I have a son who is right looking at alternatives in the field of medicine ... going for MD in Caribbean school versus doing a DO program in US itself ? Curious to know if some one as more insights into the Pros and Cons of both the program's.
Thanks for ur replies.Right now my son is waiting for mcat scores.Now he is senior with bio major in college.If my son doesn't get good mcat score,we r looking at alternatives.Any suggestins..............Thx in Advance.
I would suggest your son to come on SDN by himself. You shouldn't be doing the research work for him.
I agree heavily on this statement. If your son is so serious for med school, he should be doing the research himself. He's a legal adult isn't he? If he is old enough for the death penalty (bad pun I know ), he's old enough to do the research himself.
I'd stay away from those Caribbean schools, the level of education is abominably bad. He'd fare far better doing med school in Latin America (though the spanish language barrier would probably be an issue for him).
This post is ABOMINDABLY ignorant. It's a mistake in logic to say the education is sub-par. In truth, the education at all of the legitimate Caribbean med schools is identical, with the exception that they don't have as much patient contact in the first 2 years, which is a very small issue in the end. The same types of doctors and professors lecture there as here. Yes, it takes higher academic achievement to gain entry to a U.S. medical school, so many more of them actually finish and get a residency. But there are about 6 Caribbean med schools which are very viable alternatives to U.S. or D.O. school (Ross, SABA, St. George's, AUC, MUA, SMU (St. Mathew's), they all have many residents and doctors in practice. SGU and Ross are by far the largest, and you will commonly encounter grads from these schools in any given city or hospital. Between the 2 of them, they graduate 600 doctors per year, and about 95% pass the USMLE, and about 70% match. They match higher than the rest of the Carib schools, with the exception of SABA and AUC, which match the same. Many of us on SDN have attended Caribbean schools, and yes they don't have the reputation and status of U.S. schools, and yes, a D.O. is better, but these are still very real, viable, legitimate path's into medicine for strong (not necessarily stellar) students.
The idea that your son should be doing all the research is absurb in my opinion. 2 heads are always better than one. This is a parent's forum.
I have a son who is right looking at alternatives in the field of medicine ... going for MD in Caribbean school versus doing a DO program in US itself ? Curious to know if some one as more insights into the Pros and Cons of both the program's.
DO's may become equivalent to MD's in the next 20-30 years, but they face the same bias.
I'm sorry to be another one who points this out, but your if your son is already considering medicine, he should be pursuing this, not you. You need to be there to offer every bit of support that you can, but he is capable of taking the initiative.
I'm not really sure why there's a parents' forum here. I think it's appropriate for parents of college students who have decided to apply and need help figuring out their role in the application process and helping to finance a medical school education. In fact, maybe you should ask SDN to create such a forum, because it's probably more useful. In the meantime, you can learn quite a bit about medical school from other forums.
I'll jump on the bandwagon from this point on. Your son hasn't even entered college, but is seriously considering Caribbean and DO schools? Not a good move. MD's who graduate from Caribbean schools are in the end MD's. But they make tremendous sacrifices. Basically, they have to complete the same pre-reqs without the same academic achievements. Sounds great, since they'll still have a chance at US residencies, but they're limiting themselves.
A good friend of mine went to college because his parents expected him to do so. He had a 3.3 GPA from Boston College...not competitive for med school, but still no slouch. He went to AUC and did all of his clinical rotations (second two years of med school) in NYC. He graduated top of his class, but he still couldn't get a spot in any of the surgery residencies he wanted with a 4.0 in med school.
DO's may become equivalent to MD's in the next 20-30 years, but they face the same bias.
I'm not here to debate what's right or fair, but since you're interested, you should know how it works. If your son wants to be a physician, he should spend the next four years working harder than he ever has to achieve the best possible GPA and MCAT score.
As an older and non-traditional applicant to med school, I feel that you should be careful. Let your son decide what he wants to do without any pressure from you or his family. Pressure him to succeed all you want, but encourage him to succeed in a way that is right for him. Don't push him towards lucrative or prestigious fields. I've known artists who found a way to become independently wealthy or hugely successful in fields that don't ordinarily present tremendous opportunity. If your son feels free to pursue what he loves, and (equally importantly) pressure to make something of it (AKA WE ARE NOT supporting you until you're 35, but we'll be patient enough to let you explore A LITTLE), he will make it, somehow.
If you push him into medicine, or law, or business, and make him feel like he's inadequate otherwise, he will either 1.) rebel or 2.) hate you for it.
Your role as a parent strikes an extremely delicate balance. You can't let him flake out, but you can't push him to do something he doesn't love. Set the boundaries now. Make it clear that you'll pay for X amount of years of school. Don't tell him that you'll only pay for a certain major. But DO make it clear that he has a set amount of time to coast on his parents' financial support, and that whatever he decides, if he loves it and proves that he's good at it, you'll support it.
I say this now as a 30-year-old student who never had financial support. When I decided to go pre-med, it was on my own. In the meantime, I've had dozens of friends who either disappointed their parents by pursuing something unexpected, or (MUCH WORSE) did what their parents wanted them to do and either a.) HATE IT or b.) are now working some menial job and trying to figure out what they want to do.
I'm not saying that you're pushing your kid to do what you think is right. I just think you're best off keeping an open mind while making sure your son knows you won't tolerate sub-par grades in whatever he chooses to study.
What are you blabbering about? MD = DO in every sense of the term?? Legally, they are equals, and DO can not only apply and do match very well into ACGME (MD) residencies, but they can also specialize in their own set of AOA (DO ONLY) residencies in all fields (derm, PRS, ENT, Rads, etc). Get your facts straight before you post. DOs do not face nearly any of the bias FMGs face. FMGs match far worse (79% vs 48%) into ACGME residencies, and they don't have their own set of residencies to apply for in conjunction to ACGME residencies like DOs do. The only 'bias' you're assuming here is some sort of pre-medical, non-existent patient prejudice that doesn't exist in the real world. Ask any of the residents in the DO forums that say they've been asked maybe 1-2 times in 3-7 years of residency and never had to explain anything more than their credentials to put a patient completely at ease. OP, if you are looking for real advice, search the site and listen to med students, residents, and attendings.
Wow. You're sensitive. Maybe you should find another forum to work out your insecurities.
I don't really care one way or another. It's fine to go the MD or FMG route, but there is still a bias. I didn't say it was right or wrong, but it exists.
Patients may or may not know the difference, but residency programs do. I never advocated against the DO or FMG route, but it stands to reason that the incoming college freshman interested in medical school should strive for the 3.5+ GPA and 30+ MCAT that gives them a chance at a US med school, unless they WANT to go the DO route. US MD's have the best chance at doing whatever it is that they want to.
I'm not telling you what you should have done. Don't take advice directed towards others personally. But be realistic when imparting advice to the next generation. Succeeding as undergraduates maximizes their chances in the future. If you chose the DO route because you believe in osteopathic medicine, then by all means, tell everyone why they should pursue that route. But if you chose to go to DO school because you didn't get into an MD program, don't criticize others who still want the MD degree.
What are you blabbering about?QUOTE]
Ah, I love it.