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So, what constitutes a "fly by night" operation?
If you look back to what happened in the 1970's and early 1980's, there were a lot of diploma mills that sprung up. It got so bad that the federal government investigated and shut many of them down, some in the Dominican Republic where the sucker... err... "student" basically just wrote a check and got their degree. It's a great story and worth a read.
http://www.hep.uiuc.edu/home/g-gollin/diploma_mills/1986_04_Pepper_Commission_3_ED274240.pdf
As a result, there was a huge crackdown, several of these "schools" were shut down. People were even prosecuted and jailed.
Fast-forward to today...
"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience."
-George Bernard Shaw
So, what's happened in the 30 years since Claude Pepper's House Sub-committee investigation? The difference is the operators of some programs today have gotten a lot more clever at reading the rules and walking the regulatory tight rope. They've also lawyered-up. They hide behind regulations and loosely interpret and argue the ones that may not agree with what they're offering. In a word, they've gotten a lot more "slick".
What does this mean for you? You have to be very careful if you go the Caribbean route to avoid a program that will:
1) Promise you the world... for a price (doubly-true if that price seems to be a bargain)
2) Not be straightforward in answering your critical questions
3) Fail to show a clear and supportable long-term track record of delivering a meaningful degree that will get you into residency then permanent license
What do you need to know/ask (and don't be satisfied until you get a straight answer)?
1) How many graduates do you have that are actively practicing medicine with an unrestricted medical license in the [state you want to practice in]?
2) How much of the curriculum involves "distance learning" and how much time will I have to spend on campus?
3) How long will it really take to get my degree? What happens if I fail a class?
4) Do you have a list of graduates in residency or practice that I can talk with?
5) Are all of my clinical rotations in the U.S.?
6) How am I protected if I have a complaint or there is a problem with the curriculum?
The point is, there were many more schools in the Caribbean that catered to U.S. students who wanted to pursue the dream of becoming a doctor that have come and gone. The diploma issued wasn't worth the hefty price they paid for it. That "dream" turned out to be only a pipe-dream.
Like mushrooms after a spring rain, a lot of new schools have popped-up over the past decade. One should be wary about programs that offer you a lot of promises, but aren't clear about the actual pathway to getting there and/or dodge your questions when you contact them. If you smell a fish..
"A foole and his money be soone at debate: which after with sorow repents him too late."
-Thomas Tusser
Good luck. Do your homework. And, most importantly, be smarter than you've been up to this point in your life. Many of these schools that are now offering matriculation and promising you the world - at a discount - won't be around in five years. Mark my words.
-Skip
If you look back to what happened in the 1970's and early 1980's, there were a lot of diploma mills that sprung up. It got so bad that the federal government investigated and shut many of them down, some in the Dominican Republic where the sucker... err... "student" basically just wrote a check and got their degree. It's a great story and worth a read.
http://www.hep.uiuc.edu/home/g-gollin/diploma_mills/1986_04_Pepper_Commission_3_ED274240.pdf
As a result, there was a huge crackdown, several of these "schools" were shut down. People were even prosecuted and jailed.
Fast-forward to today...
"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience."
-George Bernard Shaw
So, what's happened in the 30 years since Claude Pepper's House Sub-committee investigation? The difference is the operators of some programs today have gotten a lot more clever at reading the rules and walking the regulatory tight rope. They've also lawyered-up. They hide behind regulations and loosely interpret and argue the ones that may not agree with what they're offering. In a word, they've gotten a lot more "slick".
What does this mean for you? You have to be very careful if you go the Caribbean route to avoid a program that will:
1) Promise you the world... for a price (doubly-true if that price seems to be a bargain)
2) Not be straightforward in answering your critical questions
3) Fail to show a clear and supportable long-term track record of delivering a meaningful degree that will get you into residency then permanent license
What do you need to know/ask (and don't be satisfied until you get a straight answer)?
1) How many graduates do you have that are actively practicing medicine with an unrestricted medical license in the [state you want to practice in]?
2) How much of the curriculum involves "distance learning" and how much time will I have to spend on campus?
3) How long will it really take to get my degree? What happens if I fail a class?
4) Do you have a list of graduates in residency or practice that I can talk with?
5) Are all of my clinical rotations in the U.S.?
6) How am I protected if I have a complaint or there is a problem with the curriculum?
The point is, there were many more schools in the Caribbean that catered to U.S. students who wanted to pursue the dream of becoming a doctor that have come and gone. The diploma issued wasn't worth the hefty price they paid for it. That "dream" turned out to be only a pipe-dream.
Like mushrooms after a spring rain, a lot of new schools have popped-up over the past decade. One should be wary about programs that offer you a lot of promises, but aren't clear about the actual pathway to getting there and/or dodge your questions when you contact them. If you smell a fish..
"A foole and his money be soone at debate: which after with sorow repents him too late."
-Thomas Tusser
Good luck. Do your homework. And, most importantly, be smarter than you've been up to this point in your life. Many of these schools that are now offering matriculation and promising you the world - at a discount - won't be around in five years. Mark my words.
-Skip
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