Hello everyone,
I am a 2020 graduate of AUC. Before I started medical school, I had a lot of questions. What would living on the island be like? Are med school classes really that difficult? What does a day in the life of a clinical student look like?
To help others with similar questions, I have decided to write a guide to Caribbean medical school. There is a lot of misinformation out there that I would like to address. I'd also like to give guidance towards how to be successful as a Caribbean IMG-yes, lots of people fail out. But lots of people succeed too. I want to give people an accurate picture of the risks and benefits so they can make an informed choice. I also want to give people tips on how to not be one of the people who fail, including which resources to use to pass your classes and crush step.
I would like to encourage anyone interested in the Caribbean to drop any questions you might have here, so I can address them in my book. I want to make sure that what I am writing is actually helpful! I will also answer the questions here in this forum.
Full disclosure: I did not match this year. I got high scores on the written steps (step 1 and step 2 CK), but failed step 2 CS last minute and had to withdraw from the match. This was very sad news for me, because I had received 15 interviews and was very excited to start the next chapter of my medical journey at one of these programs (many of which I loved!). I retook step 2 CS just before the pandemic closed down the testing centers and passed it with no problem. I have been told by physicians further along on their journey (residents and attendings) that I should have no problem matching next year despite my step 2 CS failure. But that obviously is something I will have to wait a few months to see. Regardless, I believe I am qualified to write this book because I was successful otherwise, and I can teach you how to learn from my failure as well as my success.
Thanks for your time, and good luck making your decisions as to the direction of your career. Caribbean is a risky path, and it is not for everyone. There is a very real chance of leaving with massive student loan debt and no MD. But it is not certain doom, and for the right person it is absolutely the right choice.
I am a 2020 graduate of AUC. Before I started medical school, I had a lot of questions. What would living on the island be like? Are med school classes really that difficult? What does a day in the life of a clinical student look like?
To help others with similar questions, I have decided to write a guide to Caribbean medical school. There is a lot of misinformation out there that I would like to address. I'd also like to give guidance towards how to be successful as a Caribbean IMG-yes, lots of people fail out. But lots of people succeed too. I want to give people an accurate picture of the risks and benefits so they can make an informed choice. I also want to give people tips on how to not be one of the people who fail, including which resources to use to pass your classes and crush step.
I would like to encourage anyone interested in the Caribbean to drop any questions you might have here, so I can address them in my book. I want to make sure that what I am writing is actually helpful! I will also answer the questions here in this forum.
Full disclosure: I did not match this year. I got high scores on the written steps (step 1 and step 2 CK), but failed step 2 CS last minute and had to withdraw from the match. This was very sad news for me, because I had received 15 interviews and was very excited to start the next chapter of my medical journey at one of these programs (many of which I loved!). I retook step 2 CS just before the pandemic closed down the testing centers and passed it with no problem. I have been told by physicians further along on their journey (residents and attendings) that I should have no problem matching next year despite my step 2 CS failure. But that obviously is something I will have to wait a few months to see. Regardless, I believe I am qualified to write this book because I was successful otherwise, and I can teach you how to learn from my failure as well as my success.
Thanks for your time, and good luck making your decisions as to the direction of your career. Caribbean is a risky path, and it is not for everyone. There is a very real chance of leaving with massive student loan debt and no MD. But it is not certain doom, and for the right person it is absolutely the right choice.
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