How hard is it to go to Medical school in Guadalajara Mexico and Come to US.

[carlosc1dbz]

My cousin wants to be a doctor and he graduates this year from high school. He is a Mexican National. So I guess he would have to go to school in Mexico, since he cant come to the US for he doesnt have a passport. So if he goes to Medschool in Mexico, which you can just start it right after high school. What are the chances of him getting to come to the states to practice, and what are the major obstacles.

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[Phil Anthropist]

Moving to the Latin America Forum--they'll be able to answer your questions better there.

 

[pretenda]

I recently talked to a liver transplant surgeon about the options of medical school. While Im still hoping to get into an allopathic US medical school he suggested looking into the school in Guadalajara, select schools in the islands, and also osteopathic schools. It might be a little harder to get a residency going out of the country but definitely not impossible as some people on this board would have you believe. The best route for a top choice residency is to attend school in the US, whether it be osteopathic or allopathic it really doesnt make a difference as long as you do well on your boards tests. The "fifth pathway" as he referred to it can be had by going to school out of the country but you may end up having to take an extra year. Good luck to your cuz.

 

[DrMidlife]

Fifth pathway would be great, but you have to graduate from a U.S. college. www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/9306.html. There are only 3 US medical schools that provide a 5th pathway. Really I think it's for US kids who can't get into US med schools. But if your cousin can get a student visa, this is definitely the way to go.

The other way to work in the US is as an international medical graduate (IMG or FMG). www.ecfmg.org. You have to go to a recognized med school (there are 69 recognized in Mexico) and then you have to jump through paperwork hoops, take the US tests (USMLE) and get accepted to a residency. The residencies that accept IMGs are typically not in competitive specialties; family med in rural and underserved communities are the stereotypical IMG residencies.

Either way you have to deal with a J-1 student visa, getting a sponsor, etc.

Best of luck to you.