Why does no one ever talk about Caribbean schools that are for locals?

[john5819]

Whenever I hear people talk about Caribbean schools, they talk about the MD schools that are run by Americans. If you attend one of these, you might not match as an IMG and you won't be able to practice in the Caribbean. But there are also Caribbean schools that grant the MBBS. They are primarily for the local people, but I'm pretty sure they have some international students. If you attend one of these and you don't match as an IMG, at least you can practice in the Caribbean and try again later.

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[culturekweenXx]

People don’t talk about it on SDN because the site is mostly used by Americans who want to practice in the states

 

[stinkycheeseperson]

bcuz les americains only wanna go to the fancy beach schools so they can go back to the mainland. ain't nobody wanna practice in haiti unless it's for a week and you can 'gram it

 

[john5819]

But what I meant is, those Caribbean MD schools could easily kick you out if you don't match up to the other students. They don't care if they have to kick you out because they just want to collect your money. But for the MBBS schools, I guess it would be like going to med school in the United Kingdom or Australia. So do people simply overlook these schools, or do they know that they exist?

 

[Flareicus]

But what I meant is, those Caribbean MD schools could easily kick you out if you don't match up to the other students. They don't care if they have to kick you out because they just want to collect your money. But for the MBBS schools, I guess it would be like going to med school in the United Kingdom or Australia. So do people simply overlook these schools, or do they know that they exist?

It's overlooked because if your ultimate goal is to practice medicine in the US, it's a stupid idea to go to an international medical school with the hopes of matching back into the US in the vast majority of circumstances.

 

[CorgiLoaf]

1) Because 99.99% of Carribean applicants want to practice in the US (or their home countries). I don't think there are any tuition differences for international students and the salary in Barbados (~48k/yr) is much lower than the salary in the US.

2) M.D. schools vastly outnumber MBBS schools. Just as a cursory glance on Wikipedia, there are only 5 MBBS schools and 30+ MD.

3) Going to an MBBS school in Barbados is not like going to an MBBS school in the UK. The culture is simply too different. An average American might be able to assimilate in the UK, but it'll be much harder to adjust to living in the Caribbean.

 

[Goro]

But what I meant is, those Caribbean MD schools could easily kick you out if you don't match up to the other students. They don't care if they have to kick you out because they just want to collect your money. But for the MBBS schools, I guess it would be like going to med school in the United Kingdom or Australia. So do people simply overlook these schools, or do they know that they exist?

Because this is the preMD forum and international students have their own forum. As such, what you are bringing up has no relevance here.

 

[Ms Procrastinator]

Whenever I hear people talk about Caribbean schools, they talk about the MD schools that are run by Americans. If you attend one of these, you might not match as an IMG and you won't be able to practice in the Caribbean. But there are also Caribbean schools that grant the MBBS. They are primarily for the local people, but I'm pretty sure they have some international students. If you attend one of these and you don't match as an IMG, at least you can practice in the Caribbean and try again later.

I don't know much about IMGs in the Caribbean, but I assume they're coddled and live in a bubble separate from everyone else. If you do an MBBS in the Caribbean, you will likely have to live like one of the locals. This might be a huge culture shock to some when compared to doing an MBBS in Europe.

Working as a doctor in the Caribbean is easier said than done. While the tuition may be lower, the salary (and standard of living) might also be lower than what you expect. There are Caribbean MBBS that do match in the US, but since that isn't their priority the number is lower than Caribbean MDs. There are two types of Caribbean MBBS (at least the ones who seek to practice in the US) : Those who try for the match in med school and those who do so after working a few years. The ones who try for the match (not a super high number) had a 56.1 percent match rate (into first year residency). This is from one school and the stats are from 2018. As for matching after working a few years, from what I've heard the process is somewhat lengthy, but not impossible. Doubt you'll get your pick of residency. Long story short, stay on shore. It's easier.