Which route would you advice someone to take if US MD school doesn't work out. Is it better to go to the Caribbean and still attain that MD degree or attend a DO school in the US? I've read in many places that DO schools have been gaining reputation really fast in terms of their recognition in foreign countries but some places still see a big difference between the two. But the question creates some complications after residency, when both, DO and Caribbean MD, are done with residency and start practicing. In this situation, would the Carribean MD would look better because of the MD after his name than the DO? At the end of the day, no one is going to ask you where you went to medical school but the two letters seem to make a big difference in how people see you. So which would you prefer: Caribbean MD or US DO?
After searching, I am coming here on SDN so please be honest and sincere.
Also another question l had: DO is the same thing as a MD with more hours in rotations? They end up learning the same stuff so both are doctors. If it differs more than the rotation hours I mentioned, please expand on this.
Have you talked to caribbean medical students about the potential issues that you may encounter should you choose to pursue this route? (even at places like SGU, or Ross)
How many students start medical school every year? (since they start a new class three times a year) ... how many graduate? WHY the low retention rate? What academic support or administrative support, if any, is in place to make sure you stay in school and progress academically? What happens to the former students who are kicked out academically (and how will they pay off their student loans?)
You briefly mention practice rights ... forget trying to preserve international practice rights, your main focus (if you go to one of the caribbean schools) is ... can you practice in all 50 states? Only a handful of schools will allow their graduates to practice in all 50 states .... a lot will have trouble with states like California, Texas, New York, Michigan, Illinois, etc. Do you really want to spend your clinical years worrying about "greenbook rotations" and making sure the rotations that you set up are greenbook rotations, knowing that if you set up your clinical rotation wrong, you will lose your chance to work in certain states in the future? Each state has their own unique rules on how they license their IMGs. You may think you know where you want to practice, but things change - job opportunities happen, spouse needs to relocate for a new job, parents/family move, etc.
International Practice Rights - this mainly applies to countries where you plan to move and settle and practice permanently. It's not for volunteer medical missions. DOs can join Doctors Without Borders/Medecin Sans Frontieres. DOs have their own international medical mission organization called DOCare International (
http://www.docareintl.org/). As for DO International Practice Rights - it is always changing/expanding, but here is a link to current countries with full unrestricted rights
http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-a.../Pages/international-practice-rights-map.aspx
Keep in mind that if you pursue the caribbean option, you have an MD from a third-world country. You are not regarded as a US MD (even if you did your postgraduate work in the US). And you have likely have to jump through the same hoops as any other foreign MDs wanting to work in that country (even US MDs). But it is an option if you truly want to relocate and work full-time in the future in countries that does not recognize the US DO (like France, Japan, India, Mexico) - just weigh the potential "cost/risk" of this option versus preserving your right to practice in those other countries.
What USMLE score will you need to be competitive compare to a US MD or US DO? How many interviews will you need to attend, how many programs will you need to rank, in order to feel comfortable come match day that you will match? Should the prospect of new medical schools in the US (both new MD and DO schools), as well as current medical schools opening branch campuses as well as increasing their class sizes, scare you when it comes to residency matching? Do you think Congress, in this economic/political environment, will suddenly increase medicare funding so that more doctors can get trained? Do you think any large medical organization/society will knock on Congress's door to ask for increase funding or will they be too busy trying to fend off any impending (annual) medicare cuts?
As a caribbean grad, can you moonlight during residency? You will need an unrestricted license. Many states will require their IMGs to have at least 3 years of residency completed (or complete their residency first) before granting an unrestricted license. Other states won't be as strict. But something to consider when it comes to money.
And while the weather is excellent - what happens when a Cat 3 hurricane is headed your way on your SMALL island? Can you study for that comprehensive end-of-year exam (that if you fail, the school won't let you take USMLE, hence why they can brag about their a high usmle pass rate) while a hurricane is headed your way? (true, Florida/Mississippi/Alabama/Texas will have to deal with this too ... but what is the frequency of hurricanes hitting a caribbean island versus a US state, and what infrastructure will be present to deal with the aftermath)
Thousands of graduates have successfully become practicing physicians, with some even in academic medicine in the US. Majority of them are good competent physicians. And every year, hundreds of students successfully make it through the maze and challenges that I listed above, and are in residency programs throughout the states (and some at good academic centers) so it's not all doom and gloom. Just realize the challenges and obstacles in your way.
Are there issues and concerns with regards to DO education - yes there are. Are there obstacles to overcome should you pursue the DO route - yes there are. Is this post bias because I'm not going to list the issues/challenges that you will face if you go after the DO route - yep but after writing the above, I'm not in a mood to write another essay on the challenges and issues of osteopathic medical education. You are welcome to come to the pre-osteo and osteopathic forums to see what those issues are (just please read and research the forums first and search instead of starting new threads to rehash recurring themes). But the issues I brought up above are some of the stuff you should consider when you are considering caribbean vs US DO. For some people, US DO may not be the right option and that's OK - it's not for everyone.
Disclaimer: the above post is bias since I am a DO, currently in a fellowship (acgme/university-based), completed residency in an acgme/university-based program. Also have worked with many good and competent residents who are caribbean graduates. The number of times I've been noticed by patients that I'm a DO can be counted on one hand - and mostly because they either recall their favorite doctor being a DO, have a PCP who is a DO, or wanted me to do OMT on them (which I don't do, and it's not my field).
