Should I go to Spain or Italy?

[Chulito]

I'm only just beginning to consider the notion of attending medical school in Europe, and I don't know where to begin researching. I've looked into the Atlantic Bridge Program, but I am fluent in Italian and Spanish and would love the opportunity to live in either country during medical school. I'll start with 3 general questions, since I have to start somewhere.

1) Is it tremendously problematic returning to the United States to practice after having studied in either country?

2) Does either country present significantly more opportunities than the other for Americans to study in their best schools?

3) Can anyone offer me any unexpected pros or cons to studying in either country that I might not even consider on my own?

Any other guidance people have, including directions to a web site that could answer all my questions, would be greatly appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[wonderwall]

well.. I'm from Italy and so I can only speak for my country.. In Italy there are some very good medical school and other schools that I wouldn't advise you.. In a newspaper I read that the best med schools in Italy are: Campus biomedico in Rome, San Raffaele in Milan, Università Cattolica in Rome, Università di Bologna, Università di Padova,... San Raffaele and Cattolica are private and so they are a bit more expensive.. I can only recommend you my university(San Raffaele): it has just 90 students every year, very goooooood professors, research center close to the university, all students(or almost) manage to finish in six years(it's not so easy in many other schools)..foreign students have more chances because there are a couple of positions reserved by law for foreign students and the competition isn't so high(you have to be fluent in Italian and you have to take a test about biology, chemistry, math, physics, reasoning, english)..all of my professors worked for some years in the USA so if you want you can come back..cons: in the university taxes you pay it's not included accomodation and in some cities like Milan or Rome the cost of living is quite high..

 

[Chulito]

well.. I'm from Italy and so I can only speak for my country.. In Italy there are some very good medical school and other schools that I wouldn't advise you.. In a newspaper I read that the best med schools in Italy are: Campus biomedico in Rome, San Raffaele in Milan, Università Cattolica in Rome, Università di Bologna, Università di Padova,... San Raffaele and Cattolica are private and so they are a bit more expensive.. I can only recommend you my university(San Raffaele): it has just 90 students every year, very goooooood professors, research center close to the university, all students(or almost) manage to finish in six years(it's not so easy in many other schools)..foreign students have more chances because there are a couple of positions reserved by law for foreign students and the competition isn't so high(you have to be fluent in Italian and you have to take a test about biology, chemistry, math, physics, reasoning, english)..all of my professors worked for some years in the USA so if you want you can come back..cons: in the university taxes you pay it's not included accomodation and in some cities like Milan or Rome the cost of living is quite high..

Thanks, Wonderwall. I've lived a number of years in Rome while teaching for a university, and in spite of the fact that the uni paid for everything, I definitely know how expensive housing is. As much as I love Rome and would certainly apply there if anywhere in Italy, I'm drawn to Bologna. I know that Emilia-Romagna is a very expensive region, but it Bologna comparable to Rome in cost of living or noticeably cheaper? Also, I'm 35 years old. Do you know whether that would be more of a problem when applying to Italian schools than it is in the States?

 

[wonderwall]

Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice are the most expensive pleces..Bologna is not so expensive and there are a lot of students..but it's not a big city..I would prefer something like Milan or Rome..anyway you can only apply in one public university since the test is the same day in all Italy(execept for Cattolica and San Raffaele).. honestly your mates at medical school will be around 19 20 years old but age is not a problem..you said you were teaching at university???what??

 

[PathOne]

I know several Italian- and Spanish-trained docs, and they all received first-class training, so that isn't likely to a a real issue. Additionally, especially Spanish language ability is increasingly a valuable asset, with the ever-increasing hispanic population. (but of course you don't necessarily need to go to a Spanish med school, as you already know the language).

Do remember, however, that Spanish and Italian med schools obviously don't teach you to take the USMLE. They'll give you the knowledge to take it, but you'll have to study specifically for that on your own, and differences in curricula might create problems, as some basic sci courses might be placed later in the curriculum (don't know if they are, however).

Aditionally, remember that you REALLY need Letters of Recommendation from US Physicians for your residency application. So definitely arrange to take some clinical rotations at US hospitals.

However, the most important point you have to remember is time: DO REMEMBER that med schools in both Italy and Spain is six years in duration, as people in Europe enter med school right out of high school. And don't count on getting part of your undergrad study accredited.

SO, if you're 35 now, you're likely to be 42 when you graduate, and THEN you need to go through Residency, which will add anything from 3 to 7 years, depending on your field. That's a long and winding road...

 

[Yolms]

Hello Chulito.
I'm an Spanish student and I should give you some advice. If you are considering to come here to study, you must look where you go, because Spanish is not the only language spoken here. In some regions people talk other languages like Gallego (similar to portuguese), Vasco (impossible to understand any word) or Catalan (latin language too). And in universities in this regions is possible that the classes would be in those languages.
On the other hand if you go to Madrid, for example, you won't have any problem with the language, because everyone speaks spanish.

 

[Chulito]

Yolms-

Thanks for the heads up. The medical school in Madrid is one of the better ones in Spain, isn't it?

 

[docolive]

I'm only just beginning to consider the notion of attending medical school in Europe, and I don't know where to begin researching. I've looked into the Atlantic Bridge Program, but I am fluent in Italian and Spanish and would love the opportunity to live in either country during medical school. I'll start with 3 general questions, since I have to start somewhere.

1) Is it tremendously problematic returning to the United States to practice after having studied in either country?

As long as you adequately prepare for the USMLE's, returning is not a terrible issue. You may have a decreased chance at getting a very competitive residency, but I would not let this be "the determining factor."
On the other hand, I wanted to post to let you know about the University of Bologna. It is an excellent school in Italy; wonderful small city by the way.
They were very professional and kind when I contacted them via email. I believe their website is unibo.it (please google it). They require that you take a language skills test in the fall before classes start. Since you are fluent in Italian, research this school. It is fantastic and draws in an international crowd.

 

[Yolms]

Yolms-

Thanks for the heads up. The medical school in Madrid is one of the better one's in Spain, isn't it?

In fact not. The best considered are the "Universidad de Navarra" in Pamplona, and "Universidad de Oviedo" but they are both private, soy they are more expensive. On the other had you won't have any problem with the language in those ones.

Between the public ones are all more or less the same. The most famous are the ones in Barcelona "Universitat de Barcelona" and "Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona". But in these you may have classes in catalan.

If you are thinking about going to madrid, may be the best known is the "Universidad Autónoma de Madrid".

But if you want to go to a public one, maybe the best is going to a not very big university, because there would be more people and the practice classes would not be as many as in an smaller one, because there will be more students.

I don't recomend you my university (Rovira i Virgili) becaus I know that you would have lots of problems with catalan. Some teachers are very stubborn with the language.

 

[rortega82]

I´m sorry but I disagree with Yolms. The Universidad de Navarra is good considerated but it´s not the best one. And I don´t know any private "Universidad de Oviedo", the only one I know is public and a good university but not among the best ones.

In Spain we don´t like rankings as much as in the US, but If I have to rank the medical schools in Spain y should put in first place those located in Madrid and Barcelona and very close the Universidad de Navarra but with the inconvenient that it is more expensive than the other ones.

I´ve just finished my studies in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, so if you need something, just ask for it.

Ricardo

 

[Chulito]

What are the prices of medical school in public universities in Spain? And are all programs 6 years long, or would a student from the US with a bachelors in biochemistry and molecular biology be able to find a shorter path?

Rortega82--Have you enjoyed your experience at the Complutense? Quite apart from rankings (which I don't find especially valuable anyway), why do you privilege schools in Madrid and Barcelona? Is it because of the type or quantity of clinical exposure that is available in the big cities, or because of the calibre of the research faculty, or what? I should make clear the fact that I am very interested in clinical practice, but not at all in doing research. I would love to live and study in either big city, but would probably avoid Barcelona because of the likelihood of some classes being taught in Catalan. I don't find Catalan especially difficult to understand, but best to not take chances with my education.

 

[cmn]

Hey guys, I'm a third year medical student from the US, I'm interested in doing a clinical rotation in Malaga or Cadiz but I really don't know where to start. I might possibly think on transfering but first I want to find out if I can adjust. Does anybody know how can I set it up? I was told to contact the university and then work my way through, because I tried contacting the hospitals and they said they don't deal with that. I hope someone has a clue of how this goes. Most of the schools require a letter to the rector which I'm preparing and I will aslo notify my school so my dean also aprobes my rotation here, anyways if anybody has a clue please let me know!!! if you are student of the facultad de medicina de la universidad de malaga o cadiz please let me know how can go about setting this up!
I'm a ifsma member too, so that I have already tried...I haven't heard from them yet so I 'm trying to set up a rotation on my own just in case
Hope to get your feeback!! English or spanish works for me!

 

[Deferz]

Hey guys, I'm a third year medical student from the US, I'm interested in doing a clinical rotation in Malaga or Cadiz but I really don't know where to start. I might possibly think on transfering but first I want to find out if I can adjust. Does anybody know how can I set it up? I was told to contact the university and then work my way through, because I tried contacting the hospitals and they said they don't deal with that. I hope someone has a clue of how this goes. Most of the schools require a letter to the rector which I'm preparing and I will aslo notify my school so my dean also aprobes my rotation here, anyways if anybody has a clue please let me know!!! if you are student of the facultad de medicina de la universidad de malaga o cadiz please let me know how can go about setting this up!
I'm a ifsma member too, so that I have already tried...I haven't heard from them yet so I 'm trying to set up a rotation on my own just in case
Hope to get your feeback!! English or spanish works for me!

I am a medical student from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. I don't know the specific process to follow to do an elective rotation in Málaga or Cádiz, but normally, the process is the following (I have done elective rotations in other universities)
1. You have to be accepted by a teaching doctor in advance. This should not be a problem as long as you ask a doctor who likes having students around him/her, which do exist, believe me.
2. After you are accepted you just have to go there and start your rotation.
3. Apart from that, it would be useful to write the International Student Board (or similar) in the university you want to go, to let them know about your intentions and to get some extra and useful information.

So as you can see, the main problem is to be accepted by a doctor. And the main question for a forieign student like you is: which doctor should I write to, in order not to be rejected? The only person who can answer that question is a student that currently studies in Cadiz or Malaga. I do not know any personally, but I can give you some links of forums where you can post your message to get this information.

http://www.casimedicos.com/casimedicos/xs/cadiz-vf27.html

http://www.casimedicos.com/casimedicos/xs/malaga-vf37.html

I hope I was useful to you

Best regards

Deferz

 

[apoptosis1983]

hi guys, i wish to tell that if u want to make transfert in italy it can be possible , the best college is Pavia i think and SAn raffaele( private college) and i think also that italian goverment gives scholarships for US citizens , if u want i can send u i private link.
i am an international student in italy and i wish to meet some other international student here.
please mail on my msn :
[email protected]

 

[tlew12778]

The government grant really depends on how much money they have left when you apply. They also don't sponsor it every single year. When I was in school it was 10k euro per year.

My husband graduated from the University of Milan. If I had to consider another med school in Italy, I would consider either San Raff. or Cattolica (the uni part is in Milan but the hospital is Gemelli in Rome). Those are the cities where you will find the most advanced medicine and the best doctors in their respective fields IMO. Not to say that the other cities don't have great doctors, but if you want to go back to the states or whatever, and you need to publish research, you may as well increase your odds of working with someone well-known (of which there are many in Milan).

 

[cmn]

Thank you Deferz, I'm still trying to contact somebody from malaga or Cadiz! but one quick question as far as your school goes how could I contact a doctor in your school?? do you think u can help me with that?? Maybe through that doctor he can help me to either work with him in Madrid or help me to make connections with other doctors!
Hope to hear from you!