Need your advice about transfering to Caribbean MD school

[TruthMD]

HI,

I need your advice about transfering from US medical school to Carribean MD school. I am looking seriously at SGU because they will credit some of my courses MAYBE. Have to apply and see.

Most importantly:
Are students happy there, satisfied with the teaching, school, administration, etc...? I know nothing is perfect, but are people okay with things?

I was also thinking about ROSS, but they will not credit anything. They will ask me to repeat my first semester from scratch.

Any feedback would be great

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[TruthMD]

Wow, not a single reply to this. That is not the best sign is it?
Well I will have to think about it more carefuly then. If someone prefers they can email me or send me a message instead. Thank you

 

[oldpro]

Ok stay and tough it out in the US school you will regret leaving and becoming an FMG in the end. You have not even finished one year yet right?

There I know you don't like it but it's my answer.

 

[RaaMD]

What are your reasons for wanting to transfer?

 

[TruthMD]

Thank you for the advice. I do appreciate it very much. I want to transfer from an osteopathic program to an allopathic one. Nothing against osteopathic programs in general, I just don't think its is the right thing for me. Please let not turn this in to an osteopathic vs. allopathic discussion. That is really not my aim here. I read the other post that did that and it is not productive at all. Thank You for your opinions, I will take them into consideration when making my decision.

 

[oldpro]

Thank you for the advice. I do appreciate it very much. I want to transfer from an osteopathic program to an allopathic one. Nothing against osteopathic programs in general, I just don't think its is the right thing for me. Please let not turn this in to an osteopathic vs. allopathic discussion. That is really not my aim here. I read the other post that did that and it is not productive at all. Thank You for your opinions, I will take them into consideration when making my decision.

If you would have posted this in the first place I would have given a different answer, as far as productive you asked for an opinion,

AUC might accept the credits but yo are talking about DO verses MD and I do not really know if the programs accept the credit so easily? If you go to a 3 semester a year program and start over you can then sort of catch up too.

 

[Shinken]

I want to transfer from an osteopathic program to an allopathic one. Nothing against osteopathic programs in general, I just don't think its is the right thing for me.

Being a physician isn't the right thing for you? Then why go to an MD program. IT'S THE SAME THING.

Get over the initials. Some idiots will raise their eyebrows when you tell them you're a DO. Some idiots will raise their eyebrows when you tell them you're an MD from Aruba.

 

[oldpro]

Being a physician isn't the right thing for you? Then why go to an MD program. IT'S THE SAME THING.

Get over the initials. Some idiots will raise their eyebrows when you tell them you're a DO. Some idiots will raise their eyebrows when you tell them you're an MD from Aruba.

Oh boy, and you thought my post was useless.

No DO and MD are not the same thing Yes close but show me where in MD school we do OMM as part of what we are taught, I'm in second year and its not in Basic Science. If they were the same then there would be the same title.

M(edical) D(octor) Not D(octor) of O(steopathy)

 

[Shah_Patel_PT]

Being a physician isn't the right thing for you? Then why go to an MD program. IT'S THE SAME THING.

Get over the initials. Some idiots will raise their eyebrows when you tell them you're a DO. Some idiots will raise their eyebrows when you tell them you're an MD from Aruba.

I did not know there was a school in Aruba...

 

[Shah_Patel_PT]

Thank you for the advice. I do appreciate it very much. I want to transfer from an osteopathic program to an allopathic one. Nothing against osteopathic programs in general, I just don't think its is the right thing for me. Please let not turn this in to an osteopathic vs. allopathic discussion. That is really not my aim here. I read the other post that did that and it is not productive at all. Thank You for your opinions, I will take them into consideration when making my decision.

Good reason to transfer.

St. george or Ross are your 2 best options. Many people in the caribbean medical schools, get into DO schools.....but to avoid the stigma the rest of their life....they decide the carib route.

Read from someone who is there now:

http://www.islandmedstudent.com/blog/2006/07/my_story_what_a_long_strange_t.html

 

[TruthMD]

Shinken, thank you for your reply. I am sure that being a physician is exactly what I will be. So there is no dought about that anywhere.

I respect the osteopathic profession very much and I have no argument with it or with its teachings. I also believe that OMM is useful for some injuries and diseases. I just know its not the right thing for me. It is very similar to an allopathic program and at the end yes both are FULL physicians. Just like the way an MD from Carribbean or any international school is a physician.

However, there are some things I myself disagree with and do not wish to be part of in the future.

I am trying to find which Carribean school is the best for transfering to. I know SGU and ROSS both will do the job, I just want to make sure I do the research before making the jump. Thank You

 

[stephew]

sgu typically does NOT take transfers form other US schools and I highly doubt they will take them from an osteopathic school. There are liekly licencing issues down the road. the one US allopath who found himself at sgu had to start from day one.
the bigger issuef or you is this: be wary of any school that does take you as a transfer without first finding out if you will be allowed to practice in the states of your choice if you tranfered in from a DO to MD school. some less than scrupulous places wont care if the answer is no and just take your money anyway.

 

[TruthMD]

stephew, thank you for that important note. I realize that may be a problem. I may have to start from the beginning. That is okay and may be well worth it at the end.

I am looking into Ross and SGU, I just want to make sure that the students are satisfied with what they are getting and not suprised for what they signed up for. For example, does the administration want to see everyone succeed, do they try to help them out with whatever they need, or are they just trying to take their money and run. Does the administration watch every little thing they do. If there is a real problem do they listen or just blow the students off.

 

[Toohotinvegas33]

honestly, i think your going to screw yourself with all kinds of liscensing issues, plus if you want a going for a good residency your going to screw all the osteopathic ones.

 

[stephew]

i can t speak for ross as ive not studied there, only to say its a perfectly legitimate school. as for sgu. they give you a good education. its a business but they give you a good product. they do want you to succeed but sometimes the place has a keystone cop feel-you just have to accep tthat reality. the admin does listen to the students but ive found sometimes they dont go about things in ways that bolster that perception. i know many in the admin quite well i can do think they honestly care about what happens to the students. they just dont always excute things in the best slickest of ways. half the time i get called an sgu shill and the other half sgu is annoyed with me for someting i've said. so i hope that's a fairly good mark of independence. bascially with med school its up to you to take care of youself. the school and the profs will try to help you but youre not babied by any stretch of the imagination.

stephew, thank you for that important note. I realize that may be a problem. I may have to start from the beginning. That is okay and may be well worth it at the end.

I am looking into Ross and SGU, I just want to make sure that the students are satisfied with what they are getting and not suprised for what they signed up for. For example, does the administration want to see everyone succeed, do they try to help them out with whatever they need, or are they just trying to take their money and run. Does the administration watch every little thing they do. If there is a real problem do they listen or just blow the students off.

 

[drbon]

I'm a third year from a caribbean MD program and the rotations i'm doing right now are with a lot of DO students. From talking to them, it seems like all that osteopathic stuff goes right out the window once your basic science years are over and you start working in the hospitals. Right now they get the exact same teaching we get and they never even use their osteopathic training. so if it were me, i think at least from getting a residency standpoint, i'd stick with the DO rather than become an IMG just to have that MD behind your name.....talk with some 3rd and 4th years at your school if you can and see how much osteopathic medicine still plays a role in their lives/education/practice before you def decide to transfer

 

[billydoc]

I really don't understand why take such chances? If the OP is not failing at D.O. school just suck it up and finish the program. OMM is actually a billable procedure, so it isn't all that "snake oil" medicine. I'mtrained in acupuncture, and lots and lots very useful info comes from the oseopathic textbooks, and theory. Many D.Os who I know do practice OMM, and have more patients that they'll be able to see...ever. A "transfer" like this will probably looked at as a "failure" to finish a U.S program, and thus going Carib. Though it's up to you, I'd stay with D.O if I were you (O.P). Think long and hard before you jump the American "ship" for a foreign one.

 

[oldpro]

I'm a third year from a caribbean MD program and the rotations i'm doing right now are with a lot of DO students. From talking to them, it seems like all that osteopathic stuff goes right out the window once your basic science years are over and you start working in the hospitals. Right now they get the exact same teaching we get and they never even use their osteopathic training. so if it were me, i think at least from getting a residency standpoint, i'd stick with the DO rather than become an IMG just to have that MD behind your name.....talk with some 3rd and 4th years at your school if you can and see how much osteopathic medicine still plays a role in their lives/education/practice before you def decide to transfer

I think you have over simplified, OMM is a critical part of DO. I know the DO docs would disagree with you. These students will do more DO stuff in DO residencies , if they end up in one and you neglect to understand not all MD residencies are open to DO, that gets forgotten when DO is talked about.

 

[oldpro]

I really don't understand why take such chances? If the OP is not failing at D.O. school just suck it up and finish the program. OMM is actually a billable procedure, so it isn't all that "snake oil" medicine. I'mtrained in acupuncture, and lots and lots very useful info comes from the oseopathic textbooks, and theory. Many D.Os who I know do practice OMM, and have more patients that they'll be able to see...ever. A "transfer" like this will probably looked at as a "failure" to finish a U.S program, and thus going Carib. Though it's up to you, I'd stay with D.O if I were you (O.P). Think long and hard before you jump the American "ship" for a foreign one.

He is unhappy with the DO philosophy and feels he will not be successful.

 

[TruthMD]

i can t speak for ross as ive not studied there, only to say its a perfectly legitimate school. as for sgu. they give you a good education. its a business but they give you a good product. they do want you to succeed but sometimes the place has a keystone cop feel-you just have to accep tthat reality. the admin does listen to the students but ive found sometimes they dont go about things in ways that bolster that perception. i know many in the admin quite well i can do think they honestly care about what happens to the students. they just dont always excute things in the best slickest of ways. half the time i get called an sgu shill and the other half sgu is annoyed with me for someting i've said. so i hope that's a fairly good mark of independence. bascially with med school its up to you to take care of youself. the school and the profs will try to help you but youre not babied by any stretch of the imagination.

Thank you for all this good information. I definitely don't want a place where students are babied. I am very well capable of doing things on my own. I just want to know that the goal of the medical school to make their students successful if the student is willing to work at it. Not to impose ideas on their students.

The best part about going this way is that after the 2 years outside the USA doing basic science and the 2 years clinical science you can completely seperate yourself from the school and you are considered an MD and part of the AMA. You will not always have the AOA emposing regulations on you. You will not have to register with a different state medical association.. or all that stuff.

Again this is fine for most people but I don't believe this is the best option for everyone. There is nothing wrong with the osteopathic teaching or theory. I just do know if this is the best for me. So please don't take offence if you are in the osteopathic professions. It is like some people like red wine some like white.

 

[TruthMD]

I'm a third year from a caribbean MD program and the rotations i'm doing right now are with a lot of DO students. From talking to them, it seems like all that osteopathic stuff goes right out the window once your basic science years are over and you start working in the hospitals. Right now they get the exact same teaching we get and they never even use their osteopathic training. so if it were me, i think at least from getting a residency standpoint, i'd stick with the DO rather than become an IMG just to have that MD behind your name.....talk with some 3rd and 4th years at your school if you can and see how much osteopathic medicine still plays a role in their lives/education/practice before you def decide to transfer

I completely agree with you it is the same teaching but in the future you will not have to deal with AOA or different licensing practices in 5 states, or always having the stigma of osteopathy. Most importantly dealing with some people (a large percentage) in the osteopathic profession that are completely wako. Completely brainwashed and always hating MDs etc... You can be an MD with great patient care, with great whole body approach and prevention, treating the patient and not the symptom, you can do all of that without going to osteopathic medical school.

Regarding being IMG and having limited residency options. I do not agree with this. Considering I am not going for radiology or dermotology, I don't think this is very important for me. Being IMG or national grad will not make a difference in my residency application. As long as I score well on the USMLEs I am fine. That is another thing, I will not need to do USMLEs and COMLEXs.

 

[TruthMD]

I really don't understand why take such chances? If the OP is not failing at D.O. school just suck it up and finish the program. OMM is actually a billable procedure, so it isn't all that "snake oil" medicine. I'mtrained in acupuncture, and lots and lots very useful info comes from the oseopathic textbooks, and theory. Many D.Os who I know do practice OMM, and have more patients that they'll be able to see...ever. A "transfer" like this will probably looked at as a "failure" to finish a U.S program, and thus going Carib. Though it's up to you, I'd stay with D.O if I were you (O.P). Think long and hard before you jump the American "ship" for a foreign one.

Just for the record, the OP is not failing at a DO school. The OP is doing just fine at the DO school, which is identical to the teaching at an MD school (with the addition of osteopathic manipulation). The OP is extremely inteligent and has a great academic record. A transfer is not looked upon as a failure.. depending on the reasons, personal or profession, it is considered as a mature thing to do. But Thank you for your feedback.

 

[billydoc]

Just for the record, the OP is not failing at a DO school. The OP is doing just fine at the DO school, which is identical to the teaching at an MD school (with the addition of osteopathic manipulation). The OP is extremely inteligent and has a great academic record. A transfer is not looked upon as a failure.. depending on the reasons, personal or profession, it is considered as a mature thing to do. But Thank you for your feedback.

Well, you've asked for an advise / opinion. My response was based on the experience of knowing a couple of D.O students who transfered to the Caribbean schools. This question (Were you failing?) was constantly asked, and followed them. Believe it or not, it was hard concept for some PDs, and others to grasp why would someone transfer from an American program to the Foreign. I'm not commenting on the idiotic arguement DO vs MD. Anyone who is informed knows it's rubish. D.O is MD + OMM...thus the question. Don't care about OMM? that's quite fine. practice the rest of your training, not OMM. Anyway, i wish you best of luck, and hope that you will come to the right (for you) decision. The thing to remember though is, no matter how anybody spin it, as an American graduate you have a better shot at certain residencies, and ZERO licensing issues down the road. But it's your life. you decide

 

[Inkabellous]

Only you know what is best for you. So, go for it. I don't personally think that MD from a carrib school will terribly hinder your chances for residency especially if you are set on "less competitive" ones. Also, once you are done with everything (residency/fellowship etc), nobody will care where you went to school. You are a MD and that's the end of story. Go where you will be happiest. Good luck with everything.

 

[Stimulate]

The stigma of transferring from one medical school to another will DEFINITELY follow you up until you start your practice somewhere.

I am going through the state licensing and board eligibility process right now and every single form asks if you have transferred from one medical school or residency to another. All of these forms require that you attach detailed explanations (there is not a check box for "I did really well just didn't agree with the philosophy"). Certainly an affirmative answer will delay your application's approval significantly. They will need to verify the reasons for your transfer.

Also, not to focus on the negatives of being an IMG but states like california and a couple of others really put the screws to you in terms of documenting your clinical experiences at international schools, plus you will have to explain this transferring of schools on top of that issue.

I also think it will hurt your residency applications because the program directors will be thinking the same thing I am....something must be wrong.

I am sympathetic to your frustrations with the osteopathic profession, and specifically with the AOA, however this might have been better addressed before you started down that path. However, these issues with the AOA are only short-term. For example, I live in Ohio and there is only 1 state medical board here that regulates MDs and DOs. You don't even have to be an AOA member.

I know the purpose of your thread was not seeking advice on this issue but coming from someone who felt the same way as you a few years ago, please give this some more consideration.

 

[awdc]

HI,
Most importantly:
Are students happy there, satisfied with the teaching, school, administration, etc...? I know nothing is perfect, but are people okay with things?

It really depends on whom you ask. Professors are for the most part available. Administration can be hit or miss. Administration of and quality of clinical rotations can be frustrating. Just keep looking at the big picture and be proactive with your education and things will be okay.

 

[oldpro]

I completely agree with you it is the same teaching but in the future you will not have to deal with AOA or different licensing practices in 5 states, or always having the stigma of osteopathy. Most importantly dealing with some people (a large percentage) in the osteopathic profession that are completely wako. Completely brainwashed and always hating MDs etc... You can be an MD with great patient care, with great whole body approach and prevention, treating the patient and not the symptom, you can do all of that without going to osteopathic medical school.

Regarding being IMG and having limited residency options. I do not agree with this. Considering I am not going for radiology or dermotology, I don't think this is very important for me. Being IMG or national grad will not make a difference in my residency application. As long as I score well on the USMLEs I am fine. That is another thing, I will not need to do USMLEs and COMLEXs.

This part of my reason to be in the Caribbean. I did not personally want to deal with the DO issue, I dealt with Male RN for 17 years and theres a real stigma there, I just wanted MD and then you explain the USLME and COMLEX hurdle I agree but never bring this up, It's like punishment for not going to an MD school.

 

[Taus]

its really not a big deal.....spend a couple days brushing up on your OMM and then take the COMLEX....

 

[oldpro]

its really not a big deal.....spend a couple days brushing up on your OMM and then take the COMLEX....

Funny but I know some people who just do not want to do OMM and others who are in DO school who had trouble passing COMLEX may be due to focus? I dunno?

 

[erichaj]

You may actually enjoy it. It may increase your revenue and you can get the patients to come and see a real doctor. You can keep them from seeing a chriopractor. You have an advantage.

Going to offshore school has its disadvantage as well.

 

[Taus]

I know its not necessarily the place for it....but my opinion on OMM and DO's learning it:

If you're into Primary Care, PM&R or sports med (various initial specialties)...then being able to do OMM and deal w/ musculoskeletal complaints is a a huge asset. Most docs will just script for pain meds and muscle relaxers and turf to PT. Last time I checked 80% of all adults will suffer from back pain at some time and the #2 complaint to primary care is musculoskeletal issues.

On the other hand:
If you know from day one that you wanna be an oncologist, surgeon, endocrinologist, etc, etc....then OMM likely won't be that useful for you except for maybe helping your physical exam skills and learning your anatomy. These are the people who are usually upset that they have to spend time learning OMM.....nothing wrong w/ them and they can be fine physicians...but to them its a waste of time and just another hoop to jump through to get their medical liscense.

 

[oldpro]

You may actually enjoy it. It may increase your revenue and you can get the patients to come and see a real doctor. You can keep them from seeing a chriopractor. You have an advantage.

Going to offshore school has its disadvantage as well.

Yea I do not advocate over leaving a DO program or not going to a DO school unless you will not be happy with it. I think Lifetime happiness out weights the FMG Caribbean thing, but I think if it is not that strong of a problem then go DO.

This is sometimes a personal choice and has nothing to do with what is better, I personally think the Caribbean does not deserve the trashing it gets here or any other web site, its all attitudes and bias mostly.

Once the Caribbean grads are in residency no one cares anymore.

 

[TruthMD]

Thank You for all the feedback. These are all thought which I already had in mind. Except for the OMM billing. I think that is a crapy waste of time. If you go in to FP you will be so busy seeing patients who are suffering from cold or flu or injury that you have little time to try and do and bill for OMM. This works on some patients (with NM disease or injury) NOT every patient.

I personally can not hear another word about A.T.Still and how futuristic he was. Everything to do with medicine today was discovered by A.T. Still. Appearently all the scientific advancement and trial an errors that was done did not count for anything because A.T.Still already discovered it on his wagon in Missouri.

AOA is a crap organization. To be part of it, you can either be a DO or a JD. Better yet, have both, so if anyone sais anything to you, you can sue them. I honestly feel that they are a bunch of brainwashed sad people holding a grudge against MD not only from US, but also those from arround the world, as if they had something to do with the DO blacklisting. I say get over it.

Once completing an MD from Caribean or any school. No one cares where you went to school. As long as you do well on your USMLEs. I have never asked an MD where they went to school, I did not really care. I was more concerned about how good they knew their stuff.

p.s. The comlex is not just a couple fo days studying for OMM).

 

[Taus]

Thank You for all the feedback. These are all thought which I already had in mind. Except for the OMM billing. I think that is a crapy waste of time. If you go in to FP you will be so busy seeing patients who are suffering from cold or flu or injury that you have little time to try and do and bill for OMM. This works on some patients (with NM disease or injury) NOT every patient.

I personally can not hear another word about A.T.Still and how futuristic he was. Everything to do with medicine today was discovered by A.T. Still. Appearently all the scientific advancement and trial an errors that was done did not count for anything because A.T.Still already discovered it on his wagon in Missouri.

AOA is a crap organization. To be part of it, you can either be a DO or a JD. Better yet, have both, so if anyone sais anything to you, you can sue them. I honestly feel that they are a bunch of brainwashed sad people holding a grudge against MD not only from US, but also those from arround the world, as if they had something to do with the DO blacklisting. I say get over it.

Once completing an MD from Caribean or any school. No one cares where you went to school. As long as you do well on your USMLEs. I have never asked an MD where they went to school, I did not really care. I was more concerned about how good they knew their stuff.

p.s. The comlex is not just a couple fo days studying for OMM).

I guess I'm somewhat lucky in that my school does not push the history/AT still stuff much..... and we really mostly focus on NM/MSK OMM stuff....hardly any of the visceral/cranial/etc. We also only have lab 1.5 hours a week an an avg of 1 hour of OMM lecture per week....I'll admit that I might feel a little different if it was much more then that (and I plan on using it in PM&R). Also, by a few days I meant a few days of OMM (ie the Savarese book) + studying for the USMLE.

 

[neurodoc]

The way I see it is this: 1) USMGs (DO or MD) have far fewer licensing "issues" after they graduate than do IMGs, so bailing out of a US med school for a foreign school will create problems for you when it comes time to apply for residency and get licensed in the US; 2) none of the Carribean schools are "cheap" to attend, compared to US DO & MD schools, so you will not save money by attending a Carribean school; 3) you may prefer to earn an "MD" rather than a "DO," but the fact is that in the US both degrees are equivalent, when granted by a US school. Indeed, as far as US residency programs and state licensing boards are concerned, the US degrees (DO and MD) are "preferred" to either degree granted by a foreign school. That is a fact and not just my opinion. If you are so averse to getting a US DO that you would prefer a foreign MD, that's your your prerogative. Good luck in your endeavor.

Nick

 

[oldpro]

T..............3) you may prefer to earn an "MD" rather than a "DO," but the fact is that in the US both degrees are equivalent, when granted by a US school. Indeed, as far as US residency programs and state licensing boards are concerned, the US degrees (DO and MD) are "preferred" to either degree granted by a foreign school. That is a fact and not just my opinion. If you are so averse to getting a US DO that you would prefer a foreign MD, that's your your prerogative. Good luck in your endeavor.

Nick

I disagree, I do not want to start a flame war here, but want to point out per my own research DO's do not get accepted into all MD residencies so they are limited there, DO and MD are not the same, DO's are working on education so they are accepted as the same but bias still exists and you are kidding yourself to think it's not there. If the bias is not there then WHY do so many premeds then MD students say " MD then DO as back up" Few choose DO first, Why? Because most want MD

 

[Stimulate]

The fact of the matter is that neither a foreign MD or a DO degree are going to make you more competitive in the US MD Match. Both degrees will suffice but you will face prejudice either way. One nice thing about the DO degree is that god-forbid you don't secure a position in the MD Match you can always walk right into a DO residency somewhere. Even though you are stuck dealing with the AOA which I agree is painful it is better than not securing a position at all.

Also, being a foreign MD has its administrative hurdles (so does AOA so pick your poison) as well. I have many friends who are IMGs who complain about all the licensing and residency application issues in the US. The majority of them say that being a DO would have been easier.

But this thread isn't really about MD or DO....The key issue is that transferring from one medical school to another is going to be harmful to his/her career. I wonder how program directors will react to this? Most will not be able to understand the rationale and might even suspect that he/she has a behavioral problem, etc. Plus, when the program director calls his osteopathic medical school Dean (guaranteed this will happen), what obligation will the Dean say? Will a Dean make supportive comments about someone who they accepted and turned their back on the profession?

Like I said earlier, TruthMD should not have even started DO school in the first place if he wasn't familiar with the osteopathic rhetoric.

 

[oldpro]

honestly, i think your going to screw yourself with all kinds of liscensing issues, plus if you want a going for a good residency your going to screw all the osteopathic ones.

What Licensing issues if one of the Big Caribbean 4? Same as a LCME school as far as all states so what issue? He said he would start over.

 

[Inkabellous]

While DO and MD are considered the same in terms of privileges and authorities, they certainly do NOT have the same opportunities comes time for residency selections. There have been a couple of discussions a while back in DO forum regarding the discrimination against DO applicants. In fact, some university hospitals do not even allow DO students to do certain rotations (there was a complaint about this in DO forum as well). Thus, to blindly state that both degrees receive the same consideration for resideny, that is plain delusional.

 

[oldpro]

The fact of the matter is that neither a foreign MD or a DO degree are going to make you more competitive in the US MD Match. Both degrees will suffice but you will face prejudice either way. One nice thing about the DO degree is that god-forbid you don't secure a position in the MD Match you can always walk right into a DO residency somewhere. Even though you are stuck dealing with the AOA which I agree is painful it is better than not securing a position at all.

Also, being a foreign MD has its administrative hurdles (so does AOA so pick your poison) as well. I have many friends who are IMGs who complain about all the licensing and residency application issues in the US. The majority of them say that being a DO would have been easier.

But this thread isn't really about MD or DO....The key issue is that transferring from one medical school to another is going to be harmful to his/her career. I wonder how program directors will react to this? Most will not be able to understand the rationale and might even suspect that he/she has a behavioral problem, etc. Plus, when the program director calls his osteopathic medical school Dean (guaranteed this will happen), what obligation will the Dean say? Will a Dean make supportive comments about someone who they accepted and turned their back on the profession?

Like I said earlier, TruthMD should not have even started DO school in the first place if he wasn't familiar with the osteopathic rhetoric.

Yes the key here is suck it in if you transfer and repeat the 1st year, then you do not have to report it I think? but all credits will be from the MD program and not transferred.? Right?

 

[Stimulate]

Yes the key here is suck it in if you transfer and repeat the 1st year, then you do not have to report it I think? but all credits will be from the MD program and not transferred.? Right?

Unfortunately you will have to report it when it comes to your state license. Most Boards ask if you have ever transferred from one medical school or residency program to another, and if yes, you must attach a detailed explanation. These are the kind of events that Boards and Program Directors will certainly look into. I personally think a residency program would really have to want the applicant badly in order to go through that much effort to validate his/her background. I definitely would not lie about this (or anything for that matter) with a state medical board.

You may be able to get away with not reporting it for residency application purposes though...

 

[Stimulate]

What Licensing issues if one of the Big Caribbean 4? Same as a LCME school as far as all states so what issue? He said he would start over.

I don't think this is true for california. I could be wrong but from my understanding anyone from a school outside of the United States must complete a separate CA medical license application, wherein documentation of all clinical rotations must be completed in addition to ECFMG certification.

Maybe someone on this post can help me out here but don't all carribean graduates have to get certification through ECFMG? Is this not considered a hassle? I don't see how this is easier than withstanding AOA rhetoric...I don't even read my AOA journals.

I also agree with the above comments about the DO degree being a hinderance to residency application just like being an FMG. I know this for a fact because I discovered this during my anesthesiology residency interviews. As a DO seeking a competitive specialty you have to work at it to get a spot (i.e. audition, etc.). Everything is attainable but nobody is going to hand you a position.

 

[TruthMD]

First, thank you to everyone for your feedback and information. Just to update you. I will be attending SGU this August as an MS1. First year from scratch. I never thought I would redo first year, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. Plus I can then come back to SDN and actually post the difference between year one at a DO program and that at an MD program.

I did a lot of research and SGU is by far a good school.. and will prepare you for the boards.

Again nothing against DO students. DO may be a great option for some, but for me, after a lot of reflection and passing first year, I realized that this is not for me. Please do not turn this into an MD vs. DO discussion. It is not.

I just wanted to let everyone know that most likely you will not get credit for any of your courses and will have to repeat from first year.

 

[max831]

Congratulations. This is what you will now be up against:

92-95% of US allo students match

70-72% of US osteo students (that apply for the allo match) match

20-25% of IMG's (that apply for the US allo match) match (not including Canada which matches about 50%)

Hope the two letters are worth it to you.

And by the way, these numbers are solid and consistent year after year, so don't bother defending with a bunch of posts about your carrib school matching 100%, etc. The schools can manipulate the statistics any way they want, but the match statisitics are fact (which you can find without asking me to post the link).

 

[oldpro]

Congratulations. This is what you will now be up against:

92-95% of US allo students match

70-72% of US osteo students (that apply for the allo match) match

20-25% of IMG's (that apply for the US allo match) match (not including Canada which matches about 50%)

Hope the two letters are worth it to you.

And by the way, these numbers are solid and consistent year after year, so don't bother defending with a bunch of posts about your carrib school matching 100%, etc. The schools can manipulate the statistics any way they want, but the match statisitics are fact (which you can find without asking me to post the link).

WRONG numbers but good try..................... 50% FMG in the official match and more outside the match. But people believe what they believe.
CHeck out the real numbers for yourself it does not give the ones you do but such is the internet.

I posted the link since you DID NOT POST SOLID FACTS!

http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/data_tables.html

 

[MaximusD]

TruthMD I think you'll come to realize the error in judgement that you have made... best of luck though.

 

[max831]

Fair enough (the stats I saw were a few years older), but 50% is still far less than 71% especially since the the rest of the osteo students still match into osteo programs.

 

[oldpro]

TruthMD I think you'll come to realize the error in judgement that you have made... best of luck though.

I agree that it would be better for them to stay in the DO program but some people need the change to succeed, the goal is practice not DO or MD, Practice...........

 

[oldpro]

Fair enough (the stats I saw were a few years older), but 50% is still far less than 71% especially since the the rest of the osteo students still match into osteo programs.

Yes but FMG's can Match outside the official match and I can tell you I have and many have matched outside the match, this goes unreported, DO and US MD cannot do outside the match.

 

[max831]

How often does matching unofficial = first choice (outside of primary care)? And do not forget the scramble that US students do qualify for.