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American University of the Caribbean
2007-11-20 20:17:00
Greetings again,I am on vacation this week and I thought I would provide an new up-date to this blog. I've been busy with internship and all and I've been trying to decide which avenue I should go - private practice (hospitalist) or fellowship (nephrology). Regardless of my decision, you on the other hand are probably reading this because you WANT TO GET INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL. I can't blame you! Now is a good time to be a doctor (relatively speaking of course) because the DEMAND is there. In the next 15+ years, the number of physicians needed will be astronomical - likely anywhere from 4-10x the current need! It's all those damn senior citizens! lol. Just kidding. Anyways, if you were anything like me, you were looking to get in SOMEWHERE! Luckily for me, I got in to my top choice medical school in the US and on the first try to boot! Others, not as fortunate as me to earn a spot at a US medical school, either never fulfilled their dream or pursued a foreign medical school. The Am...
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Caribbean medical school review - American University of the Caribbean
2007-05-23 17:41:00
Greetings! It's been a while since I've posted on this blog for a variety of reasons. First, even though I'm finishing up medical school and graduating in a week and a half, I'm busier than ever. I'm trying to tidy up loose ends with school, bills, the wife, etc. Let's just say I'm a busy guy! Anyways, I think all good things need a new direction once in a while. That why, for the next few posts (or more) I'll be reviewing most of the Caribbean medical schools out there. I don't know what it is about them, but I'm fascinated with them. I'd like to start one someday, in fact! Just kidding...but I'm not if it would go through because these schools make their owners large amount of cash! I'm talking hand-over-fist kinda cash! They probably make more in one year than I would my whole career as an internist! Anyways, The first school I want to review will be AUC - American University of the Caribbean. This school has been around like 30 years! It has catered to Americans who...
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Paying homage to my advertisers...
2007-04-24 16:19:00
I am a little perturbed that St. George's University, arguably the top Caribbean medical school, isn't displaying ads on my website. I don't even have Ross, the close number 2! I've had some love from UAG in Mexico and ASUM in Aruba. So, I'd like to thank my advertisers for their support. I can add a little credibility to UAG. It has been around for nearly 70 years and has been home to many American students studying medicine abroad. It provided many Americans who were unable to gain admission to medical school in the United States an opportunity to pursue their dreams. In fact, one of the OBGYNs in my hometown went to UAG back in the 1980's. I think the 1980's was a particularly difficult time to get into medicine because it paid well and was a well-respected profession. It still is to some degree, but not like in the 1980's! I'd take a look their site. I like to use this forum to expose you to all of your potential options. UAG is a reputable medical school. Admissions ar...
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My top pick for caribbean schools
2007-04-16 03:54:00
Say you don't get into an American school after a few attempts. That sucks, man. I'm sorry to hear that. However, your dream isn't dead yet. There are alternatives - Caribbean schools. Caribbean schools are for-profit institutions that accept a large number of students every year on a rolling basis. There are good, reputable ones and there are some that I would avoid. One school, my pick of the Caribbean medical schools would have to be....drum roll please....St. George's University in Grenada. The last time you heard of Grenada was probably in the 1980's when the United States military had to invade in order to rescue American students studying at SGU. Well, this for profit school has made quite a reputation for itself over the last 25+ years. Their admission standards are on-par (or above) some US medical schools. But don't get too discouraged because they are FOR PROFIT. They will give people a chance that didn't hack it in the US. Their average student has a 3.4 GPA and 2...
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MCAT prep - Part II
2007-04-08 15:50:00
Here is my analysis of what resources you should use according to previous experience, discussing with friends who have 35 and 36 MCATs, and my overall impression of what is good and what is not. First of all, I think a Kaplan MCAT question book is essential. I'd start working through these questions about a month before your exam. Gradually advance your testing by timing your exams as you get further into the book. Next, use the Exam Krackers series. I used the verbal reasoning and I thought it seemed to help me prepare, even though I didn't do as well as my friends. They, too, however, used this resource and found it helpful. There is a complete set of books, which is nice. If you have the means, I'd get the whole set. If you had to pick just one, I'd get the verbal reasoning. I also like the Kaplan MCAT book. I think it is pretty complete and offers you tons of information in one nice location. I'd like to recommend that you take a review class. Kaplan offer a nice class. I ...
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MCAT preparation
2007-04-07 23:19:00
Please stay tuned as I am refining my MCAT prep blog entry as we speak! I want to provide you with the MOST up-to-date information I can about preparing for the MCAT. It's no doubt that this test is very important to gaining acceptance to medical school. You must do your best. Even I got in with a 20!!! Don't let people sway you if you do poorly on the exam. Prep are, work hard, pick up a good work book and go to town! I will research some texts and tell you my top picks! Granted, I have no monetary gain from this. I just want you to beat my measly score! If you can do that - you stand a chance! Please keep me up-to-date on topics that you'd like to discuss. Until next time...take care and best of luck! I'll be back soon!
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Osteopathic Medicine
2007-04-05 15:07:00
Osteopathic Medici ne was founded by Andrew Taylor Still, a M.D. surgeon who fought in the civil war. He thought there had to be a "better way" to care for his patients. Through his investigations and study, he found that the body is a system of inter-related organs and incorporated this philosophy as the foundation of osteopathy today. Osteopathic schools differ from their allopathic (M.D.) counterparts in two distinct ways. One, they view the body as a whole - a system of inter-related systems that reside in a harmonious balance with one another. Two, through their knowledge of the musculoskeletal system, osteopathic physicians are masters at using osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). This is similar to chiropractic, but don't tell a DO that they are a chiropractor. We believe that when then body is misaligned and "somatic dysfunction" is present, the body doesn't function optimally and vice versa. D.O.'s are fully licensed physicians and surgeons and are represented in near...
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What is the deal with Caribbean Medical Schools?
2007-04-04 03:27:00
When I was applying to medical school, I investigated the Caribbean schools as my possible back-up plan. I was afraid my low MCAT scores would keep me out of an American medical school. These are for-profit schools set up by wealthy business men and women that will grant the M.D. degree upon completion of their rigorous training. There are many to choose from and their admissions criteria vary greatly. There are some reputable ones - namely the BIG 3: St. George's (Grenada), Ross (Dominica), and the American University of the Caribbean ("AUC" in St. Maarten). There are others obviously, but these are the big schools that have a long reputation of placing graduates into US residency training programs. Before the Caribbean rage, there was Mexico. Many of our parent's generation of physicians that could not get accepted in the U.S. went to Mexico to get their M.D. The Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara is the big one that comes to mind. The UAG is a major international player in the...
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Let's break down some numbers...my analysis.
2007-04-02 20:19:00
By all means, please feel free to make comments as you see fit so long as they are productive in nature. I'd like to hear what people out there think or what they would like to hear more of from this blog. Today, however, I'd like to offer my analysis of the current situation in the application process to medical school. Granted, using old numbers to predict the future does not guarantee similar results; however, looking at patterns can help you tremendously. It's funny. You'll see that medicine is all about "trends" and "patterns". Soon, you'll become concerned with a patients' blood sugar patterns or their cholesterol trends. So the same goes for applications to medical school. They are "cyclical" if you will. There are up years and down years for applications. Sometime in the not so distant past, applications were as high as 45,000 for roughly 16,000 spots. That number doesn't include DO schools mind you. Forty five divided by sixteen gives you 2.8. So, roughly one-in-thr...
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