Studying Masters in Medicine in United States: MBBS, or ‘Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery,’ happens to be an undergraduate degree for pursuing medical sciences. On the other hand, Doctor of Medicine or MD is known to be a postgraduate medical degree that is often pursued by almost every medical student to gain further knowledge and experience in the field of medicine.
Any student who wants to pursue a master’s degree in medical science from countries like the USA or Canada has to go to a medical school and complete their bachelor’s first. The case is almost the same in countries like India and the United Kingdom. The medical profession comes with a lot of responsibility, and thus the entire journey of becoming a doctor is not easy and requires an extensive amount of hard work and experience.
The American Association of medical colleges has most recently come up with a prediction that stated that by the year 2025, America would witness a shortage of about 46000 to 90000 physicians. This prediction has created National concern because this might have an adverse effect on the Healthcare services of the country. Thus the need for medical students to pursue MD or doctor of medicine has become very important not only in the United States of America but all across the world. Read on to find more about Master Degree In Medicine In the USA for International Students.
The Possible Cost of Studying MD in the United States of America
A medical degree has always been an expensive one, mainly because of the kind of infrastructure that it uses and the kind of time that is involved in pursuing this entire, complete degree. The cost of pursuing a medical master’s degree in the United States of America is much higher in comparison to any other country. However, one cannot disagree that the USA offers some of the best universities which provide this particular degree to students.
The average cost of pursuing a magical master’s degree or an MD from the USA ranges somewhere in between $50000 to $75,000 per year, which is worth lakhs in Indian currency. The cost of this entire course also greatly depends upon the university or the medical school that the students choose to study in. Harvard University in the USA is known to be one of the best and officers of five years long MD course, which is worth $64984 per year.
Stanford University offers a six years long MD course which is worth $20731 per quarter. John Hopkins University offers a four years long MD course which is worth $56500 per year. The University of Pennsylvania offers a four years long MD course which is worth $59910 per year. Other universities also include New York University, which offers a four years long MD course worth $57476 per year, and Yale University, which also offers a four years long MD course which is worth $61140 per year.
Steps Involved in Studying MD in the USA
Before a medical student aims to pursue an MD course from any university in America, they should understand and study the complete procedure which is involved in pursuing this course. A proper understanding gives a clearer idea of the kind of dedication and hard work a student has to put in to accomplish this degree in the States. Below mentioned is the step-by-step process involved in studying for a master’s degree in medical sciences in the USA.
Step 1 – The very first step of this entire procedure is to first complete one’s undergraduate medical degree. It is mandatory to pursue this degree, most likely in a medical background which includes a bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry e or physical Science as one of the major subjects. It is vital to have a basic understanding and knowledge of medicine before one can gain the knowledge of a master’s degree in the same field.
Step 2 – the second step of this entire procedure involves the student passing the MCAT examination. MCAT stands for Medical College admission test, and it is mandatory for every student who wants to become a doctor to qualify in this test and pass with the required marks. Once the student has passed this examination with the required score, they can apply to the universities of their choice for pursuing the master’s degree. Any student who is applying from India for a Master’s degree course in the United States of America has to follow these particular steps.
- First, it is mandatory for the student to clear the MCAT examination and pass with the required amount of marks that have been prescribed by the universities.
- The second part of the process involves the student clearing the IELTS examination or TOEFL Examination, which happens to be an English language proficiency test. The students must pass this examination with the minimum required score, which is prescribed by different universities.
- The student might also have To submit a statement of purpose SOP and LORs as a part of the application before he or she could enter the university.
- It is mandatory for the student to get a good GRE score for qualifying in these universities.
Step 3 – The third step of this entire procedure involves a complete four-year medical schooling experience for every medical student who wants to study Masters abroad. The entire journey of pursuing a complete medical degree and experience involves an extended amount of time and does not have any kind of shortcut procedure. It is crucial to go through every phase of this process to gain proper experience and understanding of Medical Sciences. For any student who wants to pursue MD, they have to first complete four years of medical schooling. The curriculum taught in this medical school has to be divided into various semesters, and it is mandatory to conduct the entire program on a full-time basis.
Step 4 – The fourth part of this entire process includes the student passing part 1 and part 2 of USMLE. For a student to aim to practice medicine in the United States of America, it is very important to take the USMLE test. It is not only essential to take this test but also to pass this test with high marks as prescribed by the Council.
This entire test happens in three parts and requires proper preparation before one sits for it. It is mandatory for medical students to clear the first part of this examination before they can enter the third year of their study. The first part of the examination includes basic fundamental medical principles which the student is expected to learn and understand in the first two years of their medical schooling experience.
The second part of the examination can include topics like clinical diagnosis and disease development which requires further study and experiences. The student can clear the second part of the test before entering the fourth year of the medical schooling experience. By that time, the student is expected to learn and understand all the knowledge which is required for passing the second part of the examination.
Step 5 – the fifth part of the entire procedure involves the students finding a residency. Every medical student must be aware of the fact that their medical degree will not end with college. The entire procedure of accomplishing a medical degree includes a lot of hard work and prescribed requirements, which one has to complete before one can start their journey of medical practice. When the medical student reaches the final year of their college, they are required to submit an application that caters to their residency. Once this application is processed and considered, the next step would involve every student is assigned to their respective residencies.
For people who don’t know the exact meaning of residency, a residency refers to a three to eleven years-long training period or rather a training program for students who have freshly completed their medical schooling experience. This program takes place under-skilled and experienced doctors or experienced physician educators and acts as a specialized training program for the students to gain proper practical and theoretical knowledge of the field.
Step 6 – the sixth part of the entire procedure involves the student passing part 3 of the USMLE examination. Another important part of this phase is also to complete the entire process of residency. Once the student has completed the entire experience of residency, the next step for the student will be to clear the third round of the USMLE examination. Mostly the stipulated time for residency is three years, but it might vary for different cases, and it might go up to eleven years. The third part of the USMLE examination will include topics like clinical management and also will test the doctor’s ability to practice medicine in a safe and sound manner as well as in an effective state of mind.
Step 7 – Once the student has come this far in this entire journey, the seventh step involves the earning of board certification by the student. By this time, the student is expected to complete the entire Medical School experience as well as the Residency experience. Once all of these procedures are completed, the student has to face a panel of board members regarding the field selected by them. There are twenty-four different fields of specialization, which might include Anesthesia, Anatomy, Geriatric medicine, General medicine, Forensic medicine, Pharmacology, Physiology, and Psychiatry.
Step 8 – When this entire procedure of the medical journey has been completed by the student, they can directly apply for getting a state license to continue with their practice. Once the entire training has been completed, the student will receive the certification from the board and then has to receive a state-signed license as well. This state-signed license will give the doctor the authority to practice medicine inside the country.
MPH – A Different Approach for Pursuing a Master Degree in Medical Science in USA
The above-mentioned procedure is an extremely long and tedious procedure for pursuing an MD in the United States of America. There is also an alternative process that can be taken up to avoid the entire process of going through USMLE examinations. This alternative process refers to opting for MPH in place of MD in the United States of America. Many graduate students who have just done their MBBS often refer to study a Masters in public health rather than MD in America.
The most beneficial part of pursuing an MPH degree in the United States is that the student while pursuing this degree will be able to get a breathing period in between their studies as a student visa in the United States, mainly for the Indian students is primarily given for five years while obtaining a masters degree. When the student opts for an MPH degree, the student can use the entire time in between to appear for their clinical exams. The good news is that in the end, the student will end up with two different degrees, which would include one clinical degree after Residency, which is MD, and one non-clinical degree such as MPH. A student might also choose to study a diploma course in public health before beginning their Residency for MD in the United States.
Benefits of Choosing to Study MPH Course in the United States of America
- Every student who chooses to pursue an MPH course gets the chance to avail plenty of networking opportunities in the medical area from different experienced experts inside the country.
- A very interesting and beneficial part of studying MPH in the United States of America is that a student is able to take a break for one semester at the end of the first year. The student might use this time as an opportunity to complete their clerkship which is mandatory to achieve residency for MD in the United States.
- For any student to apply to study MPH in the states, the student receives a visa for complete five years. This will be very beneficial for the student as the student will get enough time to clear USMLE-3 and gain knowledge and experience.
- Accomplishing an MD degree might come with a lot of hardships in between. In the meantime, a public health degree can help in exploring different career prospects. This might also give the student an opportunity to make up for the living costs.