How to Choose the Best Caribbean Medical School for You

So you are interested in going to a Caribbean medical school for whatever reason. But there is just so many of them! How are you ever going to figure out which one you will attend? As a former student of one, I will tell you what you need to do and how to get imperative answers to questions that you need to help you choose the the best Caribbean med school for you!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet
• Email/Telephone
• Notebook and Pencil
• Time
• Patience

1. 
    
   Caribbean beach

   First, you will need to find out what schools there are. The best way to do this is to go to www.ValueMD.com. This is a forum of all the Caribbean medical schools and you can use the site to obtain general information about schools. The site has websites and contact information that you will need for the medical schools. Make sure you keep the information you find in a notebook. This helps you compare notes on the schools and having it all in one spot can prevent confusion down the road.

2. 
    
   Caribbean Island

   2.After you have an idea of what schools you are most interested in, begin calling school officials to see what they have to offer. Some things that you will need to ask them about are:
   - if their students are eligible to take the USMLE(if they don't, you may not be able to practice medicine in the US)
   - if the schools offers financial aid(many schools no longer offer loan programs)
   - what states you will be able to practice medicine in
   - cost of education
   - housing options
   - island life / amenities available to students
   - clinical affiliations(some schools have better locations than others)

3. 
    
   Palm Tree

   3.After obtaining the information above, you next step is to contact both current students and alumni. The reason is to get opinions and advice from those who graduated, and those who currently attend. Some of the schools website list contact info of past students. I recommend contacting 3 of each, at the schools you would like to apply. Things that you will need to ask both alumni and current students are:
   - level of satisfaction with the school
   - if the teachers are easy to understand(most teachers do not speak English as a first language and can make a course extremely difficult.
   - conditions of the schools
   - housing and transportation
   - how well they think they were prepared for the USMLE
   - and anything else you may want to know
   You may also gather info from ValueMD, but be objectionable about what you may find in the forums. Some of the contributors can be misleading.

4. 
    
   Island goat

   After you think you have a school or two picked out, do a lot of research on the island that it is located. Some islands are very touristy, and can be more expensive to attend, while other islands are technically third-world countries. If you can handle a school that has goats roaming free on campus, and do not mind losing a few of the daily luxuries common in the US, by all means, choose the institution on the less developed island. If you can't live without fast-food, 24-hour stores, and electricity(power goes out often on some islands), then choose a school in St. Maarten or the Grand Caymans. You will need to know as much of the culture as you can to help ease culture shock. Knowing ahead of time prevents headaches and unnecessary stress. You can even ask former and current students about this.

5. 
    
   Plane view

   If you like, you can even visit the school before you attend, but this can be costly. If you have the financial backing, I recommend doing this. It can help you make a better decision and even give you an idea of what to expect.

Tips & Warnings

• ValueMD can be helpful to obtain other information, and even housing/roommates.
• One should go to a Caribbean med school as a last resort. A student will receive the same amount of education as a US student, but in a shorter time period.
• Many posting in the ValueMD forum are others opinions. Be objectionable.

Resources

• ValueMD
• A Quick Lesson in Caribbean Schools
• A Former Student's Experience

[lauren227nicole]

on 11/17/2009 Don't forget that a teacher has a different perspective than a student. An insider's view is helpful, but it may be greatly skewed, since it is coming from some one who does not have to study 24/7, and did school in the US. Now if they attended a foreign institution, by all means, read it. But I have my doubts, since the professors seemed to think doing med school in 18 months was a cake walk.

[sternstudent]

on 11/2/2009 You can also read The Doctor Factory by Richard Hansford. It is a novel written by a retired professor at a Caribbean school. It shows the insider's point of view.

[lauren227nicole]

on 10/21/2009 Tres, good point. Make sure the foreign school is listed in the IMED. If your school is not approved, then yo can't take the USMLE, and with out that, you can't be a practicing doctor in the US.

Granted, if your school is permitted to practice in CA, then you can go anywhere in the US to practice. But many Caribbean schools do not have liscensure in CA. If practicing in CA is not your concern, then don't be discouraged.

I do retain my beliefs that going to a US school over a foreign one would be the better choice. But not all of us had that opportunity, and many more are in the same boat us we were. It can be done!

[treeeeeees]

on 9/9/2009 should be
- if their students are eligible to take the USMLE(if they don't, you WILL not be able to practice medicine in the US)

I don't see a scenario where you aren't eligible to sit for the USMLE, but manage to get licensed in the US.

Make sure graduates of your school can get licensed in the country (and state) you plan on practicing in before committing. If it isn't on W.H.O. and for US students, IMED FAIMER lists, it is a bad sign. For US citizens, if the school (in the particular language you will be learning in) is listed in the approved California list, it means you can be listed in all 50 states. Try to stick to these

[kamazing]

on 6/14/2009 This was a lot of insight, there is also a website that has ratings and reviews submitted by students etc of colleges in the Caribbean. So if anyone has there options they can view reviews at mycaribbeaned.com.