Foreign medical schools get a bad rap. Unless it’s Cambridge or another stop along a Rhodes Scholar’s list, medical schools abroad are often viewed with disdain and seen as the ugly stepchildren of medical educations within the community. In many cases, this is completely unearned. There are a number of international medical institutions that turn out terrific doctors who are practicing all over the world. As it so happens, the United States will not even come close to being able to meet its medical needs or goals over the coming decade without help from foreign medical programs.

Unfortunately, the negative stigma did not just grow out of nowhere. There are institutions that have earned the bad reputation for everybody else. Often called “degree mills,” these school will charge (not always) cheap tuition and give the students a degree without providing adequate educations or training. This is one of the reasons that the United States has adopted strict standards when it comes to recognizing schools outside its borders. Only the schools who survive rigorous and thorough evaluations are approved for their graduates to be licensed within US borders. We need to note that there are a number of schools outside of those borders who have met the qualifications. New York, California, and Florida are typically the three most important states for approval, with their evaluations serving as the basis for most other states to eventually adopt.

We can start by kicking the belief that every medical school outside of the United States is like a scene out of a Sally Struthers commercial where a doctor is channeling his inner MacGyver to create a makeshift defibrillator to save a native’s life. No doubt that has probably occurred, but nearly all accredited foreign institutions look a lot like American medical schools. They boast quality instructors, adequate funding, modern facilities, and produce doctors who practice all over the world – including the United States. Odds are that you have likely been to a hospital that features doctors who received their education from an international medical school.

Truth be told, this is not a bad development. These schools should not be viewed as competitors to United States’ institutions. Unless people suddenly stop getting sick, there will always be an ample supply of doctor jobs for any American graduate. And that is actually the problem. The need for doctors is too much. This country is woefully understaffed when it comes to physicians and medical professionals. Not only does it string out the doctors we do have, but it also leads to much higher prices from the consumer public – a current hot button political issue. If the health care system is to provide an adequate supply of professionals to meet the growing needs of the general public, US schools will need to partner with international institutions to create an acceptable number of physicians. This is an idea that many, including those who represent American universities, are just now beginning to wrap their minds around. Nonetheless, with US graduating classes growing at an anemic rate and lack of domestic budget to increase this supply in the short term, there simply is not an acceptable alternative.

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Category: Education
Keywords: Medical school, college, healthcare