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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.
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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 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.
Disadvantages of Caribbean medical schools
- 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
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