Should i transfer from an Australian school to a Caribbean School

[GC-DR]

Hey everyone.
Long story short is i have a green card (US-IMG), MS3, step1 232, first author papers.
At a small school in Australia. Can only get about 2 months of USCE.

I know Australian education is excellent, i'm moving because my wife needs to be with her family they live in the USA. (so don't need to hear about staying in Australia to train, more opportunities with specialities etc etc)

I have the option of transferring to a Caribbean school for MS3 and 4 and get all my clinical experience done at USA hospitals.

Do you guys think this will boost my chances of matching?
In other words, what do you think will be viewed more favourably.

a) Australian school whole degree, 2 months of USCE
b) Australian school transfer to Caribbean school, 2 years USCE, red flag being the transfer of schools + US-IMG.

I know Caribbean schools have a stigma but are they viewed more favourably than any other IMG?

Thanks for any advice i know this is a pretty weird question.

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[Domperidone]

I have no idea how to answer this.
I'd suggest asking in tge Carib forum and see either what Carib grads like Skip Intro say or else experts/program directors like Gyngyn. Or have a browse of the carib forum.

I'm speculating, but on paper transferring from one off shore school to another might raise eyebrows (which you already suspect)

The general sorta stereotype with off shore is UK and then Australia is looked upon better than Carib.

 

[ddjamb]

Unless you are transferring to one of the Big 4 Caribbean schools, stay where you are, because you won't get the USCE you need otherwise.

 

[rokshana]

Hey everyone.
Long story short is i have a green card (US-IMG), MS3, step1 232, first author papers.
At a small school in Australia. Can only get about 2 months of USCE.

I know Australian education is excellent, i'm moving because my wife needs to be with her family they live in the USA. (so don't need to hear about staying in Australia to train, more opportunities with specialities etc etc)

I have the option of transferring to a Caribbean school for MS3 and 4 and get all my clinical experience done at USA hospitals.

Do you guys think this will boost my chances of matching?
In other words, what do you think will be viewed more favourably.

a) Australian school whole degree, 2 months of USCE
b) Australian school transfer to Caribbean school, 2 years USCE, red flag being the transfer of schools + US-IMG.

I know Caribbean schools have a stigma but are they viewed more favourably than any other IMG?

Thanks for any advice i know this is a pretty weird question.

are you at a domiciled Australian school? If so, then you may be able to see if you can transfer to a US MD school, though this is not the easiest thing to do...but if you must transfer that would probably be the best option.

but frankly foreign is foreign ...programs may have their preference mostly because of their experience with grads from specific schools (i know there are some that want to think that one is better than another, but ...no not really).

if you transfer anywhere, you will m/l have to repeat a year, while if you just finish up in Australia, you can enter the match on time.

 

[Domperidone]

but frankly foreign is foreign ...programs may have their preference mostly because of their experience with grads from specific schools (i know there are some that want to think that one is better than another, but ...no not really).

Hence, my saying it's a 'stereotype' for lack of a better word, partly based on threads similar to this one I've seen: CaRMS process for an IMG is unfair despite how it looks.
Obviously, grain of salt, as it's one perspective from a Canadian grad rather than American. I just can't remember the other threads at the moment.

OP's probably aware (I assume) of the pitfalls to the Australian system in their particular situation. Apart from the notion that any off-shore school is still an off-shore school. For one, unless you're at UQO you won't get all your rotations in the US, most Australian schools won't let you by virtue of their accreditation rules. There's downsides to the Carib as well, which is illustrated in the many threads there. At any rate it's OP's choice to make based on the balance of things that they can make out. Every path has it's own unique problems, it's not that one has less than the other. We're comparing apples to oranges, it's different.

(I know the feeling though, of the aura that comes off some who really want their off-shore path to be far better than another. It's like..let it go, guys..let it go. I'm sure your choice was the best one for you, but it may not be the case for everyone. That said. I mean, what I do really know anyway. I think the PDs would have a more meaningful opinion)

It goes without saying that transferring to a US MD or DO program is best, but how realistic that is would be for OP is another question. (Odds are probably slim, likely actually participating in the match might easier than transferring).

 

[GC-DR]

Cheers for the advice, i had some people private message as well.
It seems the general consensus is stay in Australia, as the match odds will be more in my favour being from one place,
even with less USCE. especially if that place is Australia.

 

[BGDino]

Networking with people in the years above you who are going to the US will probably be helpful too, as they’ll be able to give you advice and guidance about the process and things you need to watch out for. E.g. one of my students last year wanted to enter the Match and to be able to get ECFMG in time had to make sure they graduated exactly on time and not a week later or they’d have to sit out a year as ECFMG wouldn’t happen quickly enough.