Question For Those Who Attended Caribbean Med Schools

[selfhealer]

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Hi all,
I'd love to hear some responses from people in this forum who attended a Caribbean med school (preferably one of big 4 Carib Schools).

I will soon be applying to med school and though I would likely have a good shot at being accepted to a US school, there are several reasons why Carib schools are very appealing to me, and I am considering this route (despite the fact that nearly everyone seems to say that it is foolish to attend a Carib school if one has the opportunity to attend a US school, and that Carib schools should be a "last resort".

What I would like to hear about from those of you who did go the Carib, route, is what your experience was like in terms of securing a desirable residency after u graduated from the Carib school. Did u find that u were at a serious disadvantage as compared to US graduate when it came to securing a residency?

I'd also love to hear about any other negatives you encountered as a result of your having a degree from a Carib school. Has it really resulted in significant hardships and reduced opportunities? Thanks-SG

 

[doc20]

Go to a US school if you have a good shot at being accepted, going to carribean will definitely land you in end of line for everything

 

[Iftekhar25]

Go to a US school if you have a good shot at being accepted, going to carribean will definitely land you in end of line for everything

Is that for all IMGs or only the Caribbean?

 

[PPGMD]

Go to US school..DO or Allo MD is 10000% better than USIMG status. You will end up with Psych, FP, or IM mainly as USIMG. You may not even get a nice place but if you want to be an MD - this can work for you.

 

[CoolHand Doc]

By all means apply to US Med Schools first. However, a Caribbean Medical School can be a good backup option for you if you go in with the right attitude. I know Ross, AUC, Saba, and St. Georges have many graduates currently practicing in the us. Calling it a "Caribbean Medical School" is a bit misleading as you'll only be doing your Classroom Stuff in the Caribbean (ie Basic Sciences or Year 1 & 2 of School). The Second Half of Medical School (Year 3 & 4) will be in US Hospitals (or UK hospitals if you so choose) which will put you on level playing field with your "US Collegues." If you (A) work hard and get good Letters of Recommendation during your Clinical Years and (B) Do well on the USMLE Exams you'll be on track to get almost any specialty you choose (Derm, Ophtho, and Neurosurgery will be hard to get but not impossible). Again, if you go in with the attitude that I'm going to do well during clinicals and well on my board exams you'll be fine. Once your get into residency the rest is up to you. 😎

 

[Iftekhar25]

By all means apply to US Med Schools first. However, a Caribbean Medical School can be a good backup option for you if you go in with the right attitude. I know Ross, AUC, Saba, and St. Georges have many graduates currently practicing in the us. Calling it a "Caribbean Medical School" is a bit misleading as you'll only be doing your Classroom Stuff in the Caribbean (ie Basic Sciences or Year 1 & 2 of School). The Second Half of Medical School (Year 3 & 4) will be in US Hospitals (or UK hospitals if you so choose) which will put you on level playing field with your "US Collegues." If you (A) work hard and get good Letters of Recommendation during your Clinical Years and (B) Do well on the USMLE Exams you'll be on track to get almost any specialty you choose (Derm, Ophtho, and Neurosurgery will be hard to get but not impossible). Again, if you go in with the attitude that I'm going to do well during clinicals and well on my board exams you'll be fine. Once your get into residency the rest is up to you. 😎

Thanks for that!

I was just wondering, have you ever heard of the Medical University of the Americas?

 

[Meds1]

I did it, and got a mid tier competitive specialty that I would have wanted even if I had gone to a US school. Would I do it again? NEVER!!! I would have reapplied and gone to a us school. You risk everything with a carib school, many never get residencies. You have no support system, no connections, no advisor, are sent running from one city to another for rotations, and feel like a second class citizen while you are at the rotations.

Drop the ego and go DO if you cant get into an allopathic school then do an allopathic residency, you will be far ahead. You never know how you are going to do on the boards and such before you start...if you are not a great test taker at a carib school, be ready for FP at a crap program.

Thanks for that!

I was just wondering, have you ever heard of the Medical University of the Americas?

 

[Iftekhar25]

I did it, and got a mid tier competitive specialty that I would have wanted even if I had gone to a US school. Would I do it again? NEVER!!! I would have reapplied and gone to a us school. You risk everything with a carib school, many never get residencies. You have no support system, no connections, no advisor, are sent running from one city to another for rotations, and feel like a second class citizen while you are at the rotations.

Drop the ego and go DO if you cant get into an allopathic school then do an allopathic residency, you will be far ahead. You never know how you are going to do on the boards and such before you start...if you are not a great test taker at a carib school, be ready for FP at a crap program.

Wow. Okay. Which school did you go to, if you don't mind my asking?

And what does FP stand for?