Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Becoming A Doctor How? Where? How Much? When? Will It Be A Dream?

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Quality of The Education

There is no such thing as the more you pay, the more you experience the quality of education. Cost and quality are two different entities when it comes to medicine.

As students are not able to evaluate procedure for foreign universiti­es, clarify informatio­n with the present students and with passed out doctors who followed the same course. You can visit the website of the university and check their facilities, curriculum, assignment procedure, reputation of the lecturers, research publicatio­ns, laboratori­es and library facilities and hospital facilities for clinical education.

All state universiti­es and some of the private universiti­es allow the students to do the clinical training ( Practice) in state hospitals. Therefore, students can get better clinical studies.

https:// www. topunivers­ities. com/ university- rankings- articles/university-subject-rankings/ top-medical-schools-2015

https:// www. topunivers­ities. com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2018/medicine

Recognitio­n of the University

When you are selecting a university you should always check the recognitio­n of local and foreign medical boards such as SLMC ( Sri Lanka Medical Council), WHO ( World Health Organisati­on), GMC ( General Medical Council), AMC ( Australian Medical Council). Attending one of the listed universiti­es would make the student a world recognised medical doctor. Also, upon completion, the student will be eligible to sit for the entrance exam and fulfil the requiremen­t and practice in that particular country.

Internship­s

When it comes to internship­s, Sri Lankan medical council will assign a hospital according the student’s merit list of the ERPM ( Act 16). But some countries such as China, Nepal provide internship­s soon after the completion of the degree. And, also, in some countries such as Belarus, Russia, Bangladesh students are allowed to do an internship for an additional fee.

FOR INQUIRES AND MEDICAL CAREER CONSULTATI­ON CALL

DR.HARRY PRASAD:

0777 30 10 80

Hostel Facilities

University will provide on campus and off campus hostels. On Campus Hostels are facilities located in the university premises or university related apartments. Off campus apartments are hostel facilities outside the university. Hostel rooms are shared by minimum of 2 and maximum of 6 students. In some Universiti­es students can get individual rooms and in certain universiti­es they can get sharing basis.

Duration of the Course

How many years to complete? Does this involve additional year to learn a new language. Do you have to do internship in that country? Remember that, now, all foreign graduates have to do oneyear internship in Sri Lanka after passing ERPM ( Act 16) examinatio­n conducted by SLMC. Mostly MBBS curriculum consists of 5 years and MD curriculum consists of 6 years. Internship will be almost, always 1 year duration.

Medium of Instructio­n

It’s always wise to attend a university which offers its courses in English. This will benefit a student when sitting for the EPRM ( ACT 16) examinatio­n in Sri Lanka. However, during clinical studies, students must possess conversati­onal native language skills to efficientl­y communicat­e with patients. ( Apart from Australia, UK, and USA there aren’t many countries who has 100% English clinical studies.)

For Sri Lankan students who studied in Sinhalese or Tamil medium, learning a new language will not be difficult as bilinguali­sm is an innate asset. Students will be exposed to many native- language speakers thus giving them a practical environmen­t to hone the new language. And also few universiti­es around the world teach the native language within the curriculum which will help them to communicat­e with their patients during clinical. This pattern will not have an impact on the course duration.

ERPM (Act 16) Examinatio­n Conducted by SLMC

Although the principles of medical practice remain the same, clinical teaching and the relative emphasis on various aspects of training differ from country to country, depending on the pattern of disease prevalence and the facilities and resources available for treating them. Hence after you obtain MBBS or an equivalent degree from a recognised foreign university, you must pass the Examinatio­n for Registrati­on to Practice Medicine ( ERPM) in Sri Lanka (formerly known as Act 16) conducted by the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC).

ERPM examinatio­n guideline ( exam pattern and structure) will change time to time. Students should be updated on this process.

Format of ERPM:

Part A – Written Papers Part B – Clinical and Oral examinatio­n

Job Opportunit­ies

Most of the Universiti­es will not allow students to work either parttime or Full- time, but very few universiti­es will allow them to work outside school hours. However, there are some counties such as

Australia, U.S, UK which allows the student to work 20 hours per week. It is highly recommende­d not to work during study periods and to be focused on studies.

The WHO estimates that at least 2.5 physicians, nurses, and midwives per 1,000 people are needed to provide adequate coverage with primary care interventi­ons associated with achieving the Millennium Developmen­t Goals. As per the statistics of WHO, demand for doctors are high there for job opportunit­ies for them is on the rise. A Doctor’s earning will vary from country to country.

But some countries such as China, Nepal provide internship­s soon after the completion of the degree. And, also, in some countries such as Belarus, Russia, Bangladesh students are allowed to do an internship for an additional fee.

For Sri Lankan students who studied in Sinhalese or Tamil medium, learning a new language will not be difficult as bilinguali­sm is an innate asset. Students will be exposed to many native-language speakers thus giving them a practical environmen­t to hone the new language. And also few universiti­es around the world teach the native language within the curriculum which will help them to communicat­e with their patients during clinical. This pattern will not have an impact on the course duration.

FIND US!

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DR.HARRY PRASAD: 0777 30 10 80

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Most of the Universiti­es will not allow students to work either part-time or Full- time, but very few universiti­es will allow them to work outside school hours. However, there are some counties such as Australia, U.S, UK which allows the student to work 20 hours per week. It is highly recommende­d not to work during study periods and to be focused on studies.

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