How long is caribbean medical school

Total costs will include not only tuition and fees, but also housing, transportation and living expenses, as well as loan finance costs. The availability of scholarships and grants can reduce the total investment. Ask the school what the average loan balance is for its graduates. Ask also what loan programs are available to finance your degree and what average financing costs are over the loan terms. You may be paying your student loans for up to 20 years after graduation, so it will matter a great deal to you what your monthly payment will be.

At the low end of the scale, students need to be very cautious of accreditation status. The ability to pay off student loans will be very challenging if a graduate cannot practice medicine in the U. And loan repayment is even more challenging if the school has high attrition and students leave without an MD degree. At the high end of the scale, students need to carefully consider the high loan payments they will have after graduation. Make sure to ask the school about grants and scholarships available to defray costs.

We offer a wide range of scholarships and grants to further reduce student burden. Our graduates have the lowest average student loan debt among the top Caribbean medical schools. While academic rigor will vary among Caribbean medical schools, the rising tide of accreditation will ensure that only Caribbean schools with U.

And the programs will be every bit as challenging as U. As in any endeavor of high purpose, Caribbean medical students will find their success tied most directly to their own hard work and performance. However, schools that provide strong support systems around their students and ample opportunity to overcome occasional setbacks are the schools that provide an environment most conducive to individual success.

Trinity graduates will tell you that they attribute much of their success to the level of personal support they found at Trinity from faculty, staff, administration and fellow students. The challenges of medical school are much more manageable when others around you are as invested in your success as you are.

First of all, you are on the Caribbean campus only for years one and two, often not longer than months. Then you will most likely be in the U. Second, life in the Caribbean as a medical student can be both adventurous and rewarding. While studying is the principal activity of Caribbean medical students, recreation and leisure activities abound, including rec center and outdoor recreation facilities on campus, and hiking, sailing and scuba excursions off campus.

Breathtaking ocean views from many Caribbean campuses are a calming presence even on the most stressful days. And the Caribbean island nations provide ample opportunities for Caribbean medical students to serve at- risk members of those communities, including volunteer clinics, medical research and other outreach programs. Trinity School of Medicine is located on the island of St.

Vincent in the Grenadine islands. The beautiful Grenadine islands boast some of the best sailing, diving and fishing in the Caribbean.

Vincent is served by a new international airport with direct flights from a number of U. Trinity students have a truly unique opportunity to participate in the pediatric care mission of a remarkable organization, the World Pediatric Project WPP.

WPP serves at-risk children throughout the Caribbean region through its teams of volunteer physicians, with a world class operating facility in St. Vincent for specialty surgeries. Trinity sponsors WPP and its students serve supporting roles in surgical cases and participate in care discussions with surgical teams. Studying medicine in the Caribbean can help new doctors succeed to the same degree as a graduate of a U.

Caribbean medical schools are known for large class sizes with multiple semesters starting each year. Because of this, the clerkships tend to be a little overcrowded, with not a lot of quality personal time with attendings or residents. This will afford you the best experience and the best teaching. Most schools will not mind if you do a little extra work on the side to set up a different elective to help position yourself better for the match.

The most well-known Caribbean medical schools listed above are English-speaking medical schools. That is not true for all Caribbean medical schools or other foreign medical schools. If you are fluent in a second language, this might not be detrimental to you. If you speak a foreign language on an elementary level and know enough to get into a non-English medical school, you may be far behind the curve of students who are fluent.

You will be trying to learn medicine and another language at the same time. Caribbean med schools have a bad reputation because they accept students who are unprepared for the rigors of medical school. As a result, they tend to have high attrition rates, poor USMLE pass rates, and poor residency match rates.

How hard is it to match into residency from a Caribbean medical school? Citizens from international schools have a match rate of How long is Caribbean medical school? Caribbean medical schools are usually 4 years long, just like U. Typically, the first two years cover the basic sciences in the classroom, while the last two years focus on clinical rotations.

In the end, I recommend only going to a Caribbean medical school as a last resort. If you fail to get in, then take a year or two to fix the weakest parts of your application, and apply again to U. As long as you go in prepared and dedicated to work hard, you will do just fine.

The one thing you can control throughout medical school is how much effort you put in every day. As a result, less competitive applicants are turning to Caribbean medical schools to fulfill their dreams of becoming doctors.

But what are the consequences of choosing this route? Is going to a foreign medical school even a good option? Here is a list of pros and cons to consider:. Pros: 1. S medical school matriculants are 3. Clinical rotations in the U.

A few, not most, Caribbean schools offer clinical rotations in the U. Essentially, schools that do not offer this option are almost worthless if you are trying to practice medicine in the U. Doing a clinical rotation in the U. Rolling admissions Unlike U.