How you like me now?

[squiggy]

Last night, I had a conversation with a family friend about my future med school plans. I am going to apply to AUC, and the family friend said that she would never go to a doctor trained in the Caribbean. The misinformed comment got me a little mad, but I tried not to show it. It will be a bias that I will have to get used to if I get into AUC.

A little later, the family friend went on about how great her doctor is. He was able to find her long-standing medical problem that baffled other doctors. I asked her if she knew where her doctor went to school, in order to confirm my belief that most patients don't know that information. Well, she didn't know, but said that she was going to go tomorrow for an appointment and would ask.

Just got a phone call from the family friend. Guess where her doctor went to school?

Yep. AUC.

This is a story that I will be able to share when people question my decision to apply to AUC. I love it!

[FLK]

success is the best revenge.

yesterday I had my annual review with the senior doc of my group ( I am in a 5 physician hospital based practice)

He informed me that in the past year, I received more positive letters from patient families ( I work in an NICU ) then the 4 of them combined

Your story reminds me of the naysayers that told me not to go to AUC ( back in 1992 )
the list consists of current:
Hairdressers
UPS truck drivers
a few chiropractors
humanities professor
assistant pro shop golf pro


Like the NIKE ad says " just do it" and let your success speak for you

PS: none ( or maybe 0.1% ) of your patients will ever ask you where you went to school. People don't care, as long as you are nice to them and do a good job

[teratos]

Is your family friend going to change doctors? I have some patients ask where I wnt to school. Never had someone not come back because of where I went to school.

The guy I share an office with was the Cheif Resident at University of MD. A pretty big deal. He is a mega-brainiac. Wrote a couple of articles in UpToDate, a very popular medical resource. We do the same job.

It is always nice when something like that happens. Thanks for sharing your story. G

[aychamo]

To the original poster. Just remember: people are stupid. They will say stuff like that without even knowing anything. Hardly any patients will ever even ask. Most doctors won't even ask you. And if they do ask, going to AUC or any Caribbean school is NOTHING to be embarrassed about. It's just a slightly different path than getting your MD in the states.

Getting into US schools is difficult and you can get screwed over by so many reasons. Case in point: I have a better MCAT score, equal grades, etc, to a girl who got a full scholarship to a private school in my state, and I didn't even get an interview there. Of course, she is South African (but white as white can be).

Gong to AUC doesn't mean you're stupid or an idiot. It's just a rockier pathway that is more difficult to traverse than the normal route.

To me, it doesn't matter where you go. You pass the same tests, get the same training (clinicals in the states), etc. Like everyone says, it's what you make of it.

If I get my MD from AUC, I'll be damn proud of it.

[anencephalic]

This is a story that I will be able to share when people question my decision to apply to AUC. I love it!

Maybe you should use this story in your personal statement, eh?!

Aloha,

[onamission]

Thats a great story squiggy!! I love the irony!

[squiggy]

Is your family friend going to change doctors?

Definitely not! That was the first question I asked her. She really likes her doctor. She told a story of when her doctor inspected an x-ray after several other doctors. The other doctors said everything appeared normal. When her doctor looked at it, he immediately found the problem. He had a few students with him and asked if anyone could see the problem. Of course, the students didn’t recognize the problem either.

This doctor’s skill is just one of the many things she likes about him. For a doctor to be so good says a lot about him, for sure, and a lot about AUC.

[kennethhur]

thanks for sharing such nice story. I had same problem when I told my family about my plan to attend AUC and especially my brother in law who is in military intelligence, was very skeptical and he even mentioned about how CIA was investigating frudalent caribbean med school back in 70s and early80s. Of course he even mentioned Granada rescue project of US med students by US marine during the civil war outbreak over there.

right now, he actually boast that his bro in law would be a doc when he gets guests staying over at his place. My whole family is complete turn around and very supportive even since.

It is all up to you. if you can best and most out of this brave endevour of going againts the upstream, you may get more tired and exausted like a tenacious Salmon but you get there and be happy at the destiny of the life.

Cheers for all brave carib med students !

ken


:-sunny

[teratos]

[[especially my brother in law who is in military intelligence

Isn't that the most frequently cited oxymoron?? G

[claudette737]

Wow, that is great! I just think Americans tend to be a xenophobic group anyways, hence their fear of foreigners/foreign trained doctors. I am just sick of it already, some Americans need to come off their high horses. And they wonder why other nations resent them.
Incompetency has nothing to do with what country a Dr came from.
In fact, a loved one was seeing a Dr here for years, and he never ever diagnosed her cancer until it was too late.

[stephew]

To the original poster. Just remember: people are stupid. ...

Gong to AUC doesn't mean you're stupid or an idiot. It's just a rockier pathway that is more difficult to traverse than the normal route.

.

You know this reminds me of the lou dobbs thread. I would have everyone pause here and consider: how many of YOU, had you not gone into medicine and particularly offshore, would also prefer a us trained doc to an IMG? Perhaps feel a bit smug about it? I'ld bet a heck of a lot. Its not being "Stupid", its the literal meaning of ignorant, void of the value judgement. Just not knowing much about the issue. and frankly why should they? I dont know anything about, well a vast number of things and I accept that there may be elements I'm not familiar when the topic crosses my path. Frankly many IMGs are rather ignorant about a lot of things regarding their own education. That is more damning than the average joe being suspicious of someone trained at a lesser (ie img) university.

And i wouldnt even bother with the "hey i got screwed" argument. Lets face it: most of us are imgs because of academic deficiencies in our undergrad/premed back ground. Its true.

So basically i accpt that people dont understand it. The "stupid ones" are those who are happy to hold onto their views in spite of information that might challenge them. THe original posters thread was happy to reconsider her views. she's not stupid there. So as you say be proud of your school but MORE IMPORTANTLY be an arguement in favor of notion that AUC and other offshore schools are good and worthwhile.

JUst like going to auc doesnt mean youre stupid, a layperson who doesnt delve into IMG issues isn't stupid either. Just demonstrate by ability your point.

[stephew]

Wow, that is great! I just think Americans tend to be a xenophobic group anyways, hence their fear of foreigners/foreign trained doctors. I am just sick of it already, some Americans need to come off their high horses. And they wonder why other nations resent them..Yeah you know well educated americans love to self-denegrate. I have to tell you, if you havent, travel a bit. Do arotation in the UK during med school. Americans aren't xenophobic compared to some of our closest allies. I'm not "love it or leave it" jingoist by a stretch. And there are many stereotypes that americans can fit but repectfully, i have to say if you think americans are xenophobic, go to Britian. Or Germany. Or France. Or anywhere in the Middle east. Or... on and on.

[kennethhur]

[[especially my brother in law who is in military intelligence

Isn't that the most frequently cited oxymoron?? G

I dont know if that is applicable for all the officers in military intel but they seems to be very narrowed with their own spectrum. Dark room with radars beeping and sattelite pics cluttered all over the table and dirty coffee mugs and greasy pizza chewd on a week ago still on the table.

They tends to be skeptical and sarcastic in nature, almost paranoid about every thing. I can further discuss this topic anymore becus it is classfied :lol:

see ya. DR G

[kennethhur]

Wow, that is great! I just think Americans tend to be a xenophobic group anyways, hence their fear of foreigners/foreign trained doctors. I am just sick of it already, some Americans need to come off their high horses. And they wonder why other nations resent them..Yeah you know well educated americans love to self-denegrate. I have to tell you, if you havent, travel a bit. Do arotation in the UK during med school. Americans aren't xenophobic compared to some of our closest allies. I'm not "love it or leave it" jingoist by a stretch. And there are many stereotypes that americans can fit but repectfully, i have to say if you think americans are xenophobic, go to Britian. Or Germany. Or France. Or anywhere in the Middle east. Or... on and on.

I agree. The US is still the most diversed and the most tolerant to the foreigners in the world. And this country is the most protective of the foreigners in the world despite sporadic outbreak of the ethnic and racial cases. After the world war II, this country was a safeheaven for all the ethnic groups that fled the persecution especially Nazi and italin fasicm as well as the south east Asia genocides during vitenam war and killing field of the far east in 70s.

Take look at meddle east now. They dont have much tolerance to other ethic and religious outsiders but so much fear and hatred even among themselves. I hear the rising Italin and Gerrman antisemitism and heard the news that how foreign exchange stutdents got bitten by Russian neo nazzi in the middle of Moscow.

We have many reason to be grateful be citizen of the US ...

[Sakuger]

To the original poster. Just remember: people are stupid. They will say stuff like that without even knowing anything. Hardly any patients will ever even ask. Most doctors won't even ask you. And if they do ask, going to AUC or any Caribbean school is NOTHING to be embarrassed about. It's just a slightly different path than getting your MD in the states.

Getting into US schools is difficult and you can get screwed over by so many reasons. Case in point: I have a better MCAT score, equal grades, etc, to a girl who got a full scholarship to a private school in my state, and I didn't even get an interview there. Of course, she is South African (but white as white can be).

Gong to AUC doesn't mean you're stupid or an idiot. It's just a rockier pathway that is more difficult to traverse than the normal route.

To me, it doesn't matter where you go. You pass the same tests, get the same training (clinicals in the states), etc. Like everyone says, it's what you make of it.

If I get my MD from AUC, I'll be darn proud of it.

amen to that aychamo

[opnr2k2]

To the original poster. Just remember: people are stupid. They will say stuff like that without even knowing anything. Hardly any patients will ever even ask. Most doctors won't even ask you. And if they do ask, going to AUC or any Caribbean school is NOTHING to be embarrassed about. It's just a slightly different path than getting your MD in the states.

Getting into US schools is difficult and you can get screwed over by so many reasons. Case in point: I have a better MCAT score, equal grades, etc, to a girl who got a full scholarship to a private school in my state, and I didn't even get an interview there. Of course, she is South African (but white as white can be).

Gong to AUC doesn't mean you're stupid or an idiot. It's just a rockier pathway that is more difficult to traverse than the normal route.

To me, it doesn't matter where you go. You pass the same tests, get the same training (clinicals in the states), etc. Like everyone says, it's what you make of it.

If I get my MD from AUC, I'll be darn proud of it.

amen to that aychamo