And dont get me started on how they ALWAYS end up misplacing someones exam grades so that through NO fault of theirs (the student), they must end up repeating the entire course/ semester (and having to pay for it too). For profit school something fishy is going on. My background is similar to yours, post bac, decent 3.3 gpa in in UNdergrad and better GPA in post bac just low MCAT score. Yes, it was hard to adjust to island life (especially the hurricanes!) Most of us did clerkships in the states, but for an IMG-that Pure Slave-labor scut-monkey shit, usually in the Inner Cities. Hi, I would like to get in contact with you just to speak to you and ask you a couple of questions about attending medical school in the Caribbean, would that be possible by any change? It is embarrassing, Bass said, that Cuba educates our students for free.. From my research, students who wish to study medicine but do not get in, oftentimes apply to English-language programs in Poland, Hungary, or Romania to study medicine there (if they can afford it) and then get their degrees validated by the EU as MD-Romania for example. First of all, the school accepts way more than they can handle. The school backed down and reinstated the old grading scheme for the classes. you can ride a jet ski (can anyone frown on a jet ski?!) Its worth a shot. Any advise from experience is very helpful.Thank you. Please note that these admissions criteria are subject to change and made at the schools own discretion. We have to get a 230 usually just to get looked at. Thanks for sharing. Here is my 2 cents: The goal of this post is to provide prospective medical students with some information that will likely not be volunteered to you by the admissions office of the school. Phillip said that her biggest challenge since becoming a doctor in the U.S. had been reading CT scans and MRIs, which are used sparingly in Cuba, and that she has had to adjust to spending less time with patients. (within a couple years Reagan sent in the troops to counter a Cuban invasion of the island. There is housing for the majority of us, and even if students dont get housing, there are many buildings and houses right outside the school that we can rent. Sadly some of my friends are figuring this out the hard way, many of which have fallen into alcohol or drug abuse etcsimply to deal with the stress and everything that they have to put up with at this school. Like finding out good studying strategies. When you shed that, and realize glory is subjectiveyou will find it in any pursuit you embark on. there are also other factors that make a student decide on their school like the cost of tution. As per Columbia University's "Vaccine-Related Policies and Guidelines", COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory for all affiliates who will be on . It makes more sense to go to PA school if you can even get in. this semester they changed it up to 3 exams with 65 questions. 7. Some people just concentrate on what is going on in class and the positives and not dwell too much on what they cant change. The school initially allowed it and let them move on throughout Med 1 med 4. corrupt physicans/practices that may hire you. I had to do activities and had faith in God that kept my sanity; and I aced my way through. Jan 2020 - Apr 20211 year 4 months. I felt well support, as there was a large percentage of Canadians in my class; I was in good company., Graduate. It is walking distance to the main grocery store and it is literally on the beach. Overall, I dont think there is a perfect medical school in the world with 100% student satisfaction. AUC is getting approved by GMC within the next 4 months fyi. (probably the one thing I agree on, in this article). You know physicians and medical students bash NPs and PAs all the time. More surprisingly is this school has partnerships with hospital in New Jersey and New York that offer to cover half or full tuition to students eligible for the scholarship. After my undergrad, I just went to the PA route and I just spent 2 years of my life working for minimum wage in order to complete the 500 hour minimum requirement. Are you okay with not having access to the mall or movie theatres? Additionally, if you have the study material for Step 1 and have learned it well, you will pass every class with more than a 70% aka a C. Furthermore, if you cannot score a 70% or better on NBME subject exams, how do you expect to score well on Step 1? Other: a broad background in humanities, social sciences or physical sciences. I was wondering if I is true, or they just say that, as I am sure they have plenty of applicants with decent MCAT, why would they consider someone without. I prefer to go to the beach, go hiking, or to a resort after an exam, than going to a bar in NYC during the wintertime. I wish I had known what I was in for before starting med school. A business model that preys upon the hopes and dreams of our best and brightest compassionate young healers is one of the sickest things Ive ever witnessed. Sabas Step 1 Pass Rate (95%) is also something potential applicants could find reassuring. I am an Air Force vet. Less expensive than the bigger Caribbean schools The rest left because they were worried that their chance of making it through the program wasnt worth the six figures of debt they were going to incur. its unfortunate. I would appreciate any advice people have as to pros/cons of each school: Ross v. Saba v. AUC v. AUA. Its true, also acknowledge, while your motive might be to get educated, some people are business people, insurance people, and so forth. Go to St George, Ross, AUA, MUA, AUC, or SABA. You will have good professors, and you will have horrible professors. These are the people needed to close the health-disparities gap. As Peter McConarty, a veteran family doctor who advises E.L.A.M. Yes-they had mandatory attendance and a dress code. Remember, the MCAT is required for the May term! Now that Im at the end of my medical school, I can say Ive done pretty well. And yet your medical degrees come from a school like this. Had I not took care of my Taxes, Citizenship standing, I would have been required to pay 10,000USD donation for being an international student and a different tuition rate. Many of us miss our families; we have missed family celebrations and parties at our best friends house. I dont mean every student. Its equipped with a nice and big gym that is located in front of the schools beach. Sgu curriculum built that way. I am in a Caribbean medical school and 2 of my friends from Toledo are US citizens so they were able to get into US medical schools but I couldnt. Its a crapshoot whether you will be vaguely steered in the right direction by the school itself. Tuition was a lot less then nowadays. Why does your comment about minorities seem like they just give any minority a seat at Med School dont they also have the requisite grades? SABA University School of Medicine is a good medical school located in the Caribbean islands. Is there anyway you can put me in touch with David for tips. I only read 1/4 of what you wrote. The school's website is available here. I graduated from AUC back in 1998 and my experience was very different from the one described above. You are obviously very smart if you are reading this post. She called me after the meeting crying and said she was sorry. Its like a wild wild west out here with AUA pointing their barrel to whatever they want. 35-45 globally per USNews, 2018). Although the school was lacking in creature comfortsthe students slept in bunk beds; the hot water and electricity were unreliable; there was little access to the Internet or the phonePhillip powered through. The content is essentially the same worldwide. i do wish more schools in the caribbean had more integrity in the kind of students they admit. The ugly truth about Caribbean medical schools, Add your comment below or scroll down to read Those who have spoken up have been dismissed even when they have proof, because there are no courts on the island and lawyers on other islands dont like to get involved with Saba. I would say, if your truly want be MD, sgu will give you the opportunity. 3) There are not enough dorms on campus to house this many students. Being from a 3rd world country, my family doesnt not have the finances to pay the medical school fees for me;I will have to take a loan. Saba, like all Caribbean med schools, probably wont make you as competitive as a student who graduates from U.S. or Canadian medical schools. My honest advice having having some experience with that route is to not do it because the outcomes are very unpredictable. One professor enforced a dress code on exam day. I personally believe that the greater part of the problem lies right here, in the United States of America. Residency Placements: 94% of eligible Saba graduates attained residencies between 2019 and 2021, Saba is a fully accredited medical school, I looked at the USMLE stats, match rate, cost and class size and chose Saba. Yes, I agree with you that Caribbean schools arent even half as good as the U.S counterparts but at the end of the day, you are responsible for your success regardless of what school you attend U.S or Caribbean. That is the speculation, but no one will really tell you what will be going on or at least want to tell you. He read his psychiatry textbooks and tried to ask as many patients to share their experience with their illness as a way to understand. No we dont have it, but you can get the 4th edition if you like, theres not much of a difference Tried to go to psych and turns out he would be my professor. Or is it a surprise the poor conditions? Id love to pick your brain about Ross. I would challenge you to speak with doctors in America now (brilliant doctors I may add) who attained their medical degrees from Nigeria and ask them what life as a medical student in Nigeria was like. Provisional CAAM-HP accreditation My son is doing very well at SGU and deliberating between Chicago & NY clinicals? 30 years and 3,000+ successful graduates later, were proud to say that Saba University School of Medicine has lived up to its founding vision. My school gave me the opportunity to study medicine, something that US medical schools didnt do for me. Recently my sis talked to be about almost quitting residency again.. but her husband convinced her otherwise. This is my second year and so far my school has showed a lot of support for us. There is no Caribbean school that will tell you there is a 40% fail out rate in their school. I have had 3 doctors have interns that didnt know the names of basic medical problems, medications, rapport with patients and are simply dumb as a box of rocks if you ask me. You will be required to be in class and you have to find a way to learn in and out of class if your classes are too long. It is a sinking ship. You see 20% of the beginning class of about 500 moves on to semester two, that is about 100 students the other 30ish students are students that were in semester 2 and had to repeat semester 2 because they did not make it onto semester 3. Yes! I know this because im not 20 obviously and I know how schools are accredited, so I also know when someone is stretching the truth a lot. Its accredited (provisional for the year via CAAM-HP), there are 2 Caribbean campuses (Anguilla and Saint Vincent) and a head office in Park Ridge Illinois. You begin to question is it that they do not want to do medicine anymore? I left after the first semester because I could see the dangerous journey I was embarking on. Test-takers move up the ladder; not the best doctors necessarily. I wouldnt want a physician who couldnt maintain a C to work on me or anyone on my family. Info came directly from admissions committee. I am an AUA med 5 student and having difficulty passing NAME. Saba graduates have enjoyed great success in securing residencies. Saba medical school accepts about 95 students per year. please have mercy upon future patients and dont even think of practicing a quack medicine. I actually met one student who got a full tuition scholarship through this program. Sometimes I laugh at myself chasing the bus that was supposed to come later than came too early, that memory. will they help pay for the class or semester you need to retake or do you have to find your own funding or take out private loans? Yes. Most of the struggle comes from the first year when you are finding out your learning style and finding what resources work for you. I dont know how to reply to Sylvie. Is Saba a good med school? also i was wonder is Avalon University School of Medicine good university or they are about money only. The numbers of NPs are increasing and so will our power be. Also, Saba students earn top residencies at medical centers across the U.S. and Canada. Pamela Wible, M.D., reports on human rights violations in medicine and what really goes on behind the scenes in medical training and culture. PSS As a student, employed in the International Student Office and a Test Monitor I caught numerous now nothing is done. Saba University School of Medicine (Saba) was founded in 1992 with the goal of providing an excellent medical education and expansive career opportunities for dedicated students, while maintaining an affordable tuition that enables them to practice as physicians with far less debt than other similarly credentialed schools. If so, do you think the same things occur around Europe? Youll probably hold on for dear life, scraping by until the NBME individual subject exams (standardized) make finishing the program untenable. To succeed youre going to have to go online and learn from other med students about how they study, what resources they use, what is high yield and so on. Everything that they have to say about the Caribbean school life it is some time true in Canada as I was studying in the hospital theater where no place to put your books and no place to charge computer due to university rented rooms for a money. Thank you. I also have a second home in Atlanta, so I would not have to pay for housing for rotations there. Just facts. At the moment, I am considering matriculation to the American University of Antigua College of Medicine. I am a first semester student at a smaller but one of the big 5 Caribbean medical schools, and I agree with everything that has been shared in the article you have brought forward. Drop out rate is also terrible. Personally, I think Saba has a lot to offer that perhaps many students first overlook. I believe the wonderful weather and beaches around make our anxiety levels to go down. I looked at the USMLE stats, match rate, cost and class size and chose Saba. I attended a school like this in Grenada. Box 1000Church Street, The Bottom,Saba, Dutch Caribbean, *The Massachusettes address is for Saba's administrative offices. As she put it, she would graduate with the equivalent of car payments, while her peers in the United States would be saddled with the equivalent of mortgages. But i think it doesnt mean at all universities are less worthy. People that do that end up suicidal. Did clinicals in NYCgot accepted to a University Hospital IM residency in the South and now Im applying for fellowship in a competitive field currently with what one would say are a lot of interviews. Whats not so good is all the student loan debt especially if you drop out. You are not good enough to become a PA and thats why you ended up in the worst school in carribean. (Major Pros & Cons). We were used as Its true you are under an extreme amount of stress and out of your comfort zone, but there are ways to cope that do not involve drugs. It is kind of a vicious circle. Four hundred people (half the class) got an A on the hardest exam in school. Never set yourself up for failure. Another fact they purposely kept from us until our term 4. Check out this day in the life of a Saba student as evidence for that. I also understand that loans are not as easy to get for foreign med schools. Thank you. In the US and some countries they filter the applicants prior to entry. Do you have a family on island or back home? If your average was low, you You dont need to be a genius to be a doctor. Looking at other people is just a killer. Register to our upcoming in-person events and webinars! Im just being honest with you, not meant to be mean, just honest. (4) Yes, IMGs from anywhere have to score higher on Step to get the same residency. SJSM is pure shit I am student there, they will not help you in any way. Racist much!!! I have not let this stop me from reaching out for my dream to practice Medicine. I got into RUSM and SJSM, and having a hard time to decided which one to choose. We also have free academic tutoring either for a group of up to eight students offered by the school, as well as, one-on-one free tutoring services offered by the honors society in the school. In 2016, she was accepted to a residency program in family medicine at a hospital in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Ive been a patient for a good part of my life and there are plenty of US med school grads who still dont have a clue how to treat patients or practice good medicine. This is reality in Canada today. TO BECOME A FREAKIN DOCTOR, THAT IS WHY!!!!!!!!! Meet our administrative and academic teams, Semesters 6-10, rotations and clinical studies, Students are eligible for U.S. Federal and Canadian Provincial Loans, Small Class Sizes: Encouraging a uniquely close relationship between student and professor, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 7:1, Residency Placements: From 2019 to 2021 94% of eligible Saba graduates attained a residency, 100% USMLE Step 1 Exam first-time pass rate (2021), Distinguished Faculty: Saba faculty have exceptional qualifications, with an advanced degree or doctorate, Accreditation: Saba University School of Medicine is a fully accredited medical school. For that to entry 95 % ) is also something potential applicants could find reassuring future and! One to choose as a way to understand enough dorms on campus to house many. Especially if you drop out social sciences or physical sciences at the schools.! Appreciate any advice people have as to pros/cons of each school: v.... 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