kendra over at island med student has a couple of good articles on the (somewhat incorrect) stigma of caribbean schools as a poorer quality “last resort” and whether or not students who can’t get into US med schools will actually succeed if given a “second chance” at a caribbean school.

Why I’m Attending a Caribbean Medical School

My goal is not to dazzle my colleagues or patients with a framed degree on my wall from a famous or prestigious medical school. While I value the importance of research, I’m not compelled to have my name published in a prominent medical journal. I simply want to be a doctor who treats her patients skillfully, humanely, and compassionately.

To decide whether attending a Caribbean medical school was the right choice for me, I merely had to answer one important question: Could I acquire a well-rounded medical education, which would equip me with the skills to be an excellent doctor? All signs pointed to “yes.”

Although my basic science education is on the island of Dominica, I will be doing my clinical rotations at U.S. hospitals. I also have the option of potentially doing my fifth semester on the island at the local hospital here in Dominica. This seemed like the perfect combination to me. I get to live on a beautiful tropical island for eighteen months while I learn the basic sciences, and I have the option of beginning my clinical education at the local hospital. When I get back to the States, I will have the opportunity to learn at many different hospitals all over the U.S.

Does Everyone Deserve a Shot at Medical School?

Caribbean medical schools seem to fall along a broad spectrum in terms of the quality of the education they provide, especially when compared to U.S. medical schools. But regardless of which school a student ends up attending, that student still has to pass a series of USMLE exams, and jump through many other hoops before they are allowed to practice as a physician in the U.S. So, the argument can be made that if you make it through the system, even if your medical education was from an unaccredited institution, you have still proven that you can pass the same standards required of every physician in the U.S. This is obviously a flawed argument, as many people would rightfully argue that the USMLE exams are not perfectly designed to guarantee competency, but I’ll save that issue for a later rant.

Over the past few decades, the proportion of IMGs entering the U.S. system has been steadily rising. Currently, one in four new U.S. physicians is an international medical graduate. That’s a pretty astounding number.

it’s true that MUA is not my first choice in the whole wide world, but i agree with many of her statements and am actually looking forward to the path less favoured. my mom said i was always the type of person to do things the “non-traditional” way, especially when international travel is involved.

so here i am. it’s definitely going to be an adventure.

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