<p>the more and more doctors and current residents i know either went to med school over seas (asia) , or the Caribbean. so, it seems to me if you truly want to be a doctor it is possible by going to the Caribbean. So, if you do goto the Caribbean what are the downfalls, and is it really as easy to get into med schools such as ROSS and ST.GEORGES as a lot of people make it seem?</p>
<p>i dont think they're accredited.</p>
<p>You ask a great question. The downside is that you will not get the best residencies if you go to foreign schools. If you want to go into dermatology or orthopedic surgery, you might not get a match. But if you want to go into primary care ( eg. family practice, internal med, peds, ob/gyn), there is no reason why you could not go to a foreign school.</p>
<p>Then why are all the premeds schitzophrenic, paranoid, psychopaths when it comes to admissions?</p>
<p>1) most people i know don't wanna go out of state (CA) for med school. i don't think anyone in the US would wanna leave the country.
2) residency placement is pretty tough (at least for the highly sought specialties)</p>
<p>There are significant disadvantages of going overseas for medical education if you are planning on practicing in the US.</p>
<p>International Medical Grads (IMG's) do far worse in every step of the process of becoming a doctor in the US - the biggest hurdles being 1) USMLE scores (US second years pass on the first try of Step 1 at a 93%+ clip while IMG's only pass on the first try at 63%) and 2) Residency placement rates (US 4th years match initially at a 94% rate - plus have help in "the Scramble", while IMG's barely approach 50% placement rate).</p>
<p>It's simply not a good idea.</p>
<p>yeh, obviously staying in the US would be ideal for most people, i was just asking on personal experience all of my family members who are doctors ended up doing it overseas..from Pakistan, and they ended up passing the USMLES. Ross, and St. Georges aren't accredited? I guess the environment is changing though one of my uncles is a Neurosurgeon and he graduated from Pakistan, but i guess he came to the US in the 70's so it was probably quite different then.</p>
<p>I am 32yrs old and i am planning on to back to school. I have completed about 70 some credits in my undergrad and then i left school to be in business. After struggling with business for many years i realize its just not what i want to do any longer. Anyhow if I were to go back to school and choose any other major i probably would get done in a year or so…but now that i am 32 I know my passion is in med field and i dont want to settle for anything less than being a doctor. I do realize this isn’t going to be easy or cheap, and that is why I been thinking of carribeans for med school or maybe trying going back Pakistan for med school, where I am originally from. any suggesstions???</p>
<p>1) Do you want to practice in the United States? </p>
<p>If the answer is yes, then you’d be best served by trying your best here, applying as a non-trad to US MD and DO programs and following through that way. No it won’t be cheap, or easy, but going to the Caribbean or elsewhere overseas is a far riskier strategy if your end goal is return to the US and be a practicing physician. Many of the Caribbean schools are actually far more expensive than most US schools. Given the difficulty for Foreign Med Grads in passing the USMLE steps and obtaining a US residency that’s a pretty significant cost for something that may leave you out on the street with no future.</p>
<p>If the answer is no, and you think that remaining in Pakistan or elsewhere abroad is an acceptable option then going there will be your best option.</p>
<p>2) What was you GPA in those 70 Credits?
I’m guessing that it’s not as good as you would have liked, but given the time that’s passed, you can certainly make a big change. As a non-traditional student, your motivation is likely far different and your success is probably more likely. Playing up your maturation process is going to be important in overcoming past performance to Admission Committee’s.</p>
<p>3) The whole process, if everything goes to plan and you’re able to drop everything and go back to school full time is going to be at least 9 years - (2 years to finish the Bachelors degree and pre-reqs, 4 years of med school, 3 years minimum for residency). This is a major undertaking and if you don’t have financial support and need to work part time, then finishing undergrad work and the pre-reqs (assuming all your credits still count for something) may take even longer. While you’ll get a paycheck once you become a resident, that’s still a long ways off. Given this, you may wish to consider things like Physician’s Assistant, or a nursing. I say this not because I don’t think you can make it, just because the time frame is significant and it is something that must be considered. These and plenty of other options would fulfill your desire to do something medical.</p>