Which is the best Carribean School?

[theaznfishy]

In summary it depends on 2 things:

A) How well will you do in the school [GPA, UMSLE, etc.]

B) What are the pass rates/residency spots that the school guarentees

My understanding is SGU has the best in both pass rates and spots when it comes to Carribean schools (hence they deem there's no such thing as the BIG 4, its just SGU or nothing). The Tuition is high b/c the money goes to paying states [especially new york] for spots for their students, hence the better chances of getting a good spot. I've heard SGU also has the most bearable living conditions [considering it's campus is still expanding and its in an environment relatable to Hawaii (beaches, sand and candy)] but I'm not too familiar about AUC and never been to Ross.

Bottom line though, wherever you go, you still have to do well, don't ride a schools reputation and expect to get into wherever you want just willy nilly.

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[CascadaFan]

This thread is starting to sound like the Harvard vs Hopkins vs Columbia threads!.

Except Harvard, Hopkins and Columbia are good schools.

 

[GADoctor]

I take a different viewpoint than most people. Although I stand firm, saying that no student should go to a Caribbean school outside the Big 4, this is mainly because it will benefit you in the long run accreditation and clinical wise.

The doctor is not a product of the school, he/she is a product of themselves. No one can tell me that a doctor who went to Harvard or any American school is better than any Caribbean doctor just because they went to a different school. I feel many people take the contrary point, and disregard anybody who did not matriculate within the US border. While one can make generalizations that might hold some steam, there are quite a bit of doctors graduating out of the Caribbean that I would rather have as my doctor, than doctors I have been to before.

 

[muqalia]

Look, most people here suggest the big four. You can get an MD degree anywhere you want. Go to china if u really like it there. But what people are saying is that the big four are much more reliable then the other carribean schools. The have the history to prove it, where as the other school are found lacking. Thats all

 

[Slaol]

American University of the Caribbean:

• Best island of any Caribbean school - St. Maarten is a top caribbean cruise destination for a reason
• Good USMLE Prep - 2010 first time pass rate for Step I was 95% (higher than the national average for US schools)
• Federal Financial aid
• Nice campus location
• Plenty of clinical spots all over the US and UK w/ several hospitals (Nassau, Providence, Bakersfield) that allow you to do all your clinicals in a single location
• Fantastic history of Residency Placements and Fellowship Placements

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u951LyDg9_Y[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbdSDbbAxtk[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FptYYDoGViQ[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=016TWz7jVIE[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxMobtLfjBo[/YOUTUBE]

 

[tky92]

Different strokes for different folks. All four are approved in all 50 states. Score well on the USMLE at any of the four and you should get where you want to go (provided you have realistic expecations)

This is what I gathered when I was considering all 4
SGU
Pros: Best clinical situation right now, good reputation and 30 year history, good support system
Cons: expensive, 2nd best island, class size is getting larger every year

Ross
Pros: long history and reputation, less expensive than SGU
Cons: shaky clinical situation, 3rd best island, higher attrition

AUC
Pros: best island, I liked their admissions staff, 3rd best reputation and history IMO
Cons: best island (from my undergrad experience I was wary of some of the distractions), conflicting reports about clinicals

SABA
Pros: good statistics, small class sizes, cheap (1/3 of price of SGU)
Cons: loan situation, worst island, unsure about clinicals, relatively new

I ended up choosing SGU and while we have our issues here I'm pretty satisfied with my decision. I ended up choosing SGU because it looked like it has the most stable clinical situation right now. Everybody has their own reasons whether it be financial or other preferences. For instance for me I didn't want an island with a casino or other touristy things to distract me because I don't trust myself (2 of my friend chose AUC and love it).

Again...one person's opinion. If you can't do your own research to pick a medical school then it is unlikely you're going to make it through IMO. All of these factors are constantly changing and keep in mind everything you hear is hearsay. Nobody has been to more than one of these schools and everybody does try to sugarcoat their own school to make themselves look better

Big decisions....good luck!!

No one seemed to mention St. Kitts UMHS at all? How come?

 

[PteFabulous]

No one seemed to mention St. Kitts UMHS at all? How come?

That post was about the "big four" schools which are considered the best schools in the Caribbean.

UMHS is a new school, and not really comparable to the above schools.

 

[aucdoctor]

No one seemed to mention St. Kitts UMHS at all? How come?

I think the biggest issue is money. Bottom line is as a student you're only going to get staffords going to SGU, AUC, Ross. I new someone that had to stop his medical education at Saba after his basic sciences because his credit rating changed and was unable to get any more private loans. This is of course after racking up 5 semesters of debt at a high interest rate.

My opinion the value of these schools are in clinical rotations.
From what I've seen talented students prior to coming to med school end up doing well on exams. If you're talking clinical rotations I have to give the edge to SGU. Although I love my school (AUC), one cannot deny the organization that SGU has for clinicals versus the AUC and Ross.

In terms of education my SGU friends attest to the SGU program. They only have great things to say about their education and they feel like residency directors give them some respect or at least have heard of SGU from prior residents that were excellent. SGU grads have gone on to grab some great residencies.

I've only heard negative things about Ross in terms of island, the feeling of a diploma mill profit making scheme, as well as some issues with the Bahamas campus. We've had a couple of Rossies transfer here.

I can only speak of my education here at AUC. So far the only class that sucked was biochemistry. For that class I used Kaplan videos & Lippincotts. The prof is useless for that class.

Our physio/neuro dept has to be way above any school in the Caribbean. Our dept head is Dr. DM. She is originally from West Virginia --> Ross U --> AUC. She is incredibly passionate about teaching and is very aggressive in bringing in visiting professors from the US.

We only have 2 fulltime faculty for Neuro/Physio. Dr. DM & Dr. B.
The rest are flown in for various blocks.
Lets see...
1. Electrophysiology: Dr. ?: can't remember his name right now. He was the chair of the physio dept at UMass med school.
2. GI: Dr. R (author of Physio Pretest): Temple Univ
3. Cardio: We had 3 guys come in for that. All 3 from the Pikesville osteopathic school and were phenomenal. They were amazing teachers.
4. Renal: Dr. T (from Indiana Univ med school) & Dr. S (famous physiologist from Texas)
5. Respiratory: Dr. S (Director of admissions, U. of Louisville med school)
6. Endocrine: Dr. F (univ. of NC-Chapel Hill)
7. Neuro: Dr. N (probably wrote one your textbooks that you use for neuro as well as some neuro atlases); U of Arizona
8. Neuro: Dr. J (Military academy, Bethesda)
9. Neuro: Dr. S: neuroradiologist from Dartmouth

For path I: mostly our fulltime faculty. Dr. G is a good teacher and
Dr. R (used to be the chair of UPenn's path dept). I didn't vibe with him at all.
Dr. L: awesome guy from NJ

For pathology II we have...
1. Dr. B: dermatopathology: Dartmouth Medical school
2. Dr. R: CNS: Dartmouth Medical school
3. Dr. A: Male genital: Sloan-Ketterling cancer center, NYC
4. Dr. M: WBC: Arizona

Our fulltime for path II is Dr. H: absolutely awesome guy. Parties with us on the beach after blocks.

Because St Maarten is a hotspot in terms of vacation its really easy to lure visiting professors, esp. the established ones that have the freedom to take off a couple weeks and teach in the Caribbean.

What I really like is from 2nd semester on we have Intro to Clin Med. So we're hands on with equipment (stetho/ophthalmo/bp/etc) and learning physical exam; taking history; writing up histories; patient cases; presenting like we'd be doing during our 3rd year.

Our 5th semester we do 2 rotations on the island. And for our final clinical tests we do a vaginal & rectal exams. Male & female patients get flown in and provided a nice vacation while we probe around with our fingers.
During 5th, we get a live review of Kaplan from some of those great instructors you see on your videos.

We have to pass the NBME comp on 3 tries. We have to pass the Kaplan comprehensive. The shelfs that count towards our grades are anatomy, biochm, pharm, behavioral. The other shelf exams are optional in your 5th semester.

In terms of step 1 score AUC boasts a 94% 1st time pass rate, but I'm unsure how the data is gathered and so I don't want to comment on that. But I do know of 4 people last year that scored 260+.

I guy that I know from Saba he just scored a 260+. And I'm sure both SGU and Ross has a handful that do as well.

The bottom line is that these people that did this well were smart to begin with and were high achievers. So I don't know if the school had anything to do with it. The same people probably would of scored the same no matter where they went.

I mean we have a guy in our class that consistently is near perfect on every exam. He scored a 100% on the Biochm shelf. Rarely misses questions. He studies his butt off and works really hard and is an absolute beast.

The one thing that I do like about AUC is that its student friendly. The administration on the island is pro-student and never have I felt like there was a weeding out process. The profs here like to teach and it shows. And if there is an unfair prof, the Deans hear about it via emails/petition/etc and action is taken. It creates a very student friendly atmosphere and I do enjoy that.

My buddy that went to Saba said the the island was TERRIBLE. One road from top to bottom. Nothing to do. No where to really eat. Just stuck...studying all the time...Unfair profs esp. the immuno & path couple that got kicked out of AUC and then ran off to Saba.
Although he scored a 260+....the kid is wicked smart to begin with...but Saba did give him his opportunity to become a doctor....it was just a painful 5 semesters...

Here in St. Maarten we have restaurants, clubs, events, casinos, shopping, etc etc...McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway, CostULess (A Costco, Sam's club rip off)...Huge grocery stores...lebanese rest, german rest, chinese, japanese, high end, steakhouses, seafood, etc etc...

We even have a movie theatre. Its pretty nice. I think 6 screens. One which is stadium seating. Caribbean cinemas is the name I think.

It is an intense schedule though. You're allowed to fail 17 credit hrs after which you have to the board and plea your case. Our courses are an average of 5-7 credits a piece.

On average about 50%-60% of the starting class makes it to 5th semester on time. If you were "smart" in school prior to med school you'll be fine at AUC.

I'm glad to be in St Maarten because you can have a life. You can have a nice apt, buy a car, and really live life for 20 months. People love to visit you and you have a lot to show them. The french side...the dutch side...the amazing beaches...horse back riding...zip lining...scuba/snorkeling...clubbing...etc etc...

So the way I would rank the Caribbean schools:
1. SGU: based on reputation & $100 million contract with NYC public hospitals; Stafford loans; student services

2. AUC: exclusive contracts with various hospitals; Stafford loans; AMAZING island

I wouldn't even consider Ross because of DOMINICA and the fact that they are about pure profit, with no illusions about it. Look at their MERP program. Look at their numbers that come in. You don't even have to go to class, its all video lectures. BUT they do have stafford loans, so if you can bear Dominica you'll at least have stable finances.

I wouldn't consider SABA. Simply because of the US loan situation. I know for Canadians its a bit different. You can get loans for Saba. But be prepared to be stuck on truly an underdeveloped island with nothing but 1 road, 3 shacks that they call a grocery, 4-5 random restaurants from ex-patriates that for whatever reason decided to inhabit Saba.

Of course before you even consider SGU or AUC. Try your darnedest to get into the US. Even the last ranked US med school is going to get you to where you want to be far more easier in terms of residency.

I'm really nervous coming out of the caribbean. I'm one of the top students based on ranking in my class and everyone expects high board scores out of me but I'm scared about my future.
25,000 residency spots
20,000 US med students (back in the day it used to be 15,000)

So that leaves 5000 (most likely community based programs) that all the caribb students, US DO students, foreign students (india, etc), are scrambling and fighting over.

You hear about the zebras. The Stephens that get rad onc @ JH. But for the most part you have to expect if you go to the caribbean to get any residency you can....which means family medicine and maybe internal medicine. Don't come to the caribbean expecting orthopaedics, derm, etc etc... Even if you have a perfect GPA + 260 on step 1...who cares...this just guarantees you some sort of residency...whereas if you were in the US...with those scores you're on track to do whatever you want...

So really consider if this is the best route for you....can you do MS program...anything to bolster your application....sleep with the director admissions...whatever you have to do....but make the caribbean your last choice...

If however you have to make that choice....I really think only SGU & AUC is what you should consider....Anything else...stay home...

 

[aucdoctor]

also besides the youtube videos...you can go to aucscope.com which is a student run online newsletter that gives you a glimpse of our lives here...

 

[GADoctor]

I think your evaluation of Saba is fair. It is especially difficult, both academically and because of the island. Also, the loan situation is not great, but Saba just accepts many Canadians instead. I have been hearing that we are going to be approved soon, but everyone knows how those rumors go.

On the other hand, because there is nothing to do, and because it is so difficult academically, students coming out of here score extremely high, we had several 260s, and even a 270 and above, etc. Of those that actually take the exam, the pass rate is extremely high.

 

[JMurray]

carib students tend to be little narrow minded, they go to these little islands and never exlpore anything, and cant wait to come back to the little town they left and do every break there and do ther utmost best to get a hospital near there for 3rd yr and every single student is just obsessed with getting back to not only thier STATE, but trying to even sometimes get back to the SAME COUNTY or even same city and STREET

so understandably, when they think of medical schools of the world, they only know ross, sgu, and auc, which makes sense, cus only 1-5 usa students are accepted each year into UWI

its so famous its even pronounced (uwhee) in the public, it IS IN FACT THE TOP MEDICAL SCHOOL OF THE CARIB and in the world
royal college of physicians
oxford
2 schools in germany
UWI
that wierd one in sweden
and AIMS in india
along with mayo and hopkins, are the medical epicenters of the world

the 4 tiny little island schools where us citizens happen to flock to 3 times a year are specks in the grand scheme.

do not post and talk down to posters stating facts when you have no idea what your talking about

Please help as best as you can. (URGENT)

I am a form 6 student in a prestige high school on the island of Trinidad. I intend to pursue a career in medicine and am currently in my last year of sixth form culminating with sitting my CAPE examinations next May/June (2012).
I am reallyyyyyyyy confused by the ranking of medical programs in the Caribbean. I hope to earn my first degree here as its 'free' as my government pays for it (under a contract of course) and then specialize at a school in the UK.
On one hand, SGU seems to be coming in first, but I have some medical professionals advising me against SGU, saying that the medical program at UWI Mona is the best. My heart was really set on SGU and now I am pretty confused, they say that SGU graduates come out at a lower standard as compared to graduates of other schools including UWI.

Keeping in mind that i would like to specialize in the UK, which school would you vouch for? Is it possible to earn a MD (as with SGU) and then proceed to specialize in the UK? And on the other hand, is it possible to earn a MBBS (as with UWI) and then proceed to specialize in the US? Which system do you recommend? Please be as unbiased in your response as possible and only give information you are knowledgeable about.

Thanking you so much.
J Murray

 

[Skip Intro]

Please be as unbiased in your response as possible and only give information you are knowledgeable about.

Your situation is totally different than most of those who post here. Best of luck!

-Skip

 

[bambi]

If you want to do any training in the UK, other than a 1 year fellowship, you need to go to a medical school in the EU or you simply wont get a job.