International students seeking a medical degree in the United States face more difficulties than before.

First of all, there is often a language barrier. Students from non-English speaking countries could have a hard time understanding their work or communicating with professors.

Second, a medical education is very expensive. Firstly, students must complete an undergraduate degree. Next, most medical schools require at least four years of study. After medical school, students do at least three more years of training in their specific medical fields. They do receive some pay for this work.

In addition, many medical programs at public universities in the U.S. do not accept international students. And private universities have fewer openings, creating a great deal of competition.

However, receiving a medical education in the U.S. is not impossible. Fatima Ismail is an example. The 32-year-old woman from Dubai says she knew she wanted to be a doctor at a very early age. So Ismail completed medical school in her home country. Then she applied to a program at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Ismail spent time as an exchange student at Johns Hopkins during her time in medical school.

Paul White is the headmaster for medical school admissions at Johns Hopkins. He says some schools do accept students with undergraduate degrees from their home countries. But most, he says, require U.S. study.