carib disadvantage

[medicalmed]

I was recently speaking to a few residency interviewers in my home state and everytime I asked them about carib schools, they just gave me this look and shook their heads. Basically they indirectly told me that they were getting concerned with the amounts of carib students making their way to the usa to practice. I mentioned SGU and they said they rather see usa kids take some time off and reapply to usa med schools instead of going to sgu (carib schools in general). They also raised concern about the over crowded atmosphere and lack of facitilies. I am getting concerned as time goes on, laws like in cali and texas will soon be in effect at more states. They also mentioned they give more preference to foreign grads of european countries specifically england, ireland, and israel and soon most state boards will be doing the same in order to prevent "inadequately educated" practioners.

[Silenthunder]

I believe much of this has been addressed already.

I'm just going to point out that the comment of "inadequate education" by the residence interviewers you spoke to is hardly fair.

Many people who go to carib schools get high USMLE scores. Many people who go to carib schools do their clinicals in many of the same hospitals that US students do their clinicals at.

So how is the carib education inadequate? in order for it to be shown inadequate, doesn't it have to be shown to be lacking on some kind of measurable scale? (for the sake of argument: how can the carib schools be shown to be lacking qualitatively?)

I'm going to use SGU as an example:

great facilities
+ pretty good clinical placements;
+ relatively good board scores for grads
-----------------------------------------------
inadequate school?

hmmmm...... that math don't add up so good methinks.

I'm not going to argue that there isn't a stigma attached to carib schools. There often is. And this isn't easy to overcome. But I think the quality of education at SOME of the carib schools (like the big 3) is good to the point of surprising.

Cheers,

Silenthunder

[AUCMD2006]

i have friends in med school in the US and it isn't it funny how we email class notes back and forth and they are very similar. i actually used their notes for cardio phys and they used my anatomy notes b/c they were respectively better? also isn't funny that the school with the most lawsuits for their grads per capita is in the united states? give it up dude, so it's better to go to SC right? when are you going to start throwing that in?

[bones]

There's no question that one should try to stay in the US or go DO instead of the Carib route. There is definitely a stigma and it's hanging thick lately while applying for residencies. And it's not like I've I haven't kicked ***. 90+ on both steps, CSA in the bag and Honors in clinicals, good LOR, yet I've written off applying to some specialties as there isn't a chance in hell of getting certain spots and I don't want to waste any time in some prelim year in the hopes that maybe next time it will open up. There is absolutely no question that there is a stigma with the Carib route. I do think fmg's from countries like China, Russia, and Europe are getting more respect now as opposed to the US grads that study abroad. The % of foreign grad matches surpassed that of US citizen IMG's last year for the first time that I've ever known. This is something many won't want to hear, but I think the climate is changing. Maybe it's the fact that there are so damn many schools in the Carib now, that they're all written off by the US establishment including the "big 3". Much of what I say is subjective from what I've seen so far, but the match stats back up what I've been observing as late. Of course it isn't fair, but there isn't a damn thing we can do about it now can we? Hell, we take the same exams and even beat the average at times, but that is just the way it is. Hardwork and scores only go so far in the Caribbean route. There is not a level playing field in this game, so scores and *** kissing only go so far. One can get primary care and occasional Anesth or Surgery spot. If your heart is set on a more competitive specialty, stay in the US and go DO or reapply. If you have connections, use those to their fullest. At the very worst, go to SGU if those other 2 fail. Good luck to all.

[teratos]

I have yet to see that problem. There are a lot of new schools, which will flood the market in the next few years (if they can all pass the boards), and that may make a difference. I doubt it. Since they are cutting the number of visas, then the number of USIMG's should be enough to even that out. G

[bones]

Medicalmed,

If ***** is right and you are from St. Chris, you're a perfect example of why some PD's are pessimistic about Carib grads. Wow, another crappy fly-by-night operation has somebody from administration come on to another school's internet forum trying to perpetuate the idea that a grad from Europe may be better off than a grad from the Carib. I'd bet this guy is the owner of St Chris. Who else would be stupid enough and desperate enough to lure students away from AUC? If it's a student, well it looks like he found the right place as he's certainly never going to pass the boards. I hear England may be an alternative to the US for living permanently. Might as well get a headstart! First of all, PD's aren't stupid, and they'll know your school is just a rip off and has nothing to do with the Brits. You're no better being in Enland than any other island in the Carib. Whatever affiliation you claim is crap and they're not going to fall for it. Second of all, when you apply for residency, wherever your school is chartered is where it will appear on the drop-down menu on ERAS. You can't change your school's location! Therefore, being chartered in Senegal, the PD's will think your school is in Africa. It will be an interesting conversation at interview to explain why you do all of your stuff in England, and don't step foot in Senegal! You'd probably get more respect and education if you were actually located in Senegal providing medical care to the poor masses of Africans. It looks pretty selfish to me to take the easy route in England! hehehehe People. if you really have to go the Carib route, stick with the known quantities: AUC, ROSS, SGU and once there, stay there. Transferring may work for some, but all these schools are run for-profit and have their problems. Ross and SGU students I've worked with, complain often about stuff they're unhappy with.

[stephew]

Medicalmed is a user who is actually a student at a european med school. He has taken now to posting as a prospective student under this medicalmed screenname who's "heard doubts" about caribbean med schools in comparison to European schools. Interestingly this comes a few hours after I posted on his school's forum regarding a spate of hostility there..

This issue has been sent to archive in the moderators forum.
_________________

[microphage]

I mentioned SGU and they said they rather see usa kids take some time off and reapply to usa med schools instead of going to sgu.

So why are you posting this in the AUC forum?


Dude, YOU TOO CAN WIN A MILLION DOLLARS

[stephew]

see my post above: this guy asked no one anything. he is a student at a school attached to europe. He adopted this new screenname to pose as a prospective with an "innocent" question that was raised by higher ups. this never happened.

[microphage]

yeah, I knew but I still felt compelled to respond to a dumb post.( :lol: )

The whole million dollar thing was an inside joke we(the original poster and I) had a while back... :D

[stephew]

see now i feel left out.

[microphage]

Well... you can still win that million but you gotta share. :wink:

BTW, it's the 20th "anniversary" of the taking of Grenada. (I'm full of random facts... and I watched CNN today for the first time in 4 weeks. You gotta love med school. 4 weeks of studying and all I get in return is 2 days of relaxation,). Is life any better as a resident?

[stephew]

its much better. While to some extent it depends upon the residency, the bottom line is you are doing what (hopefully) you like, and after a while you know what you are doing (hopefull) and you do it well.