A Canadian looking for some info...

[bettychops]

Hello,

I'm new to this great forum, and I am just starting to look into applying to a Caribbean med school, in particular Saba, and I have a couple of general questions. (I'm not sure if this thread is in the right spot; if it's not, i appreciate if the moderator could move it to where it belongs.) Here goes:

1. If i attend a Caribbean school, i would be interested in coming back to Canada for my residency (i'm interested in doing a family medicine residency in a rural region, most likely in Northern Quebec or Northern Ontario). How difficult is this process? Is my wish to come back to Canada for my residency reasonable/feasable?

2. In order to do the clinical rotations in the US, is it necessary to write the step 1 and 2 of the USMLE, or can a student do the rotations without doing the USMLE? I'm asking because i'm not interested in doing a residency in the US. Since i would like to return to Canada to do my residency, it seems to make sense that i would sit for the Canadian licensing exams (plus whatever other exams required for foreign trained physicians) only, and not bother with the US exams. Is this possible?

3. I've heard that students from Caribbean schools must move around a lot to different cities in the US during their rotations; go wherever the rotations are available. Is this true? Is it possible to do all your rotations in the same city?

4. In the end, how much does it cost to get an MD degree from a Caribbean school? Is it much less than attending a US school?

I'm an older, married applicant, so my decision to go back to med school, especially in the Caribbean, will have a huge impact in my hubby, too. I want to make sure i know what we are gettng into and I greatly appreciate any and all information anyone can provide (if my questions have been answered elsewhere in the forum, i appreciate if someone can provide the link).

Cheers and many thanks.

[bettychops]

Well...I guess there are not many Canadians out there doing a Carib MD

Thanks, anyways.

[MrChem]

1) Feasible, yes. Definite? no.
Lots of people from Saba have done residencies in Canada, and even more have done residencies in the states and practice in canada, but not everyone gets a residency in canada

2)I'm not sure but I think there are people that do not do the usmle and do all their rotations in canada. I THINK. Another factor you might want to think about is that I'm also pretty sure that you have to pass the USMLE to do rotations in the states.

3) It sure is. But you'll have to organize it all yourself. Especially given that you don't want to write the USMLE

4) It's just as easy for you to crunch the numbers as it is for me...

[ustaad]

Well...I guess there are not many Canadians out there doing a Carib MD

Thanks, anyways.
these qs have been answered in great detail - all you gotta do is search these forums.

[don1]

congrads on taking the first step to medical school by getting information.

One suggestion I have is to make sure you know what you are getting into considering you are married; not just for after medical school (ie. residency) but during medical school. There are quite a few medical students that are married, and only a handful that also have kids.

you have to make sure you are in a position that you can focus on school and not get distracted while you're here. some people are quick learners and have more time on their hands so that they can dedicate to their relationship. for most others, the amount of time they can give to a relationship is similar to that of a neglected house plant.

to answer some of your questions:
from what I have researched you HAVE to write the USMLE step 1 and pass before you are allowed to do your rotations; when you are complete you have to also write step 2 and step 3. It seems like the rules for entering into Canada keep changing. Foreign medical grads in Canada are now allowed to enter into matching for a residency for the first round rather than second round; although this sounds good it is still very difficult to get back in; however it is now a big advantage if you are applying into Canada and the US for a residency because the Canadian match date is now slightly ahead of the US date. It is very possible as long as you are willing to keep trying for a long time (meaning, you may have to do your residency in the US then later enter into Canada).

hope that helps

Hello,

I'm new to this great forum, and I am just starting to look into applying to a Caribbean med school, in particular Saba, and I have a couple of general questions. (I'm not sure if this thread is in the right spot; if it's not, i appreciate if the moderator could move it to where it belongs.) Here goes:

1. If i attend a Caribbean school, i would be interested in coming back to Canada for my residency (i'm interested in doing a family medicine residency in a rural region, most likely in Northern Quebec or Northern Ontario). How difficult is this process? Is my wish to come back to Canada for my residency reasonable/feasable?

2. In order to do the clinical rotations in the US, is it necessary to write the step 1 and 2 of the USMLE, or can a student do the rotations without doing the USMLE? I'm asking because i'm not interested in doing a residency in the US. Since i would like to return to Canada to do my residency, it seems to make sense that i would sit for the Canadian licensing exams (plus whatever other exams required for foreign trained physicians) only, and not bother with the US exams. Is this possible?

3. I've heard that students from Caribbean schools must move around a lot to different cities in the US during their rotations; go wherever the rotations are available. Is this true? Is it possible to do all your rotations in the same city?

4. In the end, how much does it cost to get an MD degree from a Caribbean school? Is it much less than attending a US school?

I'm an older, married applicant, so my decision to go back to med school, especially in the Caribbean, will have a huge impact in my hubby, too. I want to make sure i know what we are gettng into and I greatly appreciate any and all information anyone can provide (if my questions have been answered elsewhere in the forum, i appreciate if someone can provide the link).

Cheers and many thanks.

[don1]

40% of my class are Canadians.

Well...I guess there are not many Canadians out there doing a Carib MD

Thanks, anyways.

[funtoosh]

40% of my class are Canadians.
Even 45% of my brother's classmates are Canadian