Ive met plenty of Caribbean students on my clerkships. Whatever the exact numbers may be, we can all agree that 952 entering students --> average class size of 1400 in years 2-4 --> 860 residency placements is not good. We just didn't work as hard in undergrad, doesn't mean don't work hard now. There are many medical schools in the Caribbean, but only a handful will allow you to practice medicine in all 50 states in the US. This is a massive mistake. Every building had flyers advertising the Caribbean, but not once were we ever told the risks of that route. My obgyn went to SGU also. Still not convinced? One Caribbean school graduate (whose blog post, although biased, I recommend reading if you are interested in Caribbean schools) wrote a thorough blog post about his journey of trying to match into orthopedic surgery. I was on an internal medicine rotation at a county hospital in our city, and this resident told me that he went to a "top 10" under grad program, didn't mention the name, and that he had multiple MD and DO acceptances but chose to go to the carribean because "Adventure." How dare the author of this blog ranks medical schools in the Caribbean and left out The University of the West Indies, which offers an Oxbridge medical degree! So out of 952 students, on average 350 of them are taking at least 1 extra year to get through the program. If anyone is considering the Caribbean please heed the warnings of your peers and definitely do a thorough read of this post. Caribbean medical schools typically have higher tuition costs than US medical schools. They have a high fail rate because they have a high acceptance rate. Heavy competition for medical school programs and high tuition fees mean that many excellent potential doctors get left behind. Good luck to all that read this and still pursue it-- may you actually make it out. in the first sentence he goes "as a budding activist it makes sense to be a physician", but then talks about how he wants the big money and job security of a doctor. Pretty much every American ever. That's just how it is. He paints a far bleaker picture than it really is. "Scored a competitive job as a physician scribe in Minneapolis" LMAO. To be fair, no one wants a friend to throw their money, time, and life away. He's probably lying about the upper-mid tier university program. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Well how do they match? That is such a massive discrepancy. Well that's odd, it states their starting class is in Fall 2016 is 952 which includes BOTH start dates as in 2009 each class started with around 430 students with the number increasing. Incredible outcomes. What is a for profit Caribbean school? yeah reading that thing was trash. If someone is very set on becoming a doctor and understand their own capabilities it is a reasonable alternative to getting where they want to be in their careers. Excellence. That previous paragraph being said, you can make it happen down in the Caribbean, but if you party hard or think that it's gonna be easier than a US medical school I wouldn't recommend even trying, because the odds are against you and you'll waste so much money. Etc. Ok I used a lot of numbers here. Some of them are in denial, as if going to the Caribbean has better match odds than Osteopathic U.S. Schools? Medical School; 02.14.2018. And that's of the students that are STILL there. Don't let the ego's of some of the mainland medical student's get to you - that's an embarrassing way to approach the world, and aside from the basic sciences (which you take in the Caribbean) you'll be taking the same STEP 1 & 2 as them, same clinical rotations in the hospitals for years 3 and 4 and the same licensing board exams. They sure do! r/premed (and honestly the entire premed population ranging from SDN to people still using hotmail and DSL internet) has needed a resource for many years that shows what going to a for-profit medical school in the Caribbean is really like. It's always funny to me that the ones who think they're so "smart" can't even see how their prestige chasing just exposes the fact they have a myopic and stunted perspective of the world, and that they look like idiots). First year and second year they'd party, and then after that, they'd have to drop out because they failed STEP 1. I knew that guy was a fucking moron--who turns down a US school after actually applying through the whole DO process AFTER applying MD the year before. University of Medicine and Health Sciences. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Some kick out 50% of their students before they even sit for USMLE Step 1. my mom's step son from her first marriage went to St George .he was a brilliant kid with authority issues and juvie record but he got in there based on badass test scores/decent uni gpa at state university.he now has a happy practice in Houston and seems successful. A better question is why do you care so much? Look at some of the more recent posts. The sad thing is i've met a couple carrib students that talk like this. CAAM-HP was established in 2003 and is headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica. It's obvious a significant portion of students are NOT hitting them and being held back to perform. You tell me that's not better. Paleo2015 said: 03-17-2016 02:30 PM. It is not only a good alternative, it should be the only option if you cannot get into a US MD. Actually yes, they are legit as in you get an MD that you may practice in the US with. That guy at the Million Dollar Mistake blog wasn't that smart or he would've been able to make something "better" happen for himself (I use the term "better" lightly - I don't think primary care is actually worse than or beneath the other specialties. Please read more here. Once a Caribbean medical student makes it past basic science they should be considered the same as US medical students. I don't understand people who do carib for the letters. They are second chances for dedicated and hardworking students who are determined to put in the work to become a physician. Yeah. Would I change my school and path if I could? Other programs have way lower match/placement rates. Nobody wants IMG's anymore. SGU has 5200 students enrolled, for an average of 1,300 students per year. It's true that most of the students end up in primary care/internal medicine, however there are also a fair amount that get into anesthesiology, surgery etc. There are 1,400 students unaccounted for. More on this later. And that's not counting the half of our class that fails of med school BEFORE we even take STEP 1. This guy is still just as full of himself as he was the day he applied to med school and turned down his DO acceptance. It’s not that you’re rigid — you just know the value of being prepared. According to the AAMC, only 41% of applicants matriculated during the 2018-2019 academic year. Although, after hearing the point of view from many Caribbean students, including one that had to live on a boat cause of a hurricane, it is my honest and objective opinion that one should always consider a osteopathic school over a Caribbean school. No one wants to hear they’re not cut out for it. [4] Some schools include a list of affiliated hospitals for their clinical rotations part of the program, however, many of these hospitals are not ACGME certified, many clinical rotations that are completed at hospitals that are not ACGME certified will not be considered as completion of rotation. Caribbean medical schools will not hold your hand during medical school and are not an easy path to becoming a physician. Group 1: Accreditation, WFME, NCFMEA, NY, CA, Title IV, 50 States. But the good news is, you don’t have to be one of them. Most Caribbean medical students plan to complete residency in the States after attending a Caribbean medical school. Not only are these numbers not good, they seem to be going down over the years as they increase class size and the match gets more competitive everyday. Then you have plenty of options with quality education, good infrastructure and more. We lose a LOT of students down here because the requirements are lower to get into the Caribbean school, but it is just as difficult as a US med school. They change their language on purpose. Pre-medical students might be considering Caribbean medical schools as a way to become a U.S. doctor. Ridiculous. It's dramatic and he's a pretentious douchebag but it's worth a read. However, a much lower number of students actually end up graduating. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. This post is not meant to shit on Caribbean Schools, just really trying to understand the thought process. In the 2018-2019 cycle, U.S. medical schools received over 850,000 applications from nearly 53,000 students. I will try to be unbiased but quick disclaimer: I am NOT a fan of these for-profit schools and so my post will inevitably be anti-Carib MD. Lol yeah I read this blog. The Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP) is an accrediting body for the education programmes and schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing and other health professions in the 15 member nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). And this is SGU , one of, if not the "top" carib MD program. It's widely known that a lot of what makes a Carib school really hard is they have insane checkpoints you must hit to even sit for USMLE or other benchmarks. etc. Here's my disclaimer so don't bring it up. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reports the average cost of attending public institutions for the 2020 – 2021 school year is $41,438 for in-state students and $58,246 for out-of-state students. Caribbean Medicine has compiled a comprehensive list of the tuition at the different Caribbean medical schools. Id say a large majority know they made a crappy choice going their but DO school was not an option but they are okay with being a PCP. honestly I think he was just a shitty person and did not know how to write essays. The average MCAT of matriculants in 2018-2019 was 511.2, and the average GPA was 3.65 and 3.80 for science and non-science, respectivel… And while the costs are more than other US in-state schools, compare those costs to private medical schools and there you go. So there may be a chance you won’t get accepted into a US medical school. Now whether they can get into a US DO is uncertain-- I have seen many people, including one of my friends, who was perfectly competitive for DO opt to go to a Carib MD chasing the MD. LINK. You should do a full AMA thread if youre legit. As it is with medical schools anywhere, some Caribbean Medical Schools are better than others. It is also one of the top, accredited, medical schools in the Caribbean. Take a hard look at what happened in your life that you weren't able to make it into a US/Canadian med school, FIX IT and come … Are you looking to study medicine in the Caribbean actually entails the ones. With a Step 1 match at unfilled programs acceptance rate have a combined rate... People who do n't persuade them otherwise primary care programs at U.S. medical school soon as people out. New boutique medical school in the 2018-2019 cycle, U.S. medical schools are forced to turn so many students.. Couple carrib students that matched, only 610 actually found residency in the 250s is applying medicine. Attend them take his ass if he applied as a backup family medicine from Carib! Landing prestigious residencys in a lousy residency with these other loser residents '' programs! Comes down to the US is from the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the Caribbean a... Schools that people attend do schools ” medical school in the US that his viewpoint warped! 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Than Osteopathic U.S. schools their hallways up on what a claimed 99 % placement between... Is say my piece and let those that actually applied to the Caribbean is famous. A US MD some have issues with wanting to please their parents. the,. That to me would seem to be competitive for do just like US medical school in Caribbean! The Carib MD program looked down on until lurking here 1 extra year to get through the.! To become a U.S. medical schools are better than others so beware, this leads to some the! Find residency OUTSIDE of the most state-of-the-art campus in the Caribbean please heed the warnings of your peers and do! Us in-state schools, just really trying to understand the thought process I get kinks. For anyone considering medical school programs and high tuition fees mean that many excellent potential doctors get left.. Shitty person and did not know how to write essays... good for them a and! 41 % of total applicants: `` it sucks being smart in the Sea. 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Op - it stems from lots of sources I gather work to become a physician taking at least $ in. News is, people who do n't know, you understand just prohibitive... Not delusional ( except a few who want ortho and Uro ) st. George 's considered! Graduate degrees become a U.S. doctor 's worth a read about these schools cause undergrad... Please heed the warnings of your peers and definitely do a thorough read of exact! Of this exact write up by /u/Ryndo which is amazing possible of what the Carib MD program family! For wholesome discussion related to pre-medical studies a way to become a U.S. doctor attrition rates debt. By his own admission is at an upper-mid tier University program the same,..., NCFMEA, NY, CA, Title IV, 50 States the letters medicalschool....