This may be a stupid question...

But after you have gone to school in the Caribbean can you do your residency there? Or do you have to come back to Canada or the US to do residency?

[MissCrabette]

I can't really speak to the other islands except Saba and St. Maarten. The way it worked there, doctors were actually trained in the Netherlands and they were assigned to a post once they finished training. Right now there's a big old mess with the Dutch islands. Saba for example JUST became a special municipality within the Netherlands, which means their education system will now be run by the Dutch government. Up until now, they were left to their own devices as far as the medical school went. The Dutch government had sent various representatives a couple of years ago while we were still there, and the school received a positive assessment. http://www.nvao.net/download/accredi...%20program.pdf That more or less means that they found nothing horribly wrong with the school, but since Saba was still not truly part of the Netherlands at that point... that was all they could do. I really have no clue what will happen next. I imagine that if the school continues to operate, it will have to conform to the Dutch rules and students might be allowed to pursue residency in the Netherlands. I don't know how that would work since most of them are American and Canadian and they have a strong desire to return home. Sorry, I probably confused you more.

I know nothing about Carribean med schools, but my first though is that the number of med students probably far outnumber the number of doctors needed.

[MissCrabette]

I just realized I didn't exactly answer your question. I don't know anyone who went to school in the Caribbean who chose to complete residency there. Most students are American or Canadian. Rarely, they are from a few other countries and they chose that route to increase their chances of getting a residency in the US (clinical experience in the US is invaluable). Their goal is to come here, not stay in the Caribbean.

I could see this happening when attending a truly local school, not one catering to American and Canadian citizens. However, that's probably rare and not easy to accomplish. For starters, as much as people like to complain about the US immigration system, it's that much more complicated in other countries. Also, just as IMGs are discriminated against here, those countries might give preference to their own people, and for good reason.

As a fun little fact, I know someone who was a true Saba local and who ended up attending the medical school there.

I know nothing about Carribean med schools, but my first though is that the number of med students probably far outnumber the number of doctors needed.

This is what I was thinking too!
I was reading about the Caribbean schools and S and I were talking about it and we both weren't really sure about that whole process.
Just so many different ways to becoming an MD and I was wondering about the Caribbean route.

Thanks for all the info Cristina - I too was reading about Saba and how things were a little up in the air for them. Will be interesting to see how that all pans out.

[scrub-jay]

This is what I was thinking too!
I was reading about the Caribbean schools and S and I were talking about it and we both weren't really sure about that whole process.
Just so many different ways to becoming an MD and I was wondering about the Caribbean route.

Is someone you know considering that route? (Just curious)

[rubybullet]

I have a friend who went to school in the Caribbean, and got her residency at a NJ hospital. She said that she had to work really hard to get that.

Is someone you know considering that route? (Just curious)

No just a curious question.