MSK9's Medical School Thread & Guide

[indigoshuffle]

Since this is a thread about medical schools on an online degree forum, I'll throw these online medical schools into the mix:

International University of Health Sciences

Oceania University of Medicine

College of Medicine and Health Sciences St. Lucia

While I assume you're just trying to be helpful...

...I caution any reader or user of this thread to STEER CLEAR of the schools you listed.

That's a very short-sighted, narrow view of things, and I take issue with the erroneous notion that I would post something that could be a scam or is illegitimate.

This is a distance learning board, so it's important to understand that people who come to this board are from all over the world and some are accustomed to studying with distance learning schools outside the United States, and that includes some people who are living in the United States.

While the State of California's positions are important for California and some other states in the United States that wish to follow, they are irrelevant to most other places around the world so it wouldn't make sense to limit information simply to that.

Further, associating them with "scams" is inaccurate...

...So while I appreciate the spirit of the caution, it's unnecessary. If a person can go to medical school in their own country, that's obviously the best bet, but for others who are unable for a number of reasons or find that the cost is far out of reach in their own country (which is common here in the United States with our exorbitant tuition rates), those are legal alternatives that people have found success using. 

I checked out Oceania University of Medicine months ago, and I think it's a great program. I wouldn't go, but I see they have a handful of graduates in Florida, and quite a bit of students from other countries. I wouldn't go as far as to call it a scam. They're actually ahead of their time. If you study the purpose of the school, Oceania was designed to fill a severe Doctor shortage in Samoa and to create an opportunity for locals to possibly have a shot at medical school due to location and poverty. It's an excellent program if you plan to be an MD in Apia, Samoa... but I wouldn't recommend it otherwise. 
The problem I have with all Caribbean schools are: 

1) They are private, for-profit institutions, and right now St. George (SGU), one of the "big four" is enrolling 1500. This year they are opening ANOTHER CLASS.

2) For USMLE STEP 1, the claimed pass rate is 94% and the average STEP score is 224. 

CAVEAT EMPTOR 
1. At SGU you have to take an internal test before you can take Step 1. So if you don't meet their cut off number, they won't even let you take the exam. Not because it will hurt you, but because it will make the school look bad. I wonder how many of the 1500-1700 students actually are able to pass their internal exams?
   
2. At SGU 224 is the average score of the students WHO passed THE EXAM, not the average of all the students. With no standard deviation, a median score would be more representative than a mean.
   
3. At SGU they claim the match rate is 93%, but the specialties are limited. Over the past 2 years, I saw one student match into orthopedics, no plastic surgery, one dermatology, one ophthalmologist. This is crucial because everyone going in will, of course, say that they're happy with primary care and they just want MD tattooed on them when they die. Problem is, over 75% of medical students change their minds about their residency choices. This is because clinical exposure is low. As they learn more about what's out there, they're bound to change their mind.
   https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/right...ialtiesNow, the 93% match rate, only applies to people who were able to apply to the match. Out of the, now 1600 students, only 1000 apply each year. A student is allowed to repeat up to a year of classes (more debt) and supposedly some students just take time off. So if 1000 people are graduating, and the attrition rate is only 10%, why aren't 1500 people graduating every year??? Their attrition rate HAS to be higher than 10% so they're not being honest... which is scary for a school that costs that much.4. The base cost of SGU is $400,000. Even with scholarships, the loan options are not going to be as good, as an American medical school. Keep in mind, compounding interest; because of that the total cost will be far far more than $400,000