Caribbean Medical Schools

Caribbean medical schools are a good alternative to medical schools in the United States.

As with anything, there are pros and cons to choosing a Caribbean school:

Pros
- Competition. Medical schools in the
  
  Caribbean are generally less competitive than US medical schools. This means that if your MCAT or GPA wasn’t quite what you were hoping, a Caribbean school may still allow you to achieve your dream of becoming a doctor
- Cost. In general, the cost of Caribbean medical schools is far less than US medical school. Tuition ranges in the $15-17,000 range, compared to the $30-50,000 of most US medical schools. Also, cost of living in the Caribbean is significantly lower. This makes medical school in the Caribbean an economical choice.
- Rolling admissions. Some schools, such as Ross University (Ross Medical School), have rolling admissions, meaning that they accept applicants throughout the year for each semester until each seat is filled. So, no hard and fast application deadlines.

Caribbean medical schools scenery what you might see at a medical school in the Caribbean

Photo courtesty of TKrueger

Pros or Cons
- Rotations in USA. This could be seen as a pro or a con, but you will do your clinical rotations during your 3rd and 4th year at different schools in the United States. While this will give you good clinical experience, there is definitely an increased cost for traveling during this time and little stability of where you
  will be living. So, make this a consideration when applying to medical school in the Caribbean.

Most Caribbean graduates go into primary care. If this is what you are interested in, this would be a pro. If you are interested in going into a more competitive field (radiation oncology, dermatology, orthopaedic surgery, etc.), it will be more difficult to match coming from a Caribbean medical school. To view the residency match results from Ross Medical School for this year, click here.

Cons
- Not all rotations qualify for all residencies. I worked with a Ross Medical School graduate who was repeating her pediatrics rotation. She had already gone through an internal medicine residency program (three years of training after medical school) and had been accepted to a GI fellowship (gastroenterology). However, her fellowship did not recognize her pediatrics rotation since it was done through Ross Medical School and she had to repeat the rotation. This may have been a rare case, but it can happen. So, be aware that there may be credentialing issues in transferring from Caribbean medical schools to U.S. residency training programs.
- More difficult to match into competitive residencies. US medical school graduates are given top priority when residency programs are choosing students. That’s just the way it is and anyone that tells you differently is selling something :). As a graduate from one of the medical schools in the Caribbean, you are already at a disadvantage in that respect. The match statistics for Ross University are listed above. Notice that they are mainly primary care specialties. UCLA’s match list for 2011 includes specialties in radiation oncology, ophthalmology, dermatology, orthopaedic surgery and otolaryngology. No graduates from Ross Medical school matched in any of these specialties. For information about specialties and their relative competitiveness, click here . You can choose a specialty in the top right corner. This doesn’t mean that if you go to a Caribbean medical school you won’t match into something competitive. It does happen. Just be aware that it will probably take more work than if you went to a US medical school. For more about choosing your best medical school, click here.
- Lower pass rates on USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS. First-time pass rates on USMLE Step 1 range from 19% to 84%. This means that you will likely have to study harder to pass and do well on these exams. I’m not sure why Caribbean medical schools have a lower pass rate, but make sure you are aware of this. Step 1 is particularly important for matching into the residency of your choice. Make sure you ask your medical schools in the Caribbean what their pass rate is when you are applying to schools. For the paper that addresses this and has the statistics, click here.

Mike’s Take
- Caribbean medical schools are a great option if you are planning on going into primary care and value a lower cost medical school. If you want to practice medicine in a more competitive field, a US medical school is probably a better option. So, think carefully and do your research about medical schools in the Caribbean before diving in!

Caribbean medical schools scenery. What you might see at a medical school in the Caribbean.

Photo courtesty of TKrueger

To get a feel for what it’s really like at one of these schools, check out this blog by a current Caribbean medical student.

Getting Professional Help

For Caribbean medical schools or medical schools in the US, admissions coaching can be helpful in your quest for medical school acceptance. This site is designed to help you get into the school of your choice.

Put a former UCLA medical school admissions committee member on your side!

During my time on the UCLA medical school admissions committee, I learned exactly what it takes to get into a top medical school. I’ve compiled that information into my eBook:

10 Steps to Accepted: An Insider’s Guide to Getting Into Medical School

Here you’ll find essential and easy-to-understand information about applying to medical school. You’ll learn the exact categories medical schools look at and how to stand out in each. You’ll also learn the relative importance of those different categories. Most importantly, you’ll be able to see things from the insider perspective of a medical school admissions committee member. Click here to find out more!

If you’re looking for something that’s more than a book, but less expensive than 1 on 1 advising and editing services, check out my new members only site, Medical School Inside Track.

Inside you’ll find:

Videos describing the entire admissions process, from choosing to apply to choosing between multiple acceptances
A custom tool to know your chances based on MCAT, GPA and race
A custom tool to know exactly where to apply based on MCAT, GPA and state of residence
Examples from successful applicants of AMCAS activities, personal statements, secondary essays, descriptions of hardship and descriptions of disciplinary actions
4 hours of recorded interview prep to learn what it takes to ace an interview

And much more! All for less than the cost of 1 hour of one on one advising. You can check it out here.

You may even be looking for professional help to help you reach your goal of getting into your best medical school. There are many companies out there that promise to help you do this, but I recommend MedSchoolCoach. MedSchoolCoach is run by people who have been on medical school admissions committees. They know what it takes for you to get into your top ten medical schools. Plus, they have a great track record of success.You can check out their products here.