Turning away from the Caribbiean

[cure4cancer]

Ok, in the last couple posts that I've read on this part of SDN, I've kindof changed my views about the Carribean..
I used to think it was just another option for people who had little hope for MD programs in the states, I thought it was just any other school. Just now, I read that there are textbooks that are stolen from the shelves, pages missing from books etc. and the owners/alumni are not doing anything about this?!

This could be a really bad thing especially if we want to match into slightly more competitive residencies than IM.

For current students, how do you guys manage to study without the textbooks?

Is it really that bad down there?
because if it is, I might as well stay in North America and get a D.O. as my backup

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[wolfvgang22]

Ok, in the last couple posts that I've read on this part of SDN, I've kindof changed my views about the Carribean..
I used to think it was just another option for people who had little hope for MD programs in the states, I thought it was just any other school. Just now, I read that there are textbooks that are stolen from the shelves, pages missing from books etc. and the owners/alumni are not doing anything about this?!

This could be a really bad thing especially if we want to match into slightly more competitive residencies than IM.

For current students, how do you guys manage to study without the textbooks?

Is it really that bad down there?
because if it is, I might as well stay in North America and get a D.O. as my backup

It's a little more complicated than that.
First, not all caribbean schools are created equal. Every school is different.
These are for-profit, international private schools. Some are well run and some are not. Some let in just anybody with a check book, some have requirements for admission.
I recommend St. Georges, AUC, and Saba in the caribbean, as these are well run schools and don't have the problems you mentioned, but still give all their graduates opportunities to excel on the step 1 exam.

I would definitely get a D.O. in the U.S.A. before I would ever go to a caribbean school if I had the opportunity. You will face less obstacles in general, and it's generally easier to obtain the residency of your choice by going to an LCME accredited school. Caribbean schools should be a second resort only, in my opinion.
Good luck!

 

[Skip Intro]

For current students, how do you guys manage to study without the textbooks?

Don't believe everything you read on an Internet forum. If you do, I've got a deed to the Brooklyn Bridge I'm willing to hand over to you cheap.

And, you buy your own textbooks. No one "steals" pages out of books (at least not when I was there) in the library. And, you get handouts for every lecture to study from and take notes on. These purported problems you read about on forums such as these are complainers who hyperbolize minor problems to create the belief that this is standard operating procedure at such schools.

I'm going to be graduating from Ross soon, and i can tell you that I did very well on both Step 1 and Step 2-CK, passed Step 2-CS on the first try, and had a ton of interviews in Anesthesiology this year. Ross delivers. As far the other noise you read on this (or other) forums, just take it for what it is: noise. If you go to a Carib school, most importantly make sure they have a good track record of getting their graduates into residency spots that you want. Then, when you matriculate, keep your head down, study hard, take it seriously, crush your tests, and do what you're supposed to do. Things will work out for you in the end.

Good luck.

-Skip

 

[Skip Intro]

I would definitely get a D.O. in the U.S.A. before I would ever go to a caribbean school if I had the opportunity. You will face less obstacles in general, and it's generally easier to obtain the residency of your choice by going to an LCME accredited school. Caribbean schools should be a second resort only, in my opinion.
Good luck!

First off, osteopathy schools are not LCME accredited. Secondly, osteopath students and Carib students are, for all intents and purposes, in the same boat. Program Directors are not stupid, and they know that the reason most osteopath students went to osteopathic school is because they could not get into an allopathic school. Lastly, for licensure in particular states, many boards require osteopathic grads to a full rotating-internship year in osteopathic medicine. This is an extra requirement that could, theoretically, make your training a year longer than if you were an MD grad from a foreign school.

Certainly, osteopaths have their own residency programs and you may have an advantage if you want to go into a specialty such as Derm or Rads as you will have extra choices come residency time. But, if this isn't an issue for you and/or you plan on doing a residency in an ACGME-only program, then it makes the choice a little less clear cut as it often seems on Intenet forums.

I'm not at all knocking osteopathy school. I am just sharing some opinions and facts that people don't always consider when making the choice of D.O. vs. Caribbean. In the long run, either will get you where you want to be if you play your cards right, study hard, and remember why you are there.

-Skip

 

[berkeleyboy]

That was a beautiful and well written post. Nice reply skip.

 

[jays2cool4u]

That was a beautiful and well written post. Nice reply skip.

You can always count on Skip for sound advice.