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sgu vs ireland?


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  • 3 weeks later...

The worst outcome of going the IMG route is spending 4 years, hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition, and not matching. If you're okay with that possibility, then go ahead. Regardless of which school you attend, you will have to work hard. Getting residency interviews is easier for Americans. I'm assuming you're not a US citizen, so it will be a bit more challenging. Also, I believe new US medical schools have opened up over the last few years. This might have had an impact on Caribbean graduates, and is something you should probably look into. Good luck

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  • 3 weeks later...

I suggest Ireland, the benefit is you can apply to match to the US, Canada and I have seen some I know go to the UK. Most people I know who have gone abroad have made it into residency, but as Intrepid mentioned, you know there is some risk, I know people who have disappeared, no idea what they are doing now. Match lists from Irish schools are usually better, there certainly is some degree of stigma with Caribbean schools that often stops them from the more competitive US programs. This exists less for Irish students who I have seen match to top tier US residencies.  

I also wouldn't let naysayers hold you back, Canadian medical school is notoriously difficult to get into, so much so that most people who just miss out and go abroad find themselves in the top or near top of their classes. If you are a long shot (GPA<3.0, MCAT at or below avg etc) of course, I would tread with caution, there will be some success stories of course but it gets harder. 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I also suggest Ireland over the Caribbean. With the Caribbean, if you mess up or don't match you are pretty much screwed with no job and no alternative paths forward for a career in medicine other than to keep applying with each passing year getting tougher to match.

In Ireland you could end up doing intern year (mind you, you need to do moderately well to get a spot as a non-EU but they are increasing the number of spots each year) and then after that apply to training programs here (family med/GP and IM BST being most popular) and then try to get back home after you are done training or keep applying for CaRMS/US. 

Applied to CaRMS twice and although I got interviews I failed to match two years, ended up getting an intern spot the second year and now in a GP program in Ireland. 

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22 hours ago, TOEiremed said:

I also suggest Ireland over the Caribbean. With the Caribbean, if you mess up or don't match you are pretty much screwed with no job and no alternative paths forward for a career in medicine other than to keep applying with each passing year getting tougher to match.

In Ireland you could end up doing intern year (mind you, you need to do moderately well to get a spot as a non-EU but they are increasing the number of spots each year) and then after that apply to training programs here (family med/GP and IM BST being most popular) and then try to get back home after you are done training or keep applying for CaRMS/US. 

Applied to CaRMS twice and although I got interviews I failed to match two years, ended up getting an intern spot the second year and now in a GP program in Ireland. 

Agreed, also know of Canadians who managed to land in the UK without EU citizenship after Irish medical school for their foundation years. Once they are in the UK system they can stay forever. Don't underestimate the power of going to medical school in a country that actually trains their own people to become doctors. In medicine, there is unfortunately a stigma regarding the Caribbean schools, its much better to go to Ireland/UK/Aus where that stigma is less. The local Caribbean students all go to their own local schools including UWI, not the for profit schools. 

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