This post is mainly for medical students/soon to be doctors. Really sorry that I've not helped the non medical students with academic stuff related to post Uni plans. I will try my best to have guests who have graduated from different fields to help out. This post is a semi guest post because most of the info here were gotten from different people. It will be good to mention that the information below were tailored for students in Europe especially Hungary but the USMLE one applies to everyone that wants to take that exam. You know what, just pick any info that could be valuable to you lol.
- Get a driving license before you leave the country, enroll in a driving school while you are still a student. Saves you stress later.
- Get your tax number. You can do this before grad (For Hungary. Confirm with your university if it's not in Hungary)
- Learn a language while you are still a student. (Especially if you don't plan to return to your home country but if you are like me that does not like learning languages, your chances will be slimmer because an english speaking country will be your focus for job search)
- If Masters or Phd is your next goal, start researching and apply early. Internet is always there to help. For Medical Doctors, you can start a Phd immediately. You don't need another masters because your MD degree covers that.
- It's advisable to start prepping for USMLE from 4th year of med school. You can use the whole year to prep then write the exam just before 5th year resumes.
- For Ireland, you can't do much until you have your certificate. Long waiting time and costs a handful of money. So while you wait for a job offer, you can build your CV by volunteering at hospitals or start a Masters if you can afford one or do something productive e.g learn a language.
- For Malta, there's written exam and oral interview. You have to travel to Malta for both. I don't have much info on it but will post when I do. The job lasts for two years (house job) and you basically have to leave when you are done with the house job :( .Update: The info for Malta is here
- For Canada, It's a tough one if you are not Canadian. I heard their board exam is not beans too.
- For Nigeria, hmm I won't advice anyone to go back home now o except your husband/wife/kids are there waiting for you or perhaps you just want to go back 100% regardless of the hardship waiting there. You can't spend all those $ abroad only to go back to suffer-head life like you never left it. At least earn the total money your sponsors paid for tuition plus accommodation in fact add up-keep too. Add everything together, when you have 70% of that in your savings, you can safely move back home. The good part is that, by the time you have that 70% in your savings, I don't think you will start from the bottom when you go home. I mean you should be done with residency by that time. LOL see how this naija own long sha but guys it's the truth o.
- For USMLE. Afoma, a medical student and blogger, took her time to write two detailed blog posts about USMLE. It's a long read so I will just post a preview below and you can read the rest on her blog.
How She Studied for Step 1
"If you’re still doing basic sciences like anatomy, pathology, microbiology and the like, studying for your school exams is a great way to start off preparing for Step. Just making sure you actually learn all the main concepts will make your job a whole lot easier.
Set A date. I know people who've been planning to write Step 1 for over two years and still haven't gotten to it. If you know that you want to take this exam, figure out how long you want to study for it and set a date! Don't move your date. Just work towards it. Setting a date and actually registering for the exam definitely sharpened my focus.
Get the newest version of First Aid. Annotate during classes and while you study for step 1. This means take concise notes in your copy. This is also why a digital copy of FA is a meh idea. The reason for the annotations is so that three to four weeks into dedicated studying, the ONLY material you're studying from is FA and Uworld"
Link to the full post here.
About the Step 1 Test Day, link here
That's all for this post. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. There's already a post on 6th year, you can find it here.
xoxo
Dedun
