difference between Uk-MD and USA-MD

[neuro2bjc]

I was wondering what is the difference of a USA MD and UK MD? In America you have to go to school for 8 years and get the degree, but even after you receive the degree one has to spend several years in residency depending upon the field you want to specialize in. How long does it take to get a MD in the UK and what is the difference between an MD and MBBS? If one were to receive their MBBS can they also go for their MD? Also, sorry for being too curious but, if one has a MBBS degree, does that consider the person to be a doctor, meaning are they doctors who can treat patients and such? I am asking this because the process takes too long here and I read in the UK it is faster depending upon the situation.

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[leorl]

this subject has been beaten to death recently. Please do a search in these forums for the answers. Very quickly: MBBS = 5 to 6 yr. course in the UK. A UK MBBS = a US MD. A UK MD is a higher degree conferred after a period of research having received your MBBS previously. The UK degree is faster to earn than the US degree. However, the rise to consultancy/attending level is longer.

 

[LADoc00]

I was wondering what is the difference of a USA MD and UK MD? In America you have to go to school for 8 years and get the degree, but even after you receive the degree one has to spend several years in residency depending upon the field you want to specialize in. How long does it take to get a MD in the UK and what is the difference between an MD and MBBS? If one were to receive their MBBS can they also go for their MD? Also, sorry for being too curious but, if one has a MBBS degree, does that consider the person to be a doctor, meaning are they doctors who can treat patients and such? I am asking this because the process takes too long here and I read in the UK it is faster depending upon the situation.

Medicinæ Baccalaureus et Baccalaureus Chirurgiæ is an interesting and arachiac concept. Much like England's Royal Society of Apothecaries:"Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London."

 

[JediBookworm]

All very interesting, but the education you're receiving is much more important than the name of the degree you're getting. I think MBBS, MBChB, and MBBChBAO all have a nice ring to them

 

[khl31]

I was wondering what is the difference of a USA MD and UK MD? In America you have to go to school for 8 years and get the degree, but even after you receive the degree one has to spend several years in residency depending upon the field you want to specialize in. How long does it take to get a MD in the UK and what is the difference between an MD and MBBS? If one were to receive their MBBS can they also go for their MD? Also, sorry for being too curious but, if one has a MBBS degree, does that consider the person to be a doctor, meaning are they doctors who can treat patients and such? I am asking this because the process takes too long here and I read in the UK it is faster depending upon the situation.

MB BS (or BChir, or ChB, if you come from institutions with... history) are bachelor's degrees. loosely speaking, they rank academically on par with what you get out of a premed degree.

the american MD is a postgraduate degree as in you do it after graduating from college. the british MD is generally a short(ish) masters programme which typically involves 1 year of research. not particularly popular except amongst paper-qualification-chasers/CV-boosters. hardcore academic medics go for PhDs, normal doctors go for membership in a royal college, usually either the MRCP or MRCS or MRCGP, though many others are around.

the american doctor is licensed to practised after 3+4yrs. the british doctor, at the fastest, is (provisionally) licensed after 2+3yrs, although many better british unis tend to insist on "intercalated BSc's" which add another year (i.e. 2+1+3).

however, when you include postgraduate training, american doctors hit attending grade much faster than british doctors hit consultant grade, probably partly because the american doctors are worked a lot harder and put in more hours per day than british doctors. blame the bloody European Working Time Directive. 40 hours per week? pah!

 

[rm1234]

Hi, thought id give my breakdown of the way it works. I am currently in my 4th year of an undergraduate medical degree (MbChB) at Glasgow University. This is a five year degree. After my 5th year I will be called Dr and able to practise with provisional registration. After one year I will gain full registration with the GMC (general medical council) but continue for another year before specialising. These first two years are my Foundation years. After these i will go on to specialise which, all going well takes about 7 years, then i will be at consultant grade. During specialised training years you get your membership exams. These are membership to one of the Royal Colleges (physicians-MRCP, surgeons-MRCS, General Practioners-MRCGP etc.) These are generally required to become consultant.

As for the other degrees (PhD and MD). In the UK these are postgraduate degrees undertaken after the initial undergraduate degree. They are for people interested in research or academic medicine.

The UK and US system have many differences but at the end of the day the aim is to produce people who can effectively manage patients from diagnosis through to treatment, and despite what the media constantly tells us both systems manage this pretty well. Sorry if this has all been said but some of the posts were confusing me so i thought id give my input.

 

[Waiting4Ganong]

MB BS (or BChir, or ChB, if you come from institutions with... history) are bachelor's degrees. loosely speaking, they rank academically on par with what you get out of a premed degree.

 

[khl31]

how rood!!! ah well, perhaps "history" wasn't quite the perfect choice of words... how about "pretentions"?

 

[Waiting4Ganong]

MB BS (or BChir, or ChB, if you come from institutions with... history) are bachelor's degrees. loosely speaking, they rank academically on par with what you get out of a premed degree.

the american MD is a postgraduate degree as in you do it after graduating from college.

Some things to chew on:

Four year graduate-entry medical degrees in the UK are still called MBBS (or whatever) because, in strict academic nomenclature, a first degree in a field without a requirement for a original and significant contribution to the field is a bachelors degree.

Six year high-school entry medicine exists in the US. They still get a MD.

In other words, the title of the degree reflects nothing of the value or content of the course and everything on marketing. The US universities claim these taught, course- based doctoral degrees (like JD) to be "professional" degrees (rather than higher study) and are therefore exempt from the usual conventions.

Make of that what you will but it is no basis for wierd "MD" snobbery or for thinking that my BMBCh (Oxon) is anything like the US pre-med degree I did first....

 

[khl31]

Make of that what you will but it is no basis for wierd "MD" snobbery or for thinking that my BMBCh (Oxon) is anything like the US pre-med degree I did first....

arrgh, dark blue scum alert.

honestly though, people in the know, understand. the ignorant, well... "wierd 'MD' snobbery", me?

and anyway, even in the best of universities/courses, such as oxbridge, harvard, hopkins, etc. etc., there are good students, and then there are not-so-good students.

 

[oketz]

I dont know if this debate is closed and I'm interested in the answer as much for general knowledge as for vanity..
to me MD sounds better...

i'm probably going to do my MBCHb in the UK soon and I was wondering if anyone knows if upon return/completion of residency in the UK/USA/Canada, one is assigned MD, or remains with MBCHb?

pardon my stupidity but I am a neurotic perfectionist at times.

Regards

 

[Mr. McDuck]

Our own Dr. Cox has a post in the General International forum regarding this issue:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=4712596&postcount=16

 

[Scottish Chap]

I dont know if this debate is closed and I'm interested in the answer as much for general knowledge as for vanity..
to me MD sounds better...

i'm probably going to do my MBCHb in the UK soon and I was wondering if anyone knows if upon return/completion of residency in the UK/USA/Canada, one is assigned MD, or remains with MBCHb?

pardon my stupidity but I am a neurotic perfectionist at times.

Regards

Some people I know at Harvard and Stanford actually write MBBS after their name - to emphasize their earned degree overseas. Granted, they are old school and full professors. Most people just write M.D.

 

[khl31]

Some people I know at Harvard and Stanford actually write MBBS after their name - to emphasize their earned degree overseas. Granted, they are old school and full professors. Most people just write M.D.

i'm graduating from UK and hoping to cross the pond eventually (once I graduate). if i do manage to do that, there's no way in hell i'm trading my MA MB BChir (Cantab.) for "MD"!!!

daydreaming on, wouldn't it be cool to have something like MA MB BChir FRCS MRCP FRC(some specialty or other) after the name?

 

[Mr. McDuck]

I'm totally going to write MBBChBAO after my name on everything, just because it's so long and obnoxious. I love it.

 

[Scottish Chap]

i'm graduating from UK and hoping to cross the pond eventually (once I graduate). if i do manage to do that, there's no way in hell i'm trading my MA MB BChir (Cantab.) for "MD"!!!

daydreaming on, wouldn't it be cool to have something like MA MB BChir FRCS MRCP FRC(some specialty or other) after the name?

Until you gain a (good) reputation, you'll probably have to use M.D to avoid suspicion. People in the U.S. won't know you're a doc if you write the alphabet after your name. If nothing else, your residency director will probably make you write M.D. while you are training. In the end, when in Rome...... Personally, I like people to call me by my first name - not my degree.

 

[jujube]

Until you gain a (good) reputation, you'll probably have to use M.D to avoid suspicion. People in the U.S. won't know you're a doc if you write the alphabet after your name. If nothing else, your residency director will probably make you write M.D. while you are training. In the end, when in Rome...... Personally, I like people to call me by my name - not my degree.

There was a resident from the U.K. at my old workplace and they referred to him as M.D. and he signed his orders with "M.D." after his name. Not that any of these labels should matter as long as he or she is a competent doctor and gets along with the rest of the healthcare team.

 

[khl31]

before someone thinks otherwise, please do not misconstrue what i'm saying about using my actual qualifications (MB BChir vs MD) as me trying to be obnoxious or pretentious.

i feel as if i would have earned the right to those letters after my name upon graduation (and trust me, it hasn't been always easy!), whereas if i ever do manage to find work/residency in America, i will not have earned the MD, nor feel any particular pride in putting MD after my name as i would my actual degree...

and, interesting you should mention people calling you by your name... i've noticed many young(ish) consultants not minding being called by first names by juniors, whereas there is just this... aura, about the older consultants whereby noone ever considers calling them anything else other than Dr. or Mr. so-and-so.