Why attend a Caribbean medical school? Caribbean medical schools overall are known to be more accepting of students from the United States, Canada, and other countries who wish to one day work in the US as a physician. Compared to US medical schools, they are much more lenient in regards to their minimum accepted MCAT scores. For students who struggle with standardized exams or those that lack the sufficient resources needed to get accepted into a US medical school, attending a Caribbean school is a great alternative!
From my experience, here is what I think future applicants should consider before applying:
-
- Your school’s accreditation and statistics. The most well-known schools with highest-placed residencies include Ross University (Barbados), American University of the Caribbean (St. Maarten), and St. Georges University (Grenada). Both the American University of Antigua and Saba University are slowly becoming just as popular.
- The most accredited schools will:
- have accreditation by WFME, NCFMEA, New York, California,
- offer Title IV student loan disbursement, and
- allow graduated students to practice in all 50 states.
- The most accredited schools will:
- Your school’s match rates.
- Do they have students that match into the specialty that you are interested in?
- Does the school offer clinical rotations in American cities that you are interested in living and/or working in?
- Debt. Attending medical school—whether it’s in the Caribbean or not—comes along with a lot of debt ($100,000+). Make sure medicine is what you are truly passionate about. It is going to become incredibly difficult during those long nights of studying when your only drive to be in the library is the prospect of future wealth, rather than happiness.
- Your friends and family. Being without friends and family on an island can be incredibly isolating at times. Yes, there are many ways to make friends and get involved, but if you are a homebody and/or very dependent upon your family, Caribbean life may take a large emotional toll.
- Your lifestyle. When living in the Caribbean, you must be very open-minded and flexible! When I visit stores on the island, there are often limited brands available. I’ve switched brands of shampoo, make-up, face wash, coffee, snacks, etc, because shopping is incredibly different and shipping can be a fortune. My advice? Stock up and pack lots of extras, or be okay with not having high-end products at your disposal!
- Your school’s accreditation and statistics. The most well-known schools with highest-placed residencies include Ross University (Barbados), American University of the Caribbean (St. Maarten), and St. Georges University (Grenada). Both the American University of Antigua and Saba University are slowly becoming just as popular.
Before deciding to attend a Caribbean medical school, there is a lot to consider. But there is also an abundance of cultural lessons and life experiences I never would have experienced if I would have attended a US medical school. Not to mention, living on the beach isn’t quite so bad!
Read more by Cidney.
