I don't know about other schools, but SGU has a match rate of around 93%, and Ross 88%. It’s not that you’re rigid — you just know the value of being prepared. Still not convinced? News & Resources; Request Info ***URGENT NEWS UPDATE*** Covid-19 Communication . Those schools include St. George’s University School of Medicine (SGU), Saba University School of Medicine, American University of the Caribbean (AUC), Ross University School of Medicine, and The American University of Antigua (AUA). source, source, and source. LINK. However it's also true about the residency's. But remember, these are the match rates of those that actually applied to the match. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. As it is with medical schools anywhere, some Caribbean Medical Schools are better than others. Saint James School of Medicine is an international medical school with two campuses on the Caribbean islands of Anguilla and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. "Scored a competitive job as a physician scribe in Minneapolis" LMAO. But what about students experiences? We just didn't work as hard in undergrad, doesn't mean don't work hard now. They're in extremely undesirable locations in undesirable specialties. They are not delusional (except a few who want ortho and Uro). Paleo2015 said: 03-17-2016 02:30 PM. Etc. Press J to jump to the feed. That quote is so hilariously entitled lmao. Yeah. And that's not counting the half of our class that fails of med school BEFORE we even take STEP 1. Some students of medicine have a "back door" way to immigrate to the U.S, Canada or the U.K. by taking their training in the Caribbean. 3) While dealing with a rigorous medical school schedule, you must also be able to adapt to living in a foreign environment, surrounded by a language and culture that you are probably unfamiliar with. eh, I had no idea Caribbean schools were looked down on until lurking here. "Oh woe is me, I'm a brilliant mind trapped in a lousy residency with these other loser residents". Here's a nice little compilation I've made! It is not a high risk choice for everyone. Only about 50% of all medical school applicants get accepted into an US medical school. Imagine that.. Id say a large majority know they made a crappy choice going their but DO school was not an option but they are okay with being a PCP. I don't think the Million Dollar Mistake blog is worth its status as valuable reading material regarding the Caribbean. Well that's a huge discrepancy... For whatever reason, there are a lot more "4 year MD students" in the program than those that start. For these people attending a Caribbean school is obviously the biggest mistake of their life, and the problem is that people are terrible at self-assessing if they will fall into this high risk demographic before throwing 100k and a few years of their life down the drain. In 2013 SGU had around a 66% match rate for US-IMGs. I don't understand people who do carib for the letters. That previous paragraph being said, you can make it happen down in the Caribbean, but if you party hard or think that it's gonna be easier than a US medical school I wouldn't recommend even trying, because the odds are against you and you'll waste so much money. Some may still look at it with judgment, but ultimately, it’s about being able to demonstrate knowledge and competency. For reference, I go to a DO school. Because they cannot get into a US MD. He's probably lying about the upper-mid tier university program. Medical School; 02.14.2018. So there may be a chance you won’t get accepted into a US medical school. Someone with a Step 1 in the 250s is applying family medicine from a Carib top 4 and only received 5 interviews. Moreover, please be careful of what the Carib MD schools public themselves. SGU has 5200 students enrolled, for an average of 1,300 students per year. The average student applies to 16 schools. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the medicalschool community. If you screwed up in school in undergrad, take advantage of the experience and try to use it to learn that humans are not above one another. There is no reason to go to caribbean medical schools anymore, that path has been closed off thanks to the US medical schools and DO programs. Some have issues with wanting to please their parents. " Their curriculum sounds like natural selection quite honestly. Ridiculous. The problem is that a lot of people who go to the Caribbean are delusional about their own capabilities, and about their own dedication and work ethic. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. They have a high fail rate because they have a high acceptance rate. To appease their parents they'll go to any medical school they'd get into. Not only that, but some of these schools are in the 30-40% range OVERALL. Senior Students of U.S. Osteopathic Medical Schools Characteristics of Senior Students of U.S. Osteopathic Medical Schools Who Matched to Their Preferred Specialty in the 2018 Main Residency Match 1st Edition Prepared by: National Resident Matching Program www.nrmp.org July 2018. I was on an internal medicine rotation at a county hospital in our city, and this resident told me that he went to a "top 10" under grad program, didn't mention the name, and that he had multiple MD and DO acceptances but chose to go to the carribean because "Adventure." Applicants are casting a wider net because schools are forced to turn so many students away. St. George's is considered one of the top Carib MDs, how do they perform and match? You should do a full AMA thread if youre legit. Here are how IMGs are fairing getting interviews. The growth in students is far outpacing the growth in seats offered. US Seniors matching had a 50% match rate INTO THEIR FIRST CHOICE. Any comments or questions please post below! And that's of the students that are STILL there. To be fair, no one wants a friend to throw their money, time, and life away. While this is brutal, this leads to some of the most battle hardened students I have ever met. This guy is still just as full of himself as he was the day he applied to med school and turned down his DO acceptance. I'll compare DO versus Carib MD later. So out of 952 students, on average 350 of them are taking at least 1 extra year to get through the program. Many … University of Medicine and Health Sciences. It is no secret that Caribbean medical schools are attractive because of its relaxed admission requirements. I'm a student down in the Caribbean at the moment. these are all from 2013. That guy at the Million Dollar Mistake blog wasn't that smart or he would've been able to make something "better" happen for himself (I use the term "better" lightly - I don't think primary care is actually worse than or beneath the other specialties. The following are accredited Caribbean medical schools by WFME, NCFMEA, New York, California and are eligible to offer title iv … Once a Caribbean medical student makes it past basic science they should be considered the same as US medical students. Now she's finishing up a GI fellowship and a top program and getting starting offers for like 400-500k. Ross has a match rate of 54% among US-IMGs. Many that i have met are very kinda people. my mom's step son from her first marriage went to St George .he was a brilliant kid with authority issues and juvie record but he got in there based on badass test scores/decent uni gpa at state university.he now has a happy practice in Houston and seems successful. Now the actual match rate doesn't exist because SGU doesn't want you to know, but there's a HUGE disconnect between students who enter, students who actually are enrolled in the program, students who match, and students who SOAP into something. Sometimes, Ill let you know after match. However, I have met some great, smart, hardworking Caribbean-grad residents who the system did benefit. We have lost so many students who are smart as hell, hardworking and genuinely care about people all because they think they only have to sleep 3 hours a night and study around the clock. These people are at great risk because the facts typically don't persuade them otherwise. Im assuming caribbean students have the same reasons. You tell me that's not better. Not only are these numbers not good, they seem to be going down over the years as they increase class size and the match gets more competitive everyday. A parallel group I'd like to add, that could fall into the above ones. So if you had 950 extrapolated over 4 years you'd have 3,800 students but there's 5,200 overall students in a 4 YEAR PROGRAM. If you are a good student and get good board scores and LoRs, are not socially autistic, your chance of matching something like FM from a place like SGU is extremely high. The Caribbean is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts. And to all of you hoping to match into Canada, it is even WORSE to get into to a residency up here than down in the states. If anyone has any concrete evidence, numbers, etc please let me know. There are many medical schools in the Caribbean, but only a handful will allow you to practice medicine in all 50 states in the US. It is also one of the top, accredited, medical schools in the Caribbean. He went through the fire of competition, had an amazing CV and board scores but still was unable to match. in the first sentence he goes "as a budding activist it makes sense to be a physician", but then talks about how he wants the big money and job security of a doctor. Many Caribbean medical schools function like U.S. medical schools, which mean they have a rigorous medical curriculum to prepare their students to become successful physicians. I applied and matriculated into a DO school because I believe in Still, the intrinsic ability of the body to heal itself, and muscle energy for T-spine somatic dysfunctions. Wow that's bad. Ok so we have 952 entering students, but an average class size of 1300... Ok then. SGU has around a 50% match rate. I don't support Carib schools, but even I feel that his viewpoint is warped by his ego and bitterness. Society will tell you otherwise, and those who are insecure or lack self awareness buy into it hard-core. A majority of them saw it as a chance to do what theyve always wanted to do but could not achieve state side. It doesn't matter if you're a doctor or an electrician or a housewife raising kids, everyone has something valuable and important to contribute. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reports the average cost of attending public institutions for the 2020 – 2021 school year is $41,438 for in-state students and $58,246 for out-of-state students. Read up on what a claimed 99% match rate means for Ross University. Here is a famous blog by a Caribbean student. At the end of the day it's up to us here at r/premed to give a warning and information and you as an individual to make an informed risk. Of them, the average GPA and MCAT is around a 3.2-3.4 and a 24-27. I know my analysis is not perfect by any means, but the purpose of it is so show how frustratingly difficult it is to get any actual answers from these programs. For the record, they're all incredibly good doctors. CAAM-HP was established in 2003 and is headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica. Excellence. Low living cost and low fees along with experienced and qualified teachers, make the local-based university attractive to students who want to pursue a medical profession. You are betting on your academic ability and the Caribbean schools will gladly take your money. At SGU, they said they start with a class size of 800, and they are down to 400 by the time rotations start. It is not likely, but it is possible if you bust your ass. But the good news is, you don’t have to be one of them. There are over 50 Caribbean medical schools and no two schools are alike. Here is Gonnif's advice from SDN. Some have better residency match rates than others so beware. It's widely known that a lot of what makes a Carib school really hard is they have insane checkpoints you must hit to even sit for USMLE or other benchmarks. [4] Some schools include a list of affiliated hospitals for their clinical rotations part of the program, however, many of these hospitals are not ACGME certified, many clinical rotations that are completed at hospitals that are not ACGME certified will not be considered as completion of rotation. Would I change my school and path if I could? Students pour in from all over the world with different motivations and ambitions. As soon as people find out where you went to school your letters lose their "wow". It's always funny to me that the ones who think they're so "smart" can't even see how their prestige chasing just exposes the fact they have a myopic and stunted perspective of the world, and that they look like idiots). In any case, the better schools will clearly let you know what’s required to gain admission, like the American University of Integrative Sciences in Barbados. Caribbean medical schools will not hold your hand during medical school and are not an easy path to becoming a physician. To evaluate the quality of a Caribbean medical school, look into their student passage rates for USMILE step 1. However, for those truly good students who just didn't have the direction early enough in life to pursue an American MD school, the Caribbean is really not a bad option and is actually not that risky if you perform well and are realistic about which specialties will be available to you. Admissions & Aid. etc. According to the AAMC, only 41% of applicants matriculated during the 2018-2019 academic year. It pretty much comes down to the same reasons why people attend DO schools. No one wants to hear they’re not cut out for it. That previous paragraph being said, you can make it happen down in the Caribbean, but if you party hard or think that it's gonna be easier than a US medical school I wouldn't recommend even trying, because the odds are against you and you'll waste so much money. Reminds me of when someone in my family sobbed at Match day because she "only" matched to a mid-tier University IM program. Except that 29% of them find residency OUTSIDE of the match (as reported by them). The Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP) is an accrediting body for the education programmes and schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing and other health professions in the 15 member nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Here is a famous blog by a Caribbean student. What is a for profit Caribbean school? Remember, if you're in the 30-50% who don't match, you're looking at crushing debt and an inability to practice as a physician. Yikes. And this is SGU , one of, if not the "top" carib MD program. I believe these types of posts should be stressed, especially during this time period where a lot of applicants who lurk this sub may be receiving no love from US schools and resorting to the Caribbean. They think that because they got accepted into a medical school it means that by virtue of that they must be good enough to become a physician and will be handed an MD and a residency on a silver platter as if becoming a doctor is all but guaranteed once you get accepted, which of course could not be further from the truth. This is a massive mistake. Well that's odd, it states their starting class is in Fall 2016 is 952 which includes BOTH start dates as in 2009 each class started with around 430 students with the number increasing. The instilled American dream. Discover if this path to medicine is a good option. -The problem is, people who don't make it weren't prepared for medical school in the beginning. This means qualified individuals can easily fail to gain acceptance. Following the ranking criteria above, we are going to group Caribbean medical colleges with more emphasis on the 15 best medical schools in the Caribbean. Here are how IMGs are fairing getting interviews. Do people still not realize that these are academic lotteries just to take your money? Some of them are in denial, as if going to the Caribbean has better match odds than Osteopathic U.S. Schools? Carib MD's have very high attrition rates. CARIBBEAN MEDICAL SCHOOL TUITION. Not a day goes by I don’t wake up wishing I was dumb – that way at least I would deserve being demoted to primary care." But a word of caution: although many graduates of the best Caribbean medical schools go on to have successful careers in the United States, it can be more difficult to do so than for their U.S.-educated counterparts. Are they legit MDs? Actually yes, they are legit as in you get an MD that you may practice in the US with. Let's start at the beginning and progress. They sure do! All I can do is say my piece and let those that want to risk it to go. That's scary. It’s no secret – the main reason and biggest benefit in attending a Caribbean medical school is that it’s less competitive than getting into a U.S. allopathic medical school. To those who have already committed to the Caribbean, I wholeheartedly wish you luck. A Caribbean medical school education is not a scarlet letter. We also had a student do well here their first year and apply to med schools in the states and got accepted into a US med school as a transfer. They are second chances for dedicated and hardworking students who are determined to put in the work to become a physician. I blame the lack of action by undergraduate institutions here in educating their students and preventing the propaganda from littering their hallways. Welcome to /r/MedicalSchool: An international community for medical students. You'll hear SGU say they have the most US residency placements for the past 7 years combined. The average MCAT of matriculants in 2018-2019 was 511.2, and the average GPA was 3.65 and 3.80 for science and non-science, respectivel… Student Life. Ok I used a lot of numbers here. A DO imo is way more prestigious than Carib MD. Grades, intellectual ability, athletic ability, whatever. This is another blog titled "Why SGU may not be for you". Some individuals truly do not understand the risks. My school only accepted about 3% of total applicants. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. It's true that most of the students end up in primary care/internal medicine, however there are also a fair amount that get into anesthesiology, surgery etc. Most Caribbean medical students plan to complete residency in the States after attending a Caribbean medical school. The medical schools of Saint Kitts and Nevis have a match rate of 45%. Obtaining medical education from an accredited medical school in the Caribbean can help you fulfill your dream of pursuing an MD program and choose a rewarding career in the medical field. St. George's has a 3.4/27 average... scores that to me would seem to be competitive for DO. What many people seem to misunderstand about the Caribbean is that the risk of going there is largely self-mitigated and determined by your own performance. There are 1,400 students unaccounted for. Most people apply to Caribbean medical schools as a safety option. Ive met plenty of Caribbean students on my clerkships. plus, she doesn't have that failed AI robot affect that a lot of lady obgyns have, I've heard a lot more shit talking on osteopaths my entire life that I know is completely old fashioned but still so ingrained, Starting class size of 800...that's crazy man. That's not even considering the students that drop out or are dismissed before graduating. Someone with a Step 1 in the 250s is applying family medicine from a Carib top 4 and only received 5 interviews. That's a 90% rate. Cookies help us deliver our Services. You come up with a full itinerary for every vacation and always manage to have birthday presents for friends wrapped weeks in advance. Matriculants only increased from 16,221 to 21,622. Others feel hopeless and keep themselves willfully ignorant, using anything to justify their decision. Here is a table comparing the tuition (in U.S. $) at the Caribbean medical schools. For the record, they're all incredibly good doctors. It's obvious a significant portion of students are NOT hitting them and being held back to perform. Some kick out 50% of their students before they even sit for USMLE Step 1. Please read more here. You could SOAP into fam med. However, the 952 entering students can't be a part of the students being held back just yet, so years 2-4 you have an average of 1,400 students per class. And like I've mentioned with my friend above, there have been students here landing prestigious residencys. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South America. If 952 students enter, but each class has an average size of 1300, and only 610 match with another 250sh SOAPing, that's not looking so hot. That is such a massive discrepancy. What are some other match rates? Here's a discussion in r/medicalschool about going Caribbean. One of the Lowest Tuition Among Accredited Caribbean Medical Schools. This will be added to the FAQ and sidebar soon once I get the kinks worked out. More of a gamble than a lottery. No one would take his ass if he applied as a backup. Let them figure their own shit out. First year and second year they'd party, and then after that, they'd have to drop out because they failed STEP 1. my parents are both doctors in____ and they think id be good too" A small minority of them went because their whole life they've told everyone they are gonna be doctors and that feeling/pride has forced them to go to the island because they couldn't get in state side and felt embarrassed not achieving what they have been telling everyone for years. After I do that if they still decide to go... good for them. It's around 80% MATCH RATE for ACGME residencies with another 6% being able to SOAP, which is what Carib MD's apply into, which is obviously way higher than the 50% match rate of IMG's overall and the 30% of students who need to SOAP into a residency resulting in around a 66% placement rate. Planning ahead has always been your MO. The sad thing is i've met a couple carrib students that talk like this. This post is meant to inform people as much as possible of what going to the Caribbean actually entails. … Yeah, something is off about it. An entering class at the “best” medical school in the Caribbean has an average undergraduate GPA of approximately 3.3 or 3.4. I know a lot of graduates from SGU, as does my dad, who works as a radiation therapist. The Cayman Islands have St. Matthew's medical school that has an impressive 31.8% match rate. Don't let the ego's of some of the mainland medical student's get to you - that's an embarrassing way to approach the world, and aside from the basic sciences (which you take in the Caribbean) you'll be taking the same STEP 1 & 2 as them, same clinical rotations in the hospitals for years 3 and 4 and the same licensing board exams. Above ones couple carrib students that matched, only the ones made for US to. The final group are people pressured into medicine by their family % range OVERALL appease their Parents 'll... 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