How far would YOU go????

[Jamaican MD]

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Hey guys 🙂

If you didn't get into medical school (within a reasonable number of applications) would you just go south to the Caribbean?

Hey, I say an MD is and MD.

 

[TeinVI]

i'd rather scrub toilets rather than end up at st. george

j/k i do'nt know know much about that school to say anything, but i've heard people who got their md's there and had trouble getting decent residencies in the us

 

[Blitzkrieg]

for residency/prestige sake, I wouldnt go south....it will close doors in your career if you choose certain paths..

 

[kaos]

Don't u think that's a little harsh, Tein?

 

[Zoobaby]

What's a yearly student budget (tuition+expenses) at St. G or Ross? I've heard people say that they're really expensive, but I've never seen any numbers. If they cost significantly more than US private schools (say $50k/yr total budget) I probably wouldn't go. It would be pretty depressing to have 300K in debt and then not be able to get a residency.

My uncle's brother went to school in Mexico and couldn't get a US residency. St. G may be different, but it would be too big a risk for me personally.

 

[luw]

I think you'll hear a lot of different things about these schools. Just keep in mind that for every horror story, there's a success story. The person who scored highest on step 1 or 2 of the boards two years ago was from Ross, and if you check out residency match lists, some foreign schools measure up to U.S. schools. I know people at both st. georges and ross and both say it is hard and it's far from ideal.. but it's getting them to where they want to be.

I would try at least twice to get into a U.S. med school... but after a few years of getting rejected in the states.. I would consider going to the islands (maybe consider DO first.. but from what I know about DO, I'm not down with the OMT).

Tough choices.. but I think it's nice to know that there are other options out there.

 

[Explosivo]

Originally posted by luw
and if you check out residency match lists, some foreign schools measure up to U.S. schools.

Look i have great respect for anyone that has the courage and drive to go the foreign route and come back here and be successful. But I have to question the claim about the match lists. The major downside of going to the Carribbean is you will risk having diffculty getting into a residency. If match lists were comparable you'd have students flocking down to the carribbean in order to forgo all the AMCAS nonsense.

If you have evidence, prove it. Otherwise, us schmucks have all been wasting our time with AMCAS trying to get into U.S. schools.

 

[Jalby]

****, I would go to the carribean. Granted, you can prolly never become and Ortho, Derm, etc, but current;y there are 26,000 residency spots in the US and 16K Allo and 1K (forgot the name of the other) and the rest of the spots go Foriegnor medical grads. To say there isn't spots for a carribean is redic. If you are top half of your class I'm willing to bet you could get a family practice in a major city.

 

[LetMeInPlease]

There's a doctor at my work who did her first two years in the Carribbean and then she (I can't remember the exact details) either was accepted to Yale or did her residency at Yale. I know there was a Yale in there somewhere! That's pretty good! It is possible to succeed in those schools, but I still wouldn't do it myself.

 

[bridgie]

I grew up in a very affluent area on eastern long island NY (near the Hamptons) and my local hospital has a web site which lists where the staff was educated. In high school I surfed the sight and was shocked to find that about half were educated at schools like Ross. A few years later I heard that the guy who owns Ross lives near me.

These doctors have lucrative practices, live in mansions on the water, have yachts, drive amazing cars...not to mention they are excellent docotrs. No one asks where you went to school when you are a doctor.

 

[Zoobaby]

I found a link in the EM section of Scutwork.com (no time to find it again right now.) The link was to a report showing match statistics for emergency medicine. It said that the vast majority of people from US allopathic schools trying to match EM did, in fact, match (98%+.) The same value for FMGs was something like 60%. Just some food for thought.

 

[luw]

I do think it would be harder to get the more competitive residencies as a foreign grad.. but if you are in one of the more reputable schools - I really think it's all about what you make of your experience there. You can succeed there if you are driven and willing to work hard. Here's some stats in case anyone else is kinda keeping their options open right now.

St. Georges U. School of Med: postgraduate appointments 2000
1% in each: Radiology, pathology, radiology-oncology, opthalmology, neurology, internal med/psychiatry, internal med/peds, physical med and rehab
3% anesthesiology
4%: psychiatry
7% general surgery
4% emergency med
10% family practice
6% obstetrics and gyn
46% internal med
From St G's View Book

Wright State U, Dayton OH 2002
1-2% in each: neurology, opthamol, orthaped surg, 0tolaryngology, physical med and rehab, radiology, urology
4% anesthesiology
5% psychiatry
8% emergency med
33% family practice and internal (21 and 12 respectively)
4% internal/peds
4% ob gyn
13% pediatrics
12% general surgery
7% transitional year
from: http://www.med.wright.edu/students/2002/specialties.html

St G's pass rate for USMLE step I in 1999 was 91% for first time takers
For U.S. student first time takers the collective pass rate in 1999 was 92%

(sorry I don't have anything more current!)

This is what I meant by "comparable" and I definitely don't want to mislead anyone. Going to a foreign school should be an absolute last resort.

Although you don't get asked by your patients where you went to school..you WILL get asked by your colleagues and the foreign grads I've talked with said they felt like they had to prove themselves when they came to the states to do their 3rd and 4th year rotations and also during residency. But one of them said that it only motivated him to do better, learn more, and excel.

I have a lot of respect for foreign grads that really do have a passion for medicine. They are faced with challenges US students dont have to deal with. Anyway, I hope I never have to seriously consider foreign med schools.. but if I don't end up in med school in the states in the next couple years, I may find myself trading in my sweaters and mittens for island wear!

 

[PhT]

My feelings on this subject my be somewhat inconsistent with the general consensus, but hey, that's why these forums exist! To me, it seems that it is generally accepted as fact that the carribean schools are inferior to U.S. medical schools. That being said, I would have a hard time convincing myself to apply to one as a last resort, assuming all other options have failed. The mere fact that such schools are viewed as "last resorts" initiates a certain amount of curiousity within me, leading me to wonder why people choose this route. I will agree with the idea that a great physician is more than just a great student, but I'm not sold on the idea that desire and passion alone can make a great doctor. From my perspective, it seems that this is the idea behind many people's decision to apply to schools such as st. george, etc. Those willing to go as far as the carribean to chase their dreams have certainly displayed their passion and desire to practice medicine, but, in doing so, are essentially admitting that they only posses one side of a two-sided puzzle. To me, this is comparable to earning any type of bachelor's or master's degree online; it's legitimate, but to what extent?