In controversial deal, New York signs Caribbean med school for training

This is a joke! Schools in the banana countries take all the loser students who could not get into US schools. All the guys who were last in my college class went to such schools. This is nonsense! LOSERS from LOSER schools give LOSER care!!

this is more trending for non-trads than students who cannot get in. 60% of the enrollment are students who just wanted to go to to the Caribbean cause the herd of the programs that were there. in fact a friend that attended c med s in a better md than a friend who studied in the states

Wow, it is really sad to see that some people still think and talk like the first poster above. Just because someone went to a Caribbean medical school doesn't mean that they are losers or came from the bottom of their undergraduate classes. There are frankly not enough spots in the US for all that apply, and many highly qualified, smart, personable students find other routes to fulfill their goals. If hospitals have a need for funds to maintain their facilities and a GOOD Caribbean school (look up their history, stats, etc and you'll see it's not filled with a bunch of "losers") wants to pay to ensure spots for their students and maintain these hospitals, I think they should.

I applaud this new medical school for being innovative in its design. Even today (1/30/09), we hear that the ACGME gives medical education a "C" and a report from the Macy foundation that chides medical schools to innovate. Med Schools NEED TO CHANGE. This is your wake-up call!

I have learned through my experience that what is bought is not the same as what is earned.

Those grenada grads has their residency spots BOUGHT for them.

Are they as qualified as the US medical grads? What do you honestly think? Grenada was hit by a level 4 hurricane a few years back and it leveled the school.

Do you really think those students learned what they were supposed to after that?

More importantly, think about why they had to buy the spots in the first place? It is because nobody wants them.

Look I didn't make this game.. I just play it...

I think the foundation is having a academic preparation and that itself leads to great rotations. Caribbean schools are profit schools because they take many applicants. What's scary is that those that perform low may not get a match for residency, but they get approval to hospitals that the school has ties with, which I think it is scary because poor students become doctors. Ultimately, the result will come down to service to the patients, if there is more malpractice cases or injuries or deaths from students who attending the Caribbean it would prove that the Caribbean schools selection process of student is poor and that may show that students aren't academically prepared, which is key in training.

People may say, I don't care where they go to schools, but if you really think about it, would you want a doctor that is well-prepared to handle patient care or do you want someone who misdiagnosed you? It's like pharmacy, do you want a pharmacist that had low grades and barely passing with C or a good student who you can reassure that will give you the medications and consult you about side effects and such especially if you use more than one medication?

I mean, if people don't care about preparation then you can have a dummy on the street become doctor.

Ultimately time will tell how these doctors preformed. Yes, alot of partiers and such go to these Caribbean schools, it definitely shows that Caribbean schools take anyone even with low grades.

Right, can we get a few things straight, as I see the two posters above me and possibly others are laboring under the misconception that these HHC spots are RESIDENCY spots. They're not. They're ROTATION (i.e. 3rd and 4th year) spots, where the students gain clinical experience, but which are still part of the 4 year medical school curriculum. They will have to find residency spots on their own merit, through the Match. Clear, now?

Do I think the HHC contract is fair? Yes. Keep in mind that SGU is not forcing out NY med students, but actually excluding students from other Caribbean schools from rotating through those hospitals, as they do not want their students lumped in with the students from lower-caliber Caribbean schools. And if you think that all Caribbean schools are the same, you're frankly either misinformed or deluded. Do your research and you'll find that SGU students come from very reputable undergrad institutions and have GPA's in the 3.something range at least. And the fact that so many of them are in active practice in the US at present indicates that their presence is actually desired as doctors, even though US med schools may not have wanted them. The competence one displays as a doctor is not infused into the brain by the school, regardless of it's "brand name". It comes from the students own effort. If they make the effort, I say fair play to them. The rest of you must learn to deal with it.

I think the more options they give to Cariibean students the better it is for poor students to have chances of getting in at least in the affiliated hospitals. More spots means more spots for rotations for even poor students. I don’t think low scores will brush off students that paid so much money to get into these schools added their desire to become a doctor. I mean I think Cariibbean schools want more of their students practicing regardless if they are competent or not with other doctors. It’s all about image and profit. I mean they don’t even tell you that alot of their students didn’t meet the match, but boast that their students got into some hospital. Added, we know that primary care is a big shortage and less competition I mean if a Caribbean student wants to become a dermatologist or cardiac surgeon it is very difficult for them to get admission.

I would think a patient, want their FMG doctor to be competent to U.S. doctor in academic performance and training. I mean I personally feel impressed when I see a doctor’s diploma and certificates at a U.S school like NYU for example knowing NYU is tough to get in either for enrolling into a 4 year medical school or getting a spot in the rotation. I mean the high competition and what scores they ask for are top and I know only those that have those competitive grades get in. I mean go to NYU Medical School site and read their requirements and such.
If a patient has a brain tumor, do you want a doctor not only book smart but as well in training from clinical rotations, residency, fellowship or research to successfully diagnosed and treat you and the doctor having high confidence that he is smart and very well prepared? No patient wants a less qualified person when compare to another doctor. I think ultimately it will come down to patient care, I know those poor students who became doctors and such will have the toughest challenge will they properly do their job? I mean I personally want a smart and highly trained person. Not someone who had mediocre grades, uslme, and rotations at hospitals that require less competition or none. Where you went to school matters because a hard admission standards means a school is more likely tough in preparing their students in their medical career!! Poor students have no chance of getting in and those that do poor in medical school are on probation or out! Think about medical students who went to University of Florida, Johns Hopkins, NYU, etc who got accepted into those medical schools to study medicine. Do you think any of these schools took poor students? Look at the admission requirements and how these schools screen for entering class. Medical schools don’t want their reputation to be tarnished by not educating and training properly. SSt. George's University took about 400 + students for entering class. You think all those students are doctor material or do you think it's about profit? HINT: 100 Million Deal doesn't tell you that! If malpractice case arise, courts probe into school records, where you want, who taught you, and more. I think that time, will only tell if Caribbean students match to US medical students or not. If it doesn’t there maybe hard penalties, law suits, and other problems associated with it.

Time will only tell they quality of doctors.
I do know there are some great students who have high undergraduate gpa's and mcat scores who did not get into medical school. The question I wonder why didn't they do post bac program at a US medical school program or go into Osteopathic medicine? I think the island life lures people. I wonder how many US medical students can say they can enjoy scuba diving, going to the beach, and have medical school events at the beach or cruises like Caribbean students?

To those students defending Caribbean schools saying there is nothing wrong when you hear that 400 + medical students get accepted into medical school. It makes me wonder how does faculty teach that many students? How in the world, you get that many students for admissions?

I personally think, time will tell the outcome. I hope that these Caribbean students are up for the challenges faced in the medical community, the last thing you need is patients suing you.
Though, I see some students from Caribbean doctor material, but most aren't that's the ones that people need to worry about.