Comments on: Studying Medicine in the Caribbean

By: MissCrabette

MissCrabette — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:32:15 +0000

Julie,

I must say that, like DT, I am also very surprised that St. George’s University and American University of the Caribbean were not mentioned in your article. They, along with Ross University and Saba University, are the first (and probably only) Caribbean medical schools that a US citizen should consider.

I find it laughable that St. Matthew’s University and American University of Antigua made it onto your list (as “highly ranked medical schools”, no less), considering that their graduates cannot be licensed in all 50 US states like the graduates of the other four schools I mentioned. Actually, they have both been disapproved by the Medical Board of California and a few other states.

To top it off, it’s interesting that you are using one of my pictures of the Saba University campus, but there is no other mention of the school in your entire article. Also, please note that the Creative Commons license associated with that photo does not allow any derivative works, including cropping.

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By: De La Cruz

De La Cruz — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:58:39 +0000

“One of the Caribbean’s oldest universities” = The oldest university in all of the Americas.

De La Cruz

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By: Basquiat

Basquiat — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:59:32 +0000

About the University of Santo Domingo you say is “One of the Caribbean’s oldest universities”. This university is the first founded in the New World (October 28, 1538)
Please correct.

Basquiat

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By: DT

DT — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:32:28 +0000

I’m surprised to see that St. Georges University (SGU) nor American University of the Caribbean (AUC) made it to the list. Most US students who want to practice in all 50 states in the US choose one of the Top 3 – Ross, SGU, AUC (in no particular order). I’ve recently also heard the list maybe expanded to include Saba as well, although I’m not 100% sure if they have received accreditation from all 50 states. Either way my experience from being an AUC student has been amazing and I can definitely attest to the fact that you will get a great education there. Island life can be very difficult for those who haven’t been away from the comforts of home or even the US, but being on St. Maarten makes it a lot easier than being on some of the less ‘touristy’ islands like Saba, Dominica (Ross), Grenada (SGU). Either way if medicine is your dream don’t let the Caribbean school stigma get in your way!

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By: malcolm x

malcolm x — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:14:23 +0000

if u have a problem with the research then y dont u do your own and stop complaining

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By: alexis wolff

alexis wolff — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:28:21 +0000

Really interesting article, Julie. Caribbean medical schools get a bad rap, but there are certainly some advantages, as you point out. I've heard from med school friends that St. George's in Grenada actually has a great residency placement rate.

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By: Julie

Julie — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:25:31 +0000

Dr. J- Thanks for your input. This article was researched extensively and I conducted a number of interviews with students who have studied at medical schools in the Caribbean. The "assumptions" to which you refer apply primarily to American (US) medical schools), and I clearly mention in the article that residency issues and reputation issues need to be taken into consideration.

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By: Dr. J

Dr. J — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:53:22 +0000

No offense to your journalistic skill, your writing is very good, but I'm not sure why someone without a medical degree would even attempt to write this article. ____There are a lot of incorrect assumptions: the training ratios in Canada are actually very close to one on one and many of my friends have done extensive research with more than one mentor, in some areas they have specific rotations involving preceptors who work one to one. It's significantly easier to publish if you're working with a Canadian research team or university. ____The article also doesn't take into account the transition to residency and the fact that medical degrees from the Carribean are not well received in Canada

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By: Julie

Julie — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:47:34 +0000

Brian- You're right– UPR is definitely a good choice, especially for American citizens. I didn't include it for reasons of space, as was the case for a number of other medical schools in the Caribbean, but thanks for mentioning it.

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By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:57:03 +0000

I think it is also worth mentioning Puerto Rico. There is the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine ” target=”_blank”>http://www.md.rcm.upr.edu/ as well as the Ponce School of Medicine ” target=”_blank”>http://www.psm.edu/ Both are accredited with the USA

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