Big Four Caribbean Medical Schools

You want to know the big four Caribbean medical schools? Well, getting into medical school is not an easy move. To be competitive, you must have a high GPA, a strong MCAT score, and quality extra-curricular activities.

In the year 2011, only about 46% of all university applicants were enrolled in American Medical School (MD). As the competition is quite brutal and only growing, students seek Caribbean medical schools that will serve as viable alternatives to prospective student’s searches and desire.

400;”>Medical schools in the Caribbean are known to provide American students with the opportunity to study medicine at sea. Most Caribbean medical students plan to complete their stay in the United States after attending Caribbean medical school. It’s no secret that Caribbean medical schools are attractive for their flexible admission requirements.

Admission classes at the “best” medical schools in the Caribbean have grade point averages of about 3.3 or 3.4. It’s also common for Caribbean medical schools to accept applicants with a grade point average of around 3.

In comparison, the entry-level class at America’s “worst” medical schools has an undergraduate grade point average of around 3.5.

Unfortunately, while Caribbean medical school may seem like a dream come true, there is a downside. Nearly all graduates of US medical schools become successful doctors in the United States; the same is not true for Caribbean medical graduates.

While it is possible for a Caribbean medical school to become a doctor in the United States, it is unlikely to do so. There are two main steps that all prospective doctors must go through and complete before receiving a medical license: Applying for the USMLE and completing the residency program.

400;”>Medical schools in the Caribbean are known to have graduate students who will not receive the USMLE or will not be granted a residence permit in the United States.

There has been much discussion about why this is so. Some argue that Caribbean medical school curricula are weak; others argue that the academic skills of students in Caribbean medical schools are weak.

In either case, students should exercise caution before deciding to attend a particular Caribbean medical school. You should study USMLE’s attendance and residency rates to determine if attending a particular medical school is appropriate.

Wcase scenario is graduating from Caribbean medical school but not becoming a doctor; it would waste tens of thousands of dollars and years of precious time.

Caribbean medical schools are becoming increasingly popular among Canadian and American students who, despite the difficulties of admission, wish to continue to fulfil their dream of becoming a doctor. There must be a lot of success stories.

A gifted obstetrician and gynaecologist specializing in pelvic pain, he studied medicine in the Caribbean and completed his specialist training in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Toronto.

This is a success story for Caribbean medical schools and for any international medical school targeting ambitious medical students in the United States and Canada. But for every doctor like him, there are a few more who didn’t get into the medical specialty of their choice or who didn’t go to the University of their Choice.

There are terrible stories of people who have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of their lives in foreign medical schools without living or showing anything.

The fact is, if you plan to train in either country, it’s inherently riskier to train outside of Canada or the United States. However, it can be a risk worth taking. Read on to learn more about this topic to judge for yourself.

It is important to note that Caribbean medical schools are not for-profit. Economics tells us that new schools will be created as long as the industry remains profitable.

There are currently about 60 medical schools in the Caribbean. Some of them have eminent reputation while others are full of controversy. There are some that are known to produce doctors and others that are known to cause foreclosures. It is the responsibility of every prospective student to research the school to see if they are a good fit.

Read Also: Pros and Cons of Caribbean Medical Schools

Things To Note Before Choosing A Caribbean Medical School

 

400;”>Medical schools situated in the Caribbean have changing and uncertain accreditation levels, educational plan qualities and openings accessible to students. Notwithstanding, four Caribbean medical schools—known as “The Big Four”— have a strong standing as a substitute pathway for U.S. students to examine medication. 

Prior to going all in and focusing on an unfamiliar medical school, here are interesting points to take note of:

1.Federal Students Loan Qualification

Studying medicine is expensive with around 73% of medical students graduating with debt. In 2020, the median price for public medical schools in the United States is $250,222 and that value for private medical schools in the United States is $330,180. A

to federal loans can be key to managing this debt because you can delay payments until after they close and have access to lower interest rates. In addition, doctors can often qualify for a public service loan if they meet the required criteria. W

400;”>students can get personal loans to pay for medical school, they usually have higher interest rates and less flexible repayment plans, which is why many students turn to federal loans first.

Tuition fees are often high at Caribbean medical schools. The American University of the Caribbean graduate graduated with $415,000 in debt. Programs such as the University of St. George can be just as expensive, costing $62,000 a year in tuition alone.

To pay for school, many students rely on federal student loans. Only six Caribbean medical schools are approved to participate in the federal loan program

However, you should contact each international medical school on your list to ensure that the medical program is eligible and eligible for the loan program. You must be accredited by the National Committee for Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFME).

2. Residency 

Intently attached to the subsidiary emergency hospital is the residency match rate. As indicated by the National Resident Matching Program, 61% of global medical school graduates coordinated to PGY-1 (postgraduate year one) positions in the year 2020, which is the most elevated match rate in almost 30 years. 

Notwithstanding, these numbers don’t precisely mirror each clinical school in the Caribbean. A few schools will have a lower match rate, though others have rates similar to the United States. Reliably, 94% of U.S. clinical school graduates match into a residency program.

For Ross University, that number is even somewhat over the U.S. rate, with 95.2% of its understudies coordinating with the first-run through into a program.

3. Accreditation

Accreditation is important because it demonstrates that a medical school meets national standards for degrees leading to a medical degree. For American and Canadian medical schools, the program is accredited by the Medical Education Liaison Committee (LCME).

LCME accreditation determines that medical students are eligible to sit for the U.S. Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE) and enter a residence approved by the Accreditation Council for Higher Medical Education (ACGME).

By 2024, only graduates of foreign medical schools accredited by institutions with WFME-accredited status will be able to pursue higher medical education in the United States. As part of the WFME recognition program, the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME) evaluates accrediting agencies against internationally recognized accreditation criteria and grants recognition status to institutions that follow these criteria.

There are three accrediting bodies with WFME recognition status for Caribbean medical schools: the Caribbean Accreditation Board for Medical Education and Other Health Professions (CAAM-HP), the Accreditation Commission for Medical Schools (ACCM) and the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands; Flanders.

4. Affiliated Hospitals

A student’s clinical preparation during clinical school can assume a significant part during the residency, coordinating with measure. As indicated by a survey done by the American Medical Association (AMA), “individual information or potentially proposal of the application” positioned first among residency program chiefs. 

For global medical schools, it is crucial to take a gander at their partnered medical clinics in the U.S. Some Caribbean medical schools, similar to Ross University, have dodged this obstacle by paying money for residency spots.

In 2012, Ross paid more than $35 million to Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California for residency positions for their third-year medical students. 

During a meeting with Moon Prep, Dr. G. Richard Olds, the leader of SGU, uncovered that his school has a comparative plan with around 80 clinics around the U.S. furthermore, Canada. He says this is significant in light of the fact that “assuming you need specialists to work in a specific area, you should prepare them there.”

5.  Level of Student Support And Opportunities Available

400;”>Medical school is a time to gain research and medical experience as you tackle more advanced classes. You want to make sure you find a medical school that will support you on your journey while also giving you the opportunity to advance as a medical professional.

According to Moon Preps’ interview with Dr. Gael Antoine, SHE graduate and current resident anaesthesiologist at Brown University, St. George’s University offers students unlimited research opportunities, as long as they have the appropriate training and qualifications. H

even took advantage of a six-week study abroad program in Europe to see how health care works in a foreign country.

Caribbean Medical Schools Are They Legitimate? 

Yes, the medical schools are legitimate and are attempting to prepare and put qualified doctors. Particularly regarding the main four schools we will be recording, they have a fair record of US-cantered medical situations for learners and fruitful position of residents. 

Caribbean medical schools, in the same way as other US colleges, are revenue driven foundations and buyers ought to have a “Purchaser Beware” disposition while investigating them.

The top schools are commonly authorize by US licensing boards and the ruling government. For instance, Saba University School of Medicine is situated in Saba, which is an island in the Dutch Caribbean, controlled by The Netherlands. 

Caribbean clinical schools have enormous showcasing financial plans intended to convince undergrad and secondary school undergraduates that this is their most ideal alternative, regardless of whether they haven’t confronted medical school dismissal by a Canadian or US clinical school. In this way, they will disclose to you all that you need to catch wind of how extraordinary they are. T

not going to deceive you, as such. In any case, they might overemphasize their capacity to discover clinical situations in the US or Canada during clerkship and to assist you with coordinating to your preferred residency program and area.

Truth be told, in a past pilot study of Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad via CaRMS, Caribbean-prepared Canadian clinical understudies detailed that a little more than 40% were not aiming to get back to Canada for residency. 

The most widely recognized justification this was that the understudies would not like to do a Return of Service (ROS) yet the second most normal explanation was that understudies didn’t figure they would get a residency of their decision. F

recall, a residency decision incorporates a forte and an area. For certain understudies, area is the major issue and for other people, it’s the strength.

Caribbean medical schools Tuition Fee

when one try to compare with US medical school educational tuition fee, educational cost at the Caribbean medical schools is less expensive (yet more costly than Canadian schools). It goes from around $4,000 per semester for the lesser-realized schools to around $20,000 for the huge four. 

The greater part of the best Caribbean schools are qualified for US government understudy loans and furthermore for Canadian bank understudy credit extensions. For instance, every one of the huge four schools recorded above are important for the US government understudy loans program.

A great deal of the Caribbean clinical school candidates will require financing and there are a couple of clinical school grants accessible at the tact of the school.

Should Aspiring Students go to a Caribbean Medical School?

In case you are thinking about whether going to a medical school in the Caribbean is a smart thought, you’ll discover something that will help you there. 

The motivation behind why I can’t go straight up to offer you a response to this inquiry is that there are various factors you’d need to consider. A few variables will support you, while a few factors are not good by any means. 

Genuinely, this inquiry has been posed to times over, yet I can advise you there can never be a solitary wonderful answer that can be given to this inquiry. 

One of the ideal factors is that Caribbean Medical Schools are very liberal with regard to granting admissions. 

The normal GPA and MCAT of U.S clinical school matriculants are 3.6 and 31. The normal GPA and MCAT for matriculants at Caribbean schools are a lot lower. Likewise, Caribbean schools offer renewed opportunities to understudies who have practically no shot at a US MD or DO schools. 

Another benefit is that numerous Caribbean schools permit you to apply to their school whenever of the year and register later on. This permits you to begin medical school any time without sitting tight for another meeting. 

Unexpectedly, going to the Caribbean clinical schools can be time draining. This is on the grounds that you are not entirely certain you’ll graduate and secure the practitioner training. 

One more explanation is that you are restricted in your capacity to enlist for residency. Assuming you need to have some expertise in a specific space of medication say; urology, nervous system science, paediatrics, gynaecology or nay other one, you may never truly will get a residency around there. 

Note that except if you do a residency, you cannot rehearse as a specialist. So you know precisely what you need, and you would now be able to take the plunge.

Are Big Four Caribbean Medical Schools New York Approved?

This implies that the medical school has been visited and surveyed by the New York State Department of Education and has satisfied the necessary state guidelines to permit its understudies to follow over 12 weeks of clinical and graduate situations to enter residency in New York State.

Are The Big Four Caribbean Medical Schools Accrediting Agency Approved By NCFMEA?

Approval by NCFMEA means that the U.S. National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) The Department of Education has recognized that accrediting bodies that accredit medical schools have accreditation standards comparable to those of the LCME, which accredits medical schools in the United States and Canada.

In addition, being accredited by an NCFMEA-accredited agency is one of the requirements for schools in the United States to offer federal student loans.

Are The Big Four Caribbean Medical Schools California Approved?

This implies that the Medical Board of California has visited and surveyed the Caribbean School of Medicine. Likewise, it satisfies the state guidelines to permit understudies of this staff to perform clinical turns. Besides, graduates can enter residency and acquire clinical licenses in California, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, and different states that are probably going to fulfil California guidelines.

How long is med school in Caribbean?

A typical medical degree program in the Caribbean lasts for just four years, with the first two years being the core science curriculum ending on the school campus.

The final two years of the School of Medicine program include clinical rotations held at affiliated hospitals around the world. So, generally speaking, it takes 8 years to graduate from Caribbean Medical School.

How hard is it to get into The Big Four Caribbean Medical Schools?

Out of the more than 53,000 candidates in 2019, only 21,869 registered into an allopathic clinical school. That implies generally 60% of the students were rejected, so in general, the 80 Caribbean medical schools don’t generally have the best standing, yet they can give a chance to U.S. students to study medicine.

The Big Four Caribbean Medical Schools

1. Ross University
2. Saba University School of Medicine
3. St. George’s University
4. American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC)

 

1. Ross University

Ross University is based on the island of Dominica. The school was founded in 1978 and has been training doctors ever since.

• School Location: Barbados
• Residency match rate: 95.2%
• The School average GPA: 3.2
• School average MCAT: 496
• The attrition rate: For students that started in the year 2013, the academic attrition rate was approximately 20% as of July 2017

 

2. 
   

   Saba University School of Medicine

This Saba University school of medicine makes its home on the island of Saba. It has been creating North American doctors since 1989.

• Location: Saba Island
• Average GPA and MCAT: Not published
• Attrition rate: Not published
• Residency match rate: 94%

 

3. St. George’s University

University of St. George is located on the island of Grenada in the British West Indies. The school has trained doctors in the United States for more than 35 years.

• School Location: Grenada
• School Average GPA: 3.3
• The School Average MCAT: 498
• The attrition rate: around 6%
• Residency match rate: 94%

 

4. American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC)

The Caribbean American University (AUC) was founded in 1978. Located in the village of coupecoy in St. Maarten.

The school Location: St. Maarten

The school Average GPA: 3.27

The school Average MCAT: 496

The Attrition rate: Not published

Residency match rate: 92% 

 

Conclusion

After going through the article, you will understand that we didn’t only mention the big four Caribbean medical schools but will also tried our best to show some hidden ideas about the medical schools in Caribbean generally, there tuition fee, the acceptance rate of the schools, whether it is hard to get into and many other factors that contributes to the success of students stay in the schools.

Disclaimer 

At some point, you could notice we are plain and decide to say as it is; be reminded we are not trying to condemn or praise either of the schools in Caribbean, and everything mentioned and outlined in this article is for information and education sake.

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