By Lev G. Fedyniak

If you're anything like me, being a doctor is all you've ever dreamed about since you were a kid. From your first toy stethoscope and doctor's kit to the medical shows on TV, from high school science courses to college pre-med and then the all-so-sought after med school admission.

Most follow the traditional route of getting into med school. Attend a well-known college, preferably Ivy League. Major in pre-med and finish with a Bachelor's usually in biology or chemistry. Score a really high grade point average (GPA) and really high on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Then, apply to a dozen different med schools and pray you get into at least one. It's what we've always been told we have to do in order to make it in. And we've all had the procedure rather well drummed into our heads.

But what if your GPA isn't in the highest percentile and your MCAT scores are just average? Does that mean you would make a lousy physician? Not at all! It only means, that you'll have one heck of a time getting into med school in the United States!

Oh, you can try. You'll likely spend good money on application fees and get the standard "sorry, but try again next year" reply.

After getting turned down, most expand their search to include other possibilities, such as graduate studies to improve their chances, careers in allied health fields and studying at med schools outside the United States. Unfortunately, for the latter option, most seek an admission slot in schools in Mexico or the Caribbean, where they cater to such American physician hopefuls.

And, of course, there's also the issue of paying for tuition even if you do get in!

But if one were to examine more deeply the system that is medical school education, one would gain an education of a different sort altogether!

For example, did you know most medical schools don't even require a Bachelor's degree? Check for yourself. The requirements in most U.S. medical school catalogs are a year of biology, inorganic and organic chemistry (with labs), physics, and usually a math course, like calculus.

There are several reasons that you're told otherwise. On is strictly economic- colleges want to make money on your four-year degree! And, of course, because everybody else is getting one, your lack of a degree puts you at a disadvantage in the competition for admission.

The American system of medical education has four stages: a general college education leading to a Bachelor's degree that includes your basic sciences such as chemistry, physics, and biology. Then there's undergraduate medical education (medical school), which teaches basic medical knowledge and skills, concluding with the M.D. degree. That's followed by graduate medical education, better known as residency training, where you train for a specialty, i.e. pediatrics, surgery, gynecology, psychiatry, and dozens of others. Finally, there's postgraduate education, or continuing medical education, for keeping abreast of recent advances in medical science.

But the big hurdle though is getting into medical school in the first place.

Let's talk about admission slots for a minute. In the United States there are 124 medical schools offering some 16,000 spots. That means that in the U.S., 1 out of every 3 applicants gets accepted. So your chances are just a bit better than 30%. And that's of those who actually apply. Let's not forget how many students would make darn good physicians but just don't have the grades to even warrant applying. Not what you'd call "good odds". The situation in Canada is similar.

But much of the rest of the world follows the "European model" where the student goes right from high school directly into medical school. There, the first two years are devoted primarily to college-level courses in biology, chemistry, physics, etc.- not a lot of "padding" here. The next four are taken up by regular medical school subjects. So, medical education typically takes six rather than the four years of actual medical school training in the U.S. But, because there is no college and Bachelor's requirement, it immediately shaves off two years from the whole education process compared to the eight under the American system (four for pre-med/ Bachelors and four for med school proper). Two extra years of very often "fluff" courses, usually intended to beef up the grade point average (GPA), for which you pay through the nose. And a two year jump on specialization or earning a living as a doctor!

With the boundaries between countries disappearing and the world truly becoming a smaller place to live in, overseas study is now less a "last resort" and more a "standard" option.

Today, reasons for overseas study vary. Most older students, who have virtually no chance at a U.S. admission, often find themselves welcomed at foreign universities. The fact of the matter is, many very good physicians have studied in medical schools abroad, including Mexico, various Caribbean countries, Spain, Italy, and many more. And they have very good practices or positions all over the United States. Also, studying overseas broadens one's horizons, a valuable resource in this age of globalization.

The fact of the matter is, we already live in a global economy- cars from Japan, electronics from Korea, clothes from Europe- why not education abroad too?

There are presently almost 90 countries with over 300 medical schools offering a medical education in English! Some medical schools are absolutely free (though you will need to learn and study in the native language) while you can study in English for as little as $1,800 per year for tuition in Eastern Europe!

But what about after graduation? What good is a medical degree if you can't practice in the States? Well, first you must ascertain whether the med school you want to attend is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is listed in its World Directory of Medical Schools. If it is, graduates are able to sit for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) via the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Students (ECFMG) to be licensed to practice in the United States.

The World Directory is also a wealth of information listing medical schools by country, in what language(s) courses are offered, what year the school was instituted, how many years of study are required and much, much more.

So, if medicine is what you really want, don't give up if you get turned down by a med school in the States. Learn about all your options, including those abroad. After all, the only thing you stand to lose, is your dream of medicine!

-- Lev G. Fedyniak attended medical school in Ukraine for a tuition of $3,500 per year. So taken by his experience, he has written a book entitled Medical School For $3,500 Annual Tuition- Or Less!!! published by Ends-of-the-Earth Publishing Co. For more information about the book or about studying medicine overseas, write nadiya@nadiyainc.com .

Career Videos