opt for Baqai/Hamdard or even Ziauddin but please don't think of Liaquat National.

 

[haroonshaikh]

You're right, he should get his degree from Pakistan. And Oh please. Did you seriously put a really mediocre or I should say a low level Liaquat National there with AKU? There are some really good teachers in Liaquat National and the hospital itself is great, but students with shit grades, some of them who don't even deserve to become doctors get admission there. Well, not all of them are like that, but most of them are. Their grades in A'levels/Inter are crap. My cousin studies in this college and guess what, he is a good student, but not a really good one, but he tops the shit out of every student in his batch. Toppers of AKU, DUHS and SMC are next level. I'd still prefer Baqai or Hamdard over Liaquat. They have much better infrastructure.
AKU is next level thing OP, it should be your first priority. DUHS and SMC are great as well here in karachi. If you don't get admission in them, then opt for Baqai/Hamdard or even Ziauddin but please don't think of Liaquat National.

I have no idea what you are talking about. But this is from a Graduate of Liaquat National medical College itself. I have topped all my five years and I can safely say this is by far the best hospital to get admission in to. Getting in to government hospitals is out of the question since he wont be able to get domicile and with current political issues, this is pretty hard.

As far as private medical college's are concerned, For training and practice. I can safely say Liaquat National Hospital is the best. You don't have go around comparing people. Giving admission to those who are toppers would obviously yield good results at university level too. But the real deal is to turn mediocre students to great doctors. Admission in LNMC is based on standard criteria given by NTS. No matter how duffer you are, you will get admission if you score good in one test that matters ( ENTRY TEST ). It carries 50% weight.

Getting good marks in university or college is a completely different story. Specially, when related to medical field. There is little to no reasoning to do in the first 2 years. All one has to do is mug up as much as possible and reproduce it exactly the same in exams. This is how MBBS goes in the first 2 years. Since LNMC is currently affiliated with Karachi University, the final exam pattern is some what poor too since it is conducted in KU where cheating is abundant . But by no means the teachings and infrastructure of LNH is poor or inferior to any other college.

AKU is the only university in Pakistan that teaches in a completely different way. They cover all your subjects in first 2 years in an attempt to prepare students for USMLE. So their method of teaching is completely different from all other universities in Pakistan.

Coming to the point that really matters. CLINICAL ROTATIONS and exposure. Currently LNH is one of the largest private sector hospital. The amount of patient turnover is tremendous. The exposure one gets here is second to nothing. One can always argue that similar exposure can be seen in Government hospitals but one needs SUPERVISED training according to current and latest protocols.

I qualified for AKU but I wanted good clinical exposure under supervision so I opted for LNH. I applied in house job exam in AKU and topped it as well but yet again I declined while my wife went to AKU. I got in residency program of AKU but yet again declined because of my loyalty and good exposure that I have always had in LNH. My wife ( She secured 2nd position , hence she is a braniac too ) did house job in AKU. By the end of it she was way way inferior to me. She was not allowed in operation theatre's, she was not allowed to do simple procedures. All she did was clerical work etc.

Please do not compare Baqai or Ziauddin to LNH. Baqai was willing to give me admission simply by writing them down a check so I know of their standard. They have house sized clinics in nazimabad and their students are dying to get housejob and residency in LNH. Same applied to Hamdard and Ziauddin as well. Both Universities have crappy hospitals hence poor learning exposure.

A medical college is judged based on its clinical rotations and exposure. I assume you are of non-medical field hence a brief reply to you. Otherwise I can fill you in with details if you require.

Please Note that LNMC and LCMD are different. Liaquat National is different from Liaquat college of medicine and dentistry.

 

[AbdullahN01]

Before jumping into medicine, be mentally prepared for some hard studies THROUGHOUT your life. There is no limit. there is so much knowledge and then application of knowledge in patients needs very good skills.

By the time you get into practice you would have passed your precious life of Late 20s and Early 30s in studying only. By that time you will be seeing your colleagues who have done MBA or others earning more than you and enjoying more time. By mid 40s you start earning well and at that time the money you earn wont be for your enjoyment but for your kids. :laugh1: Not to forget your life will be full time busy. Not much time for breaks and family.

But undoubtedly, its one of the respectable professions where you treat patients directly, which indeed is itself gives you road to heaven. If you are not loyal with your profession then you can take lives even with a small mistake or laziness or careless attitude. You will be mechanic of the most advanced machine in this world i.e Human Being. There is no match to it.

Studying abroad doesn't make any sense if you plan to stay here in Pakistan in future. Study medicine in Pakistan and then apply for abroad if you want to live in some other country.

Thanks! I'm taking your advice. And I know the fact about late earnings etc.

 

[Rip Uzair]

Couple of years ago when I checked about medical colleges in UK, their tuition fee alone was more than 26k pounds a year and yes no scholarships/bursaries etc. For US, you have to do a 4 years bachelors degree in some field before you can start doing 4 years MD(so, its atleast 8 years till you get MD in US) and tuition fees were around 50k+ $/year and no scholarships etc(most students take loans but they are available only to US nationals). If I remember correctly, for UK, you had to give their MCAT and apply through UCAS and for US, after your bachelors, you had you give their MCAT and apply according every school.+ IELTS(or C in english at o-levels) or TOEFL for UK/US respectively. No other special licensing tests were required at this stage but only after you complete your medical degree and then were looking for a residency.

So, it really is much expensive to study medicine abroad. However if you want, you can go abroad after completing MBBS here. And to my knowledge, AKU, karachi and then Shifa, Islamabad would make it easiest for you to do so. KEMU, Lahore is also good if you want to go abroad and you can get admission there now with 90% marks for an A*. I mentioned these colleges because there is trend among their students to go abroad(more often if not always, the US). In other colleges like AIMC, SIMS, NMC, etc among govt. medical colleges and LMDC, CMH, FMH etc among private, there is not much trend among the students to go abroad(although there will be a few every year but not much) and as such you'll have to be proactive or you won't even know how you can get residency abroad before its too late. But its just as much possible to go abroad, so it all depends if you are willing to work hard.

Btw about medicine(as it is for just about every profession), you just have to reach for perfection in your knowledge and skill not worry about money, it'll come to you itself.