Caribbean medical schools as an Option in 2011

Caribbean medical schools as an Option in 2011

As in the title of this blog spot I'm a doctor who went to a Caribbean school.
I went through really tough times in the past 5 years and learned many lessons I would like to pass on.

In 2005 when I went abroad to medical school I had researched the whole concept for 2 previous years. I learned that in precious years Students who went abroad came back to the USA as FMG (foreign medical graduates) but they were able to match into a residency at about 70 to 80% since there was outside the match contracts given and residencies outside the match.

There were major loans, Key Bank, Sallie Mae and Wells Fargo plus a few others, all loaned money to attend these medical schools.

So everything I looked at made me believe it was a decent option. I discussed it with my wife and since I would have loan money to help us live and she would work we decided if accepted we would sell our house and go for it.

I was accepted and we did sell our house and moved to England. The school was chartered outside of England but had loans and was a WHO listed school. One could sit for the USMLE in the US. Then within a year everything changed. The regime in the country the school was chartered in changed and denied the schools charter at first. It looked like we were out of luck now and the school would close. I was promised a lot of thing also, I had taken some medical school courses and some undergrad there since nursing school did not provide 100% of my needed premed. I was just short one premed class but the school wanted me to do another year of premed even though I had a high GPA and others were in MD 1 with much less. Then the bomb shell hit, Key Bank was pulling out, so there was no money to attend.
This was truly a crisis. I applied to a Caribbean school and was accepted that week for transfer, but because of all the issues I asked to just start fresh. I started MD 1 in 2006 at St. James School of medicine with a Sallie Mae loan. I was on top of the world. Sallie Mae was the same as US Federal student loans, or so I thought. I left England going to Bonaire 50k in debt and my wife going to NY.

From Jan 2006 to April 2007 I enjoyed 4 semesters of student loans and medical school. My wife flew into Bonaire to enjoy white coat. During the year and half I research the situation and found that FMG was still fine and I would be OK. Match rates seemed to be around 70 to 80% and there are many FMG's in the work force and in residencies. The USA was going down a dark road though. The economy and job situation was getting worse and homes were being foreclosed on. New medical schools in the US were opening up too, this may change everything.

I returned home to the US in April 2007. Ready to study for the USMLE step one and tackle the next 2 years enjoying and studying medicine. It still looked good. Then another bomb hit, Sallie Mae was going to stop lending to schools out side the US at the end of May 2007. OMG what am I going to do? I found out I could get my loan approved for another year. I did that, well sort of, Sallie Mae was abandoning me after 2 more semesters. Not the whole 2 years left of medical school but 2 more semesters. I was devastated. I had borrowed what would end up to be 125k from them. They were now going to abandon me mid way and expect me to pay back when I did not finish medical school yet.

Then the family changes happened as well, my son was graduating high school, my daughter needed help, she was 14 and dating 20 year olds, my ex had no idea what to do anymore. The stress of no money for medical school and 2 of our children needing help was very intense ( we have three Chris, Elizabeth and Matthew) I helped my oldest Chris get into college, My daughter Elizabeth came to live with me, Matthew was always with me and he went through some trials as well. Having 3 teenagers like this put a lot of stress on me since I had no student loans and my wife made less than 25k a year.

I spent the previous 3 years looking for loans until I was in a bad situation with Credit Cards, we ran out of money to pay for them. So I could not find a loan and even if I did my credit score was at the bottom. My mother inlaw and others helped me pay tuition. But there was no extra money. I graduated medical school in April 2011 and plan on being in the up coming residency match.

During this time new US medical schools opened up so this would mean more US grads to compete with for the residency match in future Here is a Wiki list of US medical schools in the US WIKI List since 2005 12 new DO and MD schools have opened up. Yet Residencies have not been increased.

There is a new policy going into effect "All IN"

"NRMP TO IMPLEMENT "ALL-IN" POLICY

At its May 16, 2011 meeting, the NRMP Board of Directors voted unanimously to require programs participating in the Main Residency Match to place all positions in the Match. The so-called "All-In" Policy will become effective for the 2013 Match that opens for registration on September 1, 2012. The policy will affect all PGY-1 positions and PGY-2 positions in advanced programs.

The NRMP will continue to accept comments on implementation of the policy, especially as it relates to possible exceptions for residents who enter training off-cycle, GME programs in rural and geographically underserved areas, combined http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifclinical-research programs, and accelerated programs. Final implementation rules will be adopted in May 2012. Read how to submit comments to the NRMP."

NRMP

These two factors alone will greatly reduce the numbers of FMG matching and prematching will decrease.


So is the Caribbean out?

No there are 3 schools I heavily recommend if you want to consider the Caribbean.

Saint Georges University (SGU)
American University of the Caribbean (AUC)
Ross

Match rates are still decent and I suspect will continue to be ( 70% )
there are a lot of graduates in current US residencies and some are involved in resideny programs and even program directors now.

These three enjoy US federal student loans. (Only these three were grandfathered in)
You can be licensed in all 50 US states (California Approved).

As far as other Caribbean schools be careful, some you cannot sit for the USMLE, a school must be listed with WHO and IMED to sit for the USMLE.
Some you cannot be licensed in some US states. Since they are not approved by California, the only state that does these kind of approvals, you can never practice in California. (SABA is the only other California approved school other than the "Big three" ) States that will license a non-California approved school is between 35 and 45 you will have to check with the states interested in. Some schools are banned. I have not had the time to update myself on which schools but getting the latest information is best.
Understand as I have learned, a school who has a private loan can lose that loan at any time.
It will cost most at least 100k to attend medical school.

I still think the Caribbean is a decent option for some. It’s a Risk but if you do well, your ability and who you are weigh heavily into this.

I see the match rates being 60 to 70% for 2012. (officially it’s been around 50% but prematches - outside the match are not included )

FMG/IMG make up 40% of the US doctors today.

Good Luck and do your research before you commit. Know the risks and you will succeed.

I will post more on individual schools not a big three that I consider on the “A” list.

Dr. Bill