Every year, a huge number of MBBS students are opting for studies abroad. The lack of seats in government colleges of India is enabling students to opt for countries abroad. Also, the huge expense of private MBBS colleges in India has made the students find affordable options for themselves. In most cases, the agents and consultants for MBBS abroad generally portray that these colleges abroad follow NMC guidelines.
In most cases, the colleges do not follow NMC guidelines. They just have some basic similarities with the Indian system of medical education. Definitely, there are colleges that have more than 90% similarity with the Indian education system, but it is hard to find them.
Reality, of course, duration and internship
The course duration of most of the foreign colleges is six years plus one year of internship. Formally, that matches the perception of the Indian education system, which is of 54 months. Still, there are certain cons regarding the matter of an internship. In some countries, the matter of internship is observational, which impacts the experience of the doctors when they practice later in their lives. Lack of practical experience and patient exposure has been one of the reasons why foreign medical education is not preferred by students and their parents.
Most of the Indian students thus opt for colleges like the International Higher School of Medicine (IHSM), where the students get patient exposure, and there are placement opportunities in their own chain of hospitals called VEDANTA. Other colleges may not follow an internship guideline that satisfies the norms of NMC.
Language barrier
Language barrier is an issue for foreign medical graduates. In countries like Russia and Ukraine, most of the foreign medical graduates face a language barrier. Most of the colleges promise an English medium course to the MBBS students, but their rotational shift and written exams are conducted in the local language. Thus, Indian students prefer going to colleges in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia for these reasons. In countries like Kyrgyzstan, a huge number of Indian students have accumulated, for which an Indian community has developed. Students here feel comfortable due to the presence of familiar people around. Students of the International Higher School of Medicine have claimed that their college has the greatest number of Indians, and their MBBS course is fully English.
Loopholes
In most cases, the agents try to hide the loopholes that are in the education system. If a student goes to foreign medical universities, the completion of his or her MBBS would definitely be different from that in India. In spite of that, there is a requirement for some sort of similarity and harmony within the system of medical education. Foreign universities often claim the wrong course duration, which can significantly impact the students, as they are highly impacted by the whole process.
A right consultant is required.
Finding the right educational consultant is required here for the students. Most of the students who are going to foreign Universities generally go through MBBS abroad consultants. Choosing the right consultant is important. Students often fall prey to fraudulent consultants who claim to complete the course for a very low fee. MBBS abroad isn’t free of cost, and the course fee may cost a certain amount. Thus, you need to consult reputed consultants of MBBS abroad like Edusolve. These companies have been doing the counseling process for students for many years now. They can be trusted, as a lot of students have been admitted through them.
Food
The availability of Indian food in foreign countries is low. In countries like the Philippines and Russia, the college hostels do not have Indian food, which becomes a drawback for Indian students as they have to live there for more than 5 years. Thus, more and more Indian students are opting for Asian countries like Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and so on. All these countries have colleges where Indian food is available. IHSM is a college in Kyrgyzstan where the students get a separate hostel for Indians, where Indian food is available. Indian food is cooked by Indian chefs, and the raw materials for the food items also go there from India by road.
Process of licensing
Students first need to decide which country they want to practice MBBS after they have completed their degree. They need to prepare themselves for the licensing exam of the country they want to practice in. In case a student plans to practice in India, they need to prepare for the FMGE exam. In case a student wants to practice in the US, they need to prepare for the USMLE. If a student prepares from 1st year, he would surely succeed in his first attempt. Thus, IHSM prepares its students for FMGE from the very beginning of their course, as most of the students in the college are from India. This helps the students crack FMGE easily.
Patient exposure
Patient exposure is less in most countries that have smaller populations. Indian students get maximum patient exposure while abroad students get medium exposure. Indian students generally have continuous experience while abroad students depend on the simulation center for understanding the process of patient care. MBBS abroad students are not allowed to enter hospitals before the 3rd year.
Placement opportunities
The opportunities for placement among foreign medical graduates are high. They can easily get a placement in government hospitals if their FMGE marks are good. They can also get placement in private institutions. The value of an MBBS degree cannot be compared. The place of acquisition of the degree does not matter. India is a highly populated country where people need doctors. Due to a lack of seats in the government medical colleges, the demand for doctors remains unfulfilled. Thus, MBBS abroad has become a popular option for most students in India.
Gathering information from different sources is essential for students. Edusolve can be your source of information, especially when you need college admission and counseling support. It helps in the process of college selection according to the budget and preference of students.