Challenges Faced by Indian Students after Completing MBBS in Russia

In the last few years, Russia has become the new favourite for students from India seeking to complete their MBBS degrees. Possessing higher education that is affordable owing to low tuition costs, and more notable recognition makes Russia one of the best countries for students. However, this does come with a price tag, where Indian students are said to go through rough issues after obtaining their MBBS in Russia for indian students, specifically in India. This paper addresses the major challenges students face after an MBBS abroad, concentrating specially on the problems they undergo in India when pursuing their career.

Read Also: 7 Reasons Why You Should Study MBBS in Russia in 2024

1. Language Barriers and Clinical Exposure

The language problem, after completing MBBS in Russia for Indian Students, is one of the several problems encountered by Indian students. Although most medical courses are taught in English in Russia, a good part of the exposure includes clinical meetings with patients speaking Russian.

• Students can hardly communicate effectively during the internship which limits their practical knowledge and confidence.
• Clinical Exposure Concerns: Health care and disease conditions in Russia may be dissimilar to those in India; hence, Indian students may not feel adequately prepared to face cases in their own country.

2. Clearing the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE/NExT)

Coming back from doing MBBS in Russia for Indian students brings with it its own challenge-known as going through the FMGE or the newly updated National Exit Test (NExT).

• Low pass percentage: FMGE is a really tough examination where it lasts at an average of 20-25% as pass percentage at times. Students who have been trained according to the different curriculum than the one set in India find it rather tough to cope as well as succeed in it.
• Lack of Preparatory Resources: People who have come back after studying in Russia are not at all looking for such a coaching resource, which is very limited to them.

3. Recognition and Accreditation Issues

The recognition is majorly a problem with most Russian MBBS graduates as now most of the Russian universities are recognized by MCI and now NMC, but then that degree from such institutions will have lesser weight in comparison to the ones who have been issued degrees from lesser quality institutions.

• Unrecognized Universities: Enrollment of students unknowingly into non-accredited institutions creates problems in registering them as licensed practitioners in India.
• Disparity in Curriculum: Indian medical authorities can ask if such foreign training has been equivalent to standard as well as practical requirements of the healthcare system in India.

4. Cultural and Emotional Adjustments

Studying MBBS in Russia for Indian students often means staying away from family for 5-6 years. Many of the students, who face the new environment, come out well, but return to India after MBBS in Russia may trigger cultural and emotional challenges.

• Reintegration Challenges: Re-adaptation in India becomes very challenging since most have spent years or more studying in a different culture and environment.
• Professional Isolation: Even the students coming from Russia found it difficult to assimilate themselves into medical fraternity in India as those students did not have social networks developed among their own classmates who graduated from India’s medical colleges.

5. Internship and Residency Allocation

After clearing FMGE or NExT, Indian students who did MBBS abroad have to do an internship in India compulsorily.

• Limited Internship Opportunities: Many students face difficulty in securing internship positions in reputable hospitals, as priority is given to graduates of Indian medical colleges.
• Delayed Career Advancement: The career advancement of foreign graduates is significantly hindered by bureaucratic and systemic delays in obtaining internship placements.

6. Financial Strain

The MBBS in Russia may appear comparatively affordable compared with private medical colleges in India, but the cost is still prohibitively high for many Indian families.

• These extra costs involve the preparation fee for FMGE/NExT and licensing and interning fees in India.
• Delayed Income: The students leads to financial stress as the duration taken to clear exams and complete internships delays students’ entry into earning capabilities.

7. Employment and Career Challenges

The aim of studying MBBS abroad is to have a flourishing medical career. But Indian MBBS graduates from Russia face various career barriers.
This once again increases the preference for Indian Graduates. Many hospitals and clinics in India have a strong bias against hiring medical graduates from Russia.

• Specialization Hamper: Now, if anybody wants to pursue post graduate studies like MD or MS in India, many other highly competitive exams like NEET-PG come to the fore.
• The perception that foreign medical graduates are inferior to their Indian counterparts continues to impact their career prospects and overall professional image negatively.

8. Adapting to the Indian Healthcare System

The healthcare system in India is very different as compared Russia in terms of health infrastructure and disease patterns.

• Disease Profiles: Most of the diseases commonly found in India, common and tropical diseases, do not exist in Russia.
• Resource constraints: It can be extremely problematic for returning students because the healthcare system is so deficient with very high loads of patients.

9. Visa and Legal Complications

The students who wish to go back for education or practice here in Russia may find some sort of hurdles concerning visa and legal requirements. Also, proper documentation of degree equivalence and licensure in India is time-consuming.

10. Mental Health Concerns

The combination of pressures of success and struggle for reintegration into the Indian medical ecosystem has taken its toll on the mental health of students.

• FMGE-related stress: Anxiety and depression are results of the fear of not clearing FMGE/Next.
• Isolation: Lack of collaborative support adds to the burden on the mental health of foreign medical graduates.

Tips to Overcome These Challenges

Practical solutions exist, however, in navigating the challenges students in India face after the completion of MBBS abroad. Early action will attract verifications from the NMC and academic institutions regarding Russian universities planned for studies. This would include a high return from learning Russian in acquiring skills on clinical exposure, thus patient interaction.

1. FMGE Preparation: Begin preparation for FMGE/NExT in the last years in Russia, enrolling in online/offline coaching programs designed for Indian medical systems.
2. Networking: Join peer groups of Indian graduates in medicine to create a pool of resources, advice and opportunities.
3. Mental Health Support: Seek counseling or peer-support groups, as needed, through which to cope with stress and emotional challenges.
4. Adaptation Program: Enroll for a bridge course or clinical training program tailored to the needs of foreign medical graduates to orient them towards the workings of India’s health system.

Conclusion

Though there are numerous advantages to studying MBBS in Russia for Indian Students, the challenges Indian students face after MBBS abroad, especially upon returning to India, are quite significant. Clearing licensing exams like FMGE/NExT and adapting to the Indian health-care system are some of the many hurdles a student faces before establishing a successful medical career in India or abroad.