Global medical pathways after Grade 12

Choosing the right medical pathway after Grade 12 takes more than ambition. It now demands a sharp understanding of how global medical education actually works beyond the glossy brochures and familiar myths.

That was one of the key takeaways from a spotlight session on “Choosing the right medical pathways after Grade 12” featuring Isha Bhandari, Regional Manager, Middle East and North Africa, GEDU Global Education, at the Gulf News Edufair Abu Dhabi 2026, held at Radisson Blu Hotel & Resort, Abu Dhabi Corniche from May 16 to 17.

Speaking to students and parents exploring medicine abroad, Bhandari challenges the long-held belief that medical education in countries like the US is nearly impossible to access straight after Grade 12. She explains that newer integrated pathways are changing how students approach medicine internationally.

“We have always heard that commerce students and AI students can get into colleges directly based on their Grade 12 results, but for medical students, there is always the stress of writing an entrance exam,” Bhandari says. “For us, there is no entrance exam to enter the university. All you have to do is perform well in biology and chemistry at your Grade 12 level.”

The session focused heavily on emerging international pathways, particularly integrated US-linked medical programmes that allow students to begin medicine directly after school rather than following the traditional American route of completing a separate bachelor’s degree first.

Bhandari explains that the conventional US medical track can stretch close to a decade. “The usual US pathway is four plus four. Four years of bachelor’s studies, followed by four years of medical school. Then students often take another gap year to prepare for the MCAT,” she says. “What we have done is create an integrated programme where students complete everything in six years.”

She also urges students to carefully investigate where and how they intend to eventually practise medicine rather than choosing universities blindly.

“Medicine is always more about the country than the university itself,” Bhandari believes. “The country you choose makes a huge difference.”

During the interactive discussion, she cautions students against assuming that all overseas medical pathways automatically lead to US board certification.

“What happens sometimes is that there are pathways that begin in the UK or MD programmes in the Caribbean, and then students are told they will become US board-certified doctors,” she says. “To become a US board-certified doctor, you need clinical experience and core clerkships in the US. You need hands-on experience in US hospitals because that becomes part of your portfolio.”

Parents attending the session also shared how perceptions around studying medicine abroad are beginning to shift.

One parent tells the audience that his family had always assumed studying medicine in the UK or US was financially and academically out of reach. “My daughter is already a doctor, but my perception was that getting into a UK or US university was extremely difficult and also very expensive,” he says. “But the way you explained it makes it sound less difficult than we usually think.”

Bhandari repeatedly encourages students to independently evaluate their options before committing to any programme.

“Do your research,” she says. “Use ChatGPT, Google, whatever helps you understand which is the best country to practise medicine in. I’m not saying you should come and join us. I would love to have you, but please do your research.”

The session also touched on postgraduate MD pathways, residency prospects, and the structure of clinical rotations in US-affiliated programmes. Bhandari explains that students enrolled in four-year MD programmes spend their initial academic years in the Bahamas before moving to the US for hospital rotations and clinical exposure.