Ross University

[dentalapp]

What type of doctors does Ross University turn out? Do they undergo the same career conditions that US med school grads go thru?

What about stigma? Would the fact that you earned an MD from Ross take its toll on issues such as patient referrals and reliance? Are Ross MDs fully acknowledged as physicians by US med school grads?

If I enter Ross next fall ( and assuming that I'll be enrolling in their summer sessions), when exactly would I be leaving Dominica? When would I be going into clinicals? When would residency begin?

Lastly, do the majority of Ross grads end up in decent hospitals? Are they usually successful in matching for spots such as dermatology, surgery, or opthamology?

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[Skip Intro]

First, I would say read Ross' official website:

http://www.rossmed.edu/

A lot of the preliminary questions you are asking are answered there.

Secondly, I would look back through this forum and read a bunch of threads on Ross and the Caribbean, in general.

Lastly, if you still have some questions, feel free to ask me here or to PM me.

-Skip Intro
MS2 Ross University
Portsmouth, Dominica

 

[ApacheIndian]

Originally posted by dentalapp
Are they [Ross grads] usually successful in matching for spots such as dermatology, surgery, or opthamology?

IMHO... forget it, doable, forget it, respectively.

Disclaimer: I'm not being a pessimist, just a realist. That said, anything is possible ... good luck to you...

 

[dentalapp]

Why is surgery easier to get into than derm and opthamol? I always thought surgeons are more technically competent.

Also, you mentioned that surgery is 'doable', as in being easier to get. Are all subspecialties in surgery just as 'doable', like in heart/brain/plastic surgery?

 

[ny skindoc]

Surgery is much easier to get than the others for several reasons.There are many training programs and available positions.. as most large community and university hospitals have surgery residency programs.These spots have to be filled.Lately interest in general surgery has been declining due to the decreased compensation of surgeons by HMOs coupled with the long and difficult residency(5 years of 80+ hours aweek).Derm has relatively few spots open a year ~260 positions nationally..(a fraction of the surgey slots.) and very high demand due to high income,normal working hours in residency and practice.Many Derm applicants are tops in their class.Opthalmology is not as competitive as DErm but a similar situation.It is very rare for a non US grad to get into these programs.There are many IMGs in Surgery.Of course at the top programs in Surgey competition will still be intense.

 

[ny skindoc]

As far as the surgical fields are concerned integrated Plastic Surgey positions are few in number and super super competitive.Neurosurgery is a free standing residency and while difficult to enter is much less so than orthopedics and plastics and a real possiblity for an IMG with good board scores and recs.Cardiac surgery ia a fellowship that follows a 5 year general surgery program.It is not that difficult to get if your performance during your training was high.

 

[dentalapp]

And what exactly happens if you get surgery training at a small, no-name community hospital?

In what ways would you be different from someone getting that training at a prestigious medical center?

Lastly, what do people usually do if they are unable to get the specialty they want? Do they apply again?

 

[womansurg]

Hi Dentalapp,

Don't equate community program with noncompetitive or poorer training.

I'm graduating from Iowa Methodist Medical Center (heard of it? Didn't think so...). My classmate just matched into a very competitive Plastic Surgery fellowship, and basically had his pick of programs. Our previous grads have matched into Plastics, Cardiothoracic, Colorectal, Vascular and Minimally Invasive Surgery fellowships at highly competitive institutions.

Our absite scores (sort of like USMLE for surgeons) are usually above the 90th percentile for about half of us, and well above average overall. All of us graduate with published research, and usually present research and take home awards at national meetings.

We consistently fill with our top 5 applicants. Our incoming interns have board scores typically in the 240s, are most often AOA, and could easily match into the majority of University or community programs in the country.

Advantages of community programs are many: more liveable, better call schedule (home call - O yeah), nicer staff, better ancillary support, free food and parking, and - most important - better operative experience. In the OR, it is just you and the attending from day one of your internship. There aren't enough residents or med students around to stack people in rooms like at the U. There are no competing Fellows or surgical subspecialty residents to take the great cases. You want to do the complex Plastics, Pediatric, Surg-onc, Gyn-onc, ENT, Cardiothoracic, Urology cases - it's all you, baby.

If you're planning on doing academic medicine, or if you know that you will want to subspecialize in a highly competitive field (eg. Pediatric Surgery), then you probably ought to limit yourself to University programs.

Otherwise, community programs are often the best of all worlds. That's just my humble, unbiased opinion, of course.

Regards!

 

[Skip Intro]

Originally posted by Dr. Cuts
IMHO... forget it, doable, forget it, respectively.

Disclaimer: I'm not being a pessimist, just a realist. That said, anything is possible ... good luck to you...

Yeah, I'd also add to that list (not that you asked) -

Orthopedic Surgery, Radiology, Urology, Neurosurgery (the RARE Carib grad will get one of these as well). Cuts is right, though - if you have your heart set on Derm or Opth, I'd advise sitting it out and going U.S. And, if you do go U.S., you'll still be heavily competing for these choicest of spots.

Godd luck whatever you decide!