When foreign men search through the Internet and see many of the
Young Russian ladies they are often surprised at how many of these
young ladies have a higher education. Of great interest to these men
are the number of young women, 23 to 25 years of age who put there
education and profession of that of a doctor. Many of the men have a
hard time believing this and keep asking the same questions
regarding this being a doctor, over and over again.
Perhaps, even you have asked the same question:
Is it possible for these young women to be a doctor?
Yes, guys, it is possible and I want to explain a
little bit about the educational system in Russia. Believe me, I
know what I am talking about because I finished the medical
university myself, in Russia. Don’t expect a detailed report in this
short article, as it is not my goal today but rather a short and
general picture.
In Russia, students usually finished middle
school, which is equivalent to American high schools, when they are
17 years old.
Those, who wish to become doctors, enter into the
medical University immediately. They finish middle school in June
and by August have pass the entrance exam to the university. In
September they begin their first year as students of the medical
university. Each medical University has a strict program. And
students can not choose their own schedule or classes. They have to
go to the University EVERY day for 6 years. Classes begin a 8.00
a.m. and continue on till 5.00 p.m. every day except Sundays. Of
course after school they have a great deal of homework
They have very short vacation after New Years
from 10-14 days and about one month in the summer. June is a
completely busy month because they final exams at the end of each
year and in July they have internships in the hospitals. This
practice continues until the middle of August and a new school year
begins again in September. As in the previous year, there are no
choices of classes. The curriculum is defined by the school
There is literally no missing of classes whether
for illness or any other reason. If a student is ill, they must make
up for the missed classes and prove to the teacher that they know
the material
If young woman gets married and then pregnant,
she has opportunity to miss one year of her studies and then return
to the same level which she missed. It is call “academic vacation“
Very often a pregnant woman will choose another
alternative, that of continuing on in classes, uninterrupted until
the birth of the baby. Women who chose not to miss a year by taking
the “academic vacation” do so without any special considerations
given to them. They don’t want to miss a year and continue going to
school as other students They will be treat as all other students
are, and will attend University every day. When it comes time to
deliver the baby, these women miss about three to five days of
school and then returns to classes.
The academic pace is very difficult, the courses
are very stringent and the hours that need to be devoted to study
are very lengthy. The first three years of study has a great deal of
attrition. More than a third of the students who enter the first
year, drop out by the third year. Virtual all who remain will go on
to finish their studies
Beginning in the third year students study
clinical disciplines such as surgery, therapies, ophthalmology,
gynecology and others. Their lessons are conducted no only in school
but at special hospitals. These hospitals have special auditoriums
where the students can study the theoretical part of their
curriculum and after classes get to see patients and obtain practice
skills. This has nothing to do with the summer internships, which
they still must attend from June through the middle of August. After
six years of university level classes these student are required to
take and pass a government exam. Upon successful completion of the
government exam, they are ready to take up residency to continue on
to being a medical doctor. So, lets do the math. A young woman enter
the university system at 17 and spend six years to graduate That
makes her 23 when she gets her medical degree to be called doctor.
That does not mean she has finished her education because she still
has to take up residency in a hospital and is still under
supervision.
It is not that much different in the American
system. A young woman graduates high school at 18 and enters a four
year university. After that she has three more years of medical
school. If all is well, she graduates with her medical degree.
Let’s see, enters college at 18 plus 4 years of
university and 3 years of medical school. This young women will be
25 when she becomes a resident at a hospital.
It reality there is only one year’s difference
between a young Russian girl and a American girl.
Russian doctors seem to have a heart from gold.
Doctors in Russia work very hard and earn very little money and
often times work for months before they are paid by the government.
But their devotion to their profession is one of being commendable.
Their concerns for their patients far out ways their concern for
money. Because of this low pay, these women doctors who have placed
their name on the Internet are very surprised when a foreign man
pays a great deal of attention to the fact that they are doctors.
But in the western world the opposite holds true
and if you married a Russian woman who happens to be a doctor, she
will be surprised and shocked when she sees how much respect and
attention is paid to western medicine. She will even be more
astounded to learn the type of life style a western doctor has
compared to those of the former Soviet Union.
So, what type of family situation can you expect
when you marry a Russian doctor? I want to discuss a few common
situations that can occur. I personal know about them, because I
know a lot of the Russian doctors thru my own website for
immigrants.
1. Woman who have decided to pass the
exams and practice medicine in USA.
She has a very supportive husband who respects
her wishes and encourages her to study for the one to two years it
may take before she can take her board exams He is the type of man
who fully supports the family, paying for all the expenses his wife
will incur to complete her studies. He is also willing to relocate
if his wife needs to set up hospital residency in another state
knowing that he will see his wife very little as she spends 12 to 16
hours a day in the hospital.
The number of men willing to go to this length
for his wife: a very small percentage
2. Women want to study and pass the exams
but is prevented from doing so because of family situations:
Unfortunately, the family unit cannot survive
without a two income household. Because she has not had her
education recognized by the authorities where she lives, the only
jobs available to her are low paying, entry type jobs. This does not
allow her the time or the means to get the continuing education she
would need to apply for a medical license.
The percentage of women in this position is very
large,
3. The husband doesn’t want his wife to
work at all.
He doesn’t care that she is a doctor. He just
want a women with “old family values” who will stay at home to cook
clean and be a “wife”.The chances of finding and keeping this kind
of woman is very slim but he may just be lucky enough to find such a
woman who is willing to give up her life long profession and trade
it in for a apron and title of housewife..
The percentage of women in this category;
very small!
4. Women who are content with the
situation:
There are many woman in a similar position as
number 2 above but are still able to get some education. These woman
usually try to find work in the medical field although the income is
low. They have given up on being a doctor but still want to work in
the medical field and take the low paying jobs that are offered.
Percentage of women in this category is also
large.
5. Alternatives to Medicine
Even though the understand the prestige of being
a doctor in the western world as compared to Russia, they desire to
pursue other avenues and leave their medical degree behind.
