Massive fraud commited in Puerto Rico's medical licensing system

[october]

You know the scandal could have been the reverse; USMLE insiders changing scores for cash. Human nature, greed, corruption, nobody is immune.

To me it would seem Spanish is the first language of PR. I have been there. Nice people y senoritas muy simpaticas

[leadsled]

What a shame that Puerto Rico has gone to pot. Although I am not Puerto Rican, I lived there in my youth and loved the place. My heritage is from Denmark so you can call me the Puerto Rican Viking.

If the powers that be offer the USMLE in Spanish, that would be a fair evaluation! Medicine is difficult enough to learn in one's native tongue but to be tested in another language sounds unreasonable. Granted, many Puerto Ricans speak English perfectly.

Max, do the 4 LCME accredited medical schools in Puerto Rico teach in English, Spanish or both?

Thanks,
Leadsled

Originally Posted by Genossa maximillian

The P.R. licensing system under "la revalida" has now proven what some of us already knew, it was corrupted. This is not new leadsled, this has been taken place for at least a couple of decades, but the main difference, they were finally caught.

Your argument seems nice, however, bearing in mind that ALL 4 medical schools in P.R. are LCME aproved I don't see why the Commonwealth shouldn't move towards the elimination of the corrupted "revalida" into USMLE territory. The problem has not been digital photogragy or finger print id, it has been that some, now ex-members of the board of medical examiners, "tribunos" and 2 employees have engaged in the racket of selling medical licenses and changing exam scores.

According to the new president of TEM, one of the immediate consequences of this scandal will be the elimination of the "revalida" towards the USMLE, something all members of the TEM support. This person confirmed to El Nuevo Dia that in fact the TEM is in discussion with the NBME to have a spanish version of the USMLE in P.R. because the way the medical licensing law was written in P.R. back in 1931 is that the licensing examination in Puerto Rico must be offered in Spanish, with the option of English. So, I see USMLE EN ESPANOL, as weird as it sounds.

Not to pick up a fight with you or anything, but after reading your signature I have to add this....Puerto Rico era mi amor.....hasta que el regeton, el narcotrafico, la criminalidad, los vagonetas, los politicos de pacotilla y la corrupcion en general....took a toll on me. Call it amor perdido!

Peace Max

[meddocpr]

Puerto Rico's medical schools, includding the recently accredited one, teach most classes in spanish though textbooks, medical terminology and exams are all in english. So a USMLE in spanish for PR would have to be in spanglish due to the fact that medical terminology in spanish does differ, in many cases, from that of the english language. At least that is what most students that have studied medicine in spanish speaking countries say.

[Genossa maximillian]

If textbooks, terminology and exams are in ENLGISH why the need of a USMLE exam in spanglish (which by the way is a "disparate" in terms of standarized tests) If what you said is correct, the English USMLE should not be a problem. They just have to stop whinning and prepare for the english test.

Originally Posted by meddocpr

Puerto Rico's medical schools, includding the recently accredited one, teach most classes in spanish though textbooks, medical terminology and exams are all in english. So a USMLE in spanish for PR would have to be in spanglish due to the fact that medical terminology in spanish does differ, in many cases, from that of the english language. At least that is what most students that have studied medicine in spanish speaking countries say.

[diogenes]

Originally Posted by Genossa maximillian

If textbooks, terminology and exams are in ENLGISH why the need of a USMLE exam in spanglish (which by the way is a "disparate" in terms of standarized tests) If what you said is correct, the English USMLE should not be a problem. They just have to stop whinning and prepare for the english test.

I was thinking exactly the same thing. If exams, texts, and medical terminology and even some classes are in English then they will have a huge advantage over a good many other non-American USMLE candidates.

[Jose Sosa]

So what's the problem with giving students the option of taking it either in Spanish or English?

[Genossa maximillian]

It's a U.S. territory, the 4 medical schools are LCME accredited by the USA and it provides a fair and equal ground for everyone nationwide. Now I turn on the question...what is the problem with taking it in English...afraid to compete?

Originally Posted by Jose Sosa

So what's the problem with giving students the option of taking it either in Spanish or English?

[Jose Sosa]

Personaly no, I'm not afraid to compete, specialy because I took it and I passed. On the other hand, I see no problem whatsoever in providing the USMLE in Spanish because what is being tested is medical knowledge and not language skills (they have different tests for that). I seriously doubt a puertorican doctor who doesn't know English will apply for a job in the US, and if he does he won't get passed the interview. Some students who choose to take the revalida do so because their English is not as good as mine, or yours, and they wish to practice in Puerto Rico where Spanish is our first language and English is SECOND. What options do you provide them? So I ask again, what is the problem with providing the USMLE both in Spanish and English in Puerto Rico? Too proud? or maybe afraid a latino might take your internship or residency spot?

[october]

Originally Posted by Jose Sosa

Personaly no, I'm not afraid to compete, specialy because I took it and I passed. On the other hand, I see no problem whatsoever in providing the USMLE in Spanish because what is being tested is medical knowledge and not language skills (they have different tests for that). I seriously doubt a puertorican doctor who doesn't know English will apply for a job in the US, and if he does he won't get passed the interview. Some students who choose to take the revalida do so because their English is not as good as mine, or yours, and they wish to practice in Puerto Rico where Spanish is our first language and English is SECOND. What options do you provide them? So I ask again, what is the problem with providing the USMLE both in Spanish and English in Puerto Rico? Too proud? or maybe afraid a latino might take your internship or residency spot?

Soy Gringo por nacimiento y Ingles es mi primer idioma. Espanol, el segundo. Estoy cien porciento de acuerdo con Jose Sosa. El primer idioma de Puerto Rico es Espanol. La gente de PR deben vivir en paz sin el ingles si no lo quieren. O para ellos que seles interesa, ok, pueden tener su Ingles. Los EUA ni el Ingles es el centro del universo. Espanol si tiene adventajas, es perfectamente bien en el campo medico como las palabras medicas tienen su base en latin. Espanol es bastante mejor en campo romantico, wow, me trae bastante memorias de PR y medellin; bueno, es otro tema.

[azskeptic]

As long as the license is used in Puerto Rico it makes no difference to outsiders indeed if the language is Spanish but if they are allowed to transfer the license to a US state it would seem logical it needs to be in English.