GC holder and Study Medical in India

[VidhiVidhan]

In my personal opinion it would be a lot better for your kids to study medicine in the USA. Every specialty would be open, it is very hard for a foreign graduate to get into certain residency programs(dermatology, ENT for example).

I see your point.

at age 18 the kid may not know what they really want to do in life

I would like to disagree here. In India children know at very early age what they want to do. Two years before entrace exams, they are already ready for it. And this is true for any branch, may it be engineering or medicine. If you don't know at age 18 what to do in life then you will never know. Because you will get admission in something like BSc, BCom, BA and drift through the life wherever it takes you

 

[Mr Vertigo]

If you don't know at age 18 what to do in life then you will never know.

Yeah, right.

 

[GotPR?]

if it would be smarter to get them started early in medicine in India rather than have them spend 4 years doing unrelated stuff before going to medicine.

Those unrelated stuff sometimes makes the persons more educated ones, opposed to those who know nothing outside of their specialty.
You prolly misunderstand what education is.

 

[VidhiVidhan]

Yeah, right.

Mr Vertigo, are you from India? I would guess not.

Obviously, what I meant was if by 18 in India you don't know what branch to pursue and are not prepared for respective entrance exams, you are in all probability not going to get in the branch. Knowing at later stage that you want to be in medicine will be of no consequence. Students start preparing for these entrance exams upto 2-3 years in advance.

 

[VidhiVidhan]

You prolly misunderstand what education is.

GotPR,

You don't know anything about me, my background or about country I come from. So I don't expect you to understand what I am talking about.

I do appreciate your feedback though.

 

[Jackolantern]

Such is the case for anyone even the one's who studied in the US.

No. Training includes medical residency. American medical graduates can practice right away in the US after completing their residency in the US (provided they have also met whatever other local/state licensing requirements). But foreign medical graduates who did their residency outside the US still have to do residency again in the US.

 

[PHSESAaug]

No. Training includes medical residency. American medical graduates can practice right away in the US after completing their residency in the US (provided they have also met whatever other local/state licensing requirements). But foreign medical graduates who did their residency outside the US still have to do residency again in the US.

Not true - it is not even called residency in India. In India you DON'T graduate from medical school if you don't complete your house surgeon training which is 12 - 18 months. House surgeon training is part of the medical education.

To practice in the US:

5.5 year medical school in India (4 yr classes + 1.5 year house surgeon training) + residency in the US (anywhere from 3 years to 6 years)

8 years of school (Pre-med + Med) + residency in the US (anywhere from 3 years to 6 years)

The path is exactly the same once you join a residency in the US. I know this from personal experience as my cousin went through this recently.

 

[usa2002]

I would like to disagree here. In India children know at very early age what they want to do. Two years before entrace exams, they are already ready for it. And this is true for any branch, may it be engineering or medicine. If you don't know at age 18 what to do in life then you will never know. Because you will get admission in something like BSc, BCom, BA and drift through the life wherever it takes you

This is a major difference between a developed country like the U.S or Canada and a poor (developing) nation like India. In India people tend to "grow up" quickly and figure out their life directions (often without really understanding what they are doing or just following parental wishes). In a wealthy country children can afford to take a more relaxed attitude toward life. So would-be doctors spend four years in college often studying the liberal arts. I have colleagues who studied history in college and fulfilled their premedical requirements on the side. My roommate doctor and I studied engineering in college before turning to medicine.

More and more premedical students in the United States do something else worthwhile between college graduation and medical school entry (either paid work or some kind of community service project). And frankly they are better people and better doctors because of their "gap-year" experiences. This is a luxury a developed country can bestow upon its citizens.

Hopefully one day a country that I care very much (India) can also provide this gift of time to its ambitious children.

 

[usa2002]

As someone who graduated from a U.S. medical school and finished a residency program at a top teaching hospital in Boston, I would like to offer a candid opinion. Medicine is a profession and people in my profession tend to be snobbish. To have a chance to compete in this field, you will need to have the best credentials possible. Now, while the United States is one of the most accepting societies in the world, ethnic miniorties still have a steeper climb than non-minorities. So it is especially important for a minority to have as much feathers in his/her cap as possible.

Barring very special circumstances, a person is out of his mind to forego medical school in the United States and go to school in India. Many people within and without the profession will see you as a second rate physician even before seeing your work (not everybody but enough in quantity to be a serious impediment to your career advancements).

So you need to look out for your best career interests. Be guided accordingly.

 

[Jackolantern]

Not true - it is not even called residency in India. In India you DON'T graduate from medical school if you don't complete your house surgeon training which is 12 - 18 months. House surgeon training is part of the medical education.

In some other countries (like where I come from) you graduate from medical school, and then you do residency there. And that doesn't affect my point which still holds true; whatever your non-US medical training/study/residency/whateverYouCallIt is, you still can't directly practice in the US based on that ... you ultimately have to get some more training/residency in the US.

 

[godisgoodtome]

LOL... I can see spinning heads on this thread.....CooL Cool COOL....

First of all, If he can be making monthly trips to the US every 6 months to prevent his loss of residency till he applies for Naturalization, then that area will be taken care of I think. The time frame is clearly stated on the USCIS web page on duration a GC holder can be absent form his resident state to maintain his GC and steps to take if he losses his residency too.

Now the ball part;
Medical education in india is 4 plus 2 system making it a total of 6 years as suppose to 8 years in the US. Realize that this does not include residency atall.
Therefore a degree from india will not only limit your sons chances of residency in the US but practice if he even gets a residency.
A friend who had his medical degree in India was admitted to 2 year special prgrame in texas, and then had to write both step 2 and and final exams, then applied for residency and then got into the mainstream.
So he ended up basically as a second year medical student in the the US with his medical degree from india. Remeber 95% of US medical schools do not accept transfer students of any sort.

The other option he had was to enrol in a one year program and take the state board and then get certified with masters in public health(MPH), which off course he declined and went the med school route.
So if he is going to practice in India, then by all means GO for it, but If he intends to practice in the US, its better to stay here.
The closes to the US med school system is the Carribean med school which the students spend their 3rd and 4th year here in the US for thier clinicals and then apply for residency, same number of years but just easier to get in.
So, i suggest you sit with your son and decide what path he really wants to take as far as his medical career is in question.

 

[VidhiVidhan]

i suggest you sit with your son and decide what path he really wants to take as far as his medical career is in question.

As of now, my sons are least interested in medicine or any field for that matter. Can't blame them though. They are only two years old. It's just me planning for the future. But thanks for the detailed input though.

 

[TheRealCanadian]

First of all, If he can be making monthly trips to the US every 6 months to prevent his loss of residency till he applies for Naturalization, then that area will be taken care of I think. The time frame is clearly stated on the USCIS web page on duration a GC holder can be absent form his resident state to maintain his GC and steps to take if he losses his residency too.

Remember that six months is only the period beyond which one is presumed to have broken continuous residency. If someone is traveling to the US every six months for a week or two and maintains this pattern for SIX YEARS, then it is likely that the GC will be lost.

 

[godisgoodtome]

yes i was just reading that...You are quite right.

 

[godisgoodtome]

As of now, my sons are least interested in medicine or any field for that matter. Can't blame them though. They are only two years old. It's just me planning for the future. But thanks for the detailed input though.

LOl..Not you, I was continuing the discussion, and was directing it to the Initial thread starter......

 

[schandrag]

The liberal arts education that some have referred to as something rich countires offer their youth before they enter medical school or other professional schools is not really ture. This is a north american tradition
In Britain and most of continental europe students enter medical school straight after hight school.
As for developing countries, the system they use is largely related to whom they were colonised by. Therefore India follows the British system, whereas the Phillipines, colonised by the USA after the Spanish American was follows the American system.

Vidhi Vidhan, did not realise your boys were that young.

 

[godisgoodtome]

The liberal arts education that some have referred to as something rich countires offer their youth before they enter medical school or other professional schools is not really ture. This is a north american tradition
In Britain and most of continental europe students enter medical school straight after hight school.
As for developing countries, the system they use is largely related to whom they were colonised by. Therefore India follows the British system, whereas the Phillipines, colonised by the USA after the Spanish American was follows the American system.

Vidhi Vidhan, did not realise your boys were that young.

You are quite right and which is why the US always being different denies medical practice to any other sytem, untill one fulfills their own standards by going through their own system.
My pre-med advisor said i quote..."Its nothing personal, we are just American"....
lol.. and i was like... YEAH, I CAN SEE THAT QUITE ALRIGHT.........lol..

 

[rpate34]

greencard

Quote from previous: "I know i am going off the topic but i always wanted to ask someone about this...
my sister is a green card holder, and she is doing medicine in india, she is done and doing her internship which is required by her school, so how would she able to come back here and practice in US. she used to come to united states every 6-7 months to keep her green card valid but she doesnt know what are the steps to get into US school??? if some one can help,, it would be really appreciated"



oh thanks for this great information
sorry couldnt get back to you guys as soon
so if my sister wants to come back now, (she is done with med school, and doing residency/internship whatever is required in india after med school) she is gonna do that for 1.5 years and then does she need to take USMLE in india because they can take USMLE 1st step and 2nd step and then come to US to do residency right?? i would really appreciate your detailed answer on like what exams to take once you get back to US from india

 

[rpate34]

green card

ya my sister stayed there for five years, and she did have green card when she started med school, but she renewed her green card twice already, so four years right there, and she commuted back and forth for two or two and half year,,, so according to laws, her green card is still valid...

 

[pmpforgc]

How you can renew GC two time in four years?

I dont think you are clear about your sisters GC situation or making it clear to other peoples here. How she can renew her GC two time in four year, wher GC is mostly valid for atleast 10 yr period.

Also you had not yet answered my earlier questions, how she maintained her GC for this five year. Does she had GC when she started her medical? Does she came here evry five six months or she got two re-entry permits?

I think answer to above questions can clear more about what is her status right now. Her GC is valid or expired etc