One of the major concerns both in Canada and the United States of late has been the availability of education. Specifically, post-graduate education has become the purview of the very wealthy. Many young people who eventually make it into medical school, law school, or even top business schools come from families with connections. While this can provide a more structure marketplace, it also closes the door on many people who might otherwise turn into good doctors and lawyers. The good news is that Caribbean medical schools are helping to bridge that gap. These schools are becoming much more legitimate, helping connect people to the education that might have otherwise eluded them.
Affordable pricing is the starting point
Medical schools in the United States and Canada have become increasingly expensive. Many people don’t want to spend the hundreds of thousands of dollars it takes to get this kind of education. That’s reasonable, too, as they’ll spend many years paying down that debt before they’re finally able to enjoy the spoils. Caribbean medical schools provide a more efficient means of getting the education these people so desperately want. Those leaving Caribbean medical schools can expect to have only a percentage of the debt of their McGill, UBC, or Harvard-attending friends.
Quality of education going up
In the past, people worried that they would sacrifice their education by going to a medical school in the Caribbean. Many feared that these schools were not providing a high quality education, and instead, were simply passing off students with a degree that would put patients in danger. This has changed over the years. Today these schools provide students with an education comparable to what they’ll learn in top American and Canadian schools. While there still may be a perception difference, the quality of instruction has gone up, making these options more legitimate and viable for people who are cost-conscious.
Practical learning matters
Caribbean medical schools focus their intensity on practical medical instruction. People who attend school there don’t just learn from books. They’re thrown into practicum settings where they are asked to assist in working on real problems. This is important, as people who go into medicine don’t often make their living sitting behind a desk. Doctors are key problem solvers in society. They look at an issue and decide on how to best manage or fix it. Because these Caribbean schools have focused more on practical learning systems, they’ve been better able to prepare people to move forward.
Those choosing medical schools have many more options today than they did in the past. With Caribbean schools bringing down the costs and upping their quality, students don’t have to go deeply into debt. More are seeing the virtue of heading to the islands to learn medicine in a setting that’s hard to beat.
