How hard is it to get a residency?
Well, not to be cute, but that would depend on what residency you want. If you have your heart set on dermatology, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, or opthamology, then the odds are tremendously against you. But, there are plenty of residency programs that will take you, even in somewhat competitive fields, if you don't have too many blemishes on your track record.
That's what it's all about, really. As soon as you start school (and, I'm talking way back to high school honestly), you are developing a track record. Everything is scrutinized by subsequent committees who decide your future. It starts with your extracurriculars and the score you got on the SAT. Then, in college, it's how well you do in your pre-med classes and the MCAT.
Most of you have made it to this page because of a few blemishes, not major black marks. And, that's the key. Take the opportunity you have in front of you, treat it like a clean slate, and build-up your track record from this day forward. If you get into one of the reputable Carib schools, study hard, do well on the boards, get the right letters, and prove yourself to be worthy of being called a doctor, you'll do fine. If you do stellar (and have a few connections), you'll do superbly. Your track record carries you into residency. And, that track record in residency carries you into fellowship and/or private practice. People who hire you want to see you as dependable, competent, and most importantly "low risk". You prove this by sailing through whichever med school you go to, passing the boards and doing well on the first try, and getting a good residency spot.
what percent of Ross grads get any match?
"Any" match? I would imagine most who are realistic do get a match. You should get a spot somewhere if you graduate from Ross (or other reputable Carib schools), unless you have three arms, Tourette's syndrome that causes every other word out of your mouth to be "*&#((, or smell like rotten onion during your interview. It may not be General Surgery in Los Angeles. It may be Family Practice in North Dakota. But, you will get a spot.
In that regard, being a U.S. citizen is probably more important than where you went to school. That's probably equally, if not more important, to a lot of programs where Carib grads land.
And, even if you do an Internal Medicine residency in St. Bleeding Heart Community Hospital in the middle of Idaho, you still will have a chance at getting into a fellowship somewhere if you absolutely rock it, become chief (which you're more likely to do at a program like that), and prove to everyone that you actually can walk on water. People like those who can accept a challenge and surmount odds. And, if you're a good, likeable person, they will help you out to no end. Folks always root for the underdog.
Is the match rate lower for caribbean schools vs. US schools?
I don't know if the
rate is lower (not sure what that means). Many Carib grads have the advantage of pre-matching somewhere, which means they don't even have to go through the NRMP program. I was offered a pre-match spot. I gambled on the Match. I'm glad I did because I got into an awesome University-based anesthesia program.
Also, is it harder to get a job graduating from a non-US school?
By job, I'm assuming you mean a private practice job after residency. To be honest, I don't know yet. I'm just starting the job search now. You'll have to wait to hear from me. But, I know that other Carib grads I've met have gotten the jobs they wanted.
However, some practices definitely care about pedigree. Not much you can do about that. Likewise, if you want to go into academic medicine, you may not get that choice job at the Ivy League hospital. But, so what? There is a looming - heck, it's already occurring - doctor shortage out there. Just be sure that you want to be part of this career before you decide to go. Hard to know that now, I know.
It would seem that USMLE board scores should carry more weight in my opinion vs. the school attended.
You would think that, but board scores are not all that important overall. They are simply used to stratify applications as they come into a program. In other words, they don't "rule-in" a candidate, but instead "rule-out" many applicants. Probably the most important part of your application is your letters of recommendation. Also, not having blemishes on your record (failing courses in school, failing the boards once or twice, etc.) is equally important.
Having said that, there are still many programs that won't consider you because you went to a Carib school. That's a reality I faced when I applied to residency. But, overall, it didn't matter for me. I got into a great program that didn't care about where I did my undergrad med training. And, I'm thankful for that.
How about patients? Is it important to them where you graduate?
In the three years I've been a resident and literally close to two-thousand patients I've directly cared for in that time, I've only had two patients ask me where I went to medical school. To be honest, I sort of dodged the question at the time. I admit, it was uncomfortable. It's a difficult question to answer, but for many more reasons than just being proud (or not proud) of where you went to undergrad med. People make a lot of assumptions about your competence based on your answer to that question. And, I can tell you that I've worked with plenty of marginally competent docs who went to prestigious schools. So, don't let that worry you. It happens so infrequently that it's really not an issue.
As long as you are board certified that should be good.
Yes, you will be board eligible (and hopefully certified) in whatever specialty you train in once you get into an ACGME-accredited program. And, that's the best thing about it! There is no discrimination against you once you're licensed and you complete your residency by any of the boards who will certify you. They figure if you're good enough to complete a residency and pass their certification process, you're good enough to be a diplomat of their specialty.
I hope I answered your questions directly. And, I hope you got the chance to have that talk with Jeffrey Peralte. He's a really great guy, and one of the true stellar people working at Ross.
-Skip
