What is the consensus on Caribbean schools?

[deleted838145]

Hi all. I'm a regular in the pre-med forums, so I'm not really familiar with this side of SDN. Today a coworker of mine told me how her sister is currently in vet school at St. George. Of course I said congrats, but when it comes to med school the Caribbean is known to be the last (if even an option at all) place to go to if you want a viable career in medicine. I was just curious about what people here think of Caribbean schools. Is it as bad as it is for med school? Or is it alright?

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[LyraGardenia]

Hi all. I'm a regular in the pre-med forums, so I'm not really familiar with this side of SDN. Today a coworker of mine told me how her sister is currently in vet school at St. George. Of course I said congrats, but when it comes to med school the Caribbean is known to be the last (if even an option at all) place to go to if you want a viable career in medicine. I was just curious about what people here think of Caribbean schools. Is it as bad as it is for med school? Or is it alright?

It's not the same as with med schools, St. George's and Ross are both AVMA accredited and respected just as well as any of the US schools by most people. They're arguably a bit easier to get accepted to, and are expensive when you account for cost of living and flights back and forth, but the general consensus is their graduates are on par with any US school.

There are multiple threads on this topic already if you use the search function.

 

[AndThenIMetHer]

I've heard only good things about the SGU vet school. For your clinical year, students go to affiliated teaching hospitals around the world, most are in the US though. You could even go to Cornell if you really want to. A lot of the caribbean students end up feeling a lot more confident then the US students during clinics because they get a lot more hands on experience early and are more prepared. Not sure about medical school, but I wouldn't take anyone's word on something like this. Best thing is to see it and judge for yourself.


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[Great Butts]

I've heard only good things about the SGU vet school. For your clinical year, students go to affiliated teaching hospitals around the world, most are in the US though. You could even go to Cornell if you really want to. A lot of the caribbean students end up feeling a lot more confident then the US students during clinics because they get a lot more hands on experience early and are more prepared. Not sure about medical school, but I wouldn't take anyone's word on something like this. Best thing is to see it and judge for yourself.


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I don't know if Caribbean students are any more confident or prepared than US students - they may have to work harder in order to prove themselves as Caribbean schools still have a negative stigma among many administrators and professionals in the veterinary field. Additionally, being able to attend Cornell for your fourth year rotation is all dependent on your ranking and connections, which I suppose does depend on your desire and willingness to work extremely hard.

Medical schools in the Caribbean are generally looked down upon because they are not AMA-accredited, which means that they cannot practice in the United States if they don't match into a US residency. Match rates for US citizens attending Caribbean medical schools are an underwhelming ~50%. Luckily, SGU and Ross U veterinary school are actually both AVMA accredited, which means that graduating from these schools after performing 4th year rotations in the US allows you to practice in the US as if you had attended a US school.

But the negative connotation is still associated with attending these schools, unfortunately, even though the curriculum is just as rigorous as any other US school. The admissions profiles for accepted students tends to be lower than average accepted stats for US schools and the attrition rate is astounding in these schools. Approximately half drop out, eventually. You will have to work hard to get the 4th year rotation you want and the amount of debt you'll be in will be awful.

 

[variegata]

As a resident, I'd say that the students that come through for rotations from the island schools are pretty equal to our home students. There are strong ones and weaker ones, for sure...same as our US-based class. I do also like that they (at least for Ross) are required to be on a somewhat mixed track, meaning it's not SA or LA exclusive like our students have, which I think makes them overall better rounded.

 

[Abnerrs]

I've heard only good things about the SGU vet school. For your clinical year, students go to affiliated teaching hospitals around the world, most are in the US though. You could even go to Cornell if you really want to. A lot of the caribbean students end up feeling a lot more confident then the US students during clinics because they get a lot more hands on experience early and are more prepared. Not sure about medical school, but I wouldn't take anyone's word on something like this. Best thing is to see it and judge for yourself.


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I think that's too much of a generalization about confidence and hands on experience.

That said, I have great friends in island schools, and have had several come through the vth, and they are just as good and bright as we were.

 

[allygator13]

Hi all. I'm a regular in the pre-med forums, so I'm not really familiar with this side of SDN. Today a coworker of mine told me how her sister is currently in vet school at St. George. Of course I said congrats, but when it comes to med school the Caribbean is known to be the last (if even an option at all) place to go to if you want a viable career in medicine. I was just curious about what people here think of Caribbean schools. Is it as bad as it is for med school? Or is it alright?

I wonder who her sister is, and if I know her haha.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

As a resident, I'd say that the students that come through for rotations from the island schools are pretty equal to our home students. There are strong ones and weaker ones, for sure...same as our US-based class. I do also like that they (at least for Ross) are required to be on a somewhat mixed track, meaning it's not SA or LA exclusive like our students have, which I think makes them overall better rounded.

I agree. All the island students I taught during residency were on par with statesiders. Some great, some not so great, etc. No big difference.