Caribbean as a last resort?

[Machiavelli1492]

Hi, I am currently waiting to hear back from two more US MD schools, (all the rest of been rejections) and am now considering applying AUC pending rejections from both of the remaining US schools. While I have done a lot of research on the Caribbean schools, I am hesitant to apply given the less than optimal match rates paired with the enormous cost. I am also considering the SMP route but given that it is not a sure route to medical school am unsure of going there. My undergraduate stats were 3.5 GPA and 29 MCAT 10V 9, 9. Any advice would be appreciated.

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[Intel1122]

Try DO.. I think you have a good shot at that... Your grades are a little lower for MD, so I would not be surprised if you were rejected from them.
If you apply broadly for DO, you should get in somewhere.
Caribbean is literally a last resort if you couldn't get into MD/DO even after trying multiple times.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

Your stats are good for a majority of the DO schools. Are you not interested in DO?

 

[Machiavelli1492]

I initially was only interested in MD schools and have only recently considered DO. Is it too late to apply this cycle? I think most of the deadlines are January 1st.

 

[notbobtrustme]

if your last resort is the Caribbean, it's time to find a new profession. Not everyone can be a doctor.

Realistically speaking, if no US school is willing to take a chance on you, your chances of success are low. Why go through hell and debt and end up in the same position as you are in right now.

 

[FIREitUP]

if your last resort is the Caribbean, it's time to find a new profession. Not everyone can be a doctor.

Realistically speaking, if no US school is willing to take a chance on you, your chances of success are low. Why go through hell and debt and end up in the same position as you are in right now.

I think going to the Caribbean for medical school is a viable option for many as long as their expectations are low. That being said I believe it is too late for the OP to apply to DO this year but I would advise him/her that the best option would be to sit this cycle out and apply again adding DO schools.

 

[MedWonk]

Hi, I am currently waiting to hear back from two more US MD schools, (all the rest of been rejections) and am now considering applying AUC pending rejections from both of the remaining US schools. While I have done a lot of research on the Caribbean schools, I am hesitant to apply given the less than optimal match rates paired with the enormous cost. I am also considering the SMP route but given that it is not a sure route to medical school am unsure of going there. My undergraduate stats were 3.5 GPA and 29 MCAT 10V 9, 9. Any advice would be appreciated.

Wait till next year and apply DO if you don't get in somewhere this year. Avoid Caribbean.

 

[W19]

Hi, I am currently waiting to hear back from two more US MD schools, (all the rest of been rejections) and am now considering applying AUC pending rejections from both of the remaining US schools. While I have done a lot of research on the Caribbean schools, I am hesitant to apply given the less than optimal match rates paired with the enormous cost. I am also considering the SMP route but given that it is not a sure route to medical school am unsure of going there. My undergraduate stats were 3.5 GPA and 29 MCAT 10V 9, 9. Any advice would be appreciated.

Is your MCAT score 28 or 29? Anyway, you should sit and apply DO next cycle. Don't go to carib med school unless it's Puerto Rico...

 

[LuluLovesMe]

Your stats are solid for mid tier DO schools. Caribbean should not even be remotely on your mind.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

It's a bit late right now for DO schools. Usually the high stat guys who didn't get into MD start discovering DO this time of year. The competition just gets higher after January.

I would reapply next cycle. Don't apply this cycle unless you can make a massive change in your application for next cycle.

 

[Baller MD]

Do DO

 

[TRexP]

You may still have a chance at some DO schools. I would spend the extra few hundred dollars and send in the applications. Really it is all about your residency in the end, so if you are not wanting to retake the MCAT or do grad work, apply there and work hard to get into a good residency.

 

[rodmichael82]

Hi, I am currently waiting to hear back from two more US MD schools, (all the rest of been rejections) and am now considering applying AUC pending rejections from both of the remaining US schools. While I have done a lot of research on the Caribbean schools, I am hesitant to apply given the less than optimal match rates paired with the enormous cost. I am also considering the SMP route but given that it is not a sure route to medical school am unsure of going there. My undergraduate stats were 3.5 GPA and 29 MCAT 10V 9, 9. Any advice would be appreciated.

Do not go the Caribbean route. There are tons of posts on SDN and there's data that shows that medical schools are enrolling more and more students. The residency slots are not increasing and that's pretty much a death sentence to Caribbean schools in the near future.
You still have time to go the DO route. Apply immediately before the deadline and become a doctor. Don't worry about stupid stuff like DO vs. MD they are both the exact same thing. Don't risk your career by going to the Caribbeans.
If you're dead set on MD because you want to do something fancy like Plastic Surgery, ENT, Orthopedic Surgery etc... then just do a SMP program. I would say SMP or DO is your safest bet. Good luck.

 

[MI3PEO]

Why don't you improve your application and reapply next cycle? Why not retake the mCat?

 

[rodmichael82]

Why don't you improve your application and reapply next cycle? Why not retake the mCat?

He probably doesn't want to retake the new monster MCAT. The 29 score is pretty decent, it's not bad at all. If he goes to a SMP program and gets > 3.8 GPA or applies DO then he will surely get into a US MD or DO program and almost be guaranteed to be a doctor in the US one day.

 

[cher25]

Do not go the Caribbean route. There are tons of posts on SDN and there's data that shows that medical schools are enrolling more and more students. The residency slots are not increasing and that's pretty much a death sentence to Caribbean schools in the near future.
You still have time to go the DO route. Apply immediately before the deadline and become a doctor. Don't worry about stupid stuff like DO vs. MD they are both the exact same thing. Don't risk your career by going to the Caribbeans.
If you're dead set on MD because you want to do something fancy like Plastic Surgery, ENT, Orthopedic Surgery etc... then just do a SMP program. I would say SMP or DO is your safest bet. Good luck.

I second this. I can't tell you how painful it has been to watch my friends who went off shore struggle over the years to get a residency slot. Only to come to a point that they continue to waste time reapplying because they are 'in too deep' and coming to the realization that they are crap deep in debt $300K+ that 'only a doctor's salary' can pay off. Some have been out of medical school for 2+ years and continue to pay to do observerships across the country spending even more money. Some have had to enroll in online overpriced MBA programs in order to continue qualifying for federal loans. In the meantime, they lack real world work experience in this endless endeavor to make their MD mean something by getting a residency. With a 29 MCAT and a 3.5, I don't see why you couldn't land a US spot in MD or DO while applying broadly. Take that 30K to 50K that you'd use to pay your first year's tuition and use it to apply to as many US MD/DO positions possible. Continue to gain valuable work experience and contact programs as well in the interim. Just from what I've seen from more than a few friends that went offshore, I wouldn't encourage anyone to do so. Sure, some make it but the risk is too great. Everyone thinks that they're going to be the rock star student that blows away the Steps, glides through the curriculum, and get to residency with no issue but the truth of the matter is that everyone can't be a rock star.

 

[Aloft085]

Don't go Caribbean. Either apply DO or wait a year. See if you can shoot off a few DO apps before the deadline, then have a backup plan for what you can do during a gap year. Maybe apply for a masters program, or get a clinical/research job.

 

[Smurfette]

Moving to PreAllo as OP is not yet in med school

 

[medguy24]

You should go Do. Don't go Caribbean. You have very good stats for Do. And have a solid chance at any DO school.
If you really want to go MD then take a year off and retake your mcat for a 31 and you have a shot at MD

 

[BigEinstein]

you decide to go Carib, do SGU, study your ass off and you will be good.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

you decide to go Carib, do SGU, study your ass off and you will be good.

lol study your ass off as if it were that easy. I've seen people study their ass off just to fail a course.

 

[BigEinstein]

lol study your ass off as if it were that easy. I've seen people study their ass off just to fail a course.

Those are the people with poor study techniques and who are not ready for med school. Believe it or not, there are people in their 40's who needs a second chance who can't keep reapplying to US schools and their only options are to settle for Carib schools. Sdh is stupid and am done with the ignorance here

 

[Instatewaiter]

My recommendation
1) finish this application cycle with the schools you have already applied to.

2) Retake the mcat after studying appropriately

3) reapply next year to both md and do schools

4) if you don't get in next cycle consider an smp with linkage

5) during the smp reapply a second time to Md/do and carribean big 4 schools

 

[medguy24]

My recommendation
1) finish this application cycle with the schools you have already applied to.

2) Retake the mcat after studying appropriately

3) reapply next year to both md and do schools

4) if you don't get in next cycle consider an smp with linkage

5) during the smp reapply a second time to Md/do and carribean big 4 schools

I second this

 

[Goro]

It's too late now. Apply 6/1/15 to DO schools and you'll be a doctor in 4 years, instead of being unemployed and hugely in debt from going to a Carib diploma mill.

I initially was only interested in MD schools and have only recently considered DO. Is it too late to apply this cycle? I think most of the deadlines are January 1st.

 

[Doug Underhill]

In the meantime, spend the next six months reading about DO schools, shadowing a DO, and getting a strong DO letter of recommendation. The application requirements for DO schools are often somewhat different from MD schools and require some of these things.

 

[Porkloins]

Apply mainly DO next cycle with maybe a few lower-tier MD schools in there. DO >>>>> Caribbean

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Those are the people with poor study techniques and who are not ready for med school. Believe it or not, there are people in their 40's who needs a second chance who can't keep reapplying to US schools and their only options are to settle for Carib schools. Sdh is stupid and am done with the ignorance here

Wait till you actually get to med school, man. You'll see what I'm saying.

 

[Visible Ghost]

I would scratch Caribbean off the list. It is way too expensive.

 

[Visible Ghost]

Unless you have the money and want to enter a team deathmatch for the few residency positions

 

[WingedOx]

I think going to the Caribbean for medical school is a viable option for many as long as their expectations are low. That being said I believe it is too late for the OP to apply to DO this year but I would advise him/her that the best option would be to sit this cycle out and apply again adding DO schools.

Carib isn't about low expectations. It's about low aversion to risk.

 

[FIREitUP]

Carib isn't about low expectations. It's about low aversion to risk.

based on the OP's stats I think he/she would likely to be able to secure some sort of residency coming out of one of the big 3 carib programs as long as he/she doesn't expect to match into good academic programs and/or into competitive fields.

 

[docbsb2015]

In the meantime, spend the next six months reading about DO schools, shadowing a DO, and getting a strong DO letter of recommendation. The application requirements for DO schools are often somewhat different from MD schools and require some of these things.

Agree with this… OP do NOT retake the MCAT. Research osteopathic medicine, shadow, and apply day 1 of next year with some mid to low tier MD schools thrown in if you want.

 

[Eppur Si Muove]

Don't go carrib man, go DO forsure if you don't get into an allopathic school this cycle. Caribbean route is a simply a very tropical and exotic way to burn money

 

[deleted436726]

Unless you're going there for vacation, the Caribbean shouldn't be a resort at all.

 

[W19]

I have never seen a residency applicant from this place. Is this for real?

It's real... I know one person from my undergrad who is attending that school...

 

[gyngyn]

It's real... I know one person from my undergrad who is attending that school...

Did they have a match list? Accreditation?

 

[Apoplexy__]

Are you looking for a way to attend medical school and stay with your family? I am very happy at IUHS. This program has changed my life. I am a second year student at IUHS and will be happy to speak with prosepctive students, I can be reached at [email protected] !
http://www.iuhs.edu/

Yeah, well I'm an MS-2 at a school on the moon with 12 kids. I'd be very happy to speak with prohnnnggaw;ifjagrive students about medical school essentials such as spamming medical student forums, breathing on the moon, etc.

Email me here.

 

[W19]

Did they have a match list? Accreditation?

I don't think they post a match list on their website, but I remember they put one of their alumni on that site who was (or is) practicing in FL...

 

[gyngyn]

I don't think they post a match list on their website, but I remember they put one of their alumni on that site who was (or is) practicing in FL...

Uh huh. Pics...

 

[W19]

Uh huh. Pics...

Yes they posted a pic if this is what you are asking... I checked his license and it was legit. The guy also was PA for at least 20 years.

 

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

Whoa.... wait up.............

P.A. chose to go Caribbean route over PA-MD route? Why?

 

[W19]

Whoa.... wait up.............

P.A. chose to go Caribbean route over PA-MD route? Why?

Not sure if there is a PA-MD route, but I know there is a PA-DO route at LECOM... I think he is someone who was a PA for many years and he probably didn't want to deal with all the hoops one has to jump thru to get into a US MD/DO school...

 

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

Not sure if there is a PA-MD route, but I know there is a PA-DO route at LECOM... I think he is someone who was a PA for many years and he probably didn't want to deal with all the hoops one has to jump thru to get into a US MD/DO school...

Thought I heard about something Maryland.... could be wrong. I have a classmate going P.A. who see's this as a possible long term choice (if she so chooses to go farther)....

Ha! There is an overseas one though
http://www.patomd.org/
and of course LECOM
http://lecom.edu/college-medicine.php/Accelerated-Physician-Assistant-Pathway-APAP/49/2205/612/2395

-Anyways, 60K to eventually 90K is just too low compensation for that career. I mean I know techs who make 60k! (albeit very few)

 

[W19]

Thought I heard about something Maryland.... could be wrong. I have a classmate going P.A. who see's this as a possible long term choice (if she so chooses to go farther)....

Ha! There is an overseas one though
http://www.patomd.org/
and of course LECOM
http://lecom.edu/college-medicine.php/Accelerated-Physician-Assistant-Pathway-APAP/49/2205/612/2395

-Anyways, 60K to eventually 90K is just too low compensation for that career. I mean I know techs who make 60k! (albeit very few)

The PAs that make 60k/year are most likely in the 10% percentile... PA median salary is probably between 80k-90k. That is pretty good money for a 2 1/2 year program... However, I think PA school COA is too high--most are in 120-150k.

Most of the techs (radiology tech, respiratory therapists etc..) that I know and also the ones that I used to work with make over 50k/year... One of my best friends (rad tech) make 80k+/year working an average 55 hrs/wk.... Heck! I was making 40k/year working only 24hr/week (2 days/week).

 

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

The PAs that make 60k/year are most likely in the 10% percentile... PA median salary is probably between 80k-90k. That is pretty good money for a 2 1/2 year program... However, I think PA school COA is too high--most are in 120-150k.

Most of the techs (radiology tech, respiratory therapists etc..) that I know and also the ones that I used to work with make over 50k/year... One of my best friends (rad tech) make 80k+/year working an average 55 hrs/wk.... Heck! I was making 40k/year working only 24hr/week (2 days/week).

I have to say many people find it intriguing. I looked into and decided to pass, but still an interesting option.
The most basic explanation diving the two up is: PA = Algorithmic thinking vs. MD/DO = Critical thinking

 

[GaiusOctavius]

I don't know how critical thinking got you to: "60K to eventually 90K." I looked at BLS once and recall a median salary of roughly $90k.

Also, after working in the ER for several months, I realized that PAs use quite a lot of critical thinking.

I have to say many people find it intriguing. I looked into and decided to pass, but still an interesting option.
The most basic explanation diving the two up is: PA = Algorithmic thinking vs. MD/DO = Critical thinking

 

[FutureSurgical]

With the merger of the DO and MD match systems within the next 5 years, going DO will become an even better option if you can't make it into an MD school.

Caribbean should never be considered, in all honesty.

 

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

I don't know how critical thinking got you to: "60K to eventually 90K." I looked at BLS once and recall a median salary of roughly $90k.

Also, after working in the ER for several months, I realized that PAs use quite a lot of critical thinking.

Oh, I'm not trying to knock on their profession at all.

1. Physician assistants raked in a median annual salary of $90,930 in 2012, according to the BLS. The top-earning 10 percent in the profession made approximately $124,770, while the lowest 10 percent of the pay spectrum brought in about $62,430.

The highest paid in the physician assistant profession work in the metropolitan areas of Racine, Wisconsin, Texarkana, Texas, and Tyler, Texas. The Gainsville, Georgia area also pays well, as does the city of Modesto, California.

Physician assistants spend long hours on their feet and frequently see dozens of patients daily, placing a premium on physical endurance and fitness. With the heavy workload and emotional demands of the job, stress is another factor to consider.
http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/physician-assistant/salary

http://doseofpa.blogspot.com/2014/03/choosing-right-physician-assistant.html
http://www.mypatraining.com/physician-assistant-career-wrong-for-you
http://www.thepalife.com/how-to-really-get-into-the-pa-school-of-your-choice/

PA replacing primary care
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/12/primary-care-doctors-longer-needed.html
Being a PA will satisfy you
http://www.mypatraining.com/will-being-a-pa-satisfy-you
Wife is glad I picked PA over MD
http://www.thepalife.com/why-my-wife-is-happy-i-am-a-physician-assistant-and-not-an-md/
Pa pay vs. MD vs. Teacher
http://www.thepalife.com/pa-versus-md-money/


AND P.A. pay by state, the midwest sucks btw
http://salarybystate.org/healthcare/physician-assistant-salary-by-state

-Personally, if I'm going to go through all that I want to be a doctor. A PA is a team member and is great and well liked. The jobs attract two different people though.