Several bright and talented students prefer attending medical schools in the Caribbean rather than in the United States. The Caribbean Medical School gives you a wide variety of options to choose from at very affordable prices. 70 Caribbean schools offer Bachelor’s degrees in Medicine and Surgery as well as Doctorate in Medicine. The kind of medical education given in the medical schools in the Caribbean varies from one institution to another. It is, therefore, important to do prior research before enrolling with any Caribbean medical school.
Different Categories of Caribbean medical school
Caribbean Medical Schools are either regional or offshore. The regional medical schools train their doctors to practice only in the local country or region of the institution. On the other hand, the offshore medical schools teach medical students who plan to have their practice in Canada or the United States. The biggest percentage of the students enrolled in the offshore medical schools are from Canada and the United States.
US-based organizations and companies run most of the offshore Caribbean medical schools. The schools have their administration offices in the United States, and they follow the U.S education curriculum. Most students in the offshore medical schools do their clinical rotations in the American teaching hospitals. Additionally, most of the offshore Caribbean medical schools require the applicants to take MCAT test to determine whether they are eligible to train in the medical school. Over 31 of the Caribbean Medical Schools are offshore.
The USMILE Step 1 and 2
The applicants should be ready to take a three-step United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMILE) to qualify in the medical school. The students take the USMILE 1 after passing the basic science lessons that take four semesters in most institutions, and five in others. If they pass the USMILE Step 1, the students proceed to the clinical rotations.
Not all Caribbean medical schools offer the clinical rotations and internships. Therefore, before enrolling to any medical school, confirm whether they offer the clinical rotations during the study. Additionally, different Caribbean Schools have a little number of people passing the USMILE 1. Be sure to ask the number of students who have qualified to move to the next level to weigh the chances of qualifying. After the successful completion of the clinical rotation, the students complete the USMILE Step 2. The examination covers the test for clinical knowledge and skills.
Residency
How one performs in the USMILE 1 and 2 and their specialties determines their chances of getting residency. Caribbean medical schools have a proven record of accomplishing a big number of students obtaining residency positions through the National Resident Matching Program. The medical students should purpose to get the best possible residency since it plays a key role in getting placement as compared to the medical school attended. After residency, the students acquire board certification and state licensure.
