The title mainly says it all, the one caveat would be that this would be for the prior bachelors degree program. Basically my question in asking this is how does it compare to gaining admission to the standard degree program as a British citizen. Thanks everyone!
It is exceedingly rare for American students to get into medicine at either Oxford or Cambridge, whether through undergrad or graduate entry (and graduate entry is harder for admissions for all students). UK universities have a hard cap on the number of international students that they can accept for medicine (which relates to hospital placement places). There are now 2 private universities who are offering places to internationals in the UK, but they are only provisionally certified (they are new & have yet to graduate their first class, which is the last part of certification).
Also, is it true that if you are a graduate of an American med school you can’t become a certified practicing physician in the UK?
Not immediately, no. If you’re a fully qualified and experienced doctor who has completed all residency requirements etc, you may be able to get a visa (work permit) and job, although it’s more likely if you’re in a specialty where there is a shortage. (GPs, what you call family doctors in the US, are the most obvious shortage area.)
https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/work-life-support/life-and-work-in-the-uk
It’s possible that it could become easier in the future after Brexit comes into effect and European doctors can’t move or train here as easily - but there is also talk about training more doctors domestically, so you can’t count on that.
Thanks, that does clarify a lot. My only question is does the the residency requirement have to be fulfilled at a British hospital?
Well, Malta in the European Union has opened a British style curriculum medical school in partnership with a British university. Not sure how it’ll play now that 'hard brexit ’ has been chosen.
@TheCandyCanes : No, in fact you almost certainly won’t be able to do residency in the UK based on an overseas medical degree - most visas, even those which allow working, specifically ban working as a doctor in a training post (because they don’t want graduates of domestic medical schools to be shut out). You need to get all that out of the way in your original country.
So in theory an American residency would be sufficient for licensing requirements?
Not in theory, in reality.
But, @TheCandyCanes by your other posts you are a senior in high school. If you do undergrad/med/internship + residency in the US, you are talking about something at least 12 years in the future- and in the last 6 months you have expressed an interest in Investment Banking, Computer Science, and Medicine.
It is absolutely fine that you are all over the place in your interests- this is the right time of life for that!- but you are getting way ahead of yourself. You mention in another thread that you hope to go to Williams for the LAC experience. One of the great, great things about that is that you will be able to take the classes, do the internships, etc., that will help you sort out which path(s) are best for you.
Getting into medicine in the UK is competitive, and Oxbridge medicine is more competitive than most. Why do you want to go to Oxbridge in particular? If you want to do medicine in the UK, there are quite a few well respected universities (and in this case the course itself will say more than the university) which offer it.
@greenstudent, please don’t steer the OP wrong. Except for 2 private unis (which have yet to graduate their first class), getting into medicine in the UK is exceptionally difficult for Americans, b/c they all have strict limits on the number of international students they are allowed to accept. It is not a realistic pathway, especially for a student who is still just exploring options.
Hi, that wasn’t my intent at all. It’s not a realistic pathway, but it’s not completely impossible if you really work at it because every year people do get in. But you are right - it is very difficult. I’m just suggesting to look outside of Oxbridge if OP wanted to have any sort of chance. (I’m a UK student)
I get that it is a long shot for all of these things, I was mainly just asking out of curiosity. And I have nothing against other uk institutions, the whole reason I was asking was cause I figured most of the other UK med schools operate similarly to Oxbridge (I could be wrong, it is just a guess) and from what I heard now, you don’t necessarily need to go to UK med school to practice there. All of this is just hypothetical and out of curiosity.