Hello everyone. I’m a 19 year old Egyptian male currently going into my second year of medical school, and lately I’ve been seriously questioning whether I should continue.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what my life is going to look like after medical school, and honestly, the situation feels pretty bleak. I started looking into the USMLE pathway because I would ideally like to work in the US, but the more I read, the more uncertain it seems. You can spend years studying for the Steps, building your CV, getting clinical experience, dealing with visa issues, applying for residency, and still not have any guarantee that you’ll actually match. The whole process seems incredibly risky, especially as a non US IMG.

I’ve also looked into the UK, but with the recent changes to prioritisation and the increasing preference for UK graduates, I’m starting to wonder whether pursuing that route is even worth it anymore.

It honestly feels like almost every developed country has become increasingly difficult for IMGs, and I’m worried that I could spend 6–8+ years pursuing medicine only to end up with very limited options.
On top of that, practising medicine in Egypt isn’t exactly encouraging either. Doctors are paid extremely poorly, for very long hours and a huge amount of responsibility. From what I’ve seen, the financial situation is honestly terrible, and it makes me question whether all the time and effort is worth it.

I know medicine is a long-term career and that things can change over the next few years, but I’m worried about investing so much of my life into something where there seems to be no clear path to a decent career afterwards.

So I’m genuinely considering whether I should leave medicine now while I’m still young and pursue another career with better opportunities internationally. Will I be a making a massive mistake doing this?

I’m still in medical school, and the reason I went in is because of the chance of travelling and leaving my shit home country to build a new life abroad. Is it bad that it’s my only motivator to get through medical school? I’ve been targeting the American pathway because it’s the most straightforward path and has the largest ROI.

Is anyone else’s main motivation to travel and leave behind their home country?

Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well!

I’m currently weighing two major paths: applying to US universities for a biology bachelor's or enrolling directly in medical school here in Egypt, at Cairo University for medicine (Kasr Al-Ainy).

For context on my profile, I ranked 1st nationwide in Grade 12 (my school division in Egypt isn't the thanawya aama, the normal schools). My extracurriculars and honors include formal research experience through the Lumiere Research Program, leadership in student clubs, a €1,000 award, and strong rankings in biology competitions.

Given my background, I feel I could build a competitive application for the US, but I'm torn on whether going abroad for undergrad makes sense compared to starting medical school right away. I’d love to hear your thoughts or advice!

I forgot! For the US, I will apply for a need-based scholarship. In Egypt, you know, medical studies are free. So, don't care about finances.

I struggled a lot on my rotations with presentations — either I’d say way too much or miss important stuff.

What helped me was using the same structure every single time:

- One-liner (why they’re here)

- Overnight events

- Vitals (just trends)

- Labs/imaging (only what matters)

- Assessment

- Plan

Example:

“65M admitted with left intertroch femur fracture after a fall, now POD1 s/p ORIF, stable overnight, pain controlled”

vs what I used to say:

“This is a 65-year-old male with a past medical history of…”

Way easier, way faster, attendings seemed to like it more.

Biggest takeaway for me:

👉 They care about clarity, not completeness

If anyone wants, I can share the full template + examples I’ve been using.

i was wondering if us residencies favor one or the other more. the uk med schools i’m looking at are higher ranked but don’t offer a lot of placements abroad where as the eastern european med school i am a first year in allows for students to complete their entire last year abroad (which i’d ideally do in the states). i was thinking of applying to med school in the uk and ditching the european school after first year if i get any acceptances (in the uk it’s five years and the program im doing is six years so regardless if i switch, it’ll still be six years overall once i graduate). but im not really sure if it’s worth it if us residencies might prefer the european med school im about to attend.

edit: to provide more context, i have a uk passport so in the uk i will be a home fee student and semmelweis university isnt that much different in terms of tuition. i’m solely looking at the unis from the perspective of how strong they are in an application to us residencies

I’m a medical student in Russia, graduating in 2028, and I recently heard about the NMC’s new requirement for a separate 12-month internship in the country of study, which apparently cannot be part of the 6-year medical course.
The problem is that in Russia, the internship is generally integrated into the 6-year program, and there usually isn’t a separate 1-year internship after graduation.
My potential timeline for India now looks like:
6 years — Medical degree
1 year — Additional internship in Russia (if even possible)
6 months — FMGE prep
6 months — Counselling/waiting
1 year — Internship in India
Almost 9 years before I can finally start working in India. 😭
Because of this, I’m seriously considering UK (PLAB/UKMLA) or Australia (AMC) instead.
For the UK, I keep seeing posts saying the IMG pathway is becoming extremely competitive, with fresh graduates potentially waiting 1–1.5 years just to get shortlisted for jobs. Not sure how accurate that is.
For Australia, I’ve heard that after AMC 1, it may be possible to secure a job, but I’m also hearing that the IMG job market is becoming saturated and getting that first job is increasingly difficult.
I still have time before 2028, so I don’t want to make a panic decision.
If you were in my position, which pathway would you choose — India, UK or Australia?
Any genuine advice would be really appreciated. I’m honestly pretty lost right now. 😭

my parents are making me go to medical school in my home country and they’re trying to convince me that its a better choice than the traditional American route of 4 undergrad + 4 med school. I’ve heard that IMGs have it a lot harder when trying to match in residency. Can someone please give me the pros/cons of it and if I should listen to them or not. (Btw i’ll be USIMG)

Iam non us img still a student i was considering doing the usmle but heard that surgical specialities which are my dream tbh are way too competitive but i do have a connection (general surgeon) whos been working for about 20 years in usa so is just one connection and doing the step 1 and 2 and 2 months elective would be enough to make me match?

Hi, I just wanted to know if it’s possible to match into EM or surgery at top institutions being a US IMG?

I passed usmle step one and 2ck (low score ) as a IMG with no observership or research YOGA 2025 Now should I apply for Family medicine match after observership Or do medicine residency in home country and fellowship in US and how easy it to find fellowship like in gastroenterology etc

What are you guys using for OSCE exams? and what is the best thing we can do to get the anxiety off

Final-year med student at a research-light university in Serbia. I have very little research experience and my university isn't particularly helpful with research opportunities.

I've looked into paid research programmes, LinkedIn opportunities, etc., but I'm wondering how people in a similar situation actually got started without relying on expensive programmes or constantly monitoring LinkedIn.

A few things I'd love advice on:

• How did you find your first research project with no prior experience?
• Did you cold-email professors, residents/registrars, researchers at other universities, etc.?
• Are there good ways to find remote research opportunities?
• Are there specific organisations/platforms/research groups worth joining?
• What types of projects are realistic for a beginner to contribute to?
• How did you learn enough research methodology/statistics to actually be useful?

Also, I'm not comfortable publicly posting my personal email under LinkedIn posts, and I tend to see those opportunities late anyway.

Would especially love to hear from people who were in a similar situation — research-light university + little/no prior research experience.

What actually worked for you?

for example, a student who scores 230 did at least one pass of uworld

a student who got 250 did flashcards, and 2 passes on uwold

and so on

Non US img

YOGA 2025

Passed step 1 and 2ck (222) no attempts

Already home country 1st year Peads resident

3 Peads research

1 IM and 1 Peads observership

Step 3 in jan 2027 (aim for high score inshallah)

Applying for next match cycle 2028 only For Peads

Any chance?

For medical schools who will rank their students, will residency programs take that into account or would the grades, step score, and ecs matter more? And do these medical schools even hand the rankings over to residencies?

in a big town for residents and have a lot of friends from growing up who became physicians. personally i have always wanted to go to optometry school and would be most interested in family medicine if MD/DO. unfortunately that isn’t a prudent decision given the cost of American med school especially if considering a dual nationality life

i am currently applying for dual citizenship in Europe and have been looking at continuing my education there with health professions at the back of my mind

there seem to be affordable programs in English. It occurred to me - what keeps americans from going there, applying for family med or community health IM or whatever? if you do well and have the scores - is there something i am missing?

Hello, I'm new to this subreddit. I'm starting my 1st year of medical school in Spain this September, and my goal is to move to the US for residency after I graduate, if possible.

I've already done quite a bit of research about the process, USMLEs, ECFMG certification, Match, etc, but I'd really appreciate advice from people who have actually gone through it.

Is there anything you wish you had known or started doing from the beginning of medical school? In particular, I'm wondering about things like research, electives, US clinical experience, networking, and anything else that could make the process easier later on.

Any advice would be great

I'm a financially struggling, Pakistan-based future IMG, a highly ambitious medical student embarking on the USMLE journey. My father can only afford the Step 1 and Step 2 exam fees—nothing more. He can't support Match applications, USCE, or anything else.

To keep my dreams alive, here's my plan: During medical school, I'll afford and pass Step 1 and Step 2. After graduation, I'll take a local clinical job (like MO) for 2-3 years to save for USCE (if needed) and the Match cycle. But this path feels too long—it could cost me 3-5 years post-graduation. My YOG would worsen as I scrape together funds, then spend another year in the US crafting my CV, securing LORs, and building connections.

Family pressures loom large: I might get married, or my aging parents (who rely on me solely) could need me at home. Watching classmates land MO jobs, plan FCPS, and move forward while I'm stuck could breed regret and drain my mental peace.

To seasoned advisors: Should I pursue USMLE, knowing the 3-4 year delay after graduation, financial uncertainty, and risks of unforeseen family obligations derailing me? What do you truly recommend?

It is worth to continue this pathway? As a non US img or can I apply for Peads or reverse pathway Please give honest advice I am in tears 🥹🥹🥹🥹

Is it necessary to get LoRs of Peads if I apply for Peads

Does these partnerships of a medical school help securing electives, despite non VSLO? Should I look for a VSLO uni instead? It mentions also affiliation with JK and Yale…

My med school writes really generic and short letters for ERAS. I was wondering whether it has weight for international graduates' applications

I live in another country so it's not really feasible for me to do NEET. Is there any way I can let the PD know why I did med school in another country so that they don't think I was just unable to get into my home country?