How did you leave?

[gpannu]

Hey,

Just a quick question:

How did you guys and girls have guts to leave home? I want to become a doctor but I also want to practice and live in Canada, especially, Ontario. It seems the more I read the more obvious it seems that attending medical schoo out side of Canada and returning home to practice seems unlikely. My only other option is to attend law school next fall. I defered my admission to law school to give meds another crack. One my buddies in Ireland just received a 94% on his USMLE. Sometimes I wonder why I don't have the guts to just go. I don't I guess i'm confused and looking for some answers to why some of you wanted to leave.

I love the city I grew up in and I can't imagine living anywhere else. The thought of living in the U.S., doesn't seem very appealing to me. It's not that it's a bad place I don't think it will ever feel like home.

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[silenthunder]

hmmm......

This is a very individual choice.

You need to decide what the important things are in your life, and then decide which things you absolutely cannot live without.

How far are you willing to go for medicine?

Many of my friends are unwilling to go outside of the country to pursue medicine because it means the possibility of never practicing in Canada. This was a choice they made because they decided they needed/wanted to live in Canada.

For me living in Canada is not as important as pursuing a career in medicine. Don't get me wrong; My family is in Canada. I was born and raised in Canada. I love Canada, and Canada will always be my home. But medicine is my dream.

dream vs. home -> winner = dream

For me it really is that simple.

aside from that I am still optimistic that there will be changes in Canadian IMG policy. I will TRY to practice in Canada, but I'm not pinning my hopes on it. I'm willing to practice wherever I need to, in order to get my foot in the door (read: North Battlefield, Sask.).

I know that this decision is complicated; heck, it could determine the way that the rest of your life unfolds. The only advice I can really give is this:

think long and hard about what you want, and then keep thinking until you get a decision you're confident about.

(oh yeah, and do plenty of research)

Cheers,

Silenthunder

 

[leorl]

It is a hard decision and you really do have to think about your priorities. I've always been a travel bug and never have had much attachment with home, never been homesick, never really had a reason for going home. So when a chance came to study abroad, I took it because I've always wanted to live in Europe for awhile (I'm in Ireland). And I've made the right choice, I love it here, I love my friends here. But having said that, there are times when you'll be dying for home - when you're sick/injured/just depressed, etc and it's worse when you see all your UK and Irish friends skip town back to home whenever they feel like it.

It does mean accepting certain risks. Will I get the residency of my choice? I don't know, maybe not. Coming from Ireland, I'm fairly sure I can land a program in the US, but again it's not certain. The main reason I came here is because I wanted the chance to do and see something different. I didn't come here because I found the prospect of studying medicine in the US unrealistic (ie. I had good enough grades and MCAT scores to study in the US).

You have to evaluate how much medicine really means to you. Will you practice medicine even if maybe you can't practice in Canada again? How much is it worth to you? Are you doing this just because you think it unlikely that you'll be accepted by a Canadian university? Ontario seems to be one of the hardest to get into. Wait and see how this shot goes. It seems to me that Ontario is the place for you, and going abroad may not be the right choice for you.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I guess because I grew up in a military family, always moving, I never really felt tied to this country or any place in particular.

It was hard leaving my friends and family but the adventure was worth it for me and I didn't really give it much pause when I decided to go.

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by gpannu
Hey,

Just a quick question:

How did you guys and girls have guts to leave home? I want to become a doctor but I also want to practice and live in Canada, especially, Ontario. It seems the more I read the more obvious it seems that attending medical schoo out side of Canada and returning home to practice seems unlikely. My only other option is to attend law school next fall. I defered my admission to law school to give meds another crack. One my buddies in Ireland just received a 94% on his USMLE. Sometimes I wonder why I don't have the guts to just go. I don't I guess i'm confused and looking for some answers to why some of you wanted to leave.

I love the city I grew up in and I can't imagine living anywhere else. The thought of living in the U.S., doesn't seem very appealing to me. It's not that it's a bad place I don't think it will ever feel like home.

I know how you feel..it was tough to me to leave as well....but in the end it all depends on how bad you want something. It will obviously be much easier for you if everything works out for you in Canada...but if it doesn't then I guess the decision you have to ultimately make is whether or not you are ready to take a risk...

Remember there is the potential that after all of this hard work you could end up with nothing. Laws chance quickly and in 4 years who knows what will happen.

If you decide to leave make sure that you know what you are getting yourself into. Australia isn't that far away (well it is)..but if you think about it this way I see my family only one time less per year than my friends who go to Windsor do.

 

[tl47]

Hey, I came from a foreign country to the US alone. So I guess that was a "tough" decision for me. But then, where I come from, if you are *fortunate* enough, you get the opportunity to go to the States (or UK or other countries) for higher education. I really think this is difference with the environment we grow up in. You can easily think of going to other lands as a golden opportunity for adventure, learning (not just in the subject matters, but culture, people, languages, lifestyles, philosophy, everything else that are different), and make new friends; or you can just as easily think of it as a dreaded thing whereby you lose your (false) sense of security and comforts of home.

If you are deciding, it is entirely up to you as all others said. I have a colleague who hated all his business trips, and his vacations are spent around the home area. He was forced by work to go to Asia, and he dreaded it. Ended up, instead of coming back with grand tales of the wonderful things there, he only stayed in the hotel most times. I spoke to him a lot and tried to convince him of the benefits of traveling and the wonderfulness of it all, but to no avail. I thought the actual trip would convince him otherwise, but it did not (since he didn't step out much). So I guess, people can be very different in nature and upbringing. I guess... it is truly up to you and your ability to get out of your comfort zone. I highly recommend you give it a shot, just to challenge yourself. Might find some hidden talents you have yet to discover .

On the other hand, if you are "doomed" to go overseas ... I recommend you take a highly positive attitude to it. Just imagine the many people in so many places where they think it is a *chance in a lifetime* to go traveling outside their countries. And don't think that they don't like/love their country (they do... and it is more comfortable to them... even now I think my home country is a lot nicer than US), but the chance to travel so far ($$$ and all) and to see, meet and make friends with so many different people, to study/work with them, and to have the adventure is wonderful. How can you get such an experience if you don't step out?

Sure you watched Aladdin sometime ago? Remember the song, "A Whole New World"? It's that kind of spirit/celebration. And like traveling overseas, marriage and relationships (especially from very very different backgrounds) can easily be just as scary a thought! But with the right attitude of stepping forward and embracing changes and experimenting with different things is wonderful. This coming from a person who didn't eat tofu or fish in the past, or anything mushy (but was forced by mom to eat it, or get twice as many ). And btw, I love both of them very very much now thanks to my mom. (Not to mention durians... stinky, mushy fruits ).

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by tl47
Hey, I came from a foreign country to the US alone. So I guess that was a "tough" decision for me. But then, where I come from, if you are *fortunate* enough, you get the opportunity to go to the States (or UK or other countries) for higher education. I really think this is difference with the environment we grow up in. You can easily think of going to other lands as a golden opportunity for adventure, learning (not just in the subject matters, but culture, people, languages, lifestyles, philosophy, everything else that are different), and make new friends; or you can just as easily think of it as a dreaded thing whereby you lose your (false) sense of security and comforts of home.

If you are deciding, it is entirely up to you as all others said. I have a colleague who hated all his business trips, and his vacations are spent around the home area. He was forced by work to go to Asia, and he dreaded it. Ended up, instead of coming back with grand tales of the wonderful things there, he only stayed in the hotel most times. I spoke to him a lot and tried to convince him of the benefits of traveling and the wonderfulness of it all, but to no avail. I thought the actual trip would convince him otherwise, but it did not (since he didn't step out much). So I guess, people can be very different in nature and upbringing. I guess... it is truly up to you and your ability to get out of your comfort zone. I highly recommend you give it a shot, just to challenge yourself. Might find some hidden talents you have yet to discover .

On the other hand, if you are "doomed" to go overseas ... I recommend you take a highly positive attitude to it. Just imagine the many people in so many places where they think it is a *chance in a lifetime* to go traveling outside their countries. And don't think that they don't like/love their country (they do... and it is more comfortable to them... even now I think my home country is a lot nicer than US), but the chance to travel so far ($$$ and all) and to see, meet and make friends with so many different people, to study/work with them, and to have the adventure is wonderful. How can you get such an experience if you don't step out?

Sure you watched Aladdin sometime ago? Remember the song, "A Whole New World"? It's that kind of spirit/celebration. And like traveling overseas, marriage and relationships (especially from very very different backgrounds) can easily be just as scary a thought! But with the right attitude of stepping forward and embracing changes and experimenting with different things is wonderful. This coming from a person who didn't eat tofu or fish in the past, or anything mushy (but was forced by mom to eat it, or get twice as many ). And btw, I love both of them very very much now thanks to my mom. (Not to mention durians... stinky, mushy fruits ).

tl47 this was a great post!

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by gpannu
Hey,

Just a quick question:

How did you guys and girls have guts to leave home? I want to become a doctor but I also want to practice and live in Canada, especially, Ontario. It seems the more I read the more obvious it seems that attending medical schoo out side of Canada and returning home to practice seems unlikely. My only other option is to attend law school next fall. I defered my admission to law school to give meds another crack. One my buddies in Ireland just received a 94% on his USMLE. Sometimes I wonder why I don't have the guts to just go. I don't I guess i'm confused and looking for some answers to why some of you wanted to leave.

I love the city I grew up in and I can't imagine living anywhere else. The thought of living in the U.S., doesn't seem very appealing to me. It's not that it's a bad place I don't think it will ever feel like home.

If you do decide to go to Australia I'm sure you will find it is very similar to Canada in a lot of ways. You may not be as homesick there as you would be in other countries.

 

[texasblue]

I've travelled a lot and have lived in many cities and my thought has always been you can ALWAYS go home. You can ALWAYS change your mind and leave. But it doesn't work in reverse, and as you get older and responsibilities and obligations increase, the opportunity and ability to leave become more and more difficult. If it is your nature, you will take advantage of it now. As long as you are where you are happy.

 

[pitman]

tl47, your wonderful post was apropos -- tonight I was in the gym telling some foreigners attending college here I was going to Aus. for med school. "Why would you do that? The US is awesome, the education is great, I love it here, love the culture, not like home...", etc. I almost expect this sort of attitude from Americans, but from a visiting Moroccan, a Saudi, and a Panamanian? "So the US is the center of the universe, and there's no need for Americans to explore other cultures?". "Ahhh...understood".

-pitman

 

[bgeez]

great post tl47.
similar to tl47, i came to US when i was 19 to attend university, didnt know anyone in the US. it was a difficult decision but also an exciting one to come here. i learnt a lot about American culture, made some good frens and gathered some life experiences and now I am heading to Australia.

 

[Liz_on_GH]

Hi!

There is a great website regarding Medical Schools
located in the Caribbean: *****************.com

 

[Liz_on_GH]

Hi!

There is a great website regarding Medical Schools
located in the Caribbean:

Caribbean Medical Schools - Online Guide

****

Hope it helps! Spread the word!!

Edited by DrMom. If you want to advertise on SDN, you can either post in the free classifieds forum or become a paying advertiser.

 

[The Pill Counter]

I jumped at the chance to get the hell out of Ontario, two years later and I haven't looked back. Wherever I end up, we'll see. I've lived in Europe, Canada, now Australia, maybe the US next, just another place to work, come home, pay taxes and grow a little older. It's all the same to me.