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Foreign trained doctors to PA??


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Hello everyone, I have pretty much read everything in this forum and couldn't find an answer to my questions. I hope someone out there will be able to answer me, maybe the more seasoned PA or an admissions staff that's on here.

 

1- Is it common for foreign trained medical doctors to apply to PA school?

 

2- What are the chances of such a person being selected?

 

3- Does the selection committee/process come down harder on them?

 

4- Is anyone out there a foreign trained medical doctor turn PA?

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

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1) Not terribly, but I expect it will be getting more common in the near future as IMGs have increasingly slim chances to match into anything.

 

2) It depends.  I've seen IMGs accepted into a program, do well, and proceed to practice in the U.S. as PAs.  I've also seen IMG candidates, residency trained, be rejected after an interview for not being a good fit for the PA program.

 

3) I don't think so.  We will want to see as much of an understanding of a PAs role from an IMG as we would from a US applicant.

 

4) I don't know of any IMGs to PAs who post regularly on this forum, but I suspect there are multiples who visit the site occasionally.

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PA programs are wary of IMGs using PA school as a backdoor route to U.S. medical practice rather than out of any particularly strong desire to be a PA for it's own sake.  IMGs interested in the PA route have to be able to demonstrate that they not only understand the PA role, but that they are enthusiastic about it and are willing and able to adjust to how the role is different than what they may have been used to as an MD in their home country. Also keep in mind that most PA programs who accept IMGs require that all prerequisite courses be taken in the U.S. regardless of past experience or education, so you may want to see what the individual programs you are interested in require in regards to additional courses prior to applying.

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