If there's one thing I value, it's being open and honest. While this video may not have the information you wanted to here, the truth is what you need to hear. Thanks for watching.
Just wanted to give hope to anyone watching. I went to a big 3 Carib medschool and failed my step 2 ck on my first attempt. Thought I was doomed after not matching. Studied hard, took it again and passed, did well. Worked for a year as a tutor. Matched the following year into FM residency. I'm working as a traveling hospitalist, life is good. Never give up on your dreams. Work hard and you can get there.
Good hope! I also just finished at Auc. Was mediocre at best. Of course I could have worked a lot harder but I was an average student, average to less than average step scores and I applied psych and fm. Had 20+ interviews and matched at my number 2 spot psychiatry at a university based program. I could not have asked for a better medical school experience. Also, every one of my psych interviews I was the only IMG interview along with US students. Where I matched, half of us are IMGS and the other half are US grads.
He's absolutely right. I go to a caribbean school and its cut-throat. You need to have realistic expectations when going to them. At the end of the day, these are for-profit businesses and you're just a number. Many of them are known for making tests and standards extremely difficult to weed out students or to get them to repeat. For me, time was a factor and I couldn't afford to take a year off to improve my credentials. It's all really based on individual circumstances. If I could do it all over again, I'd def have tried harder to get into a US school. Do your research before making a decision. All the best.
hi guys, hes absolutely correct on all his points. I am an attending in a caribean medical school. My school has has ridiculous attrition rate, and make the final exam (NBME) worth 45% of the grade and the CBSE is worth 35% of the grade. Year 2 is basically teaching yourself to survive the cut-throat policy.
Peace be to you! Thanks for covering THIS! I felt so ashamed for not getting into medical school that I was SERIOUSLY considering this! Ross and Montserrat looked like good programs. I didn't consider things like issue discussed in this video. I also didn't consider the HUGE amount of money spent travelling. The good Lord guided me to the PA profession. I SHOULD say that some of my erstwhile PA classmates went the Caribbean route and are Doctors now. I wish you all the VERY best of succes in your positive endeavors. Medicine is a great profession. I hope those of you striving for that MD/DO get it!😊
Please, any US pre meds. DO NOT go overseas for med school. As a US-IMG it is a massive headache. At the end of the day you’ll be a great doctor wherever you go if you work hard that’s not really the issue. The stigma you’ll carry and the challenges of living in an another country far outweigh most reasons people have for leaving.
Landon Parmer I wish I went to the Caribbean!😂 I was naive after high school and thought going to med school at a 5 year program in the Middle East for less time and money was the smart thing to do. There are no pros besides cost and time saved, and that doesn’t outweigh the cons AT ALL. Most Americans (especially 18 y/o me) don’t know how much easier life is stateside. Bottom line for US pre meds. There is almost 0 good reason for putting yourself through an international med school. Work harder at home😭
@@landonp.4073 If you only knew... Dealing with the rigor demand of medical school work/study load in addition to culture differences, electricity going out almost every day, and dealing with the stress and anxiety of obtaining a higher Step 1 score, plus matching into a US residency program... US med school is of course hard but doing all of that in the Caribbean is even harder...[depending on the Caribbean location]. It takes a huge toll on your comfort level and mental health at least from my perspective...
Earthling108 Sorry, maybe I wasn’t clear before, I haven’t finished yet. I’m only 21 in my third year. Right now of course the uncertainty of matching and being able to go home is a massive stress. As I progress the other aspects of the process show some pretty annoying bias. A couple examples 1) certain specialities are incredibly competitive for IMGs. A lot of places don’t even wanna look at your application regardless of what your tests scores are or any other qualifications. It seems some specialities pride them selves on how few IMGs they have. 2) elective rotations, certain prestigious US institutions, list on their websites that US-IMGs are ineligible to even apply to rotate with them. Whereas non-citizens are able to do up to 3 months of rotations. 3) even within “non-competitive” specialities, there are plenty of high quality programs with average step 1 scores in the 220-230 range that would never give you the time of day even if you’re at 250+, simply because you’re a US IMG. See ultimately, when you don’t go to a US school, you get yourself labeled as damaged goods. Doesn’t really matter why or when you went, you’re damaged goods indefinitely. No one wants that, but not everyone (18y/o me) really grasps the depth of it. Ultimately, medicine is extremely hard to do. But it takes the same amount of work and uncertainty to be a great attending physician. Either you can put in that extra work and get into a US med school. Or go international and then put in all that same work, with no guarantees and severely limited career options. Sorry for the rant, but if a single US pre med reads this and stays home. I feel like it’s worth the time and effort😂
There's literally zero con in taking a gap year or two or three, apart from losing time, like you become a doctor later than others and if you care about money, that can be a lot of money down the line. But as long as you do something meaningful in your gap year, that will always help and never hurt your admissions. FOR post bac....I guess the biggest cons is how you have to pay for them and there's still no guarantee you'll get into medical school, so you might have paid tens of thousands for nothing, but if you're desperate to be a doctor and your grades suck, it's the only way to raise your GPA.
I currently attend one of the Big five Caribbean medical schools and believe it is a good option if you need a second chance and are willing to put in the work. I would highly recommend against going to any school that isn't accredited by all 50 states and approved for title 4 funding. If you're heart isn't in it and you don't put the work in you'll definitely fail. The schools won't hesitate to allow you to repeat a semester and pay for an extra semester/year of tuition either. You pay them they give you the opportunity to achieve your dreams, if you don't seize that opportunity they will definitely take your money and fail you.
Thanks for this balanced review of the Caribbean medical school experience! Prospective med students should be aware of the potential for a difficult match. I agree with your advice that they should spend a year (or two) strengthening their applications before reapplying. I'm an EM Physician and just launched my channel focussing on global health... let me know if you'd like to collaborate on a video on global health medical electives.
At 4:09 the background with all the specialties lists optometry as a medical specialty. Optometry is a completely separate program, you don't go to medical school at all to become an optometrist. You most likely meant to put ophthalmology there, as it also deals with the eyes but instead focuses on diseases of the eyes and often has a surgical component, and requires medical school to matriculate into an ophtho residency.
another thing that wasnt mentioned is the time. In the US you have to do 4 years of pre med and then 4 years of medical school, in the Caribbean you go straight from high school to med school if you get accepted, most schools it takes 5-6 years to complete, the 1st year and a half being a general science year (like what pre med would be) and the next 4 years is applied science.
The other viable option I have seen as a patient is doctors with Pakistani and not sure with Indian heritage, but definitely American born and US citizens go to medical school in Pakistan and then become a US M.D. I presuming tuition is significantly less in Pakistan.
I graduated from Ross university. I had been out of college for 4 years and did not do well on the MCAT the first time. A friend of mine told me to apply anyway and apply to Ross in case US schools did not accept me. I didn’t know anything about foreign med schools. I was accepted to three US schools with the caveat that I had to complete a 1 year long post bacc program. Ross accepted me right away. I was inpatient and went to Ross right away. They even offered to start me in May rather than in the fall as most US schools do. I completed med school in 3.5 years and did really well on Steps 1 and 2. However, in retrospect I should’ve waited the year and gone to a US schools. Graduating from a carib school is not the end of the world but it’s a stigma you will carry.
Could you ever do a video about different countries Canadians get can their medical degree and use it to practice in Canada? (I have no interest in going to the US, and will probably stay in Canada but I’m just wondering)
Hello, just found your channel and so in love with it. Also looked around your website after watching the video. I arrived at the decision to enter medicine later in life. I already have two undergraduate degrees, so I am now looking at entering a pre-medical post-baccalaureate program. I looked to see if you have a video about it but couldn't find one. Would love to hear what you've seen or experienced regarding students who only do premed courses in a post-bacc program and their chances at getting into med. school as well as how med. schools admissions perceive them. (: Just subscribed, your channel and site are an excellent resource.
Could you make a video of international medical schools in general. There were classmates that ended up going to Mexico for medical school. I am not sure of the strategy behind this but some of the schools guarantee Residencies in the US.
Attending a Caribbean Medical School was the best decision I ever made. Had my baby between my first and second semester there and TA'd my second semester in Biochem. Caribbean schools aren't for the weak and whino's it's for the grittiest of peeps. IMO, most US Med grads are not that gritty. This guy has never been to a Caribbean school and most people that have an opinion have never been. There's a difference between researching a topic and looking from the outside and actually experiencing something first hand. If you truly have the fire to get it done. A caribbean school can get you there.
Hmmmm, some of this is accurate but a lot of this negative commentation does not necessarily align with bigger Carib med schools that are in European or british colonial territories and have UK or EU match or educational agreements.
So I work at an underserved location. I am in charge of hiring scribes. I find that scribes are actually sometimes from the Carribean med school which scares me. Recently, one of our scribes from Ross got a residency and another one from the same school did not get a residency yet and I checked her LinkedIn and she now works as a research assistant... something that does not require an MD. Also one time she left her email open and I saw her get rejected. It sucks. My MCAT tutor told me specifically that there is like a 50% chance you will be in a quarter million debt if you go since like half get residency. How sad!! However, another one of my acquaintances did get a residency from Ross. His own father is an anesthesiologist so maybe that could have been a factor so I don't know.
L bo Most public medical schools in the US have below a 10% acceptance rate and the private ones easily got closer to 1%. The 40% he talked about was the total percentage to people who apply that get into at least one school (people typically apply to around 15 schools).
I went to a well establish US medical school and spent my surgical intern year in Boston. We had Harvard medical students on our main campus and students from Ross when we rotated at a community hospital. I was surprised by the quality of a few Ross med students and honest thought that they would have done well at a US medical school had they waited for a year or two. Unfortunately, the differences between them and the bad ones were obvious. Some were miserably unprepared both professionally and personally. You would not find this range of med student quality in established US med schools. I was curious and asked a lot of questions regarding their school. They were literally taught the Step 1 in the first couple of years, attrition rate is near 50% when they get results from Step 1. So the match number this video stated may only reflect the 50% that made it through their second year. This was on purpose since they can only procured a certain number of 3rd and 4th rotation in the US. I would not recommend anyone to gamble like that.
Jorge A. 1 month ago Very informative, however, I'd like to make a very important clarification. This does NOT apply to medical schools in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a US territory, and all four medical schools in Puerto Rico (three private and one public) are accredited by the LCME. Just like medical schools in mainland US, medical schools in PR are competitive; you need to complete the AMCAS and take the MCAT, you need the personal statement, research, extracurricular activities etc. Anyone who is interested in knowing more information feel free to message me (I'm going to start med school here in PR in August).
57% of all international medical graduates match, that's not just Caribbean schools. and I don't know where you got the 70% figure, since all 4 of the "big 4" Caribbean schools have published numbers well in excess of 70%, the current top of these boasting a 95% match rate, with less than 10% attrition. I get the message that these are not the first choice options, and should never be considered as such, but the way it's painted here is that its not as good as a real medical school. In my pre-med years and beyond I worked with MANY physicians who attended Ross and SGU, who all had similar things to say. they're a great option if you aren't as competitive (which by the way, the big five also have about a 50% acceptance rate, so not really much better as far as competition goes). the only downside I've actually seen in this area is that it costs about twice as much as US medical schools. having spent time in both environments, I see no reason people should be deliberately steered away from the big 4 after they've tried and failed to attend US schools, and I especially think its intellectually dishonest to intentionally lump in tiny new schools in the Caribbean with the likes of AUC SGU Ross and SABA, all of whom have significantly better numbers that your unsourced stats would indicate.
I am from Puerto Rico here are 4 medical schools and for What I have heard they have a good reputation and are highly competitive but because I now hear of this bad reputation for carribean medical schools and being that Puerto Rico it's located at the carribean it makes me have a lot of doubts, but also Puerto Rico is part of the US and we have to do all the same protocols for admission and we share the same acreditation as many US medical schools well I think you can see were my struggle is coming from.
Mira tranquilo. Los programas de medicina de puerto rico están certificados por el LMCE, yo me gradué de la universidad de puerto rico y te graduas como MD, tengo compañeros que están haciendo la recidency en pediatría en new york y no les ponen problemas.
really!!!! please share! I am 44 and just withdrew from ROSS? Tell me what happened to your uncle please! I did half of the first semester online but got very discourage by their ways to delivering the material.
Getting into a Caribbean medicls school is easier. Staying in one is significantly harder. I finished in a Carib school. You cannot match in super competitive residencies such as dermatology. I disagree with the less collaborative atmosphere drawback. We all tried to look out for each other because we are all in it together.
Only 57% get matched? Its the stress of premed all over again. No thanks. Also the weather/beaches might be nice, but you'll be at home studying 24/7, so think twice about that.
One thing that @medschooinsider and almost every influencer out there forgets to mention about the medical schools in Puerto Rico. Even though Puerto Rico is in the Carribbean, PR is a US territory, and therefore all 4 medical schools in PR are actually acreddited by the LCME. All the schools have match rates higher than 75%, my school this year had a 85% match rate. In my school half of the class are students who lived in US Mainland (I can't say US students because all puertoricans are US citizens since 1918, therefore everyone in our class is a US citizen). Only downfall is that you need to learn Spanish.
Only 57%...wow... Wish I could have said something similar. That match is huge af. In India about 1.3 million apply and 60k get accepted.... Yeah... The match rate is pretty abysmal.
Shashank .K But don’t you apply in India straight out of high school? Regardless, that’s a completely different scenario than the U.S. When we talk about matching, we’re referring to medical school graduates. So, these are people who have gone through at least four years of undergrad (many have master’s degrees and PhDs btw) who have made it through medical school (at least four more years) and accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. The thought of wasting your entire youth and being in a lifetime of debt to only have a 57% chance (which is actually lower because these are just the people who made it through their programs) at actually getting practice is horrifying. Unless your family is incredibly wealthy, it’s a risk that is never worth taking.
@Brent F Agreed. If you're going to go the Caribbean route (totally legitimate and a valid option if your US chances didn't go so well), I'd keep it to one of four. St. George's, Ross, AUC, and AUA are probably the four to consider. Although I'm biased, I am an SGU grad who matched into a competitive specialty.
Hi i am indian 12+ student thinkng to get admited into texila american university so pl guide me as i dont hv much idea abt this...i am intsting in appering for USMLE ..pl guide
Average MCAT’s and GPA’s are much, much higher for Canadian medical schools. It’s pretty insane how competitive it’s getting; it’s hard to fault anyone for going the Caribbean route, especially when they’re stellar applicants that are getting fucked by the system. Still need to be wary of securing residency afterwards though
I went to a Caribbean school for three years transferred to a US school, repeated my MS3 then matched into Integrated Plastics. It can be done but it is tough and everybody will tell you it's impossible. If you want a cometitive residency don't go to a Caribbean school.
@@Ditkasdozen US schools allow Caribbean transfers. The credits are not issues in these cases, it’s step scores and passing a year in the states. Most will set you back to start year 3 to prove you’re worth their diploma. I do agree though that Caribbean students are still matching to competitive specialties.
@@Ditkasdozen what you’re saying is anecdotal. I know two students at my Caribbean school that transferred in from US programs, and were not held back to day 1 year 1. They did make them take our last semester of basic sciences class however. Several US schools have transfer policies, and although my experience here is anecdotal, I know of one school that accepts Caribbean students if they have spots open. They do make them repeat year 3 however. Just because you haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it’s not true or actually happens. It may be rare, you’re not looking for it, or ill-informed. Now, there could be factors that no one sees, i.e. knowing someone high up in the staff food chain in order to get in, but that is unknown.
I personally know and have shadowed a family practice doctor who attended a Caribbean med school. During his time in the carribean his island was hit by a hurricane. The plane they were put on to evacuate to the US crashed. Those who survived were placed randomly all over the country for their rotations. He still scored amazing on Step 1 and was chief resident at Mayo Clinic. So take from that what you will. I know another carribean med student whose school was hit by a hurricane as well two years ago. They were shipped to a vacant med school building in TN. So, I think Hurricanes are my biggest concern tbh.
LOL I've lived in Florida most of my life and we were only hit by a real hurricane and that was before you were born. The media spins hurricanes as a yearly end of the world event. It isn't!!!
Great video!! I personally know SO MANY IMGs who matched into U.S. residencies. I myself attend a Caribbean school (Top 4). Greatness comes from within, not from the school you go to. Like he said in the video, you can find great IMG docs and horrible US docs and vice versa. If a Caribbean school is your only option, do not be discouraged! Work hard and persevere. Good luck!
JennMedArt I mean, it’s not terrible, but you’re better off doing a 1 year SMP with linkage to a med school. If you got it you’ll make it. If you don’t then it’s better to fail now than when you’re about to start third year and bomb step 1 or don’t match with way more debt.
@@JennMedArt That's awesome! I've recently been accepted at Ross and am planning to attend this fall! How are you liking Ross so far? Are you living in Barbados or are you doing clinical rotations? I've been trying to find students who currently live in Barbados and find out their experiences. Most student life experiences I find are from students who lived in Dominica.
As an IMG I wholeheartedly agree with what this videos says. Things worked out for me, but I consider myself a lucky one who dodged a lot of bullets along the way. I would recommend taking a year off to strengthen the application as this video suggests. Good job!
Can you do one with Canadian medical schools please. I've been looking into that a lot but the only draw backs I see is just the fact of commuting from Canada to the u.s with a medical degree or whatever from Canada .
The acceptance rate at Canadian med schools is around 10%, and its even lower(about 2%) for international applicants. Comparing to the US which has a 40% acceptance rate, I would say you would have better chances in the US than in Canada.
A few, if not most, Canadian med schools, you also have to be a resident. So, you have to establish a residency first by living there for at least 2 years. I tried moving to Canada to go to med school there, but the best med schools only accepted residents.
For people like me who are nontraditional students coming to medicine later in life makes getting into US medical schools incredibly difficult. If you are a blue-collar former construction worker going back to school with limitted resources you are unlikely to understand how to put a good application together for medical schools in the US. Ultimately, I would take the Pepsi challenge with the education I received as a Caribbean grad. Difficulty matching really depends on how good you are and your scores, the cut throat culture is real but it makes you an animal if you survive it, limitted specialty flexibility is real (don’t expect orthopedics, neurosurgery even if you scores indicate you are a stud), Quality of training depends on the school in my opinion SGU and Ross have the best reputations, increased cost is a fact these schools are giving you a chance when no one else would, and that comes with a price.
Definitely, I know where you are coming from. I was in a bad environment as a teenager; I have a criminal record from then (not super bad stuff but stuff like fighting), and substance abuse problems. However, growing older and out of that environment I decided to get educated, began with adult ed, then gen ed, and decided to major in psyc, but since last year I've realized that I enjoy science and medicine so much. And I decided to that I can become a doctor some day, but with my "bad past" a Caribbean med school my be my only option.
Rich 91 what’s AA school ? Sorry if I sound ignorant on the subject. I’m currently a pre-nursing major set to get into a nursing school (RN) and I’m interested in CRNA school. And you said it’s 100,000/150,000 that’s quite a lot and kinda on the level of Med school debt (low side)
It’s my last option. I just now got financially stable to get a plus loan on my own, and this is coming from someone who had to get food from the salvation army, sleep at work until the bus ran, and I couldn’t find a job that paid descent after graduating in 2015...I’m so unhappy and burned out that I want to go to a Caribbean medical school...I didn’t ride a bike in a suit to shadow for nothing
Hi! I'm from Pakistan and am starting Med School over there. I was wondering if you could make a video about foreign students applying to U.S. how does that work? what're the criteria? ,etc.
@Brent F those schools are great. But other schools are at the top of the line, too. Like Khyber Medical College, and Army Medical College. I was asking because I had some friends who completed their 4-yr program here and then apply to residency over there. Thanks for the advice. ✌️😘
You should do a video on how Puerto Rico Medical Schools are US medical schools and don't apply to your Caribean Medical School Groups. P.R. medical schools have high match rates and high Steps scores
Its needs to clarify the following: It takes at least (2) years to reapply to med school with a decent update to your CV. Med schools want you to apply to AMCAS in july. Many take 9-10 months to respond. I have had friends waitlisted whom get denied even later. By the time you get denied its too late to reapply with an update. You need another year to update your credentials. Then reapply. Therefore. It should be mentioned that it takes 2 years to reapply to med school
Dont forget that some lose their accreditation during... I'm from Trinidad going to UWI Cavehill med school but one of my friends experienced that already so... 🤦🏽♀️ Once it doesnt happen here 😅😅
I’m from Trinidad too but I’m still in secondary school Hoping to attend med school soon one day Would you recommend Caribbean or allopathic or osteopathic?
i was thought how shady it is that caribbean schools promote their med schools when its so hard to get residency in the long run. how is that even legal?
I know someone that attends a Carib med school but this person doesn't have a bachelors degree and never taken the MCAT. This school in St. Vincent still allowed him to attend the school. I find that suspect.
There are also a good number of 18 year olds entering carib med schools as many of them come from other countries like India where they don't require a premed program in college. Some US students do this too to skip 4 years but this style leads to poor retention rates or future unprofessional MDs joining the profession for the wrong reasons.
@michael h It's a stepping stone to see the type of student you will be in medical school. To see if you got what it takes and to see how smart you are for med school. Don't be silly.
So here is what I’ll say about this. Since you want to be truthful you can’t talk about Caribbean medical schools as a whole as there are some god awful schools that drag down the top 4. Let’s take St. George’s for example. They match at a 92-95% yearly with less than a 10% attrition rate. They even fly those students down to visit the campus prior to submitting the seat deposit. They also let you leave their program if you are admitted to a US or DO program in your first year for January students. Also you said student services is weak. This is simply not the case again. These schools need to have strong support in order to maintain enrollment. You have to understand if students fail out not only does it look horrible on the schools but these medical schools have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to hospitals for clinical sites. If they can’t fill the spots they lose the money. This creates more stigma and division when there should be more knowledge about Caribbean schools. The top 3-4 are a fantastic open for students. You can also practice in all 50 states, Canada and all other countries with sgu, Ross and auc. One other thing also is that you have less distractions being away from friends and family then you would being with them. With that being said it’s also one of the main cons is being away from them however you get to go back home in the summer and spring. I agree that US med programs should always be your first choice but places like SGU should be right next in line considering their scores are just as good as DO with the MD backing. Hope this helps
One thing that @medschooinsider and almost every influencer out there forgets to mention about the medical schools in Puerto Rico. Even though Puerto Rico is in the Carribbean, PR is a US territory, and therefore all 4 medical schools in PR are actually acreddited by the LCME. All the schools have match rates higher than 75%, my school this year had a 85% match rate. In my school half of the class are students who lived in US Mainland (I can't say US students because all puertoricans are US citizens since 1918, therefore everyone in our class is a US citizen). Only downfall is that you need to learn Spanish, at least basic Spanish, because most of the interaction with patient will be in Spanish. But you need to apply thorugh AMCAS, you need the mcat, the research, the extracurricular activities, just like applying to Medschool in the US Mainland.
Are classes taught in Spanish or English? I’m proficient in Spanish but need to learn medical terminology in the language. I’m more concerned about trying to learn challenging content in another language!
One thing I've always wondered about, is that 75%+ in terms of all students that start, or after ppl get weeded out by NBME/CBME's and not even get to take step 1? I know PR is a decent option, but I just never knew how those numbers r truly calculated.
WTF isn’t the average MCAT for US MD schools last year at 511 ? Where’d you get 505 from ? Every database I checked the average GPA was 3.7 and the average MCAT was 511 (for 2018-2019). Your stats are off. I think you looked at the averages for the applicants not the matriculants.
I graduated from American University of the Caribbean in 2015. Attending AUC was one of the best decisions I have made. The "Big 4" are a relatively safe bet if you are ok with matching primary care. A lot of the negative match statistics are skewed by the smaller, less know schools. I do disagree with the statement that Caribbean schools are not as supportive as American schools. The community at AUC was genuinely supportive and the students had a great sense of camaraderie. I understand my experience cannot be extrapolated to all Caribbean schools, but again, attending AUC was one of the best decisions I have made and I would absolutely do it again.
I agree. I'm an AUC graduate, class of 2013. I felt supported the whole way, from my admissions advisor, to faculty advisor when I got to the island, to orientation advisor, to TAs, tutors, wellness counselor who was always available (and even did free group meditation/mindfulness sessions), to clinical advisors during my clinical years. Even as an alumnus, the alumni relations department at AUC is awesome and do not forget about you just because you've finished school and are not paying them anymore. They have tons of alumni get-togethers, like reserving VIP rooms at basketball games, going to different national conferences and having alumni get-togethers (like the one I talked about here: www.caribbeanmedstudent.com/2018/10/reconnection/), and being a great resource to post-graduate opportunities.
Hello! I have actually just been accepted to AUC and I’m very grateful. I’m just continuing to do my research on attending Caribbean schools before I commit and accept their offer but reading everything online is extremely confusing. I hear that Caribbean schools (esp the top 4) are a good option if it’s a last resort and I also hear to avoid them at all costs bc residency match rates are significantly lower/harder than just staying in the US. And since I want to do a specialty matching for me might be extremely difficult (not impossible with a lil hard work though). Is there anyway I can reach out to you more personally on what made you make ur decision about going here and what field you ended up or want to go into to help clear my mind and make the right decision for myself?
Hey Dr. jubbal I am an Indian medical aspirant and I want to come to carribean medical schools for my Medical studies. There is one particular caribbean medical school, Spartan health & Science university in st. Lucia which is getting crazy promoted in my country by a lot of admission agents. I heard many of their grads are actually doing good and working as a physician in many states of the US. Is this university legitimately good for my prospects of my future as a doctor in US? I am confused and sceptic that I might be fooled by these admission agents, so I might ask it from an actual expert. Will appreciate your help and response 🙂
Someone should tell the Caribbean applicants out there before you apply... you will have trouble getting year 3/4 clinical rotations, a lot of your class will fail/drop out, and those who are lucky enough to match are most likely destined for family medicine (maybe internal). Just being honest
I don't know anything about that specific college, however I can tell you for a fact that if you plan on going to a United States residency, you are not going to be looked at nearly as favorably as if you had gone to a US medical based School. This has absolutely nothing to do with your ability as a physician. But your life will be made very difficult during application season for residency because of this.
@@mywaterfountain The thing is that I am an international student and from what I know (please correct me if I am wrong) is that getting into a US medical school is ridiculously competitive as an international student as most schools don't even offer places for international students. And so getting accepted into a residency program as an IMG even for something like general surgery would be easier than getting into a US medical school (as long ofcourse I have a USMLE score of around 250). That's why I'm thinking of just studying my ass of for Step 1 during my 3 pre clinical years (that's the system of the uni) to achieve a high score. And do the same thing for step 2. Also if I go to this uni, I'll graduate at the age of 23, which I view as a big advantage. I'm sorry for that being very long but I wanted to show you my thought process. Can I please have your opinion on that?
NO. Clinical experience (shadowing, volunteering at clinics) is very important because it shows that you know what you are getting into and that you are actually interested in medicine.
You'll find some schools have some sort of minimum amount of shadowing required to apply, it's awesome pretty small like 10-20 hours or so. But if it's your application versus someone else who has similar stats to yours and they have a lot of shadowing they're going to get your spot so why not do everything you can to be more competitive
I love your video , explain everything about medicine. Right now I’m Nurse working and I want to study medice. I need help and recommendations about study medicine on Puerto Rico
Lucky for you the 4 medical schools in PR are part of the US accreditation system (LCME, correct me if I’m wrong). One is public and the other 3 are private. For the public medical school, you’ll need to have 12 credits in spanish and 12 credits in english language in order to be considered for enrollment. The private schools may ask you from 6-12 credits. You can apply thru AMCAS. They are very competitive, and haver very good residence programs. I would highly recommend you to learn some spanish if you want to understand your patients. Classes are mostly in english, with some spanish explanations.
I was accepted at the university of Kansas wait list 2 yrs in a row. I had to shit or get off the pot. I applied and attended St. George’s university. Never looked back, matched into a competitive pyramid surgery residency in nyc. Finished in five yrs (on time) matched in a competitive surgical sub specialty. Yes it was harder than for a US grad, but I worked my ass off, nailed the in service exams. You gotta want it more and work harder. Going to a Caribbean school isn’t as good as a US school, but it gets your foot in the door, what you do with that opportunity is up to you.
I did it, and while I work as a physician now I don't recommend it. The attrition rate is super high. Even top tier Caribbean schools admission process will let in people who won't succeed and are left with huge debt. The competitive fields are not attainable. Mid tier residencies are possible for the toppers with some luck. If getting into Allopathic US school isn't happening go for Osteopathic. Totally agree with taking extra year or two to get into the right place. By the end of training most people have been sidetracked at least a few years and being an attending in your 30s you still come off as young.
I live in the Caribbean and I want to be a doctor but I wasn't sure if I wanted to study here or not, most of the people I know who are doctors studied abroad, that's also a challenge for me because my mother doesn't have the finances to send me abroad to study, maybe if I work hard enough I could get awarded a scholarship which will allow me to travel and study. Also, the weather isn't so nice anymore, it's so hot that it's hard to function on literally anything, considering I have overactive sweat glands it's hell for me. I only get my studying done at night because that's when its cooler outside.
Same, I want to truly know if I'm making the right decisions, I have asked persons and they said it's best to study in the Caribbean but when im on utube research, their opinions are different
Didn't watch the whole video so sorry if you addressed this; but you should probably have gotten the direct perspective of someone who trained at a Caribbean medical school.
From Day 1 to residency 90 percent of my class don't make it to residency I know because I didn't get residency. They are mainly interested in your money. Avoid!
What makes you feel that a residency program in the U.S is the most favorable way to go as a Doctor. They have excellent plastic surgery programs in Brazil and Colombia and the doctors are just as competent as any in the U.S. OHH, maybe you think that pay is better in the U.S? As a Doctor you are your own Boss, if you open your practice and do good work taking care of your patients you will be successful regardless of what country you are and what university you graduated from.
Richard Rivera I think you’re forgetting that the people he’s advising are pre med undergrads in the US who wanna stay in the US and have their careers here bc thats where their family is and that’s where they see themselves living for the foreseeable future. It’s not that the US is the best place ever to be a doctor, it’s just that many American students wanna stay in the US
are you a doctor? I am from Colombia but reside in the US for 20 years now and got into ROSS but quit. Thinking on going back to Colombian or picking another school in the Caribbean - what do you think?
If you have any thought of becoming a physician, even a vague consideration, start preparing yourself early in high school. If you have been a weak student, change! Teach yourself to be a great student while your brain is very plastic. If you condemn yourself to poor or mediocre schools and post-grad. programs, you will likely become a weak practitioner and that's something to be avoided at all costs. Be honest with yourself. There are many careers/occupations in life that are very rewarding besides medicine/surgery.
caribbean med school students have a chip on their shoulder, so some do come out better than US students. i have a friend who applied to at least 30 med schools and got rejected by all, so he ended up at caribbean. he's now a resident at rutgers and doing fine
doesnt everything in the US operate on a "for profit basis" as well? even your prisons do... idk a caribbean school would be "more cut throat" ? the bottom line of this video is: if you re made for the job you will make it in any kind of school thats recognized by the US... thats all there is. also have good work ethic.
I don't know your situation, but it's possible. I was the first one in my entire lineage to make it past high school. I worked hard from literally zero (English and all). And I made it to med school. It's not easy at all, but there are hundreds of different ways to get into med school, so you need to work smart and be ready to take the gamble. There's hope, I promise
Do not "just become a nurse or something". First of all, most nursing schools are incredibly competitive, so pre-nursing students are required to have a high GPA as well. I know med students and nursing students. There are incredibly intelligent people in both. Nursing and medicine are also different fields. If you have no interest in nursing, you either won't be successful, or you'll regret your decision. Also, just don't become a physician either because the last thing we need is more pompous MDs who are under the assumption that nurses are people who couldn't hack it in med.
Look mate, Im already going to finish my 3rd year but "I gave up." In my situation there are outside factors restricting me to get into med school(other factors as well). Look at what your goals are and where do you want to be in 10 years and from there YOU decide what you want to become.
I have a question, can someone answer it? I'm currently halfway through my undergraduate degree and have decided that I'd like to go to medical school. The problem is I haven't taken pre-med courses beside the English and I need to raise my GPA. Would a Caribbean medical school be doeable at this point or should I just stick to going the Phd/PsyD route? I want to be either a psychologist or a psychiatrist...but I'd obviously need to go to medical school to become a psychiatrist. I feel like I'm too late in the game to have the pre-med qualifications for a medical school in the US.
I got into St. Georges Medical school and several DO schools in the states. I decided to go to DO school and I'm glad I did. I heard so many Caribbean school applicants say the learning atmosphere was very poor or they had to teach themselves and other students the topics. This sounds so ridiculous to me. Experts should teach, not students who don't know the subject well! Some IMG's would tell me it was very cut throat (which lets be honest all medical programs are this way, even in the states). Now that the DO and MD match are joined, I would really lean towards DO over IMG/Carribean. St. Georges and Ross U. seem to be very good schools and I know several great docs that trained there, however I think it's getting more and more difficult to get back to the states for residency. I went to a DO school in the states and it all worked out. I matched at my number one program in emergency medicine (which has now become a competitive residency). I got over 15 interviews for residency at MD programs as a DO applicant (which surprised me). That was when the match was separated into DO and MD matches and getting interviews was more difficult. Now that it's combined, I would definitely stay in the USA and chose DO over Caribbean. Certain specialties can be very difficult to obtain as a DO applicant such as urology, neurosurgery, and dermatology. Orthopedics is very difficult to match on the allopathic side as a DO (almost never done) but there are plenty of DO orthopedic programs out there. If you want these highly competitive programs, not only do you have to go allopathic route, you also have to do very well on boards, med school rank, etc.
I’ma graduate with a Bachelor’s in Health Education (Kinesiology) next December. I’m barely 21. I have only kept a 3.75 (non science) GPA and a 3.25 (science) GPA. After I’m just going to take a year off from school and work full time and if I have it in me to go back to school I’ll try for nursing again. Anybody on the same boat as me👀
Here✋ Bachelor's in health education too, currently unhappy about the choices I made. I still really want to go back to study medicine, I was thinking about going to a carribbean school till I watched this video, now I'm confused. How did it work out for you? Did you go to study nursing?
First ,you have lumped all Caribbean med schools and some (read Cuba)have excellent schools and doctors. There are some pretty shitty schools in the US.
![[Limbus Company - Teaser] Season5 - Oblivion](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8anKuEeZLeI/mqdefault.jpg)
If there's one thing I value, it's being open and honest. While this video may not have the information you wanted to here, the truth is what you need to hear. Thanks for watching.
Hear, not here.
Troubling that you apparently failed to proof-read what you wrote.
Just wanted to give hope to anyone watching. I went to a big 3 Carib medschool and failed my step 2 ck on my first attempt. Thought I was doomed after not matching. Studied hard, took it again and passed, did well. Worked for a year as a tutor. Matched the following year into FM residency. I'm working as a traveling hospitalist, life is good. Never give up on your dreams. Work hard and you can get there.
Congratulations!😊👋🏾👨🏾⚕️🏨
Congrats!!
Love this thank u sooo much for ur wisdom
Good hope! I also just finished at Auc. Was mediocre at best. Of course I could have worked a lot harder but I was an average student, average to less than average step scores and I applied psych and fm. Had 20+ interviews and matched at my number 2 spot psychiatry at a university based program. I could not have asked for a better medical school experience. Also, every one of my psych interviews I was the only IMG interview along with US students. Where I matched, half of us are IMGS and the other half are US grads.
@@Sexdewana I really wish people that never went to a Carib school would STOP giving their opinion. Great Job btw.
He's absolutely right. I go to a caribbean school and its cut-throat. You need to have realistic expectations when going to them. At the end of the day, these are for-profit businesses and you're just a number. Many of them are known for making tests and standards extremely difficult to weed out students or to get them to repeat. For me, time was a factor and I couldn't afford to take a year off to improve my credentials. It's all really based on individual circumstances. If I could do it all over again, I'd def have tried harder to get into a US school. Do your research before making a decision. All the best.
Which school did you attended?
hi guys, hes absolutely correct on all his points. I am an attending in a caribean medical school. My school has has ridiculous attrition rate, and make the final exam (NBME) worth 45% of the grade and the CBSE is worth 35% of the grade. Year 2 is basically teaching yourself to survive the cut-throat policy.
Larry V which school are you at?
Do you mind sharing which school you are attending?
@@RoyallyPrincess sgu
Any info on St Georges in Grenada
@@cherileerush2193 what would you like to know?
Peace be to you! Thanks for covering THIS! I felt so ashamed for not getting into medical school that I was SERIOUSLY considering this! Ross and Montserrat looked like good programs. I didn't consider things like issue discussed in this video. I also didn't consider the HUGE amount of money spent travelling. The good Lord guided me to the PA profession. I SHOULD say that some of my erstwhile PA classmates went the Caribbean route and are Doctors now. I wish you all the VERY best of succes in your positive endeavors. Medicine is a great profession. I hope those of you striving for that MD/DO get it!😊
Please, any US pre meds. DO NOT go overseas for med school. As a US-IMG it is a massive headache. At the end of the day you’ll be a great doctor wherever you go if you work hard that’s not really the issue. The stigma you’ll carry and the challenges of living in an another country far outweigh most reasons people have for leaving.
How could living in the Caribbean be so hard?
Edit: Other than hurricanes of course haha
Landon Parmer I wish I went to the Caribbean!😂 I was naive after high school and thought going to med school at a 5 year program in the Middle East for less time and money was the smart thing to do. There are no pros besides cost and time saved, and that doesn’t outweigh the cons AT ALL. Most Americans (especially 18 y/o me) don’t know how much easier life is stateside.
Bottom line for US pre meds. There is almost 0 good reason for putting yourself through an international med school. Work harder at home😭
@@landonp.4073 If you only knew... Dealing with the rigor demand of medical school work/study load in addition to culture differences, electricity going out almost every day, and dealing with the stress and anxiety of obtaining a higher Step 1 score, plus matching into a US residency program... US med school is of course hard but doing all of that in the Caribbean is even harder...[depending on the Caribbean location]. It takes a huge toll on your comfort level and mental health at least from my perspective...
@@hockeydude471 is the stigma bothering you or is it how hard it was to get a US residency?
Earthling108 Sorry, maybe I wasn’t clear before, I haven’t finished yet. I’m only 21 in my third year. Right now of course the uncertainty of matching and being able to go home is a massive stress. As I progress the other aspects of the process show some pretty annoying bias. A couple examples
1) certain specialities are incredibly competitive for IMGs. A lot of places don’t even wanna look at your application regardless of what your tests scores are or any other qualifications. It seems some specialities pride them selves on how few IMGs they have.
2) elective rotations, certain prestigious US institutions, list on their websites that US-IMGs are ineligible to even apply to rotate with them. Whereas non-citizens are able to do up to 3 months of rotations.
3) even within “non-competitive” specialities, there are plenty of high quality programs with average step 1 scores in the 220-230 range that would never give you the time of day even if you’re at 250+, simply because you’re a US IMG.
See ultimately, when you don’t go to a US school, you get yourself labeled as damaged goods. Doesn’t really matter why or when you went, you’re damaged goods indefinitely. No one wants that, but not everyone (18y/o me) really grasps the depth of it.
Ultimately, medicine is extremely hard to do. But it takes the same amount of work and uncertainty to be a great attending physician. Either you can put in that extra work and get into a US med school. Or go international and then put in all that same work, with no guarantees and severely limited career options.
Sorry for the rant, but if a single US pre med reads this and stays home. I feel like it’s worth the time and effort😂
Could you do a pros and cons video about taking a gap year and post baccalaureate programs? I love your videos!
yes!!
There's literally zero con in taking a gap year or two or three, apart from losing time, like you become a doctor later than others and if you care about money, that can be a lot of money down the line. But as long as you do something meaningful in your gap year, that will always help and never hurt your admissions.
FOR post bac....I guess the biggest cons is how you have to pay for them and there's still no guarantee you'll get into medical school, so you might have paid tens of thousands for nothing, but if you're desperate to be a doctor and your grades suck, it's the only way to raise your GPA.
Still waiting
If only Med School Insider was around in the early 2000s....
Very accurate. I went to a Caribbean school, am a subspecialty and fairly successful. However it is much harder and many more hoops.
I currently attend one of the Big five Caribbean medical schools and believe it is a good option if you need a second chance and are willing to put in the work. I would highly recommend against going to any school that isn't accredited by all 50 states and approved for title 4 funding. If you're heart isn't in it and you don't put the work in you'll definitely fail. The schools won't hesitate to allow you to repeat a semester and pay for an extra semester/year of tuition either. You pay them they give you the opportunity to achieve your dreams, if you don't seize that opportunity they will definitely take your money and fail you.
what was your mcat score & gpa?
Can you list those accredited schools?
@@pearlsmith99 500 MCAT and less than a 3 GPA. Most people are in the opposite situation where their MCAT is well below average and their GPA is good.
x Toaster God x
Thx m8
Roger Stewart thank you! I’m definitely trying to get my gpa high enough & do well on the MCAT. Most likely I won’t get past a 508.
Thanks for this balanced review of the Caribbean medical school experience! Prospective med students should be aware of the potential for a difficult match. I agree with your advice that they should spend a year (or two) strengthening their applications before reapplying. I'm an EM Physician and just launched my channel focussing on global health... let me know if you'd like to collaborate on a video on global health medical electives.
At 4:09 the background with all the specialties lists optometry as a medical specialty. Optometry is a completely separate program, you don't go to medical school at all to become an optometrist. You most likely meant to put ophthalmology there, as it also deals with the eyes but instead focuses on diseases of the eyes and often has a surgical component, and requires medical school to matriculate into an ophtho residency.
another thing that wasnt mentioned is the time. In the US you have to do 4 years of pre med and then 4 years of medical school, in the Caribbean you go straight from high school to med school if you get accepted, most schools it takes 5-6 years to complete, the 1st year and a half being a general science year (like what pre med would be) and the next 4 years is applied science.
The other viable option I have seen as a patient is doctors with Pakistani and not sure with Indian heritage, but definitely American born and US citizens go to medical school in Pakistan and then become a US M.D. I presuming tuition is significantly less in Pakistan.
I graduated from Ross university. I had been out of college for 4 years and did not do well on the MCAT the first time. A friend of mine told me to apply anyway and apply to Ross in case US schools did not accept me. I didn’t know anything about foreign med schools. I was accepted to three US schools with the caveat that I had to complete a 1 year long post bacc program. Ross accepted me right away. I was inpatient and went to Ross right away. They even offered to start me in May rather than in the fall as most US schools do. I completed med school in 3.5 years and did really well on Steps 1 and 2. However, in retrospect I should’ve waited the year and gone to a US schools. Graduating from a carib school is not the end of the world but it’s a stigma you will carry.
Could you ever do a video about different countries Canadians get can their medical degree and use it to practice in Canada? (I have no interest in going to the US, and will probably stay in Canada but I’m just wondering)
Hello, just found your channel and so in love with it. Also looked around your website after watching the video. I arrived at the decision to enter medicine later in life. I already have two undergraduate degrees, so I am now looking at entering a pre-medical post-baccalaureate program. I looked to see if you have a video about it but couldn't find one. Would love to hear what you've seen or experienced regarding students who only do premed courses in a post-bacc program and their chances at getting into med. school as well as how med. schools admissions perceive them. (: Just subscribed, your channel and site are an excellent resource.
@@MedSchoolInsiders Really? Thanks so much!
Could you make a video of international medical schools in general. There were classmates that ended up going to Mexico for medical school. I am not sure of the strategy behind this but some of the schools guarantee Residencies in the US.
Attending a Caribbean Medical School was the best decision I ever made. Had my baby between my first and second semester there and TA'd my second semester in Biochem. Caribbean schools aren't for the weak and whino's it's for the grittiest of peeps. IMO, most US Med grads are not that gritty. This guy has never been to a Caribbean school and most people that have an opinion have never been. There's a difference between researching a topic and looking from the outside and actually experiencing something first hand. If you truly have the fire to get it done. A caribbean school can get you there.
Hmmmm, some of this is accurate but a lot of this negative commentation does not necessarily align with bigger Carib med schools that are in European or british colonial territories and have UK or EU match or educational agreements.
So I work at an underserved location. I am in charge of hiring scribes.
I find that scribes are actually sometimes from the Carribean med school which scares me.
Recently, one of our scribes from Ross got a residency and another one from the same school did not get a residency yet and I checked her LinkedIn and she now works as a research assistant... something that does not require an MD.
Also one time she left her email open and I saw her get rejected. It sucks. My MCAT tutor told me specifically that there is like a 50% chance you will be in a quarter million debt if you go since like half get residency. How sad!!
However, another one of my acquaintances did get a residency from Ross. His own father is an anesthesiologist so maybe that could have been a factor so I don't know.
Can you make a video regarding strengthening your application?
Caribbean medical school = Almost impossible to find residency in US
Notification squad 💪💪💪
OMG! THAT MATCHING RATE FOR CARIBBEAN SCHOOLS !!!😱😨😰😭💔💸
Big LOL from France the rate is 10-20% in every school
L bo Most public medical schools in the US have below a 10% acceptance rate and the private ones easily got closer to 1%. The 40% he talked about was the total percentage to people who apply that get into at least one school (people typically apply to around 15 schools).
Well I live in the Caribbean so umm but I wonder if that means I can only be a doctor in the Caribbean
Maybe. I guess I should study abroad.
I went to a well establish US medical school and spent my surgical intern year in Boston. We had Harvard medical students on our main campus and students from Ross when we rotated at a community hospital. I was surprised by the quality of a few Ross med students and honest thought that they would have done well at a US medical school had they waited for a year or two. Unfortunately, the differences between them and the bad ones were obvious. Some were miserably unprepared both professionally and personally. You would not find this range of med student quality in established US med schools. I was curious and asked a lot of questions regarding their school. They were literally taught the Step 1 in the first couple of years, attrition rate is near 50% when they get results from Step 1. So the match number this video stated may only reflect the 50% that made it through their second year. This was on purpose since they can only procured a certain number of 3rd and 4th rotation in the US. I would not recommend anyone to gamble like that.
Do you help International U.S. high students with their BS/MD or BS/MA applications?
Jorge A.
1 month ago
Very informative, however, I'd like to make a very important clarification. This does NOT apply to medical schools in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a US territory, and all four medical schools in Puerto Rico (three private and one public) are accredited by the LCME. Just like medical schools in mainland US, medical schools in PR are competitive; you need to complete the AMCAS and take the MCAT, you need the personal statement, research, extracurricular activities etc. Anyone who is interested in knowing more information feel free to message me (I'm going to start med school here in PR in August).
How it go for you?
I'm from Pakistan, can someone help me to get admission in Caribbean medical schools.....
does anyone know how to match into residency in Carribean?
Do European English program Medical schools!!! Im in an English 6 year md program in Europe
57% of all international medical graduates match, that's not just Caribbean schools. and I don't know where you got the 70% figure, since all 4 of the "big 4" Caribbean schools have published numbers well in excess of 70%, the current top of these boasting a 95% match rate, with less than 10% attrition. I get the message that these are not the first choice options, and should never be considered as such, but the way it's painted here is that its not as good as a real medical school. In my pre-med years and beyond I worked with MANY physicians who attended Ross and SGU, who all had similar things to say. they're a great option if you aren't as competitive (which by the way, the big five also have about a 50% acceptance rate, so not really much better as far as competition goes). the only downside I've actually seen in this area is that it costs about twice as much as US medical schools. having spent time in both environments, I see no reason people should be deliberately steered away from the big 4 after they've tried and failed to attend US schools, and I especially think its intellectually dishonest to intentionally lump in tiny new schools in the Caribbean with the likes of AUC SGU Ross and SABA, all of whom have significantly better numbers that your unsourced stats would indicate.
The tea is hot
Caribbean colleges usually don’t even show up on AAMC’s MSAR database when I look them up to get info. So NO.
I am from Puerto Rico here are 4 medical schools and for What I have heard they have a good reputation and are highly competitive but because I now hear of this bad reputation for carribean medical schools and being that Puerto Rico it's located at the carribean it makes me have a lot of doubts, but also Puerto Rico is part of the US and we have to do all the same protocols for admission and we share the same acreditation as many US medical schools well I think you can see were my struggle is coming from.
Mira tranquilo. Los programas de medicina de puerto rico están certificados por el LMCE, yo me gradué de la universidad de puerto rico y te graduas como MD, tengo compañeros que están haciendo la recidency en pediatría en new york y no les ponen problemas.
My Uncle went to Ross Med School and graduated in 2007... Now he's living a very poor life and never really became a doctor. Dont go to these schools.
really!!!! please share! I am 44 and just withdrew from ROSS? Tell me what happened to your uncle please! I did half of the first semester online but got very discourage by their ways to delivering the material.
Say the names of schools, you are just saying things. Wheres the prove!
I hear Caribbean, I think pirates of the caribbean:
"It maybe the best medschool I have ever seen."
Haha I get it
How to Medicate so it may seem
Getting into a Caribbean medicls school is easier. Staying in one is significantly harder. I finished in a Carib school. You cannot match in super competitive residencies such as dermatology. I disagree with the less collaborative atmosphere drawback. We all tried to look out for each other because we are all in it together.
What School did you go to?
How about now?
Update?
Only 57% get matched? Its the stress of premed all over again. No thanks. Also the weather/beaches might be nice, but you'll be at home studying 24/7, so think twice about that.
One thing that @medschooinsider and almost every influencer out there forgets to mention about the medical schools in Puerto Rico. Even though Puerto Rico is in the Carribbean, PR is a US territory, and therefore all 4 medical schools in PR are actually acreddited by the LCME. All the schools have match rates higher than 75%, my school this year had a 85% match rate. In my school half of the class are students who lived in US Mainland (I can't say US students because all puertoricans are US citizens since 1918, therefore everyone in our class is a US citizen). Only downfall is that you need to learn Spanish.
Only 57%...wow... Wish I could have said something similar. That match is huge af. In India about 1.3 million apply and 60k get accepted.... Yeah... The match rate is pretty abysmal.
30 hours a week of studying isn't 24/7....
Shashank .K But don’t you apply in India straight out of high school? Regardless, that’s a completely different scenario than the U.S.
When we talk about matching, we’re referring to medical school graduates. So, these are people who have gone through at least four years of undergrad (many have master’s degrees and PhDs btw) who have made it through medical school (at least four more years) and accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. The thought of wasting your entire youth and being in a lifetime of debt to only have a 57% chance (which is actually lower because these are just the people who made it through their programs) at actually getting practice is horrifying. Unless your family is incredibly wealthy, it’s a risk that is never worth taking.
@Brent F Agreed. If you're going to go the Caribbean route (totally legitimate and a valid option if your US chances didn't go so well), I'd keep it to one of four. St. George's, Ross, AUC, and AUA are probably the four to consider. Although I'm biased, I am an SGU grad who matched into a competitive specialty.
I'm a 4th year from a Caribbean med school and I completely agree with this video. I've mad hundreds of videos on the topic
Rae's Med School Vlogs do you know anything about MUA?
Hi i am indian 12+ student thinkng to get admited into texila american university so pl guide me as i dont hv much idea abt this...i am intsting in appering for USMLE ..pl guide
@@Prajaktapatel2809 I also want the same suggestion. 12 th pass student from India
@@sakshimishra6450 what do u do now? Need to talk to you, please reply
@@Prajaktapatel2809 what do u do now? Need to talk to you, please reply
Average MCAT’s and GPA’s are much, much higher for Canadian medical schools. It’s pretty insane how competitive it’s getting; it’s hard to fault anyone for going the Caribbean route, especially when they’re stellar applicants that are getting fucked by the system. Still need to be wary of securing residency afterwards though
So you quit your residency and now you’re pursuing youtube and business full time?
Can you make a video about what you’re exactly doing now?
Thx
Check out his vlog channel and you’ll find out
I went to a Caribbean school for three years transferred to a US school, repeated my MS3 then matched into Integrated Plastics. It can be done but it is tough and everybody will tell you it's impossible. If you want a cometitive residency don't go to a Caribbean school.
Mitchell Lyons do you know anything about MUA?
I’m in a similar situation, what school did you transfer to? Looking to transfer.
They let you transfer some credits?
@@Ditkasdozen US schools allow Caribbean transfers. The credits are not issues in these cases, it’s step scores and passing a year in the states. Most will set you back to start year 3 to prove you’re worth their diploma. I do agree though that Caribbean students are still matching to competitive specialties.
@@Ditkasdozen what you’re saying is anecdotal. I know two students at my Caribbean school that transferred in from US programs, and were not held back to day 1 year 1. They did make them take our last semester of basic sciences class however. Several US schools have transfer policies, and although my experience here is anecdotal, I know of one school that accepts Caribbean students if they have spots open. They do make them repeat year 3 however. Just because you haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it’s not true or actually happens. It may be rare, you’re not looking for it, or ill-informed. Now, there could be factors that no one sees, i.e. knowing someone high up in the staff food chain in order to get in, but that is unknown.
I personally know and have shadowed a family practice doctor who attended a Caribbean med school. During his time in the carribean his island was hit by a hurricane. The plane they were put on to evacuate to the US crashed. Those who survived were placed randomly all over the country for their rotations. He still scored amazing on Step 1 and was chief resident at Mayo Clinic. So take from that what you will.
I know another carribean med student whose school was hit by a hurricane as well two years ago. They were shipped to a vacant med school building in TN.
So, I think Hurricanes are my biggest concern tbh.
LOL I've lived in Florida most of my life and we were only hit by a real hurricane and that was before you were born. The media spins hurricanes as a yearly end of the world event. It isn't!!!
Great video!! I personally know SO MANY IMGs who matched into U.S. residencies. I myself attend a Caribbean school (Top 4). Greatness comes from within, not from the school you go to. Like he said in the video, you can find great IMG docs and horrible US docs and vice versa. If a Caribbean school is your only option, do not be discouraged! Work hard and persevere. Good luck!
JennMedArt I mean, it’s not terrible, but you’re better off doing a 1 year SMP with linkage to a med school. If you got it you’ll make it. If you don’t then it’s better to fail now than when you’re about to start third year and bomb step 1 or don’t match with way more debt.
Do you mind sharing which school you are attending?
@@RoyallyPrincess Ross University School of Medicine 🙂
@@Dreamer-kd2jv I agree, I'm just trying to let people know that it is very possible
@@JennMedArt That's awesome! I've recently been accepted at Ross and am planning to attend this fall! How are you liking Ross so far? Are you living in Barbados or are you doing clinical rotations? I've been trying to find students who currently live in Barbados and find out their experiences. Most student life experiences I find are from students who lived in Dominica.
As an IMG I wholeheartedly agree with what this videos says. Things worked out for me, but I consider myself a lucky one who dodged a lot of bullets along the way. I would recommend taking a year off to strengthen the application as this video suggests. Good job!
Hey Dr. Joe!
@@yurigiron6802 hey Yuri!
Do you recommend applying for med school and then if you don’t get in to take another year to strengthen your application?
Exactly! Do a masters/bridge program or a postbac
Can you do one with Canadian medical schools please. I've been looking into that a lot but the only draw backs I see is just the fact of commuting from Canada to the u.s with a medical degree or whatever from Canada .
US recognizes Canadian MD's and residency training. COming to the US wouldn't be too bad.
Canadian schools are harder to get into than American ones. A lot do not accept international applicants.
The acceptance rate at Canadian med schools is around 10%, and its even lower(about 2%) for international applicants. Comparing to the US which has a 40% acceptance rate, I would say you would have better chances in the US than in Canada.
@@Diorchestra93 Don't forget the way higher tuition fees in the US
A few, if not most, Canadian med schools, you also have to be a resident. So, you have to establish a residency first by living there for at least 2 years. I tried moving to Canada to go to med school there, but the best med schools only accepted residents.
For people like me who are nontraditional students coming to medicine later in life makes getting into US medical schools incredibly difficult. If you are a blue-collar former construction worker going back to school with limitted resources you are unlikely to understand how to put a good application together for medical schools in the US. Ultimately, I would take the Pepsi challenge with the education I received as a Caribbean grad. Difficulty matching really depends on how good you are and your scores, the cut throat culture is real but it makes you an animal if you survive it, limitted specialty flexibility is real (don’t expect orthopedics, neurosurgery even if you scores indicate you are a stud), Quality of training depends on the school in my opinion SGU and Ross have the best reputations, increased cost is a fact these schools are giving you a chance when no one else would, and that comes with a price.
Definitely, I know where you are coming from. I was in a bad environment as a teenager; I have a criminal record from then (not super bad stuff but stuff like fighting), and substance abuse problems. However, growing older and out of that environment I decided to get educated, began with adult ed, then gen ed, and decided to major in psyc, but since last year I've realized that I enjoy science and medicine so much. And I decided to that I can become a doctor some day, but with my "bad past" a Caribbean med school my be my only option.
Rich 91 what’s AA school ? Sorry if I sound ignorant on the subject. I’m currently a pre-nursing major set to get into a nursing school (RN) and I’m interested in CRNA school. And you said it’s 100,000/150,000 that’s quite a lot and kinda on the level of Med school debt (low side)
@@PatreceJoyce AA, Anesthesiologist Assistant
At my university they advertise Ross med school to worried pre meds. It’s so messed up. The Caribbean is the greatest scam.
There are a lot of offshore medical schools in the Caribbean, like Ross for example. At my university they warn us about them quite often
It’s my last option. I just now got financially stable to get a plus loan on my own, and this is coming from someone who had to get food from the salvation army, sleep at work until the bus ran, and I couldn’t find a job that paid descent after graduating in 2015...I’m so unhappy and burned out that I want to go to a Caribbean medical school...I didn’t ride a bike in a suit to shadow for nothing
Guys don't go to the Caribbean. Trust me, you will fuck your life up.
elaborate more please
Hi! I'm from Pakistan and am starting Med School over there. I was wondering if you could make a video about foreign students applying to U.S. how does that work? what're the criteria? ,etc.
@Brent F those schools are great. But other schools are at the top of the line, too. Like Khyber Medical College, and Army Medical College.
I was asking because I had some friends who completed their 4-yr program here and then apply to residency over there.
Thanks for the advice. ✌️😘
You should do a video on how Puerto Rico Medical Schools are US medical schools and don't apply to your Caribean Medical School Groups. P.R. medical schools have high match rates and high Steps scores
J H yes
@ That's right
Kind of funny that the ad i watched on this video was for a Caribbean Medical school...
DO ONE ABOUT MED SCHOOLS IN EUROPE
They’re worth it if you don’t get into a mainland school and aren’t trying to do a very competitive specialty.
Adnan A I was looking for your comment 👀
@Med School Insiders at around 1:35 the average MCAT/GPA you mention is for applicants, not matriculants.
I thought the science GPA was a bit low
Don’t do overseas MD school. Difficult to match for residency and most likely become a pcp. Expensive as hell too.
Its needs to clarify the following: It takes at least (2) years to reapply to med school with a decent update to your CV. Med schools want you to apply to AMCAS in july. Many take 9-10 months to respond. I have had friends waitlisted whom get denied even later. By the time you get denied its too late to reapply with an update. You need another year to update your credentials. Then reapply. Therefore. It should be mentioned that it takes 2 years to reapply to med school
Dont forget that some lose their accreditation during... I'm from Trinidad going to UWI Cavehill med school but one of my friends experienced that already so... 🤦🏽♀️
Once it doesnt happen here 😅😅
LMFAOOO that's funny. You think you are going to an accredited medical school and one day it is not accredited. hahahahaha
I’m from Trinidad too but I’m still in secondary school
Hoping to attend med school soon one day
Would you recommend Caribbean or allopathic or osteopathic?
i was thought how shady it is that caribbean schools promote their med schools when its so hard to get residency in the long run. how is that even legal?
Those are mutually exclusive events....
This has been my question for years🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
indeed, haha
I know someone that attends a Carib med school but this person doesn't have a bachelors degree and never taken the MCAT. This school in St. Vincent still allowed him to attend the school. I find that suspect.
There are also a good number of 18 year olds entering carib med schools as many of them come from other countries like India where they don't require a premed program in college. Some US students do this too to skip 4 years but this style leads to poor retention rates or future unprofessional MDs joining the profession for the wrong reasons.
@michael h It's a stepping stone to see the type of student you will be in medical school. To see if you got what it takes and to see how smart you are for med school. Don't be silly.
So here is what I’ll say about this. Since you want to be truthful you can’t talk about Caribbean medical schools as a whole as there are some god awful schools that drag down the top 4. Let’s take St. George’s for example. They match at a 92-95% yearly with less than a 10% attrition rate. They even fly those students down to visit the campus prior to submitting the seat deposit. They also let you leave their program if you are admitted to a US or DO program in your first year for January students. Also you said student services is weak. This is simply not the case again. These schools need to have strong support in order to maintain enrollment. You have to understand if students fail out not only does it look horrible on the schools but these medical schools have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to hospitals for clinical sites. If they can’t fill the spots they lose the money. This creates more stigma and division when there should be more knowledge about Caribbean schools. The top 3-4 are a fantastic open for students. You can also practice in all 50 states, Canada and all other countries with sgu, Ross and auc. One other thing also is that you have less distractions being away from friends and family then you would being with them. With that being said it’s also one of the main cons is being away from them however you get to go back home in the summer and spring. I agree that US med programs should always be your first choice but places like SGU should be right next in line considering their scores are just as good as DO with the MD backing. Hope this helps
One thing that @medschooinsider and almost every influencer out there forgets to mention about the medical schools in Puerto Rico. Even though Puerto Rico is in the Carribbean, PR is a US territory, and therefore all 4 medical schools in PR are actually acreddited by the LCME. All the schools have match rates higher than 75%, my school this year had a 85% match rate. In my school half of the class are students who lived in US Mainland (I can't say US students because all puertoricans are US citizens since 1918, therefore everyone in our class is a US citizen). Only downfall is that you need to learn Spanish, at least basic Spanish, because most of the interaction with patient will be in Spanish. But you need to apply thorugh AMCAS, you need the mcat, the research, the extracurricular activities, just like applying to Medschool in the US Mainland.
True, I was confused because they didn't mention P.R.
I didnt even think about PR
S L I don’t blame you, even the influencers doing these videos don’t think of PR
Are classes taught in Spanish or English? I’m proficient in Spanish but need to learn medical terminology in the language. I’m more concerned about trying to learn challenging content in another language!
One thing I've always wondered about, is that 75%+ in terms of all students that start, or after ppl get weeded out by NBME/CBME's and not even get to take step 1? I know PR is a decent option, but I just never knew how those numbers r truly calculated.
New stats show matching is only 50% for Caribbean med. better to go to a DO school.
just go nursing school instead, can practice as a bootleg psychiatrist with a masters(ie you can do everything a psychiatrist can)
WTF isn’t the average MCAT for US MD schools last year at 511 ? Where’d you get 505 from ? Every database I checked the average GPA was 3.7 and the average MCAT was 511 (for 2018-2019). Your stats are off. I think you looked at the averages for the applicants not the matriculants.
JustTooLit The data he showed was mcat and Gpa for APPLICANT to US MD schools. Not matriculants (which is the numbers you shared).
He clearly says matriculants in the video. 1:20
Yes this was a mistake on his part. Also he should’ve went over the DO school stats which seem closer to the MD applicant average
I graduated from American University of the Caribbean in 2015. Attending AUC was one of the best decisions I have made. The "Big 4" are a relatively safe bet if you are ok with matching primary care. A lot of the negative match statistics are skewed by the smaller, less know schools. I do disagree with the statement that Caribbean schools are not as supportive as American schools. The community at AUC was genuinely supportive and the students had a great sense of camaraderie. I understand my experience cannot be extrapolated to all Caribbean schools, but again, attending AUC was one of the best decisions I have made and I would absolutely do it again.
I agree. I'm an AUC graduate, class of 2013. I felt supported the whole way, from my admissions advisor, to faculty advisor when I got to the island, to orientation advisor, to TAs, tutors, wellness counselor who was always available (and even did free group meditation/mindfulness sessions), to clinical advisors during my clinical years. Even as an alumnus, the alumni relations department at AUC is awesome and do not forget about you just because you've finished school and are not paying them anymore. They have tons of alumni get-togethers, like reserving VIP rooms at basketball games, going to different national conferences and having alumni get-togethers (like the one I talked about here: www.caribbeanmedstudent.com/2018/10/reconnection/), and being a great resource to post-graduate opportunities.
Hello! I have actually just been accepted to AUC and I’m very grateful. I’m just continuing to do my research on attending Caribbean schools before I commit and accept their offer but reading everything online is extremely confusing. I hear that Caribbean schools (esp the top 4) are a good option if it’s a last resort and I also hear to avoid them at all costs bc residency match rates are significantly lower/harder than just staying in the US. And since I want to do a specialty matching for me might be extremely difficult (not impossible with a lil hard work though). Is there anyway I can reach out to you more personally on what made you make ur decision about going here and what field you ended up or want to go into to help clear my mind and make the right decision for myself?
"A lot of the negative match statistics are skewed by the smaller, less known schools." This, 110%.
Hey Dr. jubbal I am an Indian medical aspirant and I want to come to carribean medical schools for my Medical studies. There is one particular caribbean medical school, Spartan health & Science university in st. Lucia which is getting crazy promoted in my country by a lot of admission agents. I heard many of their grads are actually doing good and working as a physician in many states of the US. Is this university legitimately good for my prospects of my future as a doctor in US? I am confused and sceptic that I might be fooled by these admission agents, so I might ask it from an actual expert. Will appreciate your help and response 🙂
Can you guys do a video covering similar material on European medical schools?
Can you make a video on med School for international students? Also one on going straight from high school to med school!
Someone should tell the Caribbean applicants out there before you apply... you will have trouble getting year 3/4 clinical rotations, a lot of your class will fail/drop out, and those who are lucky enough to match are most likely destined for family medicine (maybe internal). Just being honest
What about Europe? I got into Charles university in Czech republic. Can I please have your thoughts about that?
I don't know anything about that specific college, however I can tell you for a fact that if you plan on going to a United States residency, you are not going to be looked at nearly as favorably as if you had gone to a US medical based School. This has absolutely nothing to do with your ability as a physician. But your life will be made very difficult during application season for residency because of this.
@@mywaterfountain The thing is that I am an international student and from what I know (please correct me if I am wrong) is that getting into a US medical school is ridiculously competitive as an international student as most schools don't even offer places for international students. And so getting accepted into a residency program as an IMG even for something like general surgery would be easier than getting into a US medical school (as long ofcourse I have a USMLE score of around 250). That's why I'm thinking of just studying my ass of for Step 1 during my 3 pre clinical years (that's the system of the uni) to achieve a high score. And do the same thing for step 2. Also if I go to this uni, I'll graduate at the age of 23, which I view as a big advantage. I'm sorry for that being very long but I wanted to show you my thought process. Can I please have your opinion on that?
Ahmad Ali are you from Pakistan? If you’re from Pakistan please reply, I’m applying to med schools in Europe, would love to hear your opinion.
Dr. M It would depend on the medical school. Oxford in England, Saint Petersburg in Russia and University of Tartu in Finland rival that of Harvard
Wait. If I apply in the US and don't get approved, I can't apply again?
you should check for CAAM-HP OR ACCM accreditation for caribbean medical schools before enrolling.
Do the truth about Chinese medical schools
People go to china to get their MD? tf lol
Is it possible to get into medical school without shadowing a doctor or hospital hours?
NO. Clinical experience (shadowing, volunteering at clinics) is very important because it shows that you know what you are getting into and that you are actually interested in medicine.
@@katyawilliams7323 You can get in without those things but it would be dumb to put your self at a severe disadvantageous; nonetheless it is possible.
You'll find some schools have some sort of minimum amount of shadowing required to apply, it's awesome pretty small like 10-20 hours or so. But if it's your application versus someone else who has similar stats to yours and they have a lot of shadowing they're going to get your spot so why not do everything you can to be more competitive
I love your video , explain everything about medicine. Right now I’m Nurse working and I want to study medice. I need help and recommendations about study medicine on Puerto Rico
Lucky for you the 4 medical schools in PR are part of the US accreditation system (LCME, correct me if I’m wrong). One is public and the other 3 are private. For the public medical school, you’ll need to have 12 credits in spanish and 12 credits in english language in order to be considered for enrollment. The private schools may ask you from 6-12 credits. You can apply thru AMCAS. They are very competitive, and haver very good residence programs. I would highly recommend you to learn some spanish if you want to understand your patients. Classes are mostly in english, with some spanish explanations.
I was accepted at the university of Kansas wait list 2 yrs in a row. I had to shit or get off the pot. I applied and attended St. George’s university. Never looked back, matched into a competitive pyramid surgery residency in nyc. Finished in five yrs (on time) matched in a competitive surgical sub specialty.
Yes it was harder than for a US grad, but I worked my ass off, nailed the in service exams.
You gotta want it more and work harder.
Going to a Caribbean school isn’t as good as a US school, but it gets your foot in the door, what you do with that opportunity is up to you.
Not UWI...it's very much competitive
Thank you!
Sometimes it's just having links to get in lol
I did it, and while I work as a physician now I don't recommend it. The attrition rate is super high. Even top tier Caribbean schools admission process will let in people who won't succeed and are left with huge debt. The competitive fields are not attainable. Mid tier residencies are possible for the toppers with some luck. If getting into Allopathic US school isn't happening go for Osteopathic. Totally agree with taking extra year or two to get into the right place. By the end of training most people have been sidetracked at least a few years and being an attending in your 30s you still come off as young.
I live in the Caribbean and I want to be a doctor but I wasn't sure if I wanted to study here or not, most of the people I know who are doctors studied abroad, that's also a challenge for me because my mother doesn't have the finances to send me abroad to study, maybe if I work hard enough I could get awarded a scholarship which will allow me to travel and study. Also, the weather isn't so nice anymore, it's so hot that it's hard to function on literally anything, considering I have overactive sweat glands it's hell for me. I only get my studying done at night because that's when its cooler outside.
Same
Same, I want to truly know if I'm making the right decisions, I have asked persons and they said it's best to study in the Caribbean but when im on utube research, their opinions are different
Didn't watch the whole video so sorry if you addressed this; but you should probably have gotten the direct perspective of someone who trained at a Caribbean medical school.
So, would it be better to just stay a doctor in the Caribbean after Caribbean med school? >.
I am an international student who got in to Californian allopathic medical school.
From Day 1 to residency 90 percent of my class don't make it to residency I know because I didn't get residency. They are mainly interested in your money. Avoid!
What makes you feel that a residency program in the U.S is the most favorable way to go as a Doctor. They have excellent plastic surgery programs in Brazil and Colombia and the doctors are just as competent as any in the U.S. OHH, maybe you think that pay is better in the U.S? As a Doctor you are your own Boss, if you open your practice and do good work taking care of your patients you will be successful regardless of what country you are and what university you graduated from.
Richard Rivera I think you’re forgetting that the people he’s advising are pre med undergrads in the US who wanna stay in the US and have their careers here bc thats where their family is and that’s where they see themselves living for the foreseeable future. It’s not that the US is the best place ever to be a doctor, it’s just that many American students wanna stay in the US
are you a doctor? I am from Colombia but reside in the US for 20 years now and got into ROSS but quit. Thinking on going back to Colombian or picking another school in the Caribbean - what do you think?
If you have any thought of becoming a physician, even a vague consideration, start preparing yourself early in high school. If you have been a weak student, change! Teach yourself to be a great student while your brain is very plastic. If you condemn yourself to poor or mediocre schools and post-grad. programs, you will likely become a weak practitioner and that's something to be avoided at all costs. Be honest with yourself. There are many careers/occupations in life that are very rewarding besides medicine/surgery.
caribbean med school students have a chip on their shoulder, so some do come out better than US students. i have a friend who applied to at least 30 med schools and got rejected by all, so he ended up at caribbean. he's now a resident at rutgers and doing fine
doesnt everything in the US operate on a "for profit basis" as well? even your prisons do... idk a caribbean school would be "more cut throat" ? the bottom line of this video is: if you re made for the job you will make it in any kind of school thats recognized by the US... thats all there is. also have good work ethic.
I honestly just feel like giving up any hope of becoming the first doctor in the family and just become a nurse or something
I don't know your situation, but it's possible. I was the first one in my entire lineage to make it past high school. I worked hard from literally zero (English and all). And I made it to med school. It's not easy at all, but there are hundreds of different ways to get into med school, so you need to work smart and be ready to take the gamble. There's hope, I promise
Do not "just become a nurse or something". First of all, most nursing schools are incredibly competitive, so pre-nursing students are required to have a high GPA as well. I know med students and nursing students. There are incredibly intelligent people in both. Nursing and medicine are also different fields. If you have no interest in nursing, you either won't be successful, or you'll regret your decision. Also, just don't become a physician either because the last thing we need is more pompous MDs who are under the assumption that nurses are people who couldn't hack it in med.
Look mate, Im already going to finish my 3rd year but "I gave up." In my situation there are outside factors restricting me to get into med school(other factors as well). Look at what your goals are and where do you want to be in 10 years and from there YOU decide what you want to become.
NEVER GIVE UP
Better doctors in the caribbean than in the us cuz u actually touch and practise on really patients unlike the US
I have a question, can someone answer it? I'm currently halfway through my undergraduate degree and have decided that I'd like to go to medical school. The problem is I haven't taken pre-med courses beside the English and I need to raise my GPA. Would a Caribbean medical school be doeable at this point or should I just stick to going the Phd/PsyD route? I want to be either a psychologist or a psychiatrist...but I'd obviously need to go to medical school to become a psychiatrist. I feel like I'm too late in the game to have the pre-med qualifications for a medical school in the US.
I got into St. Georges Medical school and several DO schools in the states. I decided to go to DO school and I'm glad I did. I heard so many Caribbean school applicants say the learning atmosphere was very poor or they had to teach themselves and other students the topics. This sounds so ridiculous to me. Experts should teach, not students who don't know the subject well! Some IMG's would tell me it was very cut throat (which lets be honest all medical programs are this way, even in the states). Now that the DO and MD match are joined, I would really lean towards DO over IMG/Carribean. St. Georges and Ross U. seem to be very good schools and I know several great docs that trained there, however I think it's getting more and more difficult to get back to the states for residency.
I went to a DO school in the states and it all worked out. I matched at my number one program in emergency medicine (which has now become a competitive residency). I got over 15 interviews for residency at MD programs as a DO applicant (which surprised me). That was when the match was separated into DO and MD matches and getting interviews was more difficult. Now that it's combined, I would definitely stay in the USA and chose DO over Caribbean.
Certain specialties can be very difficult to obtain as a DO applicant such as urology, neurosurgery, and dermatology. Orthopedics is very difficult to match on the allopathic side as a DO (almost never done) but there are plenty of DO orthopedic programs out there. If you want these highly competitive programs, not only do you have to go allopathic route, you also have to do very well on boards, med school rank, etc.
Are u from th Caribbean? If so how did u apply to medical schools in the US??
I’ma graduate with a Bachelor’s in Health Education (Kinesiology) next December. I’m barely 21. I have only kept a 3.75 (non science) GPA and a 3.25 (science) GPA. After I’m just going to take a year off from school and work full time and if I have it in me to go back to school I’ll try for nursing again. Anybody on the same boat as me👀
Here✋ Bachelor's in health education too, currently unhappy about the choices I made. I still really want to go back to study medicine, I was thinking about going to a carribbean school till I watched this video, now I'm confused. How did it work out for you? Did you go to study nursing?
First ,you have lumped all Caribbean med schools and some (read Cuba)have excellent schools and doctors. There are some pretty shitty schools in the US.
I wonder how many people leave the US, only to realize that they were meant to not live there the whole time!