[/quote]

Wow, from a school official no less.

If a school does it's job teaching medicine to it's students, mere passing of USMLE should NOT be an issue for its students WITHOUT outside review courses.

As someone who teaches US medical students nowadays, I can tell you that most US schools do not offer or advertize review courses for USMLE and majority of US students do not take review courses for USMLE.

P

__________________
Jean Luc Picard
Academic Hospitalist/Assist. Professor of Medicine, Star Fleet Medical, Earth, United Federation of Planets
Borg-Certified... Resistance is Futile.

In Glock, We Trust... Everyone Else... Keep Your Hands Where I Can See Them.

http://www.odmp.org/search.php?searc...=2001&cause=27
http://www.nypdangels.com/wtc.htm
http://www.hampsteadnh.us/police/A%2...ica%20Died.htm
http://longmontpolice.com/MEMORIAM.HTM

for a school official to admit their students need a review course is refreshing. i would just like to point out that i have not heard of any Us schools saying the basic science material taught there is not enough to pass step one. i know other schools in the caribbean also accept the reality that the curriculum may lack in some areas and offer a review course as part of the curriculum.


having taken and passed the exam i still hold to the fact that there is no substitute to faculty expereienced teaching for this test. yes the material may be the same but the areas of focus and the way exam material is asked is crucial to doing well on the test....ever wonder why foreign students as a whole only have about a 50% pass rate? the books may be the same for the most part and the students in most countries that get into medical programs are the brightest so what factor could account for some carib schools having pass rates in the 80's and US schools in the 90's? maybe faculty and curriculum?

faculty may be experienced in their field all you want but if they don't know how to teach for this exam you will spend extra time re-learning those parts. again i can only use my expereince and some friends but for all of us to collectively do sub par on two areas taught by non usmle experienced faculty i would have to at least pay attention to it.

good luck

freankenstone please let us know how you do on your first review course mock usmle exam...now that will be a wake up call

__________________
OBGYN PGY II
I see light at the end of the tunnel!!!...wait a minute its just another freakin tunnel!

Speaks volumes of what..... mann give me a break. People know its a new school. When they ask they get told. So what? All the Caribbean schools were young at one point. Quit making it sound like a shameful thing.

I see plenty of people on these prep courses from ALL the Caribbean Schools. You see it as a negative but I see it as honesty.

The Dean of Math and Sciences, Pre-MEd at NSU in Oklahoma recommends all their students take a prep course - Kaplan. They don't pay for it either. CALL HIM if you don't believe me. You guys think you are the authorities on reality here. Well, you are not. This is about life, if a prep course is an edge well I encourage everyone to take it. I won't be taking a course at this point, but not attending one is not proving anything to anyone. I guess the interviewer will ask, "Did you take a prep course to pass the USMLE?"

Frankenstone

__________________
I am older than I look.

Yes, prep courses do have their places in that it teaches exam strategies and high yield contents. It's there to help students REVIEW what they have already been taught and achieve the HIGHEST POTENTIAL on their score. Prep courses are NOT there to help you "PASS" the exam -- that's the SCHOOL'S JOB. If a school official is saying that its students cannot PASS USMLE (achieve the BASIC MINIMUM COMPETENCE) without taking a review course, then the school is not doing its job. Yes, SJSM is a young school. But if it cannot even teach its students enough to PASS USMLE, then perhaps it's not ready to open yet and shouldn't be in the business.

P

__________________
Jean Luc Picard
Academic Hospitalist/Assist. Professor of Medicine, Star Fleet Medical, Earth, United Federation of Planets
Borg-Certified... Resistance is Futile.

In Glock, We Trust... Everyone Else... Keep Your Hands Where I Can See Them.

http://www.odmp.org/search.php?searc...=2001&cause=27
http://www.nypdangels.com/wtc.htm
http://www.hampsteadnh.us/police/A%2...ica%20Died.htm
http://longmontpolice.com/MEMORIAM.HTM

you guys are taking SJSM's message wayyy out of context. haha, even the slightest word could set some of you guys off the deep end. everyone go back to their respective corners.

frankenstone, first of all..........i agree with you and i applied to st. james and am even considering it. i understand it's a new school.........but for your credibility and for your school...........learn how to spell 'ridiculous'. you spell it 'rediculous'. and you haven't made the mistake once or twice.........but several times throughout the forum...........

secondly, i believe that people are definately taking that quote from the sjsm administrator out of context a little bit. but the school administrator definately should not have said that 'it is lunacy to EXPECT TO PASS without a prep course' i guess the administrator doesn't realize that what he/she is saying is that the school doesn't even prepare you for the bare minimum to PASS without a course.

thirdly, everybody should understand that the usmle pass rate depends on the student himself/herself. if there is a harvard caliber student who goes to st. james.............then obviously he/she is brilliant enough to pass even without a prep course. but the school definately should not have said what it did. but that doesn't mean you need to rule out st. james............it's a new and growing school.............

by the way, frankenstone, no offense to you..........but just spell that word correctly!!

.......................

Do not worry about it Frank, we understand what you are saying and that is the most important thing. The spelling is not as important as the message. -s&a

Actually, spelling is important.

Suppose a physician wishes to prescribe digitoxin for his patient but spells it digoxin, which is another medication. There is a big difference and real consequences.

Plus, it is going to look pretty bad on your app for residency if you can't even spell basic third-grade words, which a lot of you can't unfortunately.

My credibility is fine. Thanks for the correction, I just wasn't paying attention to it. Just typing away.


You know Bob, the difference is I know that I spelled it wrong. Guess what....I don't care. I can spell just fine but I quickly send these messages out then I am off to do something helpful and useful so mistypes and capitalizations etc. don't matter at this point. My message you got. And your rediculous digitoxin - digoxin analogy is poor. I would make sure that was right. You are definately rediculous Bob.

Frankenstone

__________________
I am older than I look.