Disciplene centered options abroad

Disciplene centered options abroad

There is a varied set of choices for medical training overseas, as these two stories from the West and East show Medicine remains a dream career for many and some of the aspirants go abroad to train as doctors. While a majority look to countries like the US for postgraduate training (residency), others go to places such as China for their Bachelors.Here are two experiences, one in the West and the other in the East: As an intern from the University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital in Delhi, I went to the US to take clinical electives for three months. Electives provide medical students hands-on experience in a hospital, working as part of a team of doctors treating patients.

As an intern in Delhi, I collected blood samples, measured blood pressure but was missing from the rounds and invisible to the professor teaching the residents. This experience taught me time management and made me realise the importance of the staff that would do this work when I am a resident or am attending. In contrast, in the US, I was addressed as a student doctor. Assigned to two patients, I had to follow up with them daily, read about the diagnosis and discuss it with the professor on the rounds. This is what a resident is supposed to do in the US, minus filling prescriptions. This is not the only difference. In India, we rush through things because of the skewed doctor-patient ratio, while in the US, I was taught to think through everything I said.America has a defensive practice of medicine (litigation) while in Indian medical schools, the doctor's clinical judgment is counted upon.

I went for three electives at Kansas University Medical Centre (oncology and rheumatology) and the National Institutes of Health (cardiology). The former is a popular hospital in the midwest, where I fell in love with oncology. Since we were supposed to spend time with designated pa tients, I interacted with a few, which made me realise cancer treatment is not just medicine but also physical and emotional care of the patient and the family. In most medical colleges, exposure to oncology is limited.Even if one gets it, there is no time to know the patient.Indian hospitals make you a skilled healer owing to the number of patients, but not a skilled doctor.

The contrast, in my view, can help everyone to see both sides of the story. If you take the middle path, you would be a great doctor. I realised that medicine here has its flaws; med icine there has its flaws. A perfect combination of the two would make a su perb doctor. When I practise, I will try to use the skills I acquired in both the places and hope to fulfil the promises one makes under the Hippocratic oath. I was born and raised in Hyderabad. I was always an enthusiastic learner but an average scorer. I chose biology in high school (state board). It is written in the `academic constitution' of India's middle class that your son or daughter shall either become an engineer or a doctor. So, my family decided to make me a doctor (my brother being an engineer).Since I could not crack any medical entrance test, I had two options, China and Ukraine, for undergraduate study. After in-depth research, I decided to head to the Middle Kingdom, ignoring my father's advice about studying a Bachelor's degree in science in my homeland.

I secured a place on the MBBS programme at Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou. China is a beautiful place to live and study in. I am a third-year undergraduate, living in a town with a small urban population. People here are friend ly and helpful. If you are interested in studying in China, then be ready to learn the Mandarin language, be cause few speak in English.I learnt Mandarin in six months and passed the HSK level III, an exam you are required to clear to obtain your Bachelor's degree.

The education system in the country is studentfriendly and gives you more time to study by yourself.Practical training is much better than classroom teaching. Starting from the fourth year of internship, students interact with patients. They are taught basic and medical Mandarin (simplified Chinese for general use and later medical terms in the language) throughout the five-year course for this purpose.

I think aspirants should pursue a cost-effective education. The average cost of five plus one (internship) years of study in China would be about Rs 15-16 lakh, including tuition, hostel charges and books.The monthly cost of living is low in cities like Jinzhou, as compared to Beijing or Tianjin -about Rs 5,000, covering food, etc. Checklist Before signing up for a medical programme abroad, check its recognition and reputation in the host country as well as in India Look at whether the institution is in the World Directory of Medical Schools (http:www.wdoms.org) but, more importantly, find out what facilities it offers and whether you will have sufficient opportunity for interaction with patients, suggests career counsellor Pervin Malhotra The National Board of Examinations conducts the Foreign Medical Graduate Screening Test (FMGE) for Indian nationals with foreign primary medical qualifications who wish to practise in India.