Carribean Experiences??

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Sigh, here we go again.

Never ever go to the Carribean. Try for MD school. If that doesn’t work, go to DO school. If that doesn’t work, go to Pod school. If that doesn’t work, do any other health related field. If that doesn’t work, go into an unrelated field. If that doesn’t work, work at some place for minimum wage. If that doesn’t work, you have the permission of SDN to go to the carribean.
 
Work in Pharmacutical sales. Teach MCAT prep. Teach college bio classes. Etc.

There is actually a life outside of not getting a residency. There is one state that allows people without a residency to practice as long as they are within a certain mile radius of a liscenced physician. I think Missouri?

FutureDoctor5000 said:
And end up in possibly $300,000 in debt with a useless MD degree.. what will he do if that happens and the carbbieban route doesn’t work?
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GypsyHummus said:
Sigh, here we go again.

Never ever go to the Carribean. Try for MD school. If that doesn’t work, go to DO school. If that doesn’t work, go to Pod school. If that doesn’t work, do any other health related field. If that doesn’t work, go into an unrelated field. If that doesn’t work, work at some place for minimum wage. If that doesn’t work, you have the permission of SDN to go to the carribean.
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Living at your parents house doing nothing > Caribbean.

$0.00 > -$350,000.00
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Residency has better pay and a definite end point after which you are almost guaranteed a high-paying job. Post-doc is like the complete opposite. So no.
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That’s fair enough. I guess the balancing factor I was looking at was post-graduation debt, which for a PhD is 0. But I see your point now.


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LnSin said:
That’s fair enough. I guess the balancing factor I was looking at was post-graduation debt, which for a PhD is 0. But I see your point now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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You also make a good point. But I don’t think that outweighs the prospect of languishing in post-doc land forever. At least not for me.
 
GypsyHummus said:
Sigh, here we go again.

Never ever go to the Carribean. Try for MD school. If that doesn’t work, go to DO school. If that doesn’t work, go to Pod school. If that doesn’t work, do any other health related field. If that doesn’t work, go into an unrelated field. If that doesn’t work, work at some place for minimum wage. If that doesn’t work, you have the permission of SDN to go to the carribean.
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I already tried the path you’re describing... only that I started from the bottom... skipped Pod & MD schools... and currently pausing just before going Carib.

Edit: ... may be going to a Caribb school if I have to.
 
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non-trad++ said:
I already tried the path you’re describing... only that I started from the bottom... skipped Pod & MD schools... and currently pausing just before going Carib.
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In a previous post, you said that your MCAT score was "low and out-of-line (please trust me on this qualifier)."

Instead of throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars into an extremely risky overseas venture, why not spend 3-6 months studying full time for the MCAT and then retake it? You don't have the patience and willpower to achieve a 500+ on the MCAT, but you expect to do well on board exams? Don't you realize that the bar is set much higher for US IMGs during the matching process than it is for USMDs and DOs?

Billionaire profiteers are thrilled to make a quick buck off of your naivety and mindless exuberance. Do not go to a Caribbean medical school.
 
Not everyone can get a 500. That’s why Pod schools exist.


Osminog said:
In a previous post, you said that your MCAT score was "low and out-of-line (please trust me on this qualifier)."

Instead of throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars into an extremely risky overseas venture, why not spend 3-6 months studying full time for the MCAT and then retake it? You don't have the patience and willpower to achieve a 500+ on the MCAT, but you expect to do well on board exams? Don't you realize that the bar is set much higher for US IMGs during the matching process than it is for USMDs and DOs?

Billionaire profiteers are thrilled to make a quick buck off of your naivety and mindless exuberance. Do not go to a Caribbean medical school.
Click to expand...
 
Osminog said:
In a previous post, you said that your MCAT score was "low and out-of-line (please trust me on this qualifier)."

Instead of throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars into an extremely risky overseas venture, why not spend 3-6 months studying full time for the MCAT and then retake it? [IF] You don't have the patience and willpower to achieve a 500+ on the MCAT, but you expect to do well on board exams? Don't you realize that the bar is set much higher for US IMGs during the matching process than it is for USMDs and DOs?

Billionaire profiteers are thrilled to make a quick buck off of your naivety and mindless exuberance. Do not go to a Caribbean medical school.
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After inserting an "IF" in your middle paragraph above, I agree with your deducing/reasoning and appreciate the well-meant advice.
Even though I believe I have a good/plausible explanation about the reason for my low MCAT score, I avoid sharing it since it will still be a lame excuse; besides, I RESPECT the MACAT regardless of the apparent mutual dislike.

In addressing the fair concern about performance on board exams, I am tackling it in 2 fronts... improving my test-taking skills as we speak and mastering well the med school subjects. I am good at achieving the latter and believe it may even produce a bonus effect, that of minimizing the role of/need for excellent test-taking skills.

So far I am pleased with and greatly appreciative of the receptiveness & considerations given to me by several DO schools.
I am still very hopeful and positive - just that I have only a Plan A... and it does include a Caribb school. Thankfully, I'll be attending med school come July... or August!
 
non-trad++ said:
After inserting an "IF" in your middle paragraph above, I agree with your deducing/reasoning and appreciate the well-meant advice.
Even though I believe I have a good/plausible explanation about the reason for my low MCAT score, I avoid sharing it since it will still be a lame excuse; besides, I RESPECT the MACAT regardless of the apparent mutual dislike.

In addressing the fair concern about performance on board exams, I am tackling it in 2 fronts... improving my test-taking skills as we speak and mastering well the med school subjects. I am good at achieving the latter and believe it may even produce a bonus effect, that of minimizing the role of/need for excellent test-taking skills.

So far I am pleased with and greatly appreciative of the receptiveness & considerations given to me by several DO schools.
I am still very hopeful and positive - just that I have only a Plan A... and it does include a Caribb school. Thankfully, I'll be attending med school come July... or August!
Click to expand...
You've been warned.
 
To the OP @Mister Significant . Analyze your application and come up with a two year plan that will get you where you need to be to apply DO/MD. You need to be very disciplined and going carib seems like you are trying to take the "easy way out"(not really though). Have goals and do your best to hit them. Do well on the MCAT and get as much clinical/volunteer experience as you can. You need to be very intentional and keep your eyes fixed on your dream of being a doctor.
 
altblue said:
Maybe not on this forum, but the word's out about law being a shaky choice. Popular blog: THIRD TIER REALITY...

Though OP is on the right track and is looking at DO schools
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Osminog said:
In a previous post, you said that your MCAT score was "low and out-of-line (please trust me on this qualifier)."

Instead of throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars into an extremely risky overseas venture, why not spend 3-6 months studying full time for the MCAT and then retake it? You don't have the patience and willpower to achieve a 500+ on the MCAT, but you expect to do well on board exams? Don't you realize that the bar is set much higher for US IMGs during the matching process than it is for USMDs and DOs?

Billionaire profiteers are thrilled to make a quick buck off of your naivety and mindless exuberance. Do not go to a Caribbean medical school.
Click to expand...
ive yet to take the MCAT
 
Thanks everyone for all of the input! When I posted this many months back I was daunted by the idea being stuck in a gap year. I was fed the propaganda of going overseas to become a doctor. I have friends in healthcare tell me about peers that are residents from the Carib(the outliers). I’m very happy I posted on here and have spent countless hours researching these forums because I have come up with a new understanding of what I need to do. Carribean is not the route for me. This last semester I got a 3.82 and aced Organic Chemistry and picked up good extracurriculars (coaching youth basketball, hospice). I have decided to take next year to study for the MCAT and take it April 2019 and let my app out to a couple instate MD’s and a bunch of DO schools. I have found a tremendous amount of satisfaction doing volunteering and I intend to spend this gap year doing that. Thanks all for the tough love!
 
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Btw I will have a psych degree. Any idea of how to use this to get some clinical exposure these next couple years?
 
Mister Significant said:
Thanks everyone for all of the input! When I posted this many months back I was daunted by the idea being stuck in a gap year. I was fed the propaganda of going overseas to become a doctor. I have friends in healthcare tell me about peers that are residents from the Carib(the outliers). I’m very happy I posted on here and have spent countless hours researching these forums because I have come up with a new understanding of what I need to do. Carribean is not the route for me. This last semester I got a 3.82 and aced Organic Chemistry and picked up good extracurriculars (coaching youth basketball, hospice). I have decided to take next year to study for the MCAT and take it April 2019 and let my app out to a couple instate MD’s and a bunch of DO schools. I have found a tremendous amount of satisfaction doing volunteering and I intend to spend this gap year doing that. Thanks all for the tough love!
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Read my last post earlier today if you want some more input. I am not bitter about the experiences I have had as it was my own academic inadequacies that prevented me from passing. Most people who do go down this route do end up graduating and matching successfully to my knowledge especially from the more established schools.
 
The Dragon Slayer said:
Yeah no doubt about that. However, you don't see too many others bashing people saying they want to go to law or business school when a similar proportion of those who start will not end up getting jobs in those fields either.
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That ban. I'm curious what finally tipped him over the edge
 
Mister Significant said:
Lmao my man, I read your post. Taking you serious, you definitely got a rich mommy and daddy if you can bounce around carribean med schools flunking after paying for the bar 3 times. No way the government is dishing out loan after loan like it’s candy on Halloween. Assess if your heart is in this schooling or if it’s expectation stemming from your parents. In my opinion you can make 6 figures doing something like plumbing if it’s the money aspect your pursueing. If you feel passionate about medicine, then you shouldn’t have this much difficulty putting in your due diligence in the Library studying for these exams. Keep chipping along though pal.
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My aspirations are definitely not stemming from parental pressure. More of a dissatisfaction from not following through with what I intended on doing in undergrad. Hence why I was so miserable in law. I think I will do better this term, as anatomy was something that really held me back in my previous terms. Can't say anything with certainty at this point though.
 
Danny Archer said:
Read my last post earlier today if you want some more input. I am not bitter about the experiences I have had as it was my own academic inadequacies that prevented me from passing. Most people who do go down this route do end up graduating and matching successfully to my knowledge especially from the more
established schools.
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This is simply not true.
 
Danny Archer said:
What's the matter with you. Do you get off on bashing Caribbean medical schools or something?
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I want to make sure people don't make the same mistake as you did, because these schools (which engage in educational malpractice and would be shut immediately by accreditors if they were located in the US) prey upon the gullible and desperate.
 
calivianya said:
I used my psych degree to keep the same $10/hr job I already had before getting my psych degree. Applied for a slew of >$10/hr jobs, both clinical and non-clinical, and not a single one bit. And then I went to nursing school because $10/hr was difficult to live off of and I realized how badly I had wasted my time.

There are ZERO clinical opportunities for someone with a bachelor's in psych - in fact, there are zero opportunities at all, unless you apply for something that just wants any bachelor's degree, like hotel middle manager, shift supervisor at a dry cleaner (warning: pays less than $10/hr), retail sales (i.e. Macy's, JCP, Dillard's), etc. If you want clinical exposure with psych, you need to pursue psych at the master's/doctoral level to get any sort of opportunities at all.
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I’m sure there’s research assistant and clinical coordinator positions available at academic institutions. Those even pay in the range of 40-60k.
 
Microbug said:
I’m sure there’s research assistant and clinical coordinator positions available at academic institutions. Those even pay in the range of 40-60k.
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I applied for some of those myself - didn't get them. The problem is that people with a psych bachelor's are a dime a dozen, and there's only a few of those kind of research assistant/coordinator positions available.
 
calivianya said:
I applied for some of those myself - didn't get them. The problem is that people with a psych bachelor's are a dime a dozen, and there's only a few of those kind of research assistant/coordinator positions available.
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+1

Currently feeling the research assistant job squeeze even though I'm plenty qualified. Last place I interviewed at was interviewing 8-9 candidates for one position, and that's for neuroscience, which is overall less common a major than psych.
 
Danny Archer said:
This data is 5 years old.
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The reason is that the NRMP only gave island-specific data once. It is the only verifiable data available that can be used. The moment they release country-specific data again (if ever), we will all be happy to use it.
 
kNdCvxa-1.jpg
Danny Archer said:
What's the matter with you. Do you get off on bashing Caribbean medical schools or something?
Click to expand...

Goro said:
I want to make sure people don't make the same mistake as you did, because these schools (which engage in educational malpractice and would be shut immediately by accreditors if they were located in the US) prey upon the gullible and desperate.
Click to expand...
 
calivianya said:
I used my psych degree to keep the same $10/hr job I already had before getting my psych degree. Applied for a slew of >$10/hr jobs, both clinical and non-clinical, and not a single one bit. And then I went to nursing school because $10/hr was difficult to live off of and I realized how badly I had wasted my time.

There are ZERO clinical opportunities for someone with a bachelor's in psych - in fact, there are zero opportunities at all, unless you apply for something that just wants any bachelor's degree, like hotel middle manager, shift supervisor at a dry cleaner (warning: pays less than $10/hr), retail sales (i.e. Macy's, JCP, Dillard's), etc. If you want clinical exposure with psych, you need to pursue psych at the master's/doctoral level to get any sort of opportunities at all.
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Thank you! I’m afraid you may have read only a single comment from this thread. I majored I Psych while taking the pre-Recs for med school. The pre-recs for med school are around 27 credits so a 30 credit major is appealing. That post was intended for other pre-meds who may have used their psych major to become a behavioral analysist for special needs, etc. A 30 credit major with no intent of grad school is for someone trying to scape by college easily.
 
Mister Significant said:
Thank you! I’m afraid you may have read only a single comment from this thread. I majored I Psych while taking the pre-Recs for med school. The pre-recs for med school are around 27 credits so a 30 credit major is appealing. That post was intended for other pre-meds who may have used their psych major to become a behavioral analysist for special needs, etc. A 30 credit major with no intent of grad school is for someone trying to scape by college easily.
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I have no idea what you mean by a 30 credit major. Clearly we are on different educational systems - I had about 140 credit hours by the time I graduated with my psych degree.

As far as I am aware, none of the employers around here care at all about what your other credits were in - they care about what degree was earned. So, a psych major that took the pre-med classes and a psych major that took humanities are the same. It's still a psych degree.
 
calivianya said:
I have no idea what you mean by a 30 credit major. Clearly we are on different educational systems - I had about 140 credit hours by the time I graduated with my psych degree.

As far as I am aware, none of the employers around here care at all about what your other credits were in - they care about what degree was earned. So, a psych major that took the pre-med classes and a psych major that took humanities are the same. It's still a psych degree.
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30 required Psych specific credits. 124 credits to graduate. But you missed point of post. I’m taking gap year before DO application so this post was asking if there are any jobs like behavioral technician that I could do with a psych degree. Will probably just do CNA.
 
Mister Significant said:
30 required Psych specific credits. 124 credits to graduate. But you missed point of post. I’m taking gap year before DO application so this post was asking if there are any jobs like behavioral technician that I could do with a psych degree. Will probably just do CNA.
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I applied for 8-10 mental health tech jobs at the local behavioral health hospital over the course of a year or so with both a psych degree and a CNA cert, and never even got called for an interview.

I know you think I'm missing the point telling you there's no jobs... but I applied for what you're looking for, and nobody bit. I also had a fair amount of hard sciences in my degree, and employers just don't care about that. Most of these kinds of jobs want experience in the field - you need a few years of CNA experience and/or previous work as a mental health tech. I don't know how they think we're going to get experience when no one hires new grads, but it is what it is.
 
calivianya said:
I applied for 8-10 mental health tech jobs at the local behavioral health hospital over the course of a year or so with both a psych degree and a CNA cert, and never even got called for an interview.

I know you think I'm missing the point telling you there's no jobs... but I applied for what you're looking for, and nobody bit. I also had a fair amount of hard sciences in my degree, and employers just don't care about that. Most of these kinds of jobs want experience in the field - you need a few years of CNA experience and/or previous work as a mental health tech. I don't know how they think we're going to get experience when no one hires new grads, but it is what it is.
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cb41cac8ffe50e623504fdd0b1ce9ebdcbf419d8.gif
 
gonnif said:
Are they flying this thread to Cuba? (boy my age is showing now).
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Wasn’t there a recent paper in Science from UPenn that just came out saying all the US diplomats to Cuba has developed this new weird neurological condition.
 
gonnif said:
"Sonic Weapon Attacks" on U.S. Embassy Don't Add Up--for Anyone

physicians at the University of Miami and Penn had diagnosed 24 of 80 embassy employees with mild traumatic brain injury, likely caused by “trauma due to a non-natural source.”
************
I have been following this story for sometime and and it is truly bizzare. It has happened to multiple embassy staff at locations that include off embassy sites but seems to target individuals only even in a crowd with something that these victims sense as sonic. Some of the descriptions of these “attacks” have felt like a wall of sound yet they can move an inch and its gone. It can hit one person in a crowd and not anyone else. They have normal brain scans, no concussion, And politically it makes no sense for cubans to do so. Its beyond baffling at all levels including how the hell this could be happening.
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The extraterrestrials are coming for us.
 
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