Career Options After MBBS Abroad (Foreign Medical Graduates)
Every year a lot of students look towards other countries, when they do not get the MBBS seats in India. Therefore, MBBS abroad is a good option to become a doctor and to fulfil the dream of becoming a doctor. But students also think of the various career options after completing MBBS from abroad. So, In this article we will discuss the various career options and scope of MBBS abroad as well as for the students who have completed their MBBS from India.
Career Options After MBBS Abroad (Foreign Medical Graduates)
Let’s take a look at the scope of MBBS abroad.
PG in India
As a foreign medical graduate or the students who’ve studied MBBS outside India, doing Post Graduation in India is the first and foremost priority.
After completing MBBS from abroad, the students can choose among various postgraduate medical programs to become a specialist, only after giving the NEET PG exam or the NEXT exam in the coming future.
NEXT 1: Next 1 is given after the MBBS final year and exam score is required.
NEXT 2: It is given during the internship.
After the NEXT 1 and 2 you can get the PG seats in India
Medical colleges in India offer 74 Postgraduate M.D/M.S courses which are of 3 years.
Masters in Medicine (M.D.) or Master of Surgery (M.S.) is a 3 years Postgraduate Degree courses.
NEET PG exam score is used for MD/MS & PG Diploma admission in Medical colleges of India
NEET PG is an eligibility cum ranking examination for various MD/MS & PG Diploma courses in India.
It is also a single window entrance examination for PG courses. It is one of the best countries to do PG after MBBS.
USMLE:
USMLE for foreign medical graduates is also a popular career option. Every year several student give USMLE to establish themselves as licensed medical practitioner in USA. USMLE has 3 Steps: USMLE 1, USMLE 2 (CK and CS) and USMLE 3
USMLE 1: It’s an online MCQ based examination which can be given at the end of 2nd year of MBBS.
USMLE 2: It has 2 steps USMLE 2 CK and USMLE 2 CS
- USMLE 2 CK: Computes based test Day Examination, which can be given in the 4Th year of MBBS. It is taken at the various test centers around the world.
- USMLE 2 CS: The test requires you to examine and diagnose actors posing as patients. For the Step 2 CS, students must travel to one of five testing centers around the United States.
After these exams, you will be eligible to get the residency in USA. After clearing these you can apply for the ECFMG certification.
USMLE 3: It’s an online exam to pass and be a licensed doctor in USA.
This is one of the most popular career options after studying MBBS abroad. But to become eligible for the USMLE, the student must be studying in a recognised university which is WHO recognized and to check that you can visit the World Directory of Medical Schools.
Watch the USMLE exam details here: https://youtu.be/8uCQFfq-Wes
Another good career option that the foreign medical graduates can pursue is PG from United Kingdoms.
PLAB
PLAB is the Professional and Linguistic Assessment board Exam. This is a licensing exam for the foreign medical graduates, who’ve completed their MBBS from outside UK. By clearing this exam, the candidates can do Post graduation from UK and practice as a medical practitioner. Check this article on PLAB for MBBS abroad students, to know about the fees and details.
PLAB exam has 2 steps, i.e. PLAB step 1 and PLAB step 2.
Before applying to the PLAB exam, you have to pass the ILETS Test, then PLAB 1 and PLAB 2
PLAB 1: It’s an online exam and is held at various countries in the world
PLAB 2: It’s a clinical assessment exam. It is held in test centers in the UK, Manchester
After passing this, you can apply for the license registration in UK.
Watch the PLAB exam details here: https://youtu.be/Pt8xXqpUYKM to know about the Fees and other details.
PG in Germany
Another good place to study and pursue medicine is Germany. PG in Germany is popular option for foreign medical graduates. Students who have done MBBS from abroad or even from India would like to do PG from Germany, because of the multiple benefits. But the only drawback, which several students find is, the language. The entire course is in German and students have to clear German language test. Here, is the process to pursue PG in Germany after MBBS abroad.
Before applying for the PG courses, the candidates must learn the A1 and A2 levels of German language.
After that, the candidate gets a submission letter for TELC B2 and TELC C1 from a German language learning center.
A government approved test works too
After this process is complete, candidate gets the confirmed Observership for 1-6 months from a German hospital to pursue Medical PG in Germany and then going through the “Approbation System” the candidates shall apply for the license registration.
PG in Australia
After MBBS from abroad, students can also think of studying PG in Australia after MBBS abroad. Medicine in Australia is offered as a postgraduate or an undergraduate course. The postgraduate programme is the Doctor of Medicine; the undergraduate programme the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery.
If a student wants to practice medicine in Australia, without doing MBBS from Australia, the student will need to do Australian Medical Council (AMC) Exam. This AMC exam is to test, whether the candidate has the medical knowledge and can pass the exam.
The Australian Medical Council Exam is in two parts:
AMC Part 1: It’s a multiple choice question based exam. This exam tests your medical knowledge and asks you a range of questions from all medical specialties.
AMC Part 2: Once the candidate cleared AMC part 1, he/she is eligible to appear for AMC part 2, which is a clinical test.
To participate in AMC exam, the candidate must have the English language proficiency. He/she can do this by getting A or B on OET or 7+ on all sections of IELTS.
When the candidate passes both the parts, they can apply for the AMC Certificate. This certificate entitles the candidate to apply for internship in Australia.
The candidate needs to do one year internship in Australia to receive general registration.
PG In New Zealand
To get medical PG in New Zealand the students must appear for the NZREX exam (New Zealand Registration Exam)
Eligibility for applying for the NZREX?
English language requirements:
- IELTS with a minimum of 7.5 in speaking and listening; a minimum of 7 in writing and reading. Dated within 2 years.
- OET with a minimum of ‘A’ or ‘B’ in each of 4 components within one result. Dated within 2 years.
NZREX Clinical candidates must have passed, within the last 5 years, one of the following prerequisite examinations:
- United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Steps 1 and 2 (Clinical Knowledge)
- PLAB Part 1
- Australian Medical Council MCQ
- Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE Part I)
NZREX Clinical Exam format currently is, NZREX Clinical is an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) format of 16 stations.
South Korea
To become a MD in South Korea, If you have a medical MBBS degree, the candidate can appear for the Korean Medical Licensing Exam (KMLE) to become a practicing doctor. But for a foreign medical school graduate to sit for the KMLE, s/he needs to first take and pass a qualifying exam. But before that, please check if your university or college for MBBS in approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea. one must take two tests: the Preliminary Examination and the Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE).
The preliminary examination is required to take the KMLE. The preliminary exam is composed of a written test and a clinical skills test. The test is held every July and August. Applicants must also submit a certificate of TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) with a level 5 or higher.
Next, the applicant must take the KMLE in the Korean language. The clinical skills test is administrated from September to November. The written test is held in January.
Canada
In addition to an acceptable medical degree, international medical graduates are required to demonstrate equivalency of medical knowledge.
The candidate must pass the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE) to demonstrate equivalent general medical knowledge.
IMGs must provide proof of language proficiency. This may involve taking the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and the TSE (Test of Spoken English).
Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC)
The LMCC is also one of the requirements to obtain an independent licence to practise medicine in most of the provinces or territories of Canada. In addition to a pass standing on the MCCEE, the IMG physician must have passed the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part I (MCCQE Part I) and the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part II (MCCQE Part II).
The physician must have completed a minimum of twelve months of acceptable postgraduate training to be eligible for the MCCQE Part II. Source verification of the medical degree or diploma is required for eligibility to take the MCCQE Part II.