I suppose Neil C can back up his sweeping generalizations with facts pulled out of his backside, too. C'mon, Bubba...step up to the plate and name the states that consider a degree from SJSM worthless...and please be so bold to prove how that list differs from most of the other Caribbean schools. Since you claim to know what a smart person wants, do you think anybody with enough intelligence to NOT go to a Czech school won't see through your bashing? (Oh yeah, stick out your quivering lower lip now and remind us how your school sucks so much that you feel qualified to critique all others). How many years have you been at Chuck U? Dazzle us with your brilliance...you've certainly impressed...but not the way you intended.

In contrast, the librarian's post reflects an educated mind versus an immature rant. I don't object to the perspective, but I will raise my own view that contrasts with her. Medical school is not where future doctors learn medicine. It makes no difference if I learn anatomy from an instructor on one island versus another island...anatomy is anatomy. How well I learned anatomy is assessed by the USMLE...the same test taken by a SJSM student, a Spartan student, a Baylor student and a Chuck U student.

Now, there are some people who post to this site who think I might wake up some morning with an intense desire to move to Kansas and I'd be screwed because I didn't go to a Kansas approved school. I guess I'll have to get in line with all the other Caribbean graduates crying at the border. But I'd have nobody to blame except myself for not checking with the state medical board to see if my school was approved by them. But wait!! I did check with the four states where I MIGHT be intersted in living/working and I'll be darned...not a problem.

My bottom line...there are so many legitimate issues open to criticism that it is irritating when somebody posts crap like Neil C did. Which brings up an interesting point...I'm going to be interested in seeing what the other moderators say/do about this nonsense.

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What the mods do is see that the TOS of the site are not violated. Language, personal names, insults, etc. When people post opinion, it is up to you to retort. Much of the material on this board is opinion. That will not be censored. If you do, however, find a TOS violation, it will be taken care of promptly. G

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I may be a jerk, but I'm a Jedi jerk like my father.

Some say I look like Buzz Lightyear....
(They're right)

DISCLAIMER: I have no financial stake in ValueMD, or any medical school.

um, just because a school can get you an MD doesn't mean everyone should just go there. Good professors go a long way. The reputation of a school can count for a lot when getting a residency. being able to get licensed in most/all states is a good thing. Not being able to be licensed in some states can make people look at you funny. You could adequately learn the science of medicine just locking yourself in your basement with a stack of books for a few years. That won't get you anywhere. G

__________________
AUC Class of '99
Bored certified
I may be a jerk, but I'm a Jedi jerk like my father.

Some say I look like Buzz Lightyear....
(They're right)

DISCLAIMER: I have no financial stake in ValueMD, or any medical school.

Maybe you find comfort in not having to do anything about a moderator using lies to bash a school, but don't look for any respect. If that flies in your face, then let me say it again....I have no respect for any moderator who lies to bash and less respect for the moderators that let him/her. Police your own.

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well, jpryor here are a few states where you certainly won't be able to work:
CA, TX, NM and KS
here is a state that will have restrictions:
NY
and here are several that are notoriously difficult for IMG's:
IN, PA, CA, FLA

now, the rest of the states...who knows? until you have licensed grads in place, it is impossible to predict. so, while you may say they are going to be easy, it is my steadfast opinion that one should not count chickens before they hatch. calling the four states you wish to work in is great. but, things can change...such as your plans, the life you want to live, the places you want to go and the people you meet may lead you somewhere. a great example is how you wound up in the carib. i bet a few years ago you had no idea that you would be at st james. well, now look at you. the same could easily happen with any state in the union, and you may well be out of luck.

now, the schools that do not have this problem...well, let's see. there are sgu, ross, auc and saba in the carib. they are good in all states. there is UAG in mex. there are the irish schools. there are the isreali schools. there are the hungarian schools. there are the australian schools. don't forget the philipenes! and, there is charles. additionally, you can go to any native language med school and have few problems.

is st james in the same boat as most carib schools? well, probablly so. but, if you are using schools such as spartan, aua, xavier, st eustasius, etc as your measuring stick, i would sincerely recommend that you stick to a higher standard. there are the "big 4", and there is smu in the carib. to go outside of these schools is to take a big step down. hell, i am not a fan of st chris either, but this school is also miles ahead of st james!

so,there is a very long list of schools that can easily get you more in the area of state licensure.

as for admin...well, it has been discussed time and time again on this forum about the transcript issues, the lack of facilities and faculty and the poor teaching. all of these things at the above schools are well taken care of and more than adequate. also, the above mentioned schools have grads in all states and most (if not all specialties), there names are usually well recognized in the states.

in addition, the above schools also allow you to sit the usmle and get ecfmg. which seems to be the ONLY thing st james can do on the level of other schools.

again, st james can do a minimum of things for you. it can get you in the usmle and an ecfmg cert. i am sure there are some good profs there to help you with the material. if you don't transfer and piss off admin, then maybe you can even get a transcript. but, to say that folks who choose something better, who demand more from med school, can't hack it as doctors? well, that is just a stupid statement. the fact is, that by choosing a school such as st james, you ARE LIMITING YOURSELF. now, i would say that decision is very, very questionable.

thanks for the tough guy act and bravado, by the way. so impressive. bubba.

i am really interested in seeing those lies....where are they?

Here you, weasel...3 lies back to back.

C'mon...pony up your "fact" and not something you whip out of your ***. I'm willing to bet you can't do it as it's just you shooting off your mouth once again.



At the risk of repeating myself, pony up your fact...and by the way, you didn't bother to this list how this list of states that haven't approved SJSM is different from the other Caribbean schools (outside of the Big 4). Is it perhaps because it isn't? But I understand that being honest isn't part of your ethic. Oh yeah...as far as Florida being difficult for IMG's...it sure isn't difficult for them to become licensed or practice there, but the state doesn't open its door for clinicals to them readily, so maybe we can be generous and give your partial credit on that one, huh?


Again...the basis for your statement is....?

As for your "tough guy" comment...what, is your lip quivering again? Awww....grow a pair.

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Life is sexually transmitted.

They may be lies. If so that is wrong. let me ask you a question, since you seem to have all the answers: HOW WOULD I KNOW?
Seriously. How many of the mods here know squat about any but the schools which they attend? Many know the IMG/Caribbean route in general. I can't say that one person is or isn't telling the truth. So what do you want me to do?

What YOU should do is rebut intelligently. G

__________________
AUC Class of '99
Bored certified
I may be a jerk, but I'm a Jedi jerk like my father.

Some say I look like Buzz Lightyear....
(They're right)

DISCLAIMER: I have no financial stake in ValueMD, or any medical school.

well, jpryor, if you truly think that st james is up to par with US schools....

so, to address my first "lie"
anyhow, the US schools have a set, well respected body that accredits them. the LCME. this indicates that the school operates at a minimal standard. st james has no similar accreditation, nor are they approved by any state (CA comes to mind) that has a similar accreditation standard. another issue would be research. research output by a medical school could certainly logically be linked to academic strength. would you like to compare publications from st james faculty to any US school's output? additionally, the quantity of faculty, the subspecializations of the faculty at a US school assure that you have profs of a very high level teaching classes of which they have vast experience. teaching multiple classes is not an issue. in fact, at a US school you will have several faculty members that are exceedingly qualified to teach any given class, while at st james you may not even have one. so, there is my rebuttal to point one.

the second "lie" you posted...i already made a list of states that a st james degree is worthless in. and, given the fact that many other schools have graduates that are faculty at teaching institutions, and st james does not that i know of, it is pretty logical to assume that the name st james som is not going to open any doors on its own. and, you qualify you classification of this statement as a lie based on schools outside the big 4...well, my man, the big 4 are exactly what i am talking about! and, some other smaller newer schools such as smu (which has ny and looks likely for CA in the future, as well as even st chris which has applied for ny) that are moving the right direction. if you want to prove your school is as good as other crappy carib schools, great. i can agree that st james may be the equal of spartan. but, we are talking about where the better opportunities come from, and comparing to the better schools. after all, the statements you make seem to indicate that st james can do the job as good as ANYONE else, right? or do you mean anybody except the multitude of better schools?

and, finally, the third statement that you call a "lie"...again, at the risk of repeating myself...here is why st james students are at a disadvantage:
1) few if any licensed grads in the US
2) few if any residency placements in the US
3) outright prohibited from licensure in several states
4) possible that several other states may not issue licenses
5) admin with a history of dishonesty and poor service
6) no alumni faculty members working in residency programs in the states

basicaly, jpryor, i am saying that there are far better choices for the vast majority of students. what st james can provide? the minimum. you can certainly get a seat at the usmle and get your ecfmg. you can prob even get a license somewhere. there may even be some decent teaching going on. but, to say that st james is equal to all the other schools out there, and to claim that the only thing that matters is the individual student is foolish. there are many places that offer you more value to the MD degree.

sorry if reality hurts. and i think you should re-read the definition of lie...each statement i made i have validated. perhaps you want to qualify how i may validate (ie by saying please don't compare st james to the good schools, only compare us to schools that are worse than us!). sorry. i made my statements, and i gave very valid reasons why i believe them. if you disagree with me, fine. but to call them lies is just you trying to sensationalize the issue and distract from reality.

i just love this paragraph...had to quote it again. so basically you are saying that i can only compare st james to other second rate schools? you are saying that i should just ignore the better schools out there? that is hilarious! the point is that st james is not as good as the big 4!!!

there may well be other schools that offer just as little as st james in terms of where grads can practice, etc...but, the point of my input is that there are many, many schools that offer far far more!

despite what you think, my goal is not to "bash st james". i am simpy refuting the original poster's contention that st james is not going to offer limitations, and stating my opinion that there is more to what you should require from a school than simply an opportunity to self teach usmle material! simply put, whatever st james can offer, there are quite a few schools that offer quite a bit more.

basically, my point is this...st james can do the minimum. there are many schools that can do more. you can get a license and work somewhere from st james. but, other schools can offer you the ability to get a license anywhere, a strong track record of grads in all specialties, a name that may open (or at least not close) doors, an administration that will give transcripts when required...

do you disagree with this? and if so, how?