non-US citizen going to St. George's University

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I'm a non-US citizen who is considering SGU's MD program. Although I'm not a US citizen I have been in the US for the past 10 years studying and working, and want to come back to the US for residency. (please don't tell me to go and get a green card or residency. It's not that easy as it sounds..)

I'm wondering if there's any non-US citizen (also non-Canadian) who has gone to SGU and can tell me about their experiences including applying for the residency in the US.

Also I learned recently, non-US citizen SGU students cannot come to the US for their 3rd and 4th year clinical rotations since the US do not give visas for SGU students I'm wondering if not rotating in the US would hurt my chance of getting decent residency in the US even more so than US citizen SGU students. Thanks in advance!

Originally Posted by InterStudent

I'm a non-US citizen who is considering SGU's MD program. Although I'm not a US citizen I have been in the US for the past 10 years studying and working, and want to come back to the US for residency. (please don't tell me to go and get a green card or residency. It's not that easy as it sounds..)

I'm wondering if there's any non-US citizen (also non-Canadian) who has gone to SGU and can tell me about their experiences including applying for the residency in the US.

Also I learned recently, non-US citizen SGU students cannot come to the US for their 3rd and 4th year clinical rotations since the US do not give visas for SGU students I'm wondering if not rotating in the US would hurt my chance of getting decent residency in the US even more so than US citizen SGU students. Thanks in advance!

US residencies will require US clinical experience as a prerequisite, so you may be at a disadvantage in comparison with those students who have been doing their rotations in the US. Make sure you clarify the policy on non-US citizens and clinical rotations in US hospitals before deciding to attend SGU. If you're not allowed to rotate in the US as a student, then, after you graduate, you may have to do some externships to get US clinical experience.

How about Ross. Can it helps for non us and Canadian students, for getting US Visa for residence??

Originally Posted by SayerL

How about Ross. Can it helps for non us and Canadian students, for getting US Visa for residence??

The problem brought up in this thread is in regard to getting a US visa for the 3rd and 4th year clinical rotations. Residency programs themselves supply the necessary documentation for the accepted PGY-1 to get a US visa (as far as I understand; someone can correct me if I'm wrong).

Last I heard... of the major Caribbean medical schools, only SGU and AUC have rotations available outside the US (spots in the UK & Ireland).

I just confirmed that Ross, in fact, does not have clinical training available outside the US. <http://www.rossu.edu/medical-school/...s/hospital.cfm>

And to the original poster...
Without being able to get at least a year of US clinical experience, you'll face a significant uphill battle to get a residency spot.

As a US citizen IMG that attended AUC and matched into residency training, I strongly suggest you do not embark upon this endeavor; unless you're assured that you can do at least half of your clinical training in the US.

It is just too risky to plunge yourself into debt without a fair shot at matching. Graduating from one of the major Caribbean medical schools is pretty much guaranteed to put you at about $400,000 in student loan debt (plus your undergraduate loan debt). The high figure is due to the very high tuition currently and the fact that they all raise tuition yearly in the fall. And this figure may or may not include compounding interest while in school.

Just keep learning as much as you can about the IMG route to an M.D., so that you can make an appropriate decision on whether or not to attempt it. The number of students who begin at AUC and eventually begin residency training is probably not as high as you might think. It's likely between 60-70% overall (based on very hard to find data).

you said you have been living in the US for the past 10 years, I can only hope you have a status in the US if such is the case why do you think your status at present will not be valid anymore if you attend SGU?! We need more info. What type of Visa do you have?

I hope you don;t mind me asking but how are your financing your education? Do you have a US co-signer? Do you know how international students without a cosigner finance their education?

SGU just Announced that if you are a NON-US / Non- Canadian MD, you can apply for B1/B2 to do your 3rd and 4th year rotation in the US.

However, my question now is dealing with having to apply for residency. Any advice?

To actually interview in the US, you'll still be on a B visa.

Once you actually want to do a residency in the US, you'll need a work visa.

Read this: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=450230