Saba University School of Medicine

RNperdiem, RN · Feb 12, 2009

Think of them as off-shore American schools.

If you can't get into a US med school, you might get into a Caribbean school. The education/ classroom component is the same, the clinical rotations are mostly in the USA, and the tuition is sky-high. To work in the US, you need to pass the same board exams.

In one of the doctor forums, someone said that if you want to become a doctor, why let not being accepted into a US medical school stand in the way of your dream?

Jo Dirt · Feb 12, 2009

Yea, he seems like an okay doctor. He is a lot more enthusiastic about coming to see his patients than the other doctors. He seems to make competent decisions regarding orders. I just always heard you couldn't practice in this country if you went there.

core0 · Feb 12, 2009

We just got a new doctor who went to this school in the Carribean. I thought you couldn't practice in this country if you went to one of those schools. But he is right here with his own practice. What's up with this?

If the physician is licensed they can practice. Up to 25% of US residents are graduates of foreign medical schools. Basically they have to be a graduate of a school recognized by the WHO. Then they have to pass the USMLE steps I-III. Then they have to complete at least part of a US residency. Depending on the state this will range from one year to a full residency.

On the medical school boards they differentiate between FMGs (foreign students who went to medical school in a foreign country) and IMGs (US citizens who went to medical school in a foreign country). The Carribean medical schools have been there a long time training IMGs. They have an advantage in that all of their third and fourth year clinical rotations are done in US hosptials which gives them an advantage over FMGs when it comes to residencies. The Carribean schools have a reputation for taking students with lower GPAs than the US allo programs. No matter what the physician has still done a US residency which is what ultimately qualifies them to practice in the US.

David Carpenter, PA-C

woknblues · Feb 12, 2009

I am pretty sure that if the Caribbean medical schools were not accepted to the United States, they would cease to exist.