ACSOM - Caribbean Medical School (New!)

[Jonathan Whatley]

if I'm understanding this right, Caribbean medical schools graduates are considered foreign medical school grads? 

Yes, basically. A U.S. student who goes to any medical school outside of the U.S. and Canada is considered an international medical graduate. A non-U.S. student who does so and then applies for residency in the U.S. is considered a foreign medical graduate. Puerto Rico is considered U.S. here.

If so, why do people still look at these expensive schools? There's quite a few medical schools in EU that teaches in english that cost 1/4th the price. I know Italy has quite a few. Won't it be the same?

The Caribbean and European routes each have some advantages over the other.

Some U.S. states have restrictions against graduates from medical school programs that teach in English in countries where English is not a principal language. The Medical Board of California will only license graduates from such programs if the board has reviewed and approved that English-language program specifically, as of last I looked into this. The MBC has approved several English-language programs in Poland and two in the Czech Republic, but it doesn't appear to have approved any English-language programs in Italy. I believe some other states tend to follow California's list. (By the way, you might think, well, I'd practice in a state that doesn't have such a restriction. But if you cut out California and the likeminded states, you're down to few states in which to apply for residency, and those states may be getting outsized numbers of applications for their few residency spots from people in the same position as you.)

Caribbean offshore medical schools organize their curricula around USMLE test content, American drug names, American hospital practices, etc. American medical students in Europe often have to learn this second curriculum on their own on top of their school's local curriculum.

American medical students at many Caribbean medical schools spend all of years 3 and 4, clinical rotations, in the U.S. Their experience is in U.S. hospitals and clinics. Several Caribbean medical schools are well known and regarded by many U.S. residencies. Students on rotations have the chance to impress U.S. attending physicians who might admit them to their residencies, or recommend them to other U.S. residencies.

Several key Caribbean medical schools are approved for U.S. federal student loans, but I think very few European medical schools are. Many students need to borrow money not only for tuition but also for living expenses.