I want to apply to med school in the UK-advice please

[stillwaiting]

Can anyone advise me as to what schools to look at and how to go about applying? I have a M.A. degree and went back to complete all my prerequisites that a US med school would require. I would like to consider schools in the UK as well. Please advise and how hard is it to get in? Is it 4 years like in North America and any trouble getting into residency in the US? Thanks for any help

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[13538]

The deadline for admission in 2005 closed on 15th October so you are too late for this year...but start off by taking a look at the British Council website:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/

Applications to all universities/med schools in the UK are made through UCAS:
http://www.ucas.com/

Here's also a link to a list of all the med schools in the UK and their websites:
http://www.chms.ac.uk/fschlweb.html

Hope that helps to get you started...

 

[bts4202]

Can anyone advise me as to what schools to look at and how to go about applying? I have a M.A. degree and went back to complete all my prerequisites that a US med school would require. I would like to consider schools in the UK as well. Please advise and how hard is it to get in? Is it 4 years like in North America and any trouble getting into residency in the US? Thanks for any help

Try www.stchris.edu

First 2 years in the UK, clinicals in the US and geared totally towards the USMLE and practicing in the US. There are rolling admissions so there is an incoming class in Sept, Jan, and May of each year. If you have questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[stillwaiting]

Try www.stchris.edu

First 2 years in the UK, clinicals in the US and geared totally towards the USMLE and practicing in the US. There are rolling admissions so there is an incoming class in Sept, Jan, and May of each year. If you have questions, feel free to PM me.

thanks a million folks. I never knew St. Christ. was affiliated w king's College. Any trouble getting a US residency w a degree fr there? Again, thanks a million!!

 

[PKP719]

what about Hope medical college ? Anyone know anything about this school and its rotations and residencies in the U.S ?

 

[azskeptic]

http://www.gmc-uk.org/med_ed/default.htm

Approved Medical Schools in the UK

A list of schools offering medical degrees leading to a primary medical qualification and registration with the GMC is listed on our website. Sometimes we get queries about UK based schools, which are under the remit of an overseas university, for example Medical College London and St Christopher?s.




http://www.chms.ac.uk/fschlweb.html

 

[azskeptic]

thanks a million folks. I never knew St. Christ. was affiliated w king's College. Any trouble getting a US residency w a degree fr there? Again, thanks a million!!

St. Chris is a school chartered in Senegal but teaching in UK.

 

[neilc]

thanks a million folks. I never knew St. Christ. was affiliated w king's College. Any trouble getting a US residency w a degree fr there? Again, thanks a million!!

be very, very careful of st chris...why?

1. history of deceptive advertising, misleading website, etc...
2. have lost "affiliations" with cambridge and luton already, and do not have a true affiliation with kings...they go there for anatomy.
3. not approved in all 50 states
4. likely licensing issues in many states, due to operations outside of country of charter (senegalese school operating in UK....hmmm)
5. no licensed grads
6. short history
7. the owner....claimed to be ER trained from the states, yet not listed anywhere. appears to be a previous student of the defunct grace school of medicine. don't know if he graduated, but he did not do a residency, or get licensed. all of this would be irrelevant if he did not try to pass himself off as a US trained doc, but he has. this is a guy that you are trusting with tons of your $$$$$$, and i don't see much evidence that he is trustworthy.

anyhow, i personally think this school is near the bottom of the list. it is certainly not a UK school, and it will not be able to get you a license in several states. that alone is a great reason to look elsewhere.

 

[FionaS]

If you're planning to come to the UK to study, you might as well go to a decent school. That means UK schools that you apply to through UCAS though, and the competition is just as stiff as it is in the US.

There are 4 year programmes for graduates, but most of them require that you have a degree in a Biological Science, and I'm not sure your MA would qualify. Though if you've been taking the prereqs, you might be OK. There are ?2 GEPs that accept non-bio sci degrees, but then you have to contend with whether they accept overseas students (ie you).

So really, your best bet would be on the traditional style 5 year course, of which there are many more, and all of them accept overseas students. But still v tough to get into!

www.medschoolguide.co.uk would probably be of some help to you if you plan to go ahead.

Good luck with it all!

 

[azskeptic]

http://w3.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge/story.asp?StoryID=64099

'Left High and Dry'
Published on 30 October 2004
MEDICAL students in Cambridge have been forced to sleep on the floor of their school after being left high and dry.

Some of the students at Kigezi Medical School in Regents Terrace have been evicted from their houses and one has even slept on a park bench because the school has gone bust and has not been paying them living expenses.

Many of the American students at the Ugandan school have borrowed thousands of dollars to join up and are now considering bringing a joint lawsuit to recover the cash. The students took loans of up to $50,000 each and paid the school up front earlier this year.

Half of the money was to cover tuition fees and the other half was to be given back to students as living expenses. It has also been reported that staff at the college were not being paid.

The school's management are reportedly still in Cambridge and the students' lawyers are hoping to meet two Americans, executive director John Stone and chief administrator Heather Seagraves, to discuss how the students will recover their money.

One student told the News that despite working for two years at the school towards qualifications, she will now have to start from scratch at a new medical school because she cannot transfer her course.

She is owed $74,000 by the school.

The student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "All the students were sent a letter saying the programme had been suspended due to a lack of funds - it is the most unbelievable story.

"Some students were evicted because they couldn't pay their rent. We have had some students staying in the school library and there was even one sleeping on Parker's Piece."

The students' solicitor, Glynne Stanfield, from Cambridge law firm Eversheds, told the News: "The owners are Ugandan but there is some American management in Britain and they have not left Britain.

"I understand that the school has got itself into certain cashflow difficulties and the effect of that is damaging to students. There are 75 students there and they have been left high and dry.

"One of the options may be to bring a claim against the school's management but it is quite early days. We are trying to arrange to meet up with the people who own the school. One of the things we are looking at is whether there has been any criminal activity and if that is the case then we will talk to the police."

 

[bts4202]

http://w3.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge/story.asp?StoryID=64099

'Left High and Dry'
Published on 30 October 2004
MEDICAL students in Cambridge have been forced to sleep on the floor of their school after being left high and dry.

Some of the students at Kigezi Medical School in Regents Terrace have been evicted from their houses and one has even slept on a park bench because the school has gone bust and has not been paying them living expenses.

Many of the American students at the Ugandan school have borrowed thousands of dollars to join up and are now considering bringing a joint lawsuit to recover the cash. The students took loans of up to $50,000 each and paid the school up front earlier this year.

Half of the money was to cover tuition fees and the other half was to be given back to students as living expenses. It has also been reported that staff at the college were not being paid.

The school's management are reportedly still in Cambridge and the students' lawyers are hoping to meet two Americans, executive director John Stone and chief administrator Heather Seagraves, to discuss how the students will recover their money.

One student told the News that despite working for two years at the school towards qualifications, she will now have to start from scratch at a new medical school because she cannot transfer her course.

She is owed $74,000 by the school.

The student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "All the students were sent a letter saying the programme had been suspended due to a lack of funds - it is the most unbelievable story.

"Some students were evicted because they couldn't pay their rent. We have had some students staying in the school library and there was even one sleeping on Parker's Piece."

The students' solicitor, Glynne Stanfield, from Cambridge law firm Eversheds, told the News: "The owners are Ugandan but there is some American management in Britain and they have not left Britain.

"I understand that the school has got itself into certain cashflow difficulties and the effect of that is damaging to students. There are 75 students there and they have been left high and dry.

"One of the options may be to bring a claim against the school's management but it is quite early days. We are trying to arrange to meet up with the people who own the school. One of the things we are looking at is whether there has been any criminal activity and if that is the case then we will talk to the police."

Actuallly, that sounds more like a reason to be wary of schools with poor student intake and financial stability. I don't quite see where the location of charter came into play.

 

[azskeptic]

Actuallly, that sounds more like a reason to be wary of schools with poor student intake and financial stability. I don't quite see where the location of charter came into play.

Because there is oversight of the schools by a Dept of Education located in the same country. Uganda or Senegal as far as St. Chris goes, are a long ways from where the school is located.

Either way, the students at Kigezi have lots of problems in finding recourse on their money since they are basically a squatter school in the UK.....

azskeptic

 

[bts4202]

Because there is oversight of the schools by a Dept of Education located in the same country. Uganda or Senegal as far as St. Chris goes, are a long ways from where the school is located.
azskeptic

But again, that has nothing to do with the school being unable to attract students and essentially going bancrupt. The distance between Dakar and Luton is only a 30 minute longer flight than UCLA medical school to the LCME offices. That distance does not cause the school to be more poor nor does it predispose the school to bankruptcy.

And as far as Kigezi students having recourse... their presence in the UK doesn't matter, the money they got was from the US, their course of action would be through US courts, not UK courts.

 

[azskeptic]

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/397286

Ugandan medical college in UK shut over cash crisis

By Charles Wendo

STUDENTS at the British campus of a Ugandan-founded medical college are stranded following a financial crisis.
The Kigezi International School of Medicine, which trains medical doctors, admits students from USA, Britain and Uganda. It has a campus in Cambridge where students get lectures before doing clinical practice in Uganda, USA and Britain.

In Uganda, the students do their clinical practice in Kabale Hospital.
Cambridge News, an online publication, reported on Sunday that some of the American students at the college had been evicted from their houses and one had slept on a park bench because the school had run short of funds and had not been paying them living expenses.
?Many of the American students at the Ugandan school have borrowed thousands of dollars to join up and are now considering bringing a joint lawsuit to recover the cash. The students took loans of up to $50,000 each and paid the school upfront earlier this year,? the Cambridge News reported.

Half of the money was to cover tuition fees and the other half was to be given back to students as living expenses.

One student, who wished to remain anonymous, told Cambridge News: ?All the students were sent a letter saying the programme had been suspended due to lack of funds - it is the most unbelievable story!?

Staff have not been paid for months and the Dean of Clinical Sciences, Dr. James Appleyard, has resigned over ?an intolerable situation? after the college failed to renew Medical Malpractice Insurance for the students.

The school?s directors are Ugandans and Americans. The Managing Director, Melyvn Mpambara, operates from an office at the Kampala International Conference Centre, but most of the operations are in Britain. The President is Heather Seagraves from USA.

Mpambara yesterday said the crisis was regrettable.
?The programmes in UK have been suspended while we seek solutions which include an orderly transfer of students to other medical colleges,? he said.

He said he took the top job five months ago when the school was already in deficits.

The deficit, he said, resulted from relying on students? fees as the sole source of income.
?Where the number of students fluctuates, it affects cashflow. The solution is to seek institutional funding and that is what I have been trying to do. Negotiations are still going on and look promising,? Mpambara said.

Mpambara said the Cambridge programme was expensive and their long-term plan would be to shift the operations to Kabale in south-western Uganda.

According to Cambridge News, the school?s management were reportedly still in Cambridge and the students? lawyers were hoping to meet two Americans who run the Cambridge campus, to discuss how the students would recover their money.

One student said after studying for two years at the school, she would now have to start from scratch at a new medical school because she could not transfer her course.

She is owed $74,000 by the school. ?Some students were evicted because they couldn?t pay their rent. We have had some students staying in the school library and there was even one sleeping on Parker?s Piece,? she said.

The students? solicitor, Glynne Stanfield, from Cambridge law firm Eversheds, told the News: ?I understand that the school has got itself into certain cashflow difficulties and the effect of that is damaging to students. There are 75 students there and they have been left high and dry.
?One of the options may be to bring a claim against the school?s management but it is quite early days. We are trying to arrange to meet with the people who own the school. One of the things we are looking at is whether there has been any criminal activity and if that is the case then we will talk to the police.?

Published on: Tuesday, 2nd November, 2004

 

[azskeptic]

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your email dated 1 November 2004.

The primary medical qualification from St Christopher's (based in Luton)
awarded by Senegal is not currently accepted as eligibility for the PLAB.
This situation is currently under review and decision should be available on
our website within the next few months.

If you have any further queries please contact us and we will do our best to
help.


Yours sincerely

Megan Gale
Registration and Education Directorate
General Medical Council
Telephone: 0845 357 3456
[email protected]

General Medical Council
St James Building, 79 Oxford Street Manchester. M1 6FQ
Regents Place, 350 Euston Road, London. NW1 3JN
Tel: 0845 357 8001
Fax: 0845 357 9001

 

[bts4202]

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your email dated 1 November 2004.

The primary medical qualification from St Christopher's (based in Luton)
awarded by Senegal is not currently accepted as eligibility for the PLAB.
This situation is currently under review and decision should be available on
our website within the next few months.

If you have any further queries please contact us and we will do our best to
help.


Yours sincerely

Megan Gale
Registration and Education Directorate
General Medical Council
Telephone: 0845 357 3456
[email protected]

General Medical Council
St James Building, 79 Oxford Street Manchester. M1 6FQ
Regents Place, 350 Euston Road, London. NW1 3JN
Tel: 0845 357 8001
Fax: 0845 357 9001

Typical of you to only post the part of the story that you like, even after you have had discussions with people who informed you of the whole story.

I have also written the GMC and gotten a similar response. The full situation is as follows:

The GMC has now put on hold all applications by all the non-UK chartered medical schools in the UK while they review each one thouroughly and make a final decision. As the letter said, the results of the evaluations will be posted on the GMC website in a few short months. St. Christopher's welcomes these evaluations with open arms, since a thourough evaluation by the GMC would show the UK and the world that our school can stand up to the toughest standards. We eagerly look forward to their decision.

 

[neilc]

St. Christopher's welcomes these evaluations with open arms, since a thourough evaluation by the GMC would show the UK and the world that our school can stand up to the toughest standards. We eagerly look forward to their decision.

hahahah

you guys also welcomed the NJ state board with open arms, and look what happened with that....

bottom line is, be very very careful with schools that a) don't have full licensing priveleges where you want to practice *st chris doesn't have this in the states or in england and b) looses any type of previous privleges.

this should be a red flag that the english govt is taking a closer look at these schools operating outside the country of charter. most other governments do not allow this sort of thing, and i would be surprised if england let it continue.

so, folks should continue to stay away from this school. there are far better options for you, whether you want to practice in the states or in england.

 

[bts4202]

Well, it looks like St. Chris was able to prove themselves once again.

From: Martin Holt (0161 923 6629)
To: ******
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 1:19 PM
Subject: RE: St Christopher's College of Medicine



Dear Mr ****



I can confirm that graduates of St Christopher's are currently eligible to take the PLAB test. As I mentioned on the phone, we are issuing written guidance to our reception and contact centre, I hope this will be out on Friday. However I have authorised them to start responding to individual enquiries as from tomorrow. We will also put some information on our website, this is likely to take a couple of weeks.



Yours sincerely



Martin Holt

Head of Applications


and

From : Complaints & Correspondence <c&[email protected]>
Sent : Tuesday, November 9, 2004 11:03 AM
To : *******************
Subject : St. Christopher's College of Medicine

| | | Inbox


Dear ************

Thank you for your email.

Graduates of St Christopher's College of Luton have their degrees awarded by St Christopher's College of Medicine, Dakar, Senegal. This is WHO listed, and as such, we would accept these degrees for the purposes of limited registration.

I hope that my response has been helpful. If you have any other queries, please contact me and I will do my best to help.

Yours sincerely
Kelly Fitzsimons
Correspondence Department
Registration and Education Directorate
Telephone: 08453 573 456
[email protected]
Registration Services
General Medical Council
St James Building
79 Oxford Street
Manchester M1 6FQ

 

[azskeptic]

Looks like you did that indeed. people now await seeing some licensed grads.[


QUOTE=bts4202]Well, it looks like St. Chris was able to prove themselves once again.

From: Martin Holt (0161 923 6629)
To: ******
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 1:19 PM
Subject: RE: St Christopher's College of Medicine



Dear Mr ****



I can confirm that graduates of St Christopher's are currently eligible to take the PLAB test. As I mentioned on the phone, we are issuing written guidance to our reception and contact centre, I hope this will be out on Friday. However I have authorised them to start responding to individual enquiries as from tomorrow. We will also put some information on our website, this is likely to take a couple of weeks.



Yours sincerely



Martin Holt

Head of Applications


and

From : Complaints & Correspondence <c&[email protected]>
Sent : Tuesday, November 9, 2004 11:03 AM
To : *******************
Subject : St. Christopher's College of Medicine

| | | Inbox


Dear ************

Thank you for your email.

Graduates of St Christopher's College of Luton have their degrees awarded by St Christopher's College of Medicine, Dakar, Senegal. This is WHO listed, and as such, we would accept these degrees for the purposes of limited registration.

I hope that my response has been helpful. If you have any other queries, please contact me and I will do my best to help.

Yours sincerely
Kelly Fitzsimons
Correspondence Department
Registration and Education Directorate
Telephone: 08453 573 456
[email protected]
Registration Services
General Medical Council
St James Building
79 Oxford Street
Manchester M1 6FQ [/QUOTE]

 

[neilc]

Well, it looks like St. Chris was able to prove themselves once again.

prove themselves again? you have never proven anything, only been caught in lies. this is proof of what? that the school is equivilent to any WHO listed school, and can get you in the door for the plab? whoooopdeeedoooo. if you consider this a big victory, you folks are getting desperate.

most of the real issues remain unresloved. where are the licensed grads? where is the approval in all states? what about your charter issues? you have only proved that you are allowed to sit the plab, which pretty much ANY school can do....this only shows that you regained the minimal level of acceptance that most third-rate schools in the world had, and even they never had it suspended, for however briefly.

to the curious...stay far, far away from this school, until it really proves itself in the form of licensed, practicing physicians eligible to work in all states. they have proven time and time again that the admin and students are not trustworthy, and they have never offered anything that 99% of the med schools in the world already offer....and many of the others offer it without the risk!

 

[bts4202]

Again, other foriegn schools being approved for the PLAB makes no difference since they are not inspected. The GMC just assumes they are adequate, which many times they are NOT. Anyone with common sense can and no agenda can see that an organization that is used to the quality of UK med schools inspecting and approving of our school says quite a bit about the quality of our young program.

 

[neilc]

Again, other foriegn schools being approved for the PLAB makes no difference since they are not inspected. The GMC just assumes they are adequate, which many times they are NOT. Anyone with common sense can and no agenda can see that an organization that is used to the quality of UK med schools inspecting and approving of our school says quite a bit about the quality of our young program.

no, it really says nothing. if it said so much, i would imagine that you would not be limited to sitting for the plab and getting limited registration. what speaks volumes are the facts....

lets start from the begining...

your school claimed on the website eligibility in 48 states...not true then or now.
showed misleading pics on website, since then taken down
lost affiliation with cambridge, moved to luton
lost affiliation with luton
no licensed grads in any state
school run by a "doctor" who claimed training in Emergency med, yet cannot document or prove such training...sounds trustworthy
claimed no problem with licensure in NJ
lost affiliation with undergrad uni in NJ
operates outside of the country of charter

each of the above points was discovered, denied and then finally "corrected" or swept under the rug when people started to really pressure the school. again, a trustworthy, legit school would admit and rectify problems. st chris' tactic is to get away with it as long as possible...

and now the issues with kigezi...you don't think they will affect your school? well, if i was a citizen of the UK, i would be up in arms about these dodgy, offshore schools operating in the UK. what other civilized nation allows this? and you think that st chris will be operating there forever? well, i think that they found a loophole, and i would not be surprised at all if that loophole was closed.


and, i like the way that you try to claim i have an agenda...well, my only "agenda" is to make sure folks are properly informed...you and other school lackeys, as well as your dodgy admin make it a point to actively lie and recruit on this and many other websites...

i have yet to hear a good reason to go to this school. here are the reasons i have heard....
1) i don't want to go to a carib school
well, what you really mean is that you want to say you went to school in england. that may work at cocktail parties, but people that matter, such as licensing boards, will know the difference. where you go to school is secondary to what you get from school...location means squat, if you cannot work when you are done.
2) i didn't want to make my family live on an island for 18 mos or 2 years
hmmm....so, what about when you graduate, and you live in a trailer to pay off your debt from a worthless degree? or when you get stuck living in some dismal state because it is the only place you can practice? yeah, sounds lots better...
3) st chris has great clinicals...
yeah, right...that is what admin tells you. turns out, they have the same clinicals as everyone else does. in fact, they send you to FP residency programs to do your surgery core. sure, sounds like exceptional clinicals. the fact is, pretty much every school in the carib has the same clinicals

if there are other reasons, i would love to hear them. however, most of them are simply justifications. if you want to take the risk of going to a newer, dodgier school, than more power to you. or if you didn't get in anywhere else, i can see why you may go there. just don't try to trick others into it by misleading them as to your reasons.

the problem is, all of us that go abroad have stars in our eyes. we realize that we MUST overcome the odds in order to get back and succeed. so, we are prime targets for unscrupulous folks that can convince us to accept more risk when it is not neccessary. these poor pre meds looking for a place to study medicine see st chris and think "wow, i can go to school in england for two years, come back to the states for two more, and then i am a doctor!". it sounds so nice that way....but, the real problems are much deeper than that.

to all of you folks looking at this school....look deeper. look further out than the next 2 years. look at what your end goal is (i assume that means getting a license) and take what is the most realistic, least risky path to achieve that goal. i pretty much NO circumstance should st chris be that path.

 

[bts4202]

Wow, talk about unscrupulous.

1. Our school pulled out of cambridge on our own to put the whole campus in Luton, they never asked us to leave.
2. Our school pulled out of Luton completely on our own to build our own facilities, in fact Luton begged us to stay and is still offering us to use their facilities whenever we need to this very day.
3. The St. Peter's incident was very unfortunate, however they are still wanting to create an affiliation with us and are only waiting on us to resolve the issues in NJ, which we are currently working on.
4. No liscensed grads? Well fine, keep saying that for now, however since our school is so new it is quite unfair. You make it seem like we have had a students refused somewhere... which has never happened. We have several people applying for licenses all accross america and I will post the results as soon as possible. (BTW, this includes NJ)
5. Your opinion of a man you have never met nor know anything about is not really something anyone should consider as fact.
6. misleadeing pics.. well the pics were of a building at cambridge university that we held classes in so it wasn't really misleading.. however, that is like 5 years ago now when the school had just begun. Hardly reflects the school in its current position. If we want to talk about things schools did incorrectly when they first begun we can talk about AUC operating above a brothel, Ross in a motel room, and SMU getting kicked out of Belize.


Again, you may call me a lackey, but you say the same thing about anyone who has a positive opinion of st chris and anyone with a negative one is a "fighter for truth". HOw childish. You have made your protests clear, but they are misleading again.

The GMC has not had to deal with any of the carrib schools the way they have had to deal with St. Chris. If they had, they would likely go and inspect them as well. If they inspected some of them, i am sure they would not re-instate their privledges. However, the GMC came to St. Chris, inspected us and re-instated all privledges. It is very obvious what that means... they are happy with the quality of the program. You can not avoid that fact... no matter hard you try to spin it.

 

[neilc]

Wow, talk about unscrupulous.

1. Our school pulled out of cambridge on our own to put the whole campus in Luton, they never asked us to leave.
2. Our school pulled out of Luton completely on our own to build our own facilities, in fact Luton begged us to stay and is still offering us to use their facilities whenever we need to this very day.
3. The St. Peter's incident was very unfortunate, however they are still wanting to create an affiliation with us and are only waiting on us to resolve the issues in NJ, which we are currently working on.
4. No liscensed grads? Well fine, keep saying that for now, however since our school is so new it is quite unfair. You make it seem like we have had a students refused somewhere... which has never happened. We have several people applying for licenses all accross america and I will post the results as soon as possible. (BTW, this includes NJ)
5. Your opinion of a man you have never met nor know anything about is not really something anyone should consider as fact.
6. misleadeing pics.. well the pics were of a building at cambridge university that we held classes in so it wasn't really misleading.. however, that is like 5 years ago now when the school had just begun. Hardly reflects the school in its current position. If we want to talk about things schools did incorrectly when they first begun we can talk about AUC operating above a brothel, Ross in a motel room, and SMU getting kicked out of Belize.


Again, you may call me a lackey, but you say the same thing about anyone who has a positive opinion of st chris and anyone with a negative one is a "fighter for truth". HOw childish. You have made your protests clear, but they are misleading again.

The GMC has not had to deal with any of the carrib schools the way they have had to deal with St. Chris. If they had, they would likely go and inspect them as well. If they inspected some of them, i am sure they would not re-instate their privledges. However, the GMC came to St. Chris, inspected us and re-instated all privledges. It is very obvious what that means... they are happy with the quality of the program. You can not avoid that fact... no matter hard you try to spin it.

1 and 2)pulled out with cambridge and luton? i seem to remember quite a bit of shock and disappointment at the time...i have my doubts about the accuracy of what you claim, but this is merely my opinion. however, my opinion is based on a history of lies and half truths offered by st chris. a history of trying to spin negative events into positives...

3)the fact that st peters pulled out because of a licensing issue is exactly my point.

4) you have been saying this for a loooooooong time now. you should have several folks licensed by now. you do not. just keep waiting...sure. great idea.

5) i have not met him, but i can tell a lot about him by his actions (misleading folks about his education) and his method of running a business. i never claimed my opinion to be fact. others can draw their own opinions, but should be aware of how he acts and what he does.

6) posting pics and trying to play them off as your school IS very misleading. if it wasn't, then why were they removed? and, sure it is not today, but it shows a pattern of lying from the early days of st chris, so it is pertinant. the difference between st chris and ross/auc/sgu is so vast, that it is ridiculous of you to even compare. your school is nowhere near the same league as these others. if sgu operated IN a brothel and had prostitutes as teachers, the degree would still be worth more than st chris. the point is, they have the results to back it up. your school does not.

7) the GMC does not have to deal with the other schools in the carib mainly because they do not create the controversy and problems that st chris is creating. and, you seem to think that passing an inspection and having your minimal level of acceptance reinstated means something. if they were so darn impressed, why on earth do you still get limited registration and sit for the PLAB? the point is not that other schools may not pass the inspection...the little, crappy ones probably wouldn't, but you can bet the sgu/ross/auc/saba's would. the point is that your school WAS required to have an inspection, and is likely on very tenuous ground with the GMC.

and, no, i do not consider anyone with a positive position on the school a lackey. but, i do consider you (mdparadise? my butt...) a lackey. you have made it clear to me that you hope st chris fills up with students, because it can only help you. well, you want others to take a risk to make your life better. sounds like a selfish lackey to me...i like my school, but i am happy to blast it when i am unhappy and to point out the faults. i help with incoming students, but i have helped many, many students decide that it is not the best option. it is balance and objectivity. important qualities to me.

try to spin it all you want. the info is out there. the bright folks will see it, and realize that there is NO REASON to go to this school and risk it, with so many other options. the others can head off to st chris and it's questionable future, dodgy practices and shady staff.

 

[bts4202]

Well you have proven my points exacltey. In the face of facts, all you can do is add your useless suppositions based on an admittedly limited knowledge. Also your statement of:

if sgu operated IN a brothel and had prostitutes as teachers, the degree would still be worth more than st chris.

just shows your immaturity and lack of objectivity.

Anyone with common sense can see through your propoganda and see that for the GMC to take that close a look at St. Chris and approve of it, says that we are perfectly adequate. BTW, the GMC will not give any foriegn school that is not part of the EU permission to bypass the PLAB, don't you remember when they made this decision: http://www.gmc-uk.org/register/regprocessfaq.htm

Good luck in your future.

 

[neilc]

Well you have proven my points exacltey. In the face of facts, all you can do is add your useless suppositions based on an admittedly limited knowledge. .

what facts??? still waiting for pertinent facts...all you are doing is drawing a misleading conclusion from a site visit that is not required of most other schools! your school raises suspicion, therefore the GMC had to check it out. the amazing conclusion....st chris is as adequate as any other third rate school that can buy a charter! again, do you REALLY think that the problems with Kigezi will not have an adverse affect on the school, and its ability to remain in the UK

Also your statement of:



just shows your immaturity and lack of objectivity. .

not really...do you deny that it is true? is there ANY comparison between a st chris degree and an SGU degree? no, there is not. one has licensed grads, prestigious residents and doctors working in all 50 states. the other has no licensed grads, a few residents and doctors working in zero states. the point is that you can look back at the history of all the schools in the carib as much as you want. the fact is that they have proven that they can get you working in the states. your school is not even close.

Anyone with common sense can see through your propoganda and see that for the GMC to take that close a look at St. Chris and approve of it, says that we are perfectly adequate.

hahahahha....perfectly adequate! first of all, i don't see that many people outside of the st chris cult coming to that conclusion. second, i hope that is not what you aspire for from your med school. perfectly adequate. it is sad, but i would not even consider st chris minimally adequate.

 

[leorl]

Die thread, DIE! I don't think either side is going to be absolutely convincing. This thread is good in that it brings up the point that people need to be cautious and think of bigger issues when applying / attending certain foreign schools.

To bts - hopefully you'll be able to dispell the negativity once your school produces established grads, it sounds like you're in the upper years yourself. However, note that I view many of your posts as borderline advertisement for St. Chris's, and while it's good to try to get word of your school out there, we do not allow advertisements on these boards. Just watch that aspect of your original posts a bit.

 

[neilc]

Die thread, DIE! I don't think either side is going to be absolutely convincing. This thread is good in that it brings up the point that people need to be cautious and think of bigger issues when applying / attending certain foreign schools...

amen...my multi post rant is off...i am sure that i made my point, it is there to be followed or ignored.

i just get a bit worked up over this. my bad.

 

[bts4202]

Die thread, DIE! I don't think either side is going to be absolutely convincing. This thread is good in that it brings up the point that people need to be cautious and think of bigger issues when applying / attending certain foreign schools.

To bts - hopefully you'll be able to dispell the negativity once your school produces established grads, it sounds like you're in the upper years yourself. However, note that I view many of your posts as borderline advertisement for St. Chris's, and while it's good to try to get word of your school out there, we do not allow advertisements on these boards. Just watch that aspect of your original posts a bit.

Advertisements... no, correcting incorrect and intentionally misleading info... yes. I merely came on to post the resolution of the GMC issue raised by another individual. I came back to respond to neilc's incorrect assertions. Both of our opinions are out there and I am sure people can use their common sense to see what is true.

 

[mtt]

thanks a million folks. I never knew St. Christ. was affiliated w king's College. Any trouble getting a US residency w a degree fr there? Again, thanks a million!!

The St. Chris is associated with KCL but not affiliated with them. St. Chris students will not receive credit from KCL but will be taught by KCL faculty members.

 

[mtt]

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your email dated 1 November 2004.

The primary medical qualification from St Christopher's (based in Luton)
awarded by Senegal is not currently accepted as eligibility for the PLAB.
This situation is currently under review and decision should be available on
our website within the next few months.

If you have any further queries please contact us and we will do our best to
help.


Yours sincerely

Megan Gale
Registration and Education Directorate
General Medical Council
Telephone: 0845 357 3456
[email protected]

General Medical Council
St James Building, 79 Oxford Street Manchester. M1 6FQ
Regents Place, 350 Euston Road, London. NW1 3JN
Tel: 0845 357 8001
Fax: 0845 357 9001

This post is incorrect. The GMC made a mistake recently and confused us with a medical school chartered in St. Lucia. The GMC made an administrative error and corrected it. The college is and has always been recognized for limited registration with the GMC.

http://www.stchris.edu/licensure.htm

Quote:
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "GMC Registration Services" <[email protected]>
> > Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2004 11:47 AM
> > Subject: GMC Registration Services
> >
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> Thank you for your email dated 1 November 2004.
> >>
> >> We are not currently accepting primary medical qualifications from St
> >> Christopher's (based in Luton) awarded by St Lucia as eligibility for
> >> taking
> >> the PLAB. This decision is under review and within the next few months
we
> >> should have a decision posted on our website www.gmc-uk.org.
> >>
> >> If you have any further queries please contact us and we will do our
best
> >> to
> >> help.
> >>
> >>
> >> Yours sincerely
> >>
> >> Megan Gale
> >> Registration and Education Directorate
> >> General Medical Council
> >> Telephone: 0845 357 3456
> >> [email protected]
> >>




Quote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "GMC Registration Services" <[email protected]>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2004 9:20 AM
> Subject: GMC Registration Services
>
>
> >
> >
> > Thank you for your reply.
> >
> > Please accept my apologies we did have the incorrect information this
has
> > now been clarified. The Primary Medical Qualification gained at St
> > Christopher's based in Luton is awarded by Senegal not St Lucia.
> >
> >
> >
> > Yours sincerely
> >
> > Sarah Burns
> > Registration and Education Directorate
> > General Medical Council
> > Telephone - 0845 357 3456
> > [email protected]
> >




Quote:

There was recently some question regarding the staus of St Christopher's
College of Luton. However, this has now been resolved.
Graduates of St Christopher's College of Luton have their degrees awarded by
St Christopher's College of Medicine, Dakar, Senegal. This is WHO listed,
and as such, we would accept these degrees for the purposes of limited
registration.
I hope that my response has been helpful. If you have any other queries,
please contact me and I will do my best to help.

Kelly Fitzsimons
Correspondence Department
Registration and Education Directorate
Telephone: 08453 573 456
[email protected]
Registration Services
General Medical Council
St James Building
79 Oxford Street
Manchester M1 6FQ

 

[mtt]

hopefully you'll be able to dispell the negativity once your school produces established grads, it sounds like you're in the upper years yourself.

http://www.stchris.edu/match2004.htm

 

[neilc]

mtt, that is not a list of established grads...it is a list of 23 matches (out of a class of how many students???)

a match list that merely shows a small percentage of the class matched, mainly in FP and IM is not a list of established grads. where are the licensed docs? that is right, nowhere.

 

[Miklos]

mtt, that is not a list of established grads...it is a list of 23 matches (out of a class of how many students???)

IMO, that match list is more or less meaningless. It does not list the full names of the grads. I tried to confirm a couple of the matches by going to the website of the programs. Those that I checked could not be verified by the program site, because those sites did not list their residents or schools.

 

[azskeptic]

The issue remains:

1. Charters are being bought in 3rd world countries and then 'schools' put in the UK. Will the UK continue to allow this?
2. some grads were in un unchartered school 1998-2000 apparently. I have seen nothing to refute that. They were then allowed to transfer into the 'new' St. Chris in 2000. Those grads potentially have problems.
3. We don't know how St. Chris grads will be accepted by states yet.

all risk factors that people should contemplate before spending their $200,000 for a medical education.

 

[m3dicalstudent]

If anyone could answer, I know the thread is old, but as an american applicant, would they have to take the UCKAT? Or an MCAT?

Thanks.

 

[Renalmedic]

If anyone could answer, I know the thread is old, but as an american applicant, would they have to take the UCKAT? Or an MCAT?

Thanks.

Different schools require different entry exams; UKCAT, BMAT or none for standard courses, UKCAT or GAMSAT for grad entry courses.

http://www.medschoolsonline.co.uk/index.php?pageid=78
http://www.medschoolsonline.co.uk/index.php?pageid=11