Caribbean for Primary Care

[chudat]

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Is it wise to consider going to Caribbean schools for primary care?

 

[McGillGrad]

maybe

 

[RussianJoo]

I second the maybe. you can't be sure of anything if you go off shore to get your MD.

 

[relaxedMD]

If you dont get into a US MD program, and dont want to go to DO school, then consider the caribbean. Matching in a primary care residency is very doable from the Big 4 schools.

A question for the OP: Have you tried to apply the DO route?

rlxdmd

 

[chudat]

I actually have but no acceptances yet. I showed little interest in osteopathy and it showed during the interviews.

My problem is going to be how to convince my parents that going to the caribbean is a viable route to a medical degree. Furthermore, the amount of debt I will accrue by going caribbean will be enormous (more than going DO?), that I don't think going primary care will help.

relaxmd, I noticed that you are very knowledgeable and have contributed many posts on the caribbean forum. What made you go caribbean? did you apply to do schools? how do your parents feel? is it hard living down there? and lastly, what school do you go to, and can you give a review of the school from your perspective and experiences.

thanks

 

[relaxedMD]

I actually have but no acceptances yet. I showed little interest in osteopathy and it showed during the interviews.

My problem is going to be how to convince my parents that going to the caribbean is a viable route to a medical degree. Furthermore, the amount of debt I will accrue by going caribbean will be enormous (more than going DO?), that I don't think going primary care will help.

relaxmd, I noticed that you are very knowledgeable and have contributed many posts on the caribbean forum. What made you go caribbean? did you apply to do schools? how do your parents feel? is it hard living down there? and lastly, what school do you go to, and can you give a review of the school from your perspective and experiences.

thanks

First off, I dont know if the DO schools are cheaper than the caribbean schools. Im sure you can look it up.

My story is unique in that I was a non traditional applicant to Med school. Despite decent grades and mcat scores I didnt get into a US med school. But I should mention that i was limited geographically for personal reasons and only applied to the schools in my state (n= very few).
SGU was the only caribbean school I applied to as my back up. The idea came to me from a coworker whose brother was graduating from there and had matched locally. I thought, If I could go away for a couple of years, there is a good shot of coming back. I really wasnt concerned about ranks, and curriculum, and least of all the carib stigma. I just wanted to go to Med school.
The open house for SGU was fantastic, i spoke with four or five alum in a span of a week, in person and over the phone. Within three weeks I had been accepted. SGU alumni network was instantly accessible to me, and it was very reassuring!!!! I was well informed about the school before i applied for the private loans. The cost did not affect me, because the private MD school in my town also cost 40 -50 K per year to attend.

My parents were proud that I sacrificed my personal life for the pursuit of a medical career! That was integral in my med school success. I didnt feel the stigma until I hopped on these msgboards well into my clerkships. I felt well prepared coming from SGU, scored high on both steps, got great rec letters...and the rest is a bad memory (by that I mean the insanity of interview season). I did match at my #1 🙂

I try to discourage people from going to the caribbean if they are not well suited for the committment. There are a lot more hurdles than ever before.
So you need to be insanely committed.

Also, I didnt apply DO, it wasnt even on my radar screen as an option.

Finally, I wouldnt go the private school route (carib or US) if I dont have a plan to pay back 200K in 10 -15 years. With the state of healthcare, you will need to keep in mind that salaries MAY go down, especially for Primary docs. BE REALISTIC when selecting a school and a career.

Hope this helps!

rlxdmd