I have a friend who underwent a medical certification program in America. Had a chat with her this morning. She said that the process might take 2-3 years. She also said that the medical part is hardly trivial.
Here is a transcript from our chat, so see for yourself (pardon her typos, she was at work, and generally not caring about typos):
What your friend is referring to is the United States Medical Licensing Exam also known as the USMLE's.
No one, under ANY circumstances, can practise medicine in the US without passing this exam. This applies to domestic medical school graduates as well as international graduates...
If your friend was silly enough to travel to the US FIRST before writing this exam and then complain about having to sit around not earning while preparing for and writing these exams then they only have themselves to blame!
I know plenty of people who have written, and passed, the USMLE's. In every case they stayed at home and worked locally while preparing and writing these exams. One is NOT required to go to the USA to either prepare or write these exams.
As for the content that is examined the USMLE's concentrate a lot on cell biology and genetics - these topics are often not well covered in undergraduate medical courses that are located outside Western Europe, Canada, and Oceania. So, yes, it may take time to adequately prepare for these exams...
However, all you have done is move the goalposts! It still has nothing to do with your assertion that doctors are required to work without pay... No doctor can work in a particular jurisdiction until they have fulfilled the conditions for registration!