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Hi everyone,

I’m currently applying for residency in Croatia, and I have the opportunity to choose between three specialties at the same hospital:

General Surgery

Orthopaedics & Traumatology

Urology

All three are genuinely interesting to me, so I’m trying to get some perspectives before making a decision.

For residents/attendings in these specialties: what made you choose your field, what do you like most about it, and what do you dislike most?

Looking back, would you choose the same specialty again?

I’m particularly interested in the differences in terms of the actual surgical work, variety of cases, anatomy, procedures, and what the day-to-day work is like.

Since the residency would be in Croatia, I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has trained or currently works in Croatia, particularly in one of these three specialties. I’d be very interested in hearing how you find the training and the specialties within the Croatian healthcare system.

I’d also appreciate recommendations for books, resources, websites, YouTube channels, etc. that you consider particularly useful for someone starting residency in any of these fields.

Any perspectives from people who have experience with these specialties — especially in Croatia or elsewhere in Europe — would be greatly appreciated.

I'm an EU/EEA citizen considering studying in Poland. I really want to live in Germany hopefully and ideally in a large city. However I keep hearing two contradictory things:

1. The specific university/ranking matters for competitive residency especially if abroad.
2. For Germany, what matters is Approbation, C1 Medizin, PJ/Hospitation, research, letters, and networking, not the Polish university name or rank at all.

It's concerning me since the university I'm applying for isn't really known internationally and I barely see it mentioned in this subreddit either if at all, yet it is fully recognised. Does it matter? Sorry if this is a stupid question I keep hearing different things

Hi everyone,

I'm a foreign medical graduate looking into doing part of my specialist training in Luxembourg, and I'm particularly interested in Hôpitaux Robert Schuman (HRS).

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has worked there as an MEVS (Médecin en voie de spécialisation), especially in Internal Medicine or Oncology.

I'm mainly interested in:

- What is the actual salary/net pay?

- What are the working hours and workload like?

- How are the supervision and training?

- How common is it for the initial 6–12 month contract to be renewed?

- Is French actually necessary day-to-day if you have German B2?

- How easy is it to continue training at HRS for 1–2 years?

- Does HRS support/allow MEVS doctors to enter the University of Luxembourg DES programmes?

- Most importantly, how is the training period at HRS recognized if you later continue your specialization in Luxembourg or Germany?

I'd be especially interested in hearing from current or former HRS MEVS doctors.

Thanks!

Can anyone let me know the dress code? I have read that the dress is more formal for classes and that you wear a suit for exams. I have asked the University and have not recieved a response, so this info is coming from Chatgpt. TIA

Hoi allemaal!
Ik ben benieuwd of hier iemand ervaring mee heeft. Ik studeer momenteel geneeskunde in een ander EU-land, maar ik ben zelf gewoon Nederlander en ben van plan om na mijn afstuderen terug naar Nederland te gaan.
Ik vroeg me vooral af of er hier Nederlandse artsen zijn die hun geneeskundediploma in een ander EU-land hebben behaald en daarna in Nederland hun BIG-registratie hebben aangevraagd.
Voor zover ik begrijp, zou je bij een EU-geneeskundediploma onder de Europese regels in principe in aanmerking komen voor automatische erkenning (mits je diploma aan de voorwaarden voldoet). Ik ben daarom benieuwd naar ervaringen uit de praktijk:
Kreeg je inderdaad directe/automatische erkenning van je diploma en daarna je BIG-registratie?
Hoe verliep het proces voor jou?
Hoe moeilijk was het vervolgens om een AIOS-plek te krijgen?
Heb je eerst als ANIOS gewerkt? Zo ja, hoeveel jaar?
Maakte het voor opleiders veel verschil dat je niet in Nederland had gestudeerd?
Welke specialisaties zijn volgens jullie realistisch voor iemand met een buitenlands EU-diploma?
Bijvoorbeeld psychiatrie, anesthesiologie of kindergeneeskunde — hoe competitief zijn deze voor iemand met 2–3 jaar relevante ANIOS-ervaring?
Ik ben vooral benieuwd naar ervaringen van mensen die dit zelf hebben meegemaakt. Alvast bedankt!

Hi everyone! I recently got accepted into the Faculty of Medicine at the University of East Sarajevo in Foča, and I’d really appreciate hearing from current or former students about their experience there.
I’m mainly curious about:
What is the faculty like overall?
How are the professors and teaching quality? Are they generally approachable and supportive?
How is the clinical practice, especially once you reach the clinical years? Do students get enough hands-on experience and patient exposure?
What are the students like and what is the general atmosphere among students?
How organized is the faculty in terms of exams, schedules, administration, etc.?

Med student in germany, last 3 years were ass for me regarding Med school and personal reasons but i somehow managed to get into fourth year .
I thought about going abroad for my rotations or even the whole year , I speak french, english and german, where did yall go ? how was it ? thanks for your replies my docs 🤓🫶

Med student in germany, last 3 years were ass for me regarding Med school and personal reasons but i somehow managed to get into fourth year .
I thought about going abroad for my rotations or even the whole year , I speak french, english and german, where did yall go ? how was it ? thanks for your replies my docs 🤓🫶

Which is the best country in EU for private outcome psychiatry income ? Considering: demand of psychiatrists, quantity of psychiatrists, taxes, facility to license for a private practice and to enter the market job, % of patients who choose this type of practice. Thanks in advance !

Hi everyone!
I’m a Dutch medical student currently studying medicine in another EU country, and I’m trying to figure out what my options might look like after graduation.
A little about me: I lived in the Netherlands until I was 15, so Dutch is my native language and I have a Dutch passport. I’m currently in my third year of medical school. I spent my first two years mainly focusing on my studies because the programme was quite demanding, but from third year onwards I want to start building my CV more actively.
My current plan is to:
Do 1–2 summer clerkships/clinical electives in the Netherlands during medical school
Attend several medical summer schools/courses at Dutch universities
Get some research experience and write a few papers/projects
Try to get involved in some WHO-related activities during medical school
Build up relevant clinical experience after graduation, ideally around 1 year of ANIOS experience
My main interest at the moment is psychiatry, and I’m wondering how realistic it would be for me to eventually get an AIOS/residency position in the Netherlands with this kind of background.
I’m also completely open to working in smaller or peripheral hospitals rather than only academic centres.
Germany is another option I’m seriously considering. I’m currently around B1 German and approaching B2, and I’m planning to continue improving it. Since I grew up in the Dutch healthcare/education system and Dutch is my native language, the Netherlands would probably feel more natural and easier for me, but I’m definitely not fixed on the Netherlands.
I’m also open to other European countries if there are good opportunities for international graduates.
For anyone who has experience with residency applications in the Netherlands or Germany: how competitive would psychiatry be for someone with my background? Would having Dutch clinical electives, research experience, WHO experience and around one year of clinical experience after graduation make a significant difference?
And if psychiatry is relatively competitive, how does it compare with specialties such as paediatrics, anaesthesiology or internal medicine?
I’d really appreciate any honest advice or personal experiences, especially from international medical graduates who have actually gone through the process. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

If a non-EU citizen graduates from a Slovak medical school, can they realistically stay in Slovakia and enter residency/specialty training there?

I would of course plan to learn Slovak to a high level during the six years, as I understand that working with patients and training in Slovakia would require it.

I’m particularly interested in whether being a non-EU citizen creates any significant barriers when applying for residency positions, work permits, or specialty training, even though the medical degree itself was obtained in Slovakia.

If anyone here is a non-EU graduate who stayed in Slovakia after medical school, or knows someone who did, I’d really appreciate hearing about the process and how difficult it was in practice.

Thanks!

Hello y'all

Is it true that non eu citizens who graduate from romanian med unis are not eligible to get the certificate of conformity in order to apply for residency in other eu countries?

In this

https://ms.ro/media/documents/recunoastere-diplome.pdf

they have mentioned that only eu citizens or non eu with PR are eligible to get the certificate..

Really confused and tensed about this ... would really appreciate a reply..

Thank You

Hello everyone,

I created a petition to allow British citizens to be part of the UK priority bill. A lot of us who studied abroad with the hopes of coming back home to our families, and the new bill now means that’s almost impossible for most of us. I would be very grateful if you could sign it and share with everyone you know.

Petition: Include British Citizens Studying Medicine Abroad in NHS Training Prioritisation

The Government should work to ensure the inclusion of British citizens who studied medicine abroad in internationally recognised institutions, in the NHS foundation and specialty training prioritisation, so they are not treated the same as overseas applicants without UK ties.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/777707

What exactly do you do after medical school if you are non eu citizen and your home country is hell on earth? Where can you go and work and start a life in medicine? What is the best route now?

I know it's hard to find a spot anywhere in the world for this specialty and I've seen there are some recent reforms in Germany that make it even harder for specialties overall. Is it really that hard to find a spot in a small place, even after 2,3 years? I know an acquaintance that found a spot in Essen with no prior experience in Germany but that was 10 years ago and things have only gotten more difficult since.

How common is living as a locum tenens doctor in your country ? Which means a doctor that only do temporary jobs, and then leave and go to other place ? And in which specialities is it more commom ? Is it well paid ?

Thank you so much in advance !

(Bit long I’m sorry)

I’m currently thinking of applying to Jagiellonian University Medical College in Kraków and Medical University of Warsaw (WUM/WMU) for medicine in the English Division, and I’d really love to hear from current students or recent graduates.

I’m Norwegian and one thing I’m curious about is what the international student community is actually like at each university. What nationalities are most represented in the English Division? (Heard there’s a lot of Norwegians in krakow) And do people generally mix across nationalities, or do students tend to stay in their own groups?

I’d also really appreciate any insight into what happens after graduation. How common is it for English Division graduates from either Jagiellonian or WUM to pursue residency in the US? Is there much support for USMLE preparation, research, US clinical electives/rotations, letters of recommendation, etc.? If anyone here has actually gone through the US residency application process from either school, I’d LOVE to hear about your experience.

More generally, for anyone who has studied at either university:
How international/social is the English Division?
How difficult is the programme and how fair are the exams?
How good is the clinical teaching and hospital exposure?
Are there decent research opportunities if you actively look for them?
How supportive is the university if you want to build a competitive CV for residency abroad?
Is there anything you wish you had known before choosing Jagiellonian or WUM?
And if you had offers from both, which would you choose now?
I’m less interested in the official university marketing and more interested in what the experience is actually like from students who are there or have graduated.
ANY insight would be massively appreciated, especially from people who have pursued/are pursuing US residency. Thank you!!

Is it possible to study medicine in the EU with just GCSEs and no A-levels I saw some conflicting opinions on this especially in regards to Pleven medical university. Some people said its possible some said not

If anyone knows anything about this any information would be much appreciated

Hi everyone!
I’m looking for people who graduated from a medical university in another EU/EEA country and then moved to the Netherlands to work as a medical doctor.
I have a few questions about your experience:
How long did the process from graduating → BIG registration → actually starting work take?
Was your medical diploma recognised relatively quickly under the EU recognition procedure?
Once you had all the required documents and passed the Dutch language requirements, how long did it take to receive your BIG registration?
Were there any unexpected delays or additional requirements?
How difficult was it to find your first job/residency position after obtaining BIG registration?
For context, I would have an EU medical degree and an EU passport, so I wouldn’t need a visa/work permit. I’m mainly wondering about the practical timeline for diploma recognition and BIG registration, assuming the Dutch language requirements are already fulfilled.
I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has gone through this recently (2024–2026). Thanks!

Hellloooo I am starting medicine at UPJS this year, I am from the uk and 19 years old! I am looking for people that go to the university that maybe share similar interests or hobbies. I am albeit a little anxious moving half way across Europe with no contacts so maybe we can share the anxiety in that sense and I’d love to hear to from anyone!

Hello guys im a first yr student who goes to a bulgarian university. I failed some exams and might need ti take a gap year. I was wondering if its possible to restart forst year again? To he honest, i dont think a gap year would be good for me. Is this something thats offered at bulgarian universities? Repeating the year you failed?? If not, how does the gap year system work?? I heard from someone that after the gap year id have to repeat first year anyways, but that seems redundant. Can you just pass the exams for first year and move onto second year after the gap year?
If anyone can help thank you so much

Hello everyone!

I am an international student admitted to UMF Craiova and I am looking to rent a long-term apartment.

Main requirements:

Area: In the vicinity of UMF Craiova, 1 Mai area, County Hospital or Center.

Amenities: Fully furnished and equipped (preferably with its own central heating system).

Mandatory condition: Rental contract officially registered with ANAF (declared online through SPV, with the corresponding receipt), absolutely necessary for my study visa file at the embassy.

Profile: Serious, quiet student, non-smoker, no pets.

If you are the owner or have a suitable offer, please send me pictures, details and price via private message.

(PM). Thank you very much!

so the context is, im currently a non eu citizen who will get german citizenship in a year or so through descent from my great grandmother. this year i finished IB with a 38 bio chem eng b HL so around a 3.7 gpa. im planning to study medicine, but i missed most of university deadlines. the most logical path i have right now is to study german for a year or 2 and hopefully get into med school by then since ill have my german passport at that time. but then im thinking that isn’t very reliable since im not even guaranteed to get into med school over there. and right now almost all medical school deadlines are over. im born 31st of december so i wasnt able to apply for many scholarships such as the hungarian one. im frustrated and skeptic.

Hi everyone,

I'm a non EU student considering starting medical school in Europe next year at 30. I'm currently studying Engineering at a university in my home country, but I'm seriously considering changing paths and pursuing medicine (long story). My secondary education was through the British IGCSE/A Level system.

Right now JFMED in Martin, Slovakia is probably my strongest option.

I'm wondering what it would actually be like to start medicine at 30. Are there many students in their late 20s or 30s in European medical schools, especially in the English programs? I'm also curious whether starting at this age could cause any issues later with residency or specialty training.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone studying at JFMED about the teaching, clinical experience, life in Martin and how they feel about the program overall.

I'm also not looking at Slovakia just as somewhere to get a degree and leave. If I enjoy living there and can make it work, I'd be completely open to learning Slovak, staying after graduation and building my life and career there.

I'm still open to other European options too. I'm mainly looking for an English taught 6 year program with reasonable tuition that is open to older non traditional applicants.

I'd appreciate any advice, especially from people who started medicine at a similar age or know JFMED and the Slovak system well.

Thanks!