Caribbean Medical Schools

Caribbean Medical Schools Forum: post questions (or help others) on topics related to Caribbean and other non-US or non-Canadian medical schools.

Advantages of Caribbean medical schools

• Usually less expensive. Many Caribbean Medical Schools are affordable compared to US medical schools. However, make sure you include the costs of travel abroad, travel student health insurance, and other miscellaneous costs in calculating the cost of medical school abroad. Often the education is a bargain even when these extra costs are included.

  To get an idea of how your application might fare at a US medical school try the MCAT score comparison tool.

• Usually easier to get into. The medical school requirements for GPA and MCAT scores are lower than most US Medical schools. There are also 3 application periods in a year. Nonetheless, your medical school personal statement should be tailored to these schools.

• Schools like AUC - American University of the Caribbean, Ross School of Medicine, Saba School of Medicine, and St. George University (SGU) have the best reputations among Caribbean schools.
  
• .To get information on Osteopathic Medical schools try our DO schools search tool and the discussion of the difference between DO and MD degrees.

• NOT ALL ARE ACCREDITED. This is very important. If you plan to go to a foreign medical school make sure your degree will be accepted in the US or Canada (depending on where you want to practice). Not all schools are accredited - so you must be sure your MD will count. Four states (California, Florida, New Jersey, and New York), evaluate foreign medical schools individually - most Caribbean medical schools are not accredited in all four of these states.
  
• Your might need to know Spanish. Find out what language courses are taught in, and what language your patient interactions will be in. Many foreign medical schools are taught in the native language of the country.
• You might be at a disadvantage when competing for strong residencies. However, your USMLE scores are an important determinant of your residency match - strong USMLE scores make up for a lot and can be a great equalizer.
  
• Limited clinical rotations. Often the clinical rotations are done in US medical schools. Many Caribbean Medical Schools have arrangements with US hospitals, but your options in rotations might be limited compared to the options available to a student in a US medical school.
  
• You'll have to take the CSA (Clinical Skills Assessment) in addition to the USMLE tests.

Links to Caribbean Medical School Websites