What IF you don't get matched with residency?

[vhinrich]

Let's say you went to a Caribbean medical school and you graduated with an MD degree.

Now you come back to the States but you don't get matched into any residency, even family practice or internal med.

What are your options now? What can you do with an MD degree that's not accredited by US institution? I would think you could get a job working in research but it's probably highly unlikely and your MD degree wouldn't even count. It's like getting a research job with a bachelor's degree.

Has anyone been in this situation? If so, what are you doing now?

I'm sure there are people out there who are/were in this situation. I mean not all graduates of carib school get matched into a residency. Right?

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[Javad]

Hi, it does depend on which Caribbean medical school you come from. It is really unfair to put all of the Caribbean schools in one pile. Anyone should do there research and look at USMLE step1 first time pass rate, residency placements and the reputation of the school. Most students that didn't match the first time around will try to make there application better for the next interview season, some will take Step 3 and some will do research in the field they are interested in. You can definitely continue on in the research field with a M.D. degree or try to work in a pharmaceutical company .

 

[peppy]

Even with an American degree, the options for work with an MD but no residency are extremely limited. The odds are you would have to go into something non-medical. That's why some people advise being cautious about going to off-shore medical schools.

 

[vhinrich]

Even with an American degree, the options for work with an MD but no residency are extremely limited. The odds are you would have to go into something non-medical. That's why some people advise being cautious about going to off-shore medical schools.

What are the chances of working in another Westernized country? Possibly UK or Canada? Is it as hard to obtain a residency in UK or Canada compared to USA?

 

[bambi]

Chances in the UK are basically zero for a non-EU citizen with a non-EU degree, I don't know if we even recognise carribean degrees anyway (I imagine we do but you would probably have to take the PLAB). Anyway, your chances in the US are overwhelmingly better than in the UK.