There are many more potential medical students than available spaces at medical schools in the US, so applying for medical education can be daunting.
Medical schools in the US do not have sufficient capacity in order to train the numbers of doctors needed due to the growing and aging population. There is certainly no shortage of students with sufficient intelligence and the desire to train at medical school, but the educational system is simply not capable of providing enough places for them. It has been reported that in 2006 alone, there was 400,000 applicants chasing 14,000 available places. This is one of the reasons why so many foreign medical graduates are employed in the US each year, despite many US citizens being denied the opportunity to train.
The medical profession is pretty diverse, and there are many different routes and pathways which can be followed. Many doctors choose to work in occupational medicine (within a firm or company), pharmaceutical research, join the armed forces or in public health medicine. All of the doctors who specialize in these fields though, generally have the same start on the medical education ladder.
Medical School
To apply for medical school in the US, you generally need to already have a four year bachelor’s degree although there are rare exceptions. This should be from an accredited university or college. You will actually attend the medical school on a four year graduate course. The criteria for admission will vary, although, as mentioned above, there is lots of competition with many applicants chasing very few places, so the medical schools really are able to pick the cream of the crop and top qualifications are generally necessary in order to secure a place.
Many US medical students are now opting to study at medical schools in other countries. This can be the ideal solution for some students, and although it means that they will have to pay full fees, very often the medical education is actually cheaper in other countries than in the US.
Due to organizations such as IHMEC (International Health and Medical Education Center) there is a global policy which ensures that the qualifications needed to practice medicine anywhere in the world are recognized and achievable. You may find that applying for medical education in a foreign country can be more affordable, with a higher chance of acceptance than by trying to attend a medical school in the US.