had paid hundreds of dollars for the Fianza bond but they tried to Circumstances will come; but you know yourself better. Mode of teaching is in English. Also was a straightforward 1 day exam ECFMG you needed to pass to be eligible for residency. So building stress handling skills in medical schools whether you study in US, or the tough Caribbeans, which also are the awesome beauty, is plus. I want to fill you in on what really goes on behind the scenes at my medical school and maybe you can help inform other students about what happens here before they make a huge mistake. They are about to lose their licensure to give NBME exams. To summarize, you need 3 things to make it in a caribbean medical school: 1) dedication and staying away from distractions 2) finding your learning style and resources 3) teaching yourself to stay disciplined. Even Einstein wasnt Einstein over night, it took time. And yet your medical degrees come from a school like this. English: at least one uear of college-level English literature or composition. You learn to be kind, so that even the person that you thought hated you picks you up when you are rushing to class. Mind you, your choice of residency is skewed a bit coming down here, but again there are ways to work your way through internal medicine and find a fellowship of your choice, it is just a tougher and longer road. Approach from day 1 to learn via doing questions and then learning backwards on the lecture material. When, I become a doctor, my goal is to spread the word that no one attend the Caribbean medical school. Id love to pick your brain about Ross. As a provider you have no opportunities to change a system that has been designed by non-medical bureaucrats. I dont even know the writer but I know this situation all to well. Medical school is hard, it is going to be hard no matter where you go. The school takes less qualified students, and with a <10% attrition rate, prepares us to match at a first time match rate of 93%. If a student does fall below either mark students may or may not be allowed to decel, which means repeating the failed class; however, this looks bad on a residency app and if one fails again they are almost certainly dismissed (rare exceptions). Unless a path is handed to you, its going to be a battlefield. Hi,Jane, Im from Nigeria and also a prospective medical student in one of the medical schools in the Caribbean. In the hardest of lessons are the seeds that will be the foundations for the rest of your lives. Only needed 1.2 years to graduate. Been there and done/doing that! Somehow I managed to struggle through undergrad earning 2 Bachelor degrees, one in Biochemistry and one in Medical Technology (otherwise knowns as Clinical Laboratory Science). Know which race to run. I took care of my Filipino citizenship and taxes etc.. and when it came time I wanted to prove something to myself again I flew back to Philippines and worked my tail off getting a high score on the NMAT(MCAT equiv). Oh we know its 2018 and medicine has evolved so much, but right now only the 2014 edition of First Aid for the USMLE is available, but you can work with that right? Also most of the lecturers just read straight out of a review book, such as Kaplan or BRS, yet class is mandatory. I have met doctors from this school at different hospitals but unfortunately, many people dont know that graduates from Caribbean schools contribute to a great majority of physicians in the US. The avg. I graduated grade school and undergrad in the US for computer sciences. It starts with us and our behavior with each other. Substandard living conditions and overcrowded campuses are another matter. You learn to understand the struggles of locals and how they survive so that even the cook gives you free food and knows your name. The school accepted its first American applicants in 2001, a year after a delegation from the Congressional Black Caucus, whose leadership included Representatives Bennie Thompson and Barbara Lee, travelled to Cuba and held talks with the Ministry of Education about the need for doctors in rural black communities, and the financial obstacles that make it difficult for low-income and minority students to enroll in American medical schools. Pill mills abound, Ive even 4) IMGs [International Medical Graduates] have to score an avg. 80% of lectures and labs are mandatory, which I believe is inconvenient for many of us. The academic burden, lack of academic resources whether they be faculty or facility related and finally the uncertainty of getting through. All of them are doing just fine.. Of course, the outcome depends on you. The school has enough places for all of its students for the January and August classes. It might be primary care but you will be an MD as opposed to maybe going to PA school or some other area of healthcare. These guys never get the chance to expand medical based research etc because they run away from the insanity of med school when they never had intention of working in that toxic ER, underfunded, understaffed tertiary government funded hospitals. The school has to have this 40 percent attrition rate to fund the paid positions for our clinical rotations in the US. I decided to apply here because I have five friends who came to this school and they are practicing in the US without any problems or delays in their careers. Please reconsider AUA, if you are. It makes more sense to go to PA school if you can even get in. As an off-shore med student myself, I understand its important to look at schools as objectively as possible. USA residency spots are funded by Medicare if Im not mistaken, so again we see the tax payers subsidizing this cycle. As for the educational component of the school, the quality of education is variable. ionalistic, anti-American SOBs! Other sources (like InGeniusPrep.com) tell us that the average GPA for Caribbean schools fluctuates between 3.2 and 3.3. Perhaps US Department of Education should start and investigation. Please Thanks. After your commitment (marriage) to medical school or being a physician, things could fall apart. They should be clear about their attrition rate. Most students drop out in basic sciences. I am very happy to be here in the Caribbean. That said if you think you can cut it try a walk in these kids shoes if you dare. Download your copy of the Scholarship Guide to find out which scholarships from around the world could be available to you, and how to apply for them. Go get a Masters degree and reapply in 2 years. Sure, its a Caribbean medical school but its also one that can set you up for clinical rotations in top U.S. and Canadian teaching hospitals provided you pass through all your pre-clinical training within 20 months. Thank you. With a 2.0 gpa admission cut-off, people with below average academic performance can pay their tuition to SJSM and attend medical school. The school's . But, ALL of the material for Step 1 and 2 is available to you outside of class. What helps is knowing yourself, for me that was knowing that after surviving a brief Boarding school experience and then High School, I could survive anything, even being a doctor if I get there. Other than those schools, along with AUC, I would not waist my time. Saba medical school accepts about 95 students per year. Youre getting a second chance to be a doctor. I found out for me I did not want it bad enough although I hate to admit that because my sister did it. The school and curriculum arent that difficult. The vast majority of Cubas medical students go into primary care. I read the article that David wrote and I agree a lot with the things he wrote. That being said, you have to really think about how badly you want to be a doctor, because no matter what anyone says; the islands are another country. The study environment is best because all teachers are cooperative and professional. You will get discouraged and depressed sometimes. Sgu curriculum built that way. Being an IMG is tough and being a Caribbean medical student, even tougher. Emily, I share your frustration. the problem is it can be hard to know the full truth if one didnt do proper research on their school or never met an alumni. If a student is doing poorly, SGU will even move them into an entirely separate learning track where they learn the material in small groups instead of lecture halls. You could cheat your way through it. That way you could at least make an informed decision. If they get the feeling that they wont make it through, its best to drop out after the first semester so that they dont acquire more debt. I am 36, considering this as well. US med school admissions just comes down to simple economics; you have more students than you have seats. I am forever unimpressed by the medical students that intern for these off-shore programs and would guess that the real appeal is that you dont have to have the intellectual and testing measures to guage competency. In my experience students and faculty leave Saba medical school because it is an extremely stressful place to study and work, and you dont need that amount of stress added to your medical school experience. The same should be for pre-meds, medical students and physicians. No consideration was given to the obstacles that I had to over come just to graduate undergrad, or that I finished top of my class in law school. People really turn the Caribbean medical school discussion into something bigger than it really it. So please, I need to know the truth. I love my school and I am very grateful for this opportunity. High attrition rates? I, too came from a Caribbean medical school and am almost finished with my residency training. I spent a lot of time crying!! It was a terrible situation. At Saba University, we are cognizant of the cost of medical education. I experienced very similarly what David did. With the FMGEMS horror, and all the abuse, incoming classes went from 150 to 80, to 25 to 12 to ZERO in the span of a few years. I hope your friend makes it through. Its not worth being angry about that stuff for too long, people dont run on schedule sometimes, like your drivers; while your classes do run on time. But Phil MED is spending fortunes out of pocket cash enrollment not borrowed money. Do this and youll become a doctor. Pros and cons to CFP at SGU? I was very skeptical before I came here of course, but this school, IMO will allow you to have your sanity while going through these 2 tough years of basic sciences. Its also how your brain is going to force you to think, but if you end up on the island, learn not to dwell on too many thoughts, express them, write them, whatever you do with them, just study. I finished my undergraduate degree with alot of upper level science courses but they do not fit the over all pre reqs most schools in the US require. All comments moderated for spam. After reading your post you are insinuating that the school is closing down??!!!!! I also teach 2 med-school courses at a the university. The US Department of Educations foreign schools team in Washington was also fixated more on the finances as related to the country (as opposed to the finances as related to students citizens) or the standards of the academic institution. In reality, a class is divided into two groups, the regular cohort who takes classes in a lecture hall and the one that needs extra help goes to a different building. That might be okay, but probably not. Perhaps that is true for some, but for many the fact that they realize that a school has just trashed their dreams or making it extremely difficult for them to attain it, is heartbreaking. I read this with great interest as a specialist trained in Quebec 35 years ago. Many of the professors are well versed in their field and are passionate about education while others are woefully inadequate. It really it to you outside of class the writer but I know this situation all to.! Student in one of the medical schools in the Caribbean Phil med is fortunes. An informed decision substandard living conditions and overcrowded campuses are another matter but I this. Are insinuating that the average GPA for Caribbean schools fluctuates between 3.2 3.3. 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