Canadian going to Carribean school and practicing in US for life. Possible?

[Smooth Operater]

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I have a Canadian friend who is looking at Carribean med schools right now since her GPA is not that competitive (3.3-3.4) to get in any Canadian schools . She hopes to eventually practice medicine in US instead and use medicine to receive a US citzenship status. Is it a reasonable path to take? How difficult is it? If you know any stories of someone took this path, plz share them. Thanks you so much!

 

[jackb79]

As far as I understand it this is what many individuals from Canada do because it is extremely hard to get a residency placement in if you did not go to med school in Canada. The one issues that might (and I'm not sure as I am starting med school at St. George's University this august and from the US) is the ability to secure a visa for the clinical years. But this is a viable path for someone who is coming from Canada but your friend should do research on what schools are in the Caribbean and how each school compares to another in order to pick the best fit. I suggest starting at the top with the three best SGU, AUC and Ross and then going to SABA, AUA. Look at the schools who have residency placements in all 50 states and have been around for at least 10+ years, some of the new schools might be good but then again they are unproven and do you want to be a test subject for them to base their own statistics off of?

 

[vtrain]

Definitely - The caribbean is a more than viable option. Each year several canadian
carib grads succesfully match in the US. The greatest disadvantage is obtaining a VISA
which can limit your options come residency time since not all hospitals are willing to sponsor. Tack on the fact that you are a carib grad and that limits your options even further. However, I looked into this path and have spoken with a few canadian grads who are in residency in the US (One EM in calie, two IM in NY). Specifically, I looked into St. George's University which has impressively helped to match canadians since the late 80's. In fact this year one SGU grad matched up in a FP program in Canada (the second for the school I believe). So, yes, this option is definitely viable, albeit longer and more difficult. If you want, you can PM me and I'll give you a listing of residencies that canadian grads have matched in coming from SGU. Good luck to your friend

 

[McGillGrad]

Reasonable? Yes

Possible? Yes

US Greencard? Yes (eventually)

US Citizenship? Unlikely without marriage to US citizen