Can't decide between programs- UNE/SGU

[thewander]

Hi all,

Recently I was accepted to two programs- University of New England in Maines DO program and an MD program tab Saint George offshore. Every time I think I've made a decision, I flip flop and wanted some input because I'm really struggling on deciding. Some of my questions include:

- Do DO programs prepare you for the USMLE? Does the curriculum feel at all diluted by osteopathic education and OMM? Do people typically feel equipped to enter a specialty they like?
- How should the decision be affected by merging residencies? Does this make either program any more or less appealing?

Aside from that, if there are any other considerations I should take into account, do say so. I don't know all the questions to ask. If there is also another area where I could/should post this for further insight also tell me.

Thanks so much in advance.

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[DocJanItor]

Honestly, this is a no brainer: A US DO school is, by far, a better choice than any off shore school. With a caribbean school, half of the class will fail out before Step 1, some will fail out before Step 2, and then only 50% will match to a residency in any given year. At best you're looking at a 25% chance to match to a non-competitive specialty.

With a DO school, their match rate in MD residencies is 80% and rising each year. That doesn't even include DO residency stats, which are very high. Additionally, the DO/MD residency merger will improve DO match rates and push caribbean match rates down even further.

OMM is a very minor part of your medical education as a DO. You learn it, you get tested on it in the COMLEX exams, but it's not going to displace any other info. Thousands of DOs take the USMLEs every year and do very well. It's just about studying and dedication.

Caribbean schools don't care about you at all. They want your money and everything else is on you. DO schools have a vested interest in seeing you perform well, and they will at least give you some assistance so that their stats don't suffer.

TLDR: Never go caribbean, especially with a better option like DO on the table.

 

[bears1992]

I think DocJanitor got it exactly right. Even if you make it though both schools, DO is still going to open more doors for you than an MD from SGU. Like Dr. Jan-i-tor said, DO over SGU is a no brainier. For SGU:

1) 2x the debt
2) They make more money when you fail. Seriously. That is their business plan. They have to buy rotation spots for years 3 and 4 so if you pay them 250k for the first two years of classroom education and then fail, they just made a quarter million without having to spend money on your rotation spots. SGU would go out of business if everyone graduated.
3) They are not governed by the same standards as US MD schools. A US MD school with the attrition rate at SGU would be shut down immediately. IIRC, SGU has an attrition rate of 50% or so. The worst DO school has an attrition rate of 15%.
4) There is a stigma against Caribbean grads. An SGU grad compared to a US MD grad with the same grades and USMLE scores is going to get passed over for the same residency spot every time, fair or not. There is a slight stigma against DOs but that trend is fading while the stigma against Caribbean grads is growing.

UNE>>>>>>>>>>>>Somalia School of Medicine>>>>>>>>>>SGU

 

[GypsyHummus]

You go to Podiatry school before you go to the carribean.

 

[thewander]

Honestly, this is a no brainer: A US DO school is, by far, a better choice than any off shore school. With a caribbean school, half of the class will fail out before Step 1, some will fail out before Step 2, and then only 50% will match to a residency in any given year. At best you're looking at a 25% chance to match to a non-competitive specialty.

With a DO school, their match rate in MD residencies is 80% and rising each year. That doesn't even include DO residency stats, which are very high. Additionally, the DO/MD residency merger will improve DO match rates and push caribbean match rates down even further.

OMM is a very minor part of your medical education as a DO. You learn it, you get tested on it in the COMLEX exams, but it's not going to displace any other info. Thousands of DOs take the USMLEs every year and do very well. It's just about studying and dedication.

Caribbean schools don't care about you at all. They want your money and everything else is on you. DO schools have a vested interest in seeing you perform well, and they will at least give you some assistance so that their stats don't suffer.

TLDR: Never go caribbean, especially with a better option like DO on the table.

First off, really appreciate your advice- I've been all over the place on this and this afforded me a lot of relief.

As far as carribbean schools go, I know SGU is one of the more reliable ones and I don't think the attrition is quite so drastic, but it's still daunting to me. For what it's worth, they offered me a lot of scholarship (weird for medical school but I suppose offshore is unorthodox to begin with), however I'm less concerned with the debt and more having my options open, which you addressed. I'm still waitlisted at my top allopathic school, but I find that's a crapshoot past traffic day and I really like UNE anyway.

Really I just want to be able to practice medicine and have opportunity at the end of my four years. Thank you so much for your help, seriously!

 

[DocJanItor]

You're making the smart choice. While I can't speak to SGU's scholarship motivations, your career will have many more options at the end of DO school rather than Caribbean. If you get into the US allopathic school, that's icing on the cake, but UNE is still a good choice.

Good luck, and feel free to reach out.