Before you choose a school...

[Skip Intro]

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I want everyone to remember this: you will be linked to the school you choose for the rest of your life. That's right. It doesn't matter if you transfer to a U.S. school, it doesn't matter if you fail three semesters and go to another Carib school, it doesn't matter if you drop out and then get into a U.S. medical school five years later... you will be married to whichever school you first matriculated in.

Don't believe me?

As a little exercise, I want you to find the state you think you'd like to practice in someday. Go to their medical professions website and download the application form for license. Now, read that application in its entirety.

I don't care which state it is, whether it's one of the "hard" to get a license states or not, they will all want to know everything about your education including all the schools you went to and if you completed on time, went on academic probation, etc.

Why am I telling you this?

There are really only a few schools who will be there for you in the long run. Most of you are just thinking about getting into some degree-granting program, passing the Steps, and then getting into residency. What you're not thinking about (necessarily) is everything after that and whether or not that schools is going to be there for you 5 or even 10 years from now.

There is a continuing and ongoing painful regulatory component to getting and then maintaining a medical license - a permanent license to practice medicine, beyond that of a resident trainee license. And, if you ever decide to change a state of practice, your school better be there to get your back - or even just continue to be in existence - by the time that this may become an issue for you.

Choose well, friends. This is a long road you are walking down that doesn't end with getting your degree or even getting into residency. Your decisions now will have ramifications far down the road, beyond what you can even imagine or foresee right now.

-Skip

 

[CaribKid]

Skip Intro - Appreciate the advice, I was just wondering what the specific point is that you are trying to get across...? Are you advising against Caribbean schools in general, or schools that are not Big 3 (4)? Or is this just a general statement about how the school you attend may have more impact than you think? I only ask because (I think) you are a Carib grad who has moved on into his/her career, and I believe most people on this forum appreciate hearing how things are beyond basic or clinical sciences.

 

[LebLlama]

Yeah please elaborate more. This post seems to contradict the post you have linked in your signature... like your attitude has since changed?

In this post it seems like youre almost full of regret for choosing a carib school while in the other post you dismiss any claim that carib grads have a harder time in the medical field.

Im sure you know better than most, so which is it?

 

[Docsammd]

Its easy to understand. Many med schools outside of the so called big 4 have opened and closed. Its just a warning that when picking a med school to choose a place with a long track record. Luckily AUC has opened a DO school so business is good for that family.

 

[Shoushu]

Its easy to understand. Many med schools outside of the so called big 4 have opened and closed. Its just a warning that when picking a med school to choose a place with a long track record. Luckily AUC has opened a DO school so business is good for that family.

I thought AUC (of big 3, or big 4) is only M.D. school, opened DO on mainland U.S. or also in caribbean? got link?

If one transfers from second-tier carib school like AUA, MUA , or of the "St. whatever" school to Big 4, and graduate as SGU grad, will the grad eventually have problems getting potential license, resident licence and full-and-unlimited license, from any state back in USA? Would basic science taken at the mua/aua/"st. whatever" school be counted by State Medical Boards? What if one doesn't want to practice in one of the competitive states like Cali., and only live and practice in an easier state? How many states follow the CA list (a most restrictive list)?

 

[nmstew]

it doesn't matter if you drop out and then get into a U.S. medical school five years later...

-Skip

Is there anything specific about the number, 5 years?

 

[Skip Intro]

Allow me to clarify...

There are several schools out there that have popped into existence. They may be listed by the WHO and are considered "accredited" by the countries they are in.

It doesn't mean you will get a bona fide residency spot or, even if you do, you will be able to get licensed in the state you want to eventually practice independently.

There are other schools that have come and gone. If, down the road, your employment situation changes and you find that you want to get licensed in another state, you may have extreme difficulty securing documents from a now-defunct school to secure a license. In fact, it may be impossible.

There are programs that will secure and store your documents, such as the Federation of State Medical Boards (http://www.fsmb.org/), for a fee. Some licensing boards either prefer this route, or they require it.

Point is, choose well where you go because less established programs don't have the same track record of getting graduates into good residencies or guaranteeing that you will be able to get a permanent medical license when you are done. Others will not even honor courses you took at certain programs despite graduating from a different school.

I don't regret the path that I took. I made the right decisions... for me and for the time that I decided to go. I'm licensed and board-certified and actively practicing in a field that I love. I'm not lucky; I just did everything by the book. So should you.

-Skip

 

[Shoushu]

Is there anything specific about the number, 5 years?

Very unlikely for someone that dropped out of carib school and able to ger US school 5 years later.

but will the carib school still be linked with that guy for the rest of his life? if he doesn't mention his stint at a carib school, whatever reason. He did 4 years of U.S. MD school...5 years later... after all, like other AMGs. Won't he be treated the same? are they gonna dig at his past, know, or extremely stigmatize/discriminate him?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I don't see that quote in any of skip's posts.

In any case, it's incorrect. If someone starts in the carib and then transfers to a US school, they basically become a US grad. There wouldn't be any "stigma".

 

[Skip Intro]

Very unlikely for someone that dropped out of carib school and able to ger US school 5 years later.

but will the carib school still be linked with that guy for the rest of his life? if he doesn't mention his stint at a carib school, whatever reason. He did 4 years of U.S. MD school...5 years later... after all, like other AMGs. Won't he be treated the same? are they gonna dig at his past, know, or extremely stigmatize/discriminate him?

I have to respectfully disagree with aProgDir, if I understand him/her correctly.

If it is found out that you matriculated in another medical school and, for whatever reason, you drop out only later to successfully complete, say, a fully U.S. accredited medical program - and you don't report that you matriculated in the previous medical school and are subsequently found out - you may be in for all manor of sanctions, including losing your license.

This is considered serious professional misconduct by most, if not all, medical licensing boards. Don't trust me, though. Look it up.

-Skip

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Ahhhh. We're talking about different things.

Yes, if you LIE on your application and don't disclose that you went to a prior medical school, that's fraud and can get you into all sorts of trouble,

If you simply go to a carib school, drop out, then find some way to get into a US school in the future (being open about your past carib experience), then there is nothing wrong with that, and most programs would simply consider you a US grad. That being said, this scenario is very unlikely. More likely is the carib --> US transfer, which happens rarely but does happen. Those students are also seen as US grads.