Caribbeans medical school

[bestknightmare]

i am currently not making the grades for most Canadian meds...just want to hear some suggestions about going to med sch in the Caribbeans...

 

rumors are that they have really low expectations for admission...but would one find they are downgrading themselves for going so far for school just because it has a lower requirement? and given the fact that they probably cant come back to canada to practice...maybe can practice in the US.

 

so..i wanna find out what are some of the rationals of the people that did chose to go to the Caribbeans...or even any other out-of-country meds

 

is it worth it?

[Madz25]

reasons for caribbean/out of country? hmmm realistically speaking im guessing it's because they couldnt get into a canadian school but want to study medicine so are taking what they can get. Maybe some go to UK/australia to avoid doing an undergrad.

 

if it's worth it is really up to the person. if medicine is what you really really want and your only choice is caribbean/overseas then it should be worth it.

[Dante]

...but you should make sure to consider whether or not you'll be able to practice in the country you eventually want to live in... the only thing worse than the debt you'll accumulate in med school, is not being able to pay it off afterwards

 

i'd say consider US before you consider carribean, unless your marks are really really low. (having said that i've only heard what others have said about both the US and carribean system; i know nothing about requirements etc... but i think difficulty wise, it would be CAN>US>carribean) (unless you're only considering the super elite US schools which are probably comparable to CAN admissions standards)

[Madz25]

Another reason I hear for people picking the Caribbean schools is just that the weather is awesome and it's in the Caribbean

 

Come on!! You can't be serious! Someone is going to deny an acceptance in Canada to go to the Caribbean because of the weather?! I can't believe that anyone would do that.

[hnshhhm]

How have Caribbean grads matched in Carms? I understand that St. Georges/Ross are the Harvards' of the Carribbeans, but I must say there are some really random one's in some far off places. Anyone know?

 

Also, just say you graduated from some random Carribbean school, and then did your residency in the U.S. as most grads from there do. Would coming back to Canada be easier then? How does it work when you have already have done residency and want to come back?

 

As for the comment about going to Carribbean because of the weather, um yeah, I'm sure that's it .

[Kuantum]

i am currently not making the grades for most Canadian meds...just want to hear some suggestions about going to med sch in the Caribbeans...

 

rumors are that they have really low expectations for admission...but would one find they are downgrading themselves for going so far for school just because it has a lower requirement? and given the fact that they probably cant come back to canada to practice...maybe can practice in the US.

 

so..i wanna find out what are some of the rationals of the people that did chose to go to the Caribbeans...or even any other out-of-country meds

 

is it worth it?

 

Just as a suggestion, do you know why you aren't making the grades? I know you are in double Honours Microbiology/Immunology and Biochemistry. That sounds pretty intense to me. Are you overworked and stressed all the time? I don't know if it is your program...but it is just a suggestion. I know you are in 3rd year, but have you ever considered switching or dropping one of the majors to lighten the workload? Even though some schools recognize your classes may have been difficult (i've heard UofT does), GPA is ultimately something that has the ability to keep you out of schools.

[Smurfette]

Another thing to consider is how much would it cost you in terms of time, etc. to upgrade your marks to get into a school in Canada? Maybe all you need is an extra victory lap year for you to be able to apply here. If your primary goal is to practice in Canada, then it might take you longer in the long-run if you go overseas (including Carribean) because it would take you a while to come back.

[Gob]

How have Caribbean grads matched in Carms? I understand that St. Georges/Ross are the Harvards' of the Carribbeans, but I must say there are some really random one's in some far off places. Anyone know?

 

Also, just say you graduated from some random Carribbean school, and then did your residency in the U.S. as most grads from there do. Would coming back to Canada be easier then? How does it work when you have already have done residency and want to come back?

 

As for the comment about going to Carribbean because of the weather, um yeah, I'm sure that's it .

 

That's the problem with going to the Carribean... you are an IMG and therefore aren't in the first match of CaRMS. Therefore it is VERY tough to get matched.

[KennethToronto]

How have Caribbean grads matched in Carms? I understand that St. Georges/Ross are the Harvards' of the Carribbeans, but I must say there are some really random one's in some far off places. Anyone know?

 

Also, just say you graduated from some random Carribbean school, and then did your residency in the U.S. as most grads from there do. Would coming back to Canada be easier then? How does it work when you have already have done residency and want to come back?

 

As for the comment about going to Carribbean because of the weather, um yeah, I'm sure that's it .

 

The Harvard of the Caribbeans? That's new to me.

 

You mention residency in the US: do you have US citizenship / PR status? If you don't, that's two strikes against you already: the stigma of being a Caribb grad AND applying to US residencies as an intl (H1B visa hassles ugh). Sounds like a recipe for matching into only unfilled spots.

[DiscoDoc]

In my case, I've done a 3-year victory lap to no avail. I want to be a doctor and the caribbean is the only way.

 

Anyways, Check out the forums on valuemd.com. They are specifically for Caribbean med schools and there are a lot of threads where Canadian IMGs are discussing this stuff.

[Calgarymed]

That's the problem with going to the Carribean... you are an IMG and therefore aren't in the first match of CaRMS. Therefore it is VERY tough to get matched.

 

Actually thats not true anymore. Since last year (2007) IMG's enter the first round in a lot of provinces unless there are specific spots designated for them such as in Alberta, and maybe Ontario? Its still really hard to come back. Even if you did residency in the US, I know of someone who had to find a residency spot here and then redo their whole residency. Its just not as standardized so its very individual.

[KennethToronto]

Actually thats not true anymore. Since last year (2007) IMG's enter the first round in a lot of provinces unless there are specific spots designated for them such as in Alberta, and maybe Ontario? Its still really hard to come back. Even if you did residency in the US, I know of someone who had to find a residency spot here and then redo their whole residency. Its just not as standardized so its very individual.

 

Matching in first round would be news to me. As far I know for Ontario, IMGs (whether that's Caribb or Europe) match to a separate parallel stream with specific allocation of residency spots, mostly IM and FP.

[rogerroger]

Nope, canadian citizen + IMG = compete in first round.

 

Thats how SGU grads are at Western doing residency.

[KennethToronto]

Nope, canadian citizen + IMG = compete in first round.

 

Thats how SGU grads are at Western doing residency.

 

Nope, that is not correct. As a Canadian citizen + IMG (i.e. SGU grad), you are placed in a PARALLEL match, where an x# of positions in FM/IM/other areas are made available (mostly FM and IM).

 

That hardly qualifies as competing in the first round (i.e. jostling for positions against Canadian trained MDs).

 

Refer here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=332170 for some insights. This was also corroborated by my friend at SGU, who had a director from CaRMS come and speak to their class.

[Microbiodude]

Does anyone know how likely it is to get a US residency position with a MD from Ross/ SGU?

[VanMD]

Apparently, ~99% match. This might be slightly lower for Canadians, but I doubt it is hugely different if you get the visa stuff taken care of early.

 

Yet, this doesn't take into account the higher than normal attrition rates.

 

http://www.sgu.edu/website/sguwebsite.nsf/alumni/student-profile.html#residency

 

Saba has classes composed of 40% Canadians. According to http://www.iaomc.org/saba.pdf about 88% matched. Again this is not taking in account attrition rates estimated at about 10-20%.

 

SGU has a very high match rate. Much higher than all the others. Out of all the schools I looked into SGU is by far the most advanced one and the one closest to a north american medical school.

 

I have friends who go to SGU and they are very pleased with the education there are getting. It is not amazing, but good. They also have scholarship for Canadians (base-need one) that can reduce your tuition up to 35-40%. Not bad if you ask me.

 

SABA is also a good school, but living conditions in Saba is not as advanced as those in Grenada. Also the school's reputation is not as good. I know that a few Canadians match in good residency spots in Canada (on their website), but so did SGU.

 

This year's match will be a very important one to wait for. Cause it should really show which school has advantage in matching in Canada.