British Students’ Pursuit of Medical Training Overseas

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Numerous medical universities in Europe are training the future generation of doctors and dentists. This is how current students are working around the ongoing struggles of getting into medical institutions in the United Kingdom.

Educational Consultancy Start-up

British educational consultant and Entrepreneur Dr Sam El mais, the director of Medlink Students Ltd, confirms the above.

“I graduated as a medical doctor from Romania then returned to the U.K. and registered as a physician. I found that students were not receiving the best advise on their options abroad, so several years ago, I set up the start-up Medlink Students Ltd,” says Dr Sam El Mais during an interview from his busy business office.

Authorised as an official representative by a group of prestigious universities, Medlink Students Ltd encourages applicants to pursue their dreams of becoming doctors abroad. Sam has a team of student support officers working across Europe to help British students with the transition overseas.

Medlink Students Ltd helps clients apply to higher education institutions in Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria and many other European universities.

Popular Destinations for Clients

“We’ve found that most British students are interested in financially affordable countries such as Ukraine. One of the most popular universities for studying medicine in English abroad has been Dnipro Medical Institute in Ukraine” attests Dr Sam.

Taking into account that the courses offered are 5-6 years long, many students don’t think twice about going abroad for this period.

Statistics from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) showed that only one-third of medical applicants secured a place in Britain’s medical universities in 2018.

The competition is fierce in the U.K. Combined with rocketing tuition costs and living expenses; students are opting for more realistic paths to pursue their dreams of becoming doctors.

BREXIT, Politics & Training in Europe

With Brexit looming on us this year, it’s expected that students, businesses and companies worry about the repercussions. However, Chris (26) who is a final-year medical student at Dnipro Medical Institute, reassures us that he's not concerned. “Brexit is a good thing for us overseas-trained doctors.

As a result of the U.K. leaving the European Union, the General Medical Council will be introducing the U.K. Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA) for all graduates – whether you graduate from the U.K. or abroad.

It puts everybody on the same pedestal. Hence it doesn’t matter where you receive your certification from anymore; as long as you genuinely passed your exams at medical school, then you have nothing to stress about.”

Safety for Clients Abroad

We asked one of the company’s careers consultants based in Leeds, U.K., Edmund, about a concern expressed by many students and their parents - safety.

Expert Advisor Edmund said “the most important thing to know is that safety is just as essential for us, as it is for students and their families.

Before we sign partnership contracts with our universities, we account for the liabilities, value and assets the area offers to potential students. We research and scope out the city, the surrounding areas and the safety of the place.

We make sure that our international students are going to be comfortable and happy living there.”

Accreditation & Recognition Worldwide

The medical training institutions in Europe are recognised in their respective countries. Medlink Students ensure that their clients will attend training universities that are recognised by the World Directory of Medical Schools. Hence, the return on investment is worth it for students because they can return to their countries as employable doctors.

Furthermore, some students opt for UCAT tuition (University Clinical Aptitude Test) to enhance their chances of admission to top medical schools in the UK.