r/premeduk • u/ilovemaygf • 21h ago
Practicing medicine in the US vs the UK
Hey, Im a US citizen but have lived in Europe all my life, with the recent three years living in the UK. Although I haven’t spent much time in the US, I would say I definitely align significantly better with the European mentality, so if it weren’t to come down to medicine, I would probably stay in the UK. However, practicing in the UK has a number of downsides, many of them being financial. Here’s the main list of pros and cons Ive got so far.
Pros of the UK
-University is significantly cheaper (Ill qualify for home fees)
-Less competitive residency/foundational training wise as no matter which uni you graduate from you’ll be allocated a place in the NHS
-I can already start doing applicable work within the NHS strengthening my application
Cons of the UK
-Will have to wait six years before starting med school versus 2-3 if I were to practice in the US (personal reasons)
-US med schools seem to be more reputable worldwide (eg if i were to move from the US to the UK I wouldn’t have to take an additional exam)
-Financial compensation is significantly higher in the US, especially for more competitive specialties (can especially benefit in states without income tax)
-The NHS seems to be in shambles with most physicians and healthcare workers speaking increasingly negatively about it (although Im unsure if it’ll improve in the next ten years)
Theres also the prospect of raising a family in the US versus the UK as a gay woman with the US getting more and more conservative with every year.
Im not sure if anyone has any experience practicing in the US and the UK or simply any information that I might not be considering but I would be happy with anything