i thought i should weight in here a bit...
the value of a MBBS lies in being a doctor eventually.
You can spend 5 years studying medicine cheaply, but what if you cannot practise anywhere? The money is small, the time wasted is a lot. How many 5 years do you have?
There is a lot of talk about doing USMLEs, PLAB , AMC exams and the NUS QE. Firstly, these are not easy exams.
NUS QE has a waiting list, and passing rate is 12%. ( If you pass, u get provisional registration to start internship FYI which leads to conditional registration). It's a difficult exam. Trust me.
Australia AMC, well, lots of people want to do it; it's not hard, but its hard to get a job in australia ( why take u when there excess of their own graduates? )
USMLE : it's called the harddest exams in the U.S. Part 1 is 8 hours of testing. There is part 2 clinical sci and part 2 clinical knowledge. You can only take it once. If you get a sucky score, that's it. Stays with u for 7 years. Besides, u will not score a residency position without US experience. Beside u , hundreds of indian gradutes sit for the USMLE every year , they have extensive guidance from their indian relatives for getting US hospital experience , where to apply, how to apply. Do you have it?
PLAB for UK. Same as australia.
1. Also, for clarity, when you do not have a basic registratable degree, MOHH will not hire you. If you have a MRCP + 3 years of working experience after that, hospital might hire you as a staff physician.
Whats the difference? If you are not a MOHH hire, u cannot apply for residency training in SG, as MOHH oversees residency. This is clearly written in MOHH guidelines, with the cavet that this might be wavied if candidate is EXCEPTIONAL.
( trust me ah, you like to think u can work your ass off and be exceptional. But when u work nights and burn your weekends, and patient still complain about you, u sian 0.5 liao. Everyone doing medicine is good, for you to be exceptional, is really difficult la. The staff physicians who i know that got residency in recent years are REALLY REALLY good, and they already have full reg + PR after slogging out for 4+ years. Good to the level if i sick, i dont mind being looked after by them that kind of good.).
As a staff physician, u are basically a career medical officer. Your salary will not be fantastic, u have to do night duty and you will be kicking yourself when your house officer residents become MO resident, then turn reg and then become your boss in 5 to 6 years time.
Also MRCP is not an easy exam. Part 1 and 2 can be overcome by pure dillgence ( repeat MCQ data banks many times) but PACES, ie the pratical exam cannot be studied. It is through practise and lots of showmanship guided by people who had passed it. The environment must be correct. Singapore residents typically train for 1 year intensively before being able to pass it. If you work in a china hospital, it is very difficult to find people to guide you; heck, you might not even have studied medicine in that way.
Also, SG will have no lack of doc. NTU, NUS and Duke churn about 500 students a year plus 200 from overseas every year. 700 fresh blood every year. Already in KTPH, which is a 5 year old hospital, there are not a lot of staff physicians ( ie, pple with a recognised MRCP , but no basic reg).
We all have a limited lifespan. I heard a story of a guy who spend 5 years doing a MBBS in china. End up he didnt manage to make it to US, Australia or UK. He came back to SG to do a master in a health related field ( which is basically a way for him to switch in to a health care line; that degree can be done at a bachelor level) . He is in an allied health job eventually, but IMHO, he wasted 5 years of his life.
Being a doctor is not as great as it is. It is a **** job, only made bearable because there is some level of prestige and if you do hit consultant level, a decent salary. You can contribute in many ways to people's life by not being a doctor. A podiatist, physio are all meaningful job. If you are brave, take up nursing.
the value of a MBBS lies in being a doctor eventually.
You can spend 5 years studying medicine cheaply, but what if you cannot practise anywhere? The money is small, the time wasted is a lot. How many 5 years do you have?
There is a lot of talk about doing USMLEs, PLAB , AMC exams and the NUS QE. Firstly, these are not easy exams.
NUS QE has a waiting list, and passing rate is 12%. ( If you pass, u get provisional registration to start internship FYI which leads to conditional registration). It's a difficult exam. Trust me.
Australia AMC, well, lots of people want to do it; it's not hard, but its hard to get a job in australia ( why take u when there excess of their own graduates? )
USMLE : it's called the harddest exams in the U.S. Part 1 is 8 hours of testing. There is part 2 clinical sci and part 2 clinical knowledge. You can only take it once. If you get a sucky score, that's it. Stays with u for 7 years. Besides, u will not score a residency position without US experience. Beside u , hundreds of indian gradutes sit for the USMLE every year , they have extensive guidance from their indian relatives for getting US hospital experience , where to apply, how to apply. Do you have it?
PLAB for UK. Same as australia.
1. Also, for clarity, when you do not have a basic registratable degree, MOHH will not hire you. If you have a MRCP + 3 years of working experience after that, hospital might hire you as a staff physician.
Whats the difference? If you are not a MOHH hire, u cannot apply for residency training in SG, as MOHH oversees residency. This is clearly written in MOHH guidelines, with the cavet that this might be wavied if candidate is EXCEPTIONAL.
( trust me ah, you like to think u can work your ass off and be exceptional. But when u work nights and burn your weekends, and patient still complain about you, u sian 0.5 liao. Everyone doing medicine is good, for you to be exceptional, is really difficult la. The staff physicians who i know that got residency in recent years are REALLY REALLY good, and they already have full reg + PR after slogging out for 4+ years. Good to the level if i sick, i dont mind being looked after by them that kind of good.).
As a staff physician, u are basically a career medical officer. Your salary will not be fantastic, u have to do night duty and you will be kicking yourself when your house officer residents become MO resident, then turn reg and then become your boss in 5 to 6 years time.
Also MRCP is not an easy exam. Part 1 and 2 can be overcome by pure dillgence ( repeat MCQ data banks many times) but PACES, ie the pratical exam cannot be studied. It is through practise and lots of showmanship guided by people who had passed it. The environment must be correct. Singapore residents typically train for 1 year intensively before being able to pass it. If you work in a china hospital, it is very difficult to find people to guide you; heck, you might not even have studied medicine in that way.
Also, SG will have no lack of doc. NTU, NUS and Duke churn about 500 students a year plus 200 from overseas every year. 700 fresh blood every year. Already in KTPH, which is a 5 year old hospital, there are not a lot of staff physicians ( ie, pple with a recognised MRCP , but no basic reg).
We all have a limited lifespan. I heard a story of a guy who spend 5 years doing a MBBS in china. End up he didnt manage to make it to US, Australia or UK. He came back to SG to do a master in a health related field ( which is basically a way for him to switch in to a health care line; that degree can be done at a bachelor level) . He is in an allied health job eventually, but IMHO, he wasted 5 years of his life.
Being a doctor is not as great as it is. It is a **** job, only made bearable because there is some level of prestige and if you do hit consultant level, a decent salary. You can contribute in many ways to people's life by not being a doctor. A podiatist, physio are all meaningful job. If you are brave, take up nursing.
