Medical Training

 I have been interacting with the Greek medical students more and learning about how medical training works here. In the US you have 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of medical school, then 3-7 years of residency depending on what specialty you match into. Then there is the option of fellowship afterwards. In Greece, you begin with 6 years of medical school. The first 2 years are your didactic years, then you spend 4 years in a clinical setting. A new law was recently passed to where all of the residencies are now at least 5 years long. So the pathway actually ends up being the same with the shortest amount of time for both equalling 11 years. 

One thing that shocked me is how they do residency. It is literally just a list that you put your name on and then you have to wait. One student said that it is normal to wait over 10 years after you graduate for a spot to open in the specialty you want. There is no exam, grades, or qualifications that you can achieve to change where you are on the list. So the more desirable specialties and locations have long waiting periods. The student said this waiting is why many people end up trying to do residency in a different country. 

While I don't love the Match process we have in the US, after hearing how Greece does it, I like the process a lot more. I could not imagine going through school and then waiting years to even begin my training. It is funny to see how the system is set up in a similar manner, with the steps of increasing responsibility and the interactions between medical students, residents, attendings, and then the floor heads. 

Also some students have been asking me about taking STEP exams since they are considering trying to go to the US for residency. It felt so similar to the conversations I would have with my fellow DO med students about STEP. It has been cool to learn about how medical education works here and how, we students, all just have the same worries.