DoctorB Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Hello, I am a physician with a medical degree from China. I went to one of the top 9 medical schools in China, which is considered 'Ivy League' in the U.S. Before I ramble about my situation, I will provide some background information. I was born in the U.S. I got an associate's degree in Chinese then went to a medical school in China. I did my internship in China due to the medical school I went to forcing me to do my internship in China. I took a practice version of the medical licensing exam in the U.S. and I failed. Could I take the P.A. test or could I just apply for P.A. jobs? Do I have to do another internship or what? I know nothing about how it works in the U.S. Thank you for all of your help, and sorry if my English is not up to par, I've been writing in Chinese for over half a decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunafish Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 So much for Chinese Ivy League I guess... Your short cut is to study for USMLE if your diploma is good for FMG status and try to match anywhere. There are no short cuts for PA. Start education from the start. Man, it is sad!!! What kind of impression do PAs have in the eyes of the public. Give us your rejects and we should be happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted November 2, 2013 Moderator Share Posted November 2, 2013 You may apply to a US PA school and maybe (and I stress maybe) get accepted China med school is NOT USA med school and from the limited research I have done most med schools (FMG) as similar to or easier then USA PA school I cringe at the recent spat of articles that are written by FMG's that are saying it is "too hard" to get licensed in the USA - I have seen a lot of the FMG's coming through our local residency program and let me tell you I would put PA education up against ANY of their educations. Just having the MD degree (or your countries =) does NOT make you equal to a USA MD or even a USA PA. Sorry to be harsh, but FMG (likely with the exception of Europe but I have dealt with very few European FMGs) are just not on par with USA training, and I suspect are even below that of a PA as judged by some of the down right stupid questions I have been asked by interns and residents that always seem to be FMGs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 If this is true with the FMGs then it should be the PAs that are offered the chance to take the USMLE tests and then we should be getting the residency program slots instead. No reason for the USA to recruit FMGs. The AMA is forgetting about the rich resource they could have in the PAs of the USA. I am writing this from a complete naivety and uninformed position on FMG training and curriculum. Do you think my view is just an urban legend that we continue to perpetuate? I'd love to see a true curriculum comparison of FMG vs. PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunafish Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Work culture and ethics, professional language and structure of the healthcare. I think these are the main difficulties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted November 3, 2013 Moderator Share Posted November 3, 2013 Work culture and ethics, professional language and structure of the healthcare. I think these are the main difficulties. would disagree I have seen FMG's with out even the basic medical knowledge... certainly not advanced like USA PAs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunafish Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 would disagree I have seen FMG's with out even the basic medical knowledge... certainly not advanced like USA PAs There is always a bad apple, but one has to pass USMLE to be a resident, so you have to have a basic medical knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherLW Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Whether or not it is fair, from what I have seen there is very limited reciprocal conversion between U.S. and non-U.S. medical programmes (there are some exceptions, i.e. Caribbean). Education from a U.S. program will be recognized in most parts of the world, but not vice-verca. I believe the previous experience as a physician would certainly be beneficial in applying to P.A. school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrsmurf Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Just like anybody else, there are good and bad FMG's. However, US students have an advantage in that they are trained to pass the USMLEs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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