Hi,
Does anyone know if the University of Queensland uses Pass/Fail grading system or the give you grades?
Also if anybody knows is it hard to get into US/Canadian residencies from UQ? would it be easier to go from the Caribbean schools or the Australian ones?
Basically, Caribbean schools will force feed you USMLE material, which is a positive. A massive negative is that they over-enroll students with the expectation that a significant percentage will not graduate, and you'll likely spend at least two years in a developing country. You're really only a number and a payment to them.
In Australia you will not be spoon-fed USMLE material, but rather taught the Australian curriculum, and will have to self-study a lot of material for the USMLE. However, you will be living in a country that has a very similar living standard (higher?) to what you are accustomed to in the US and Canada. Furthermore, you're less likely to have a stigma attached to your degree since Australia is one of the best countries in the world, and the degrees come from fully accredited universities. The schools aren't "dodgy" but rather well-developed institutions.
The UQ-Ochsner affiliation adopts the Caribbean model but in my opinion it seems like a lot more of a partnership between the university and the hospital system than just a US-site to send med students to for their clerkships.
You'll also have an easier time coming up with reasons for why you wanted to study in Australia than you likely will for the Caribbean, which is a question you can expect in your residency interview as an IMG. Some people choose to study in Australia over the US or Canada, people who go the Caribbean go because they couldn't get into a US school, period.
To summarize, Australia >>> Caribbean
