Residency chances better for D.O. or Caribbean M.D. students

[tony729]

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I am currently in the application process and haven't found an answer yet. Personally, I feel that an M.D. looks better than D.O. for that fact that it is commonly recognized. I am not looking for a very competitive field, I would be satisfied with family medicine or Pediatrics. I know that a large percentage of students that attend Caribbean schools have trouble find residency. My stats are between D.O and Caribbean level.

 

[bedevilled ben]

DO's have a much easier time getting residency positions than Caribbean MD's. Incipient changes to ACGME residencies are further improving DO's residency placement over Caribbean graduates. Speaking as a Caribbean student, you should do everything you can to get into a US program, be it MD or DO.

 

[WaterIsGood]

I am currently in the application process and haven't found an answer yet. Personally, I feel that an M.D. looks better than D.O. for that fact that it is commonly recognized. I am not looking for a very competitive field, I would be satisfied with family medicine or Pediatrics. I know that a large percentage of students that attend Caribbean schools have trouble find residency. My stats are between D.O and Caribbean level.

You haven't found an answer because you haven't looked. There is a wealth of information and debate on this very topic on SDN.

 

[torontopharm]

I have a similar question as OP.
What are the chances of getting a DO residency as a Canadian studying DO? I'm assuming i'd still be considered "foreign" but would that put me at a disadvantage matching into a DO residency?

 

[bedevilled ben]

I have a similar question as OP.
What are the chances of getting a DO residency as a Canadian studying DO? I'm assuming i'd still be considered "foreign" but would that put me at a disadvantage matching into a DO residency?

In general, being a non-US citizen while applying for US residencies will put you at a disadvantage, because the programs must shoulder additional risk and (potentially) cost/hassle. It is not insurmountable, however, as many people are able to do it every year. It just means you must be more proactive and sensible when it comes to ranking your programs. I'm unaware of any issues specifically relating to Canadian citizens competing for DO positions, though, so you would probably find better answers in the DO forums.

 

[Medstart108]

I have a similar question as OP.
What are the chances of getting a DO residency as a Canadian studying DO? I'm assuming i'd still be considered "foreign" but would that put me at a disadvantage matching into a DO residency?

Slightly but its definitely not enough to sink your boat. You'll need to be better than your US classmates but not significantly so. Since you will be on an F1 Visa, what the programs can do is they can transfer you to an OPT visa which lasts a year while they can either put you on a J1 or H1B. Or they can just get you a J1 or H1B directly. It gives them more options, and a J1 isn't too costly for a program to deal with.

 

[Skip Intro]

It is true that there are certain residency programs that will not even consider you based solely on your status as a Caribbean grad. And, these same programs will gladly accept DO applicants.

Having said that, I got excellent training in a University based residency program alongside U.S. MD grads, D.O. grads, and - yes - even a few other Carib grads.

-Skip