Caribbean schools and US opportunities?

[deleted244469]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey all I was wondering if going to a Caribbean school pretty much knocks you out of professions like Surgery or not? This is something I really want to get into (not sure what field yet). Would I have a flying chance in the US by going to med school in the Caribbean? Or should I look at getting into a DO school? I have heard this but I did not think it was true and figured that I would ask on here as everyone is very knowledgeable. Thanks for the input. BTW, I am talking about a TOP 4 school (AUC, Ross, SGU etc)

 

[RussianJoo]

go DO. their future is much brighter right now. and i am a 4th year at SGU.

 

[deleted244469]

go DO. their future is much brighter right now. and i am a 4th year at SGU.

Care to elaborate why they have a brighter future?

 

[RussianJoo]

you can get much more info if you do a search on this topic. but in short DO's have their own residency programs that only DOs can apply to, they can also apply to MD residency programs. Also many program directors prefer DOs over IMGs because they got their degree's from a US school instead of a foriegn med school. so those are the 2 main reasons.

 

[Raigon]

I don't know why, but here's how it goes in the US:

MD [FONT=新細明體]≧.DO>IMG>Caribbean where [FONT=新細明體]≧. means greater or EQUAL to.

So essentially, DO schools are easier to get into because it's relatively new and they need more students. BUT they have their own residency programs, their own tests WHILE allowing you to apply for MD residencies. They're actually not that bad.

 

[demayette]

Hey all I was wondering if going to a Caribbean school pretty much knocks you out of professions like Surgery or not? This is something I really want to get into (not sure what field yet). Would I have a flying chance in the US by going to med school in the Caribbean? Or should I look at getting into a DO school? I have heard this but I did not think it was true and figured that I would ask on here as everyone is very knowledgeable. Thanks for the input. BTW, I am talking about a TOP 4 school (AUC, Ross, SGU etc)

OBGYN also is a surgical specialty and I heard it is still accessible to caribbean students who go to ROSS, SGU, AUC, and SABA. However, for the other surgical specialties, you will probably at a disadvantage going to the carib; In that case, the DO route would be a better option.

 

[Psych2014]

I don't know why, but here's how it goes in the US:

MD [FONT=新細明體]≧.DO>IMG>Caribbean where [FONT=新細明體]≧. means greater or EQUAL to.

So essentially, DO schools are easier to get into because it's relatively new and they need more students. BUT they have their own residency programs, their own tests WHILE allowing you to apply for MD residencies. They're actually not that bad.

This is quite SIMPLISTIC. Definately MD, DO are above the other 2, if all other factors are equal, but a grad. from SABA, SGU, AUC, Ross, or even MUA or St. Mathews with 99's on USMLE and a great overall app, is going to beat out a DO with 95's and an average app, in Derm, Surgery, Opthalmology, etc., even though I believe there were no non-AMG's in Derm or Optho last year? But you get the point. Most or all programs look at the person and their scores, so it's not at all that simple.

Another example, IMG's who were psych's in their country of origin, and possible even lower scores, will generally beat a DO, or even MD without as much experience or passion, in a field like psychiatry where the experience, dedication, and personal fit factor matters most. So again, it's not quite so simple.

 

[SolanoDoc]

Hey all I was wondering if going to a Caribbean school pretty much knocks you out of professions like Surgery or not? This is something I really want to get into (not sure what field yet). Would I have a flying chance in the US by going to med school in the Caribbean? Or should I look at getting into a DO school? I have heard this but I did not think it was true and figured that I would ask on here as everyone is very knowledgeable. Thanks for the input. BTW, I am talking about a TOP 4 school (AUC, Ross, SGU etc)

Don't make the assumption that you can use a DO school as a backup like a Caribbean school. DO schools are far more difficult to get into than foreign medical schools and many are just as hard as US MD programs. One of the schools I applied to received 4000 applications for 130 seats. DOs will have a lot more opportunity than IMGs, I even looked at the match list for a small DO school whose graduates go into residencies at UCLA, Stanford, Mayo, etc. Just to get a community FM or Primary Care residency will require stellar board scores as an IMG. I think SGU probably has the best match list of any Caribbean school and when you factor that they graduate over 500 people a year or more and compare their match list to even the largest US DO or MD school it does not look that great.

 

[Psych2014]

"Just to get a community FM or Primary Care residency will require stellar board scores as an IMG"

This is completely incorrect. This is so grossely incorrect it's absurd... you can read all over this forum, and I know from personal experience, many many studetns and friends who've pre-matched in FM and IM with scores in low 80's, and up and down from there. Go to Oklahoma University's FM and IM program, for one, or LSU for another, or hundreds of other program's sites for a list of their residents med school matriculation, and you'll see many schools like Ross, AUC, SABA (smaller), MUA, AUA, on and on, and their boards scores are not stellar.

 

[dragonfly99]

For the OP, I'd recommend doing a full court press to try to get into a US MD or DO school, if you want to do surgery. It may be very, very hard to get a surgical residency (even general surgery - and surgical subspecialties are likely out) from a Caribbean school. Also, assuming you are thinking of Caribbean school because of less than stellar MCAT score perhaps, then you are probably unlikely to be the kind of person who is going to get a super great score on the US medical licensing exam (which is what a Carib grad would definitely need to even have a shot at a surgical residency). North Carolina has a whole bunch of med schools...I would try hard at all your state schools for a year or two, plus try the DO route before you go to the Caribbean. A lot of US schools are expanding their entering classes right now, so now is actually a good time to be an applicant in the US. Because of the US schools' expansion, they can be expected to produce more grads in the next 4-5 years, which would generally leave fewer spots in US residencies for Caribbean grads, though there will doubtless still be some in things like fp, psych, and physical med/rehab and internal medicine.

 

[howelljolly]

With the expansion of US schools, I'd bet that in 5 years from now it will be impossible for a Carib grad to get a residency.

Last years match for US-IMGs was 37%. One of the big four saw all of their surgeon hopefuls settle for a preliminary surgical internship, nobody got a categorical surgery residency.

 

[machiavellis]

i'm an IMG

i'll take my residency in Carribia

can i practice to practice in USA?

after graduated from my residency program should i take USMLE first?

thanx

 

[howelljolly]

i'm an IMG

i'll take my residency in Carribia

can i practice to practice in USA?

after graduated from my residency program should i take USMLE first?

thanx

what?

You have to take and pass the USMLE step1 and 2 in order to apply for residency. If you are accepted to residency in the U.S., and complete it, you can practice in the U.S and A.

If you do your residency in the Caribbean you can not practice in the US.

 

[icalz]

i'm an IMG

i'll take my residency in Carribia

can i practice to practice in USA?

after graduated from my residency program should i take USMLE first?

thanx

I'm trying to ask this nicely: is this the best you can do at english? I really think that it's going to be a HUGE obstacle for you, regardless of the IMG thing.

 

[schandan13]

You'd also need to pass step 3 if you aren't a US born individual.

 

[howelljolly]

You'd also need to pass step 3 if you aren't a US born individual.

You can do that once youre already in residency.

 

[schandan13]

You can do that once youre already in residency.

Not if you are hoping for an H1b.

Sure, a program might wait say, 2 weeks to see if you "Pass" or not. Not much longer though. Infact, some even want you to have the Step 3 result in your hand at the time of the interview. You CAN still go ahead and tell them about your plans and try to convince them that you are a winning horse and won’t falter on Step 3.

Although with the slow and gradual depletion of programs even willing to offer an H1, i highly doubt that they would have shortage of candidates w/o the "Pass" in hand.

 

[howelljolly]

Not if you are hoping for an H1b.

Sure, a program might wait say, 2 weeks to see if you "Pass" or not. Not much longer though. Infact, some even want you to have the Step 3 result in your hand at the time of the interview. You CAN still go ahead and tell them about your plans and try to convince them that you are a winning horse and won’t falter on Step 3.

Although with the slow and gradual depletion of programs even willing to offer an H1, i highly doubt that they would have shortage of candidates w/o the "Pass" in hand.

oh

 

[Raigon]

Do Caribbean medical schools require you graduate from an undergraduate institution in the United States (or Caribbean institutions)? Because I'm being shot down even though I'm a US citizen in US medical schools because I did not complete any undergraduate coureswork there (MCAT scores in the 30s and GPA is 3.8~3.9, in National Taiwan University; problem is, AMCAS does not verify foreign coursework). I'm wondering if they have the same requirements... I tried looking them up on some websites, but I can't find any information regarding that.

If I want to return to the United States to practice medicine, should I take the Caribbean route or go to a good international medical school? Or does it not matter?

 

[tracheatoedoc]

Caribbean schools are truly international and will accept your work from your home country. How about doing some graduate work in US then applying to US schools?

 

[benjee]

Do Caribbean medical schools require you graduate from an undergraduate institution in the United States (or Caribbean institutions)? Because I'm being shot down even though I'm a US citizen in US medical schools because I did not complete any undergraduate coureswork there (MCAT scores in the 30s and GPA is 3.8~3.9, in National Taiwan University; problem is, AMCAS does not verify foreign coursework). I'm wondering if they have the same requirements... I tried looking them up on some websites, but I can't find any information regarding that.

If I want to return to the United States to practice medicine, should I take the Caribbean route or go to a good international medical school? Or does it not matter?

why didn't you study medicine in Taiwan university?? both very cheap , you already familar with it , no language barrier, easy get residency in taiwan after graduation. and you will have choice to apply residency in US after you graduate.

 

[schandan13]

With the kind of stats you have, you'd be better off going through a year more of college in the US and then applying to med schools there.