Many people in India have a stereotypical attitude toward Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs); they believe that FMGs are not as capable as the ones who study in India. They believe that FMGs don't study the same as the students in India. These ideas are wholly untrue. Students studying abroad are just as capable as the students in India because, for example, in Ukraine, clinical rotations are taken seriously. Every student passes a three-yearly exam called KROK-1, consisting of all the theoretical subjects, in order to start clinical rotations in the 4th year in all the colleges in Ukraine. After six years of medical education, these students take another three-yearly exam called KROK-2 so that they can receive their certification to be doctors. KROK exams are conducted by the Ministry of Ukraine and can only be taken offline. KROK is an external examination; students write their regular semester examinations even during their 3rd and 6th years.
Almost all medical colleges mandate 100% attendance in Ukraine. Each practical class requires students to prepare the lesson's subject in advance and respond to questions in order to receive better grades, which may be out of 5 or 3, and they are not easy to earn.
Then the students attend the semester examinations for 40 marks, which adds up to 100 in total. That is how students earn their attendance and marks for the semester.
The opinions of some medical students were collected on the quality of medical education in India and abroad.
There are a few exceptions in both situations, but in my opinion, the choice also comes down to the student's personal preferences. If you're an adventurer like me who enjoys traveling and learning about many different topics and methods of medicine in an innovative way, going abroad may be the best option, in my opinion. I believe that information and diligent work may help us succeed in everything, regardless of where we received our education. Because in the future, people will inquire as to what specialty you practice rather than where you received your undergraduate degree.
Lalitha Lavanya Shree, Medical student, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine
The thing in India is that the clinical exposure you get is attributed to which college you are in. Like if you are in a government setting, in a government college, you are expected to leave the classroom and go to the hospital and continue your education there. Now in private colleges, from the experiences that I have heard, even some of the well-known private colleges do an amazing job of teaching students. But, some private colleges are just there for the sake of being a medical college. They just admit the students and give them education but not much clinical exposure. It could be because of multiple reasons, like they are located in peripheries, where not many patients come there or they have a lack of funding, so all these kinds of issues are there when it comes to private medical colleges. But if you are in a good medical college in India, the level of exposure you get is very good. Now comparing this with the clinical exposure abroad, you will get this much exposure but in a different time frame. So, as I said earlier that in the Philippines they get it around 3rd year, and after their education, they have something called a clerkship which is kind of like an internship that they have to undergo. They have separate time allotted for this clerkship after every class.
MBBS from Jinan University, Guangzhou, China (2021 FMGE qualified). Currently working as an Intern at Holy Family Hospital, South Delhi
In India, there are very few MBBS seats, and competition is very high. So it's okay to study anywhere. Chronic illnesses vary by geographic location and lifestyle; as a result, students studying abroad may become familiar with a variety of diseases and disorders, whereas Indian students may miss out on this opportunity. Along with this, we will have a chance to learn additional subjects and a new language. Studying abroad helps us experience a new culture and a different approach to diagnosing a disease.
Harshavardhan C., 4th-year Medical Student, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine
After studying for 6 years in Ukraine, what I find most different is how much exposure students in Ukraine receive, whether it be individual microscopes during histology classes or practical classes conducted in clinics and operation theaters. The exposure is great, and it is not at all like everyone says we are able to learn better and grow as medical students every day.
Madhu Preetha Chandra, Medical student, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine
