Should You Attend a Caribbean Medical School? The Honest Truth

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- Today I'm going to answer the question: "Should you attend a Caribbean medical school?" Let's face it--there are lots of negative stereotypes with Caribbean medical schools. And if you have less than stellar stats and are considering attending one of these schools, you probably don't hear the most encouraging information online or from your peers. My name is Dr. Shirag Shemmassian, and I'm a medical school admissions expert and founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting. My goal for this video is not to discourage you from applying to Caribbean medical schools. Instead, I'll discuss several key facts which highlight the major differences between Caribbean medical schools and American medical schools so you can make the most informed decision about whether to apply. Alright, let's get into it. On premed forums like Student Doctor Network and Reddit, there's no shortage of folks sharing strong opinions about Caribbean medical schools. Those in support of Caribbean medical schools argue that these institutions provide a second chance to students who would have otherwise abandoned their dreams of becoming a doctor, and say that once you match into residency programs, where you received your degree becomes less important. On the other hand, naysayers cite the high attrition rates, whopping tuition costs, and lingering stigma as clear reasons not to attend. In speaking with students for over 15 years, many students have asked me some form of the question, "Should I attend a Caribbean medical school?" However, I have learned that what students really want to know is: Is it possible to become a successful physician by attending a Caribbean medical school? And most importantly: What sort of impact will attending a Caribbean medical school have on my career? To answer the first question, yes, it is certainly possible to become a successful physician if you attend a Caribbean medical school. According to the AAMC, nearly a quarter of all U.S. physicians are IMGs or international medical graduates. And this percentage is only continuing to grow each year. While this percentage does include a number of non-Caribbean foreign medical school graduates, it's safe to assume that many IMGs are in fact Caribbean medical school graduates. The second question is a bit more complicated. Let's look at the facts. Fact #1: the USMLE Step 1 pass rate for IMGs is much lower than the pass rates for U.S. allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. Your score for the USMLE Step 1 exam which most students take after their M2 year is the most important factor in your residency application. The higher your Step 1 score, the better your odds are of not only matching, but into your desired specialty. According to the USMLE in 2018, the pass rate for first time test-takers from allopathic medical schools was 96%. Test-takers from osteopathic medical schools had the exact same pass rate. However, the pass rate was significantly lower for international medical school graduates at 80%. Now let's look at average score data. Remember, a passing score is important but the higher your score, the better. According to the National Resident Matching Program or NRMP, we can also see that average Step 1 scores for U.S. allopathic seniors who match are significantly higher than scores for U.S. citizen IMGs. A common misconception that many students have about Caribbean medical schools is that the lower pass rates and average scores are due to the quality of instruction offered by these schools. While this may be a contributing factor, it's also important to note that Caribbean medical schools have much lower standards for admission. This means Caribbean medical schools tend to admit students with weaker academic profiles than their U.S. MD and DO counterparts, so it makes sense that students who are already struggling academically to begin with would also be less successful on the Step 1 exam. This leads to our second fact, Fact #2: Residency match rates are significantly lower for U.S. IMGs. Your residency training is one of the most important phases of your medical career. Residency training is a requirement to practice as a physician in the United States. A school's residency match rate tells you what percentage of graduates are accepted to residency programs. In 2019, graduates of U.S. allopathic medical schools matched at 93.9%, so nearly all students who applied for residency programs matched into one. The match rate for osteopathic students was slightly lower at 84.6%. In stark contrast, however, the match rate for IMGs was 59%. That means about 40% of IMG applicants who applied for residency programs did not match. Those who don't match may be able to find an unfilled position through the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program known as SOAP, but it's not the position you want to be in after you've invested four years in medical school. In 2019, only 200 IMGs obtained their residency position through SOAP. Of 60 medical schools in the Caribbean, there are four schools collectively known as the "Big Four" that have high Step 1 pass rates, high residency match rates, and give you eligibility to practice in all 50 states. These schools are: Saba University, Ross University, St. George's University, and Medical University of the Americas. Fact #3: IMGs tend to become primary care physicians. Approximately 65% of Caribbean medical school graduates go on to match into internal medicine or family medicine residency programs. There are a couple reasons why. One, these specialties offer more positions than any other specialty, and two, the average Step 1 scores for these specialties tend to be lower. As a premed, it's impossible to predict what specialty you'll want to pursue after medical school. When we compare the two tables from the NRMP listing the total number of positions offered for each specialty, it's pretty clear that U.S. medical students are successful at matching into a much wider range of specialties than IMGs. If your goal is to become a primary care physician, you can rest assured that if you match as a Caribbean medical school graduate, your odds of landing a position in primary care specialties are fairly high. However, if your goal is to match into competitive specialties such as orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology, or dermatology, you'll need to be an exceptional candidate to match. Even for U.S. graduates, positions in these specialties can be tough to obtain. You'll need to achieve a high Step 1 store, secure prestigious rotations during your M3 and M4 years, and receive strong letters of rec from clinical supervisors to give yourself the best odds. Fact #4: Tuition at Caribbean medical schools is significantly higher. Medical school tuition is high no matter which school you attend. According to MSAR, average annual tuition costs were $37,556 for in-state students at public medical schools and $60,665 for in-state students at private medical schools. Over four years, this adds up to $148,000 for public medical schools and $240,000 for private medical schools. Tuition rates at Caribbean medical schools are even higher. For example, St. George's tuition is about $280,000 for over four years, and these costs don't factor housing food and other living expenses or interest. Where you attend medical shool will not only have a significant impact on your career trajectory but also on your finances. So, the big question: Should you attend a Caribbean medical school? Many good doctors have graduated from Caribbean medical schools, but know that you will face significantly more hurdles than your U.S. counterparts when it comes time to match into residency programs. If you're deciding whether to attend a Caribbean medical school, or delay applying for one year, I strongly encourage you to do all that you can to strengthen your application for DO or MD programs in the United States. The truth is that U.S. medical program graduates simply have significantly better odds of matching into choice programs and desired specialties, which will in turn have a significant impact on your career as a physician. Depending on your unique situation, you may benefit from retaking the MCAT, enrolling in a post-bac or special master's program, or gaining more research or clinical experience. However, if you've done everything in your power to improve your candidacy and your stats still fall short of U.S. med school expectations, you can still become a great doctor by attending a Caribbean medical school and putting in the work. If you found this video helpful, give it a thumbs up and subscribe so you don't miss out on new videos. And if you'd like to learn more about the med school admissions process, including a whole section on how to develop a school list that maximizes your admissions odds, click the link in the description to get my free comprehensive guide "How to Get Into Medical School". The strategies in the guide are the same ones we use to routinely help students get into schools like Johns Hopkins, Mayo, and UCSF. Alright, thanks again for watching! See you next time.
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Channel: Shemmassian Academic Consulting
Views: 27,426
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Keywords: Caribbean Medical School, Caribbean Medical Schools, Truth About Caribbean Medical Schools, Medical School Admissions, Premed Advice
Id: MjP3JWxNeIg
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Length: 8min 25sec (505 seconds)
Published: Fri Feb 28 2020
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