Australian Studying Overseas (Europe)

Hi,

Just looking for opinions or experiences regarding medical study done in continental Europe. I am an Australian national (born and lived here my entire life... although a few trips to the European continent have sparked great interest and fascination) interested in possibly working in Europe in the future, but understandably, I want to keep my options open in regards to staying/returning to Australia. If I were to complete a medical degree in a German university, would I be able to return to Australia and practise following internship and the necessary examinations? Would the fact that I completed the degree in Germany hinder my ability to find work and specialise in Australia?

Also, I have been reading up on the American approved universities in the Czech Republic (e.g. Charles University and Palacky University), which apparently allow you to return to America with the same recognition - in terms of education - as American-trained doctors. Would these programs be beneficial for someone wanting (perhaps) to work in Australia? Your help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Hi,
I looked into German universities last year, so I'll give you the vague outline of how they work:
You need an *amazing* abitur (German school-leaving certificate), I'd imagine 99.9 ATAR would only just cut it (I'm not kidding, either, they're insane). Also, you'd need to pass the German language competency test (Deutsche als Fremdsprache), which is set at around B2-C1 on the Euro language framework. Some of the unis also do interviews, so your German would need to be pretty good to score a place.
Also, with the tidal-wave of new medical grads in Australia right now, I wouldn't count on getting an internship in Aussie after graduating, and I'd imagine working your way into the Australian system could be a little difficulht, but not impossible.
In terms of Charles Uni, I gather it's pricey, but not overly difficult to get into, although it does have an entrance test which I'm relatively sure you have to fly to the Czech republic to sit. And the major plus with it: it's in English (although your clinical years are done in Czech).
All up, I'd say you'd have to have pretty good reasons for wanting to do your medical training in Europe, it'd be quite a lot easier to do medical school at home, learn the language while studying, then go over there after graduation/internship/etc.
I ended up deciding it'd be much easier/cheaper to study at home (plus, I had no shot whatsoever with the German unis, my school marks were nowhere near high enough lol).

Originally Posted by hhee

If I were to complete a medical degree in a German university, would I be able to return to Australia and practise following internship and the necessary examinations? Would the fact that I completed the degree in Germany hinder my ability to find work and specialise in Australia?

Yes, you would be hindered. Overseas trained doctors are not looking at optimistic times ahead, given the impending oversupply of local graduates.

Also, I have been reading up on the American approved universities in the Czech Republic (e.g. Charles University and Palacky University), which apparently allow you to return to America with the same recognition - in terms of education - as American-trained doctors. Would these programs be beneficial for someone wanting (perhaps) to work in Australia? Your help is greatly appreciated!

It wouldn't bestow any advantage, no. You'd still have to sit the same exams to be recognised here, and you would still be viewed as an overseas trained doctor.

Rule of thumb: if you want to work in Australia, get an Australian degree and train in Australia. The other options may offer possibilities, but absolutely no certainty.

My understanding seconds Chinaski and others, AND rules change, which is the problem. You can find out the rules now, but there's no guarantee that those rules will be the same in 6 years when you graduate.,

I don't guarantee this as fact, but I was talking to an intern (I think, or a resident, someone training in the ER), who was an Australian resident, who did medicine at Oxford (I think, an elite English uni), for the perfectly good reason that she lived there, who was horrified to find that she couldn't specialise as a GP in Australia (presumably due to lack of places or college rules or both), because she was overseas trained.

I gather that it's quite different if you want to go into research, especially if you're able to intern overseas, but if you want to work as a doctor...well, it's a gamble.

hhee, you'd be one of those overseas trained doctors you believe the government should take action against as you've indicated in this previous post:

Originally Posted by hhee

Hello,

I failed to find anything on the forums to do with this, so I thought I would ask for opinions. From my understanding, a large number of doctors working in Australia were trained overseas, and the government continues to lure more and more to our country. If this continues, is there a risk that in the near future, we will have too many doctors?

In my area, at least, this sort of thing (oversupply from the oversupply of visas to skilled positions with a supposed 'lack of workers') has occurred in the construction trades; I suspect this phenomenon is Australia-wide. I have seen a fair bit of information regarding occupations that are in apparent oversupply, yet the government continues to claim that such jobs are in demand (suffering from a shortage of employees) and continue to supply 'skilled worker visas'.

Who controls and monitors this sort of thing, and is something that you believe is/will continue to be monitored closely to ensure that such a situation does not come to fruition in the medical field? I believe it is something that should be considered important, as I do not want to commit to years and years of medical training to finish and have no job available because there are too many doctors!

Here is a relevant article from Monash University: http://www.monash.edu.au/news/show/a...o-many-doctors

Thanks for your opinions!

My suggestion is, if you want to work in Europe then get a European degree, if you want to work in Australia then get an Australian degree. If you want to visit Europe and experience their lifestyle/culture then take a gap year next year and travel.

hhee, you'd be one of those overseas trained doctors you believe the government should take action against as you've indicated in this previous post:

I'm more than aware of this, but, as my post indicates, I am worried about the impending oversupply and thus I am considering options overseas. The main reason I asked the question is to determine how flexible the whole situation is; I mean, while it is all well and good to go overseas and train to avoid suffering from Australian oversupply, the situation could have reversed and I may find myself wanting to return.

My suggestion is, if you want to work in Europe then get a European degree, if you want to work in Australia then get an Australian degree. If you want to visit Europe and experience their lifestyle/culture then take a gap year next year and travel.

• 
  Great! This is what I thought would be the case and is what I will do. If I get into Griffith, I most definitely will take a GAP year and travel. Hopefully I get it out of my system!
  
  

  Yes, you would be hindered. Overseas trained doctors are not looking at optimistic times ahead, given the impending oversupply of local graduates.

  This reinforces the notion that it is most definitely preferable to complete training in the country you wish to work in.
  
  

  You need an *amazing* abitur (German school-leaving certificate), I'd imagine 99.9 ATAR would only just cut it (I'm not kidding, either, they're insane). Also, you'd need to pass the German language competency test (Deutsche als Fremdsprache), which is set at around B2-C1 on the Euro language framework. Some of the unis also do interviews, so your German would need to be pretty good to score a place.
  
  
  Thanks for the information. I'll just see how everything goes; Germany is only a real consideration if I don't get into university here, but with that approximate ATAR requirement, it would not be relevant, as I'd get into Griffith here.