MrScottyMD
04-10-2004, 03:41 PM
First off if you applied to Saba and you told them you got into a US school for a DO they would absolutely tell you to go to med school in the united states. There is no difference between the two and virtually every residency program have a DO and MD mix in every speciality including the programs here at my residency at Mayo. Im not saying the education is better necessarily but the logistics just make things easier if you can attend med school here in the US. Tell your parents you are better off with a US DO degree if you can get in. When I decided to go back to med school I was 36 and by the time I could have enrolled in an MCAT review course (because my MCAT scores were almost 20 years old) , and actually have taken the test I would have had to wait another year and a half for the next Sept. DO class and still there were no guarantees I would have been accepted. I then applied to Saba, got accepted and only had maybe 6 months more on the island of Saba before I would have even started at a DO program assuming I was accepted. If you apply to a DO program and dont get in, dont waste your time reapplying and sitting out another year. This is very unproductive and in fact you can be a year and a half (in acedemic terms) towards your MD in a carribean school. Remeber that years 3 and 4 you will be studying along US students in green book hospitals anyhow. No one will refute your clinical training once back in the states. The nice thing about reputable carribean programs is that they are continuous. You complete 3 full semesters each calendar year, so you are actually only on the island itself for 20 months. The down side is you work your tail off without summers off but those are the breaks. DO or MD makes no difference. There are some perceptual differences and the philosophy differs slightly between the two, but in real practice they are one in the same. My partner was a DO when I was a chiropractor and his employee was an MD, and all of us used manipulation in practice (Yes any physician can manipulate if trained and competent to do so). I hope this helps, good luck in getting in to a US school but if not Saba is a great choice, as is Ross or St. Georges. Saba is still a great buy for the buck. If Texas or CA is a must have though I would shoot for Ross or St. Georges. Sincerely, Scott Jones MD DC PGY-1