Thank God we didnt get a direct hit. Be blessed. There are foreign nationals who also compete for the limited number of seats. Graduating to be a doctor without the ability to handle yourself and your failures, is dangerous to you and your patients. I am a class 12 student from India and it has been my dream to become a surgeon in the US. In the US and some countries they filter the applicants prior to entry. But we also teach them some of the more complex subjects of medical school. I had confidence in my self and my competency hence I chose not to spend the extra time attempting at an acceptance to an onshore medical school, Id rather get through the process so I can service humanity as a doctor that much more sooner and longer. Is it worth it? These schools want high quality doctors and have reputations to uphold. 6 Do you need health insurance to go to Saba University? Used to study questions pretest, Lange books, and work backwards onto notes. These schools are not for you. We literally teach highs school and early college students about Cardiac and Endocrine embryology. Saba University School of Medicine has rolling admissions. They dont push themselves with studying. Would you recommend that. They even have a clause in the student handbook that states how they can make any changes to the handbook whenever they want. SABA University School of Medicine is a good medical school located in the Caribbean islands. The school where I attended my Medical Technology School training closed in 1999 and I could not get a transcript. It really is a giant risk but if it pays off, you will succeed. If you know what you want, if you are dedicated to achieve your goals, it does not matter if you are in the US med school or outside. The staff is disconnected and said either repeat the term after you seek medical attention or just quit. Saba University School of Medicine students who successfully complete the requisite licensing examinations are eligible to practice medicine in Canada, Puerto Rico and all 50 U.S. states. Lets be real we do not need to be so pessimistic. Thanks for sharing! Will anything ever be done about that evil institution? When we unite as a profession to PROTECT one another and not allow our colleagues to fall and be preyed upon we will finally have real health care. I will be happy to share more information with you. What is the tuition for Nigerian med schools? This is right on the money! Specifically, the following bodies have approved, recognized or licensed Saba University School of Medicine: Saba University School of Medicine is one of the select international medical schools approved to participate in U.S. Federal Student Aid programs.Comparability to US Medical School RequirementsThe United States Department of Education, via the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA), reviews the standards that countries use to accredit medical schools. Thats not what I signed up for. If you want to be a surgeon you work for it, if you want to serve the underserved, you guessed it, YOU WORK FOR IT!! The Cayman Islands have St. Matthew's medical school that has an impressive 31.8% match rate. The farthest apartments I heard from students who live off campus are about 15 min distance in car from the school. Go easy on yourself (so you can do well, you cant stress when your work is already stresseing you, thats too much, go easy), and follow your destiny wherever it takes you. You just drop out when you run out of money.. 400 students accepted. Are you real? The child-mortality rate in Cuba is lower than it is in the U.S., and life expectancy in both countries is about the same, even though per-capita health-care spending in the United States is the highest in the world. Well dive into other aspects of Sabas admissions process in this article. We have a great psych department for those who suffer of anxiety, depression or are facing a difficult time. Dominica is a very underdeveloped island so its important to know what you are getting yourself into. What medical school did you apply for ? Thus, story is; if you cant handle different and unexpected, dont go to the Caribbean. To become a PA is more competitive than a DO school. All of that work for someone to tell you to just quit. I then went into a depression and felt numb. Students who need extra academic help are assigned to a different cohort, so not all of the 1,000 or 900 or 500 or whatever is the number of students per term are mashed into a lecture hall. I read this with great interest as a specialist trained in Quebec 35 years ago. These factors are critical because if you are in an environment that you hate, it makes it very difficult to focus on studies and to maintain healthy mental health. Are you a licensed physician? There are many other problems with Saba which are getting worse in recent years. And thats the outcome for the bright students. The school has to have this 40 percent attrition rate to fund the paid positions for our clinical rotations in the US. I cant believe that adults would allow such for-profit medical schools to continue like this! Trust me and stay tuned. Many of us miss our families; we have missed family celebrations and parties at our best friends house. Many Ivy League and non-Ivy League medical schools are like that. I did clerkships in the US and a Fifth Pathway, and got a primary care career. There are no textbooks, no study materials, the lecture hall has a capacity of 200 students but there are 1,000 students (so a good number will be wharfed eventually), there is no electricity to study with, there is no internet, accommodation was always a problem so you might end up squatting in a tiny room with at least 5 people, you get ONE big exam per course at the end of the entire semester (nothing like midterms cos professors are too lazy for that), there are professors who will NEVER award an A regardless of how good a student is, then theres the dean of the department who will announce to the incoming class that they didnt graduate with a first class (magna/summa cum laude) in their time so if youre in this class hoping for such grades, you should dreamless because he does NOT award such in the departmentand a laundry list of other adversities facing medical students in Nigeria yet they prevail and become one of the most brilliant doctors Ive ever seen. More surprisingly is this school has partnerships with hospital in New Jersey and New York that offer to cover half or full tuition to students eligible for the scholarship. You keep your head down, study everyday, and hit the store once a week. Dont kill someone elses dream because you cant reach your own. Now that Im in my last semester it seems all worth it. Saba University School of Medicine was founded in 1992 with a bold mission: to establish an international alternative to U.S. and Canadian medical schools that would not only provide an excellent medical education and expansive career opportunities but also maintain an affordable tuition. In March of 2014, Phillip passed the U.S. medical-licensing exam, with one year of Cuban medical school left. Insurance per semester: $295. Students come to the gym to release some stress and have some social interactions with other students as well. I enrolled in 2 semesters of physics and passed with an A and a B+. Of course, the outcome depends on you. Youll see all the positivity in the brochures and the information sessions but I can promise you its a very different experience at least when youre on the island. Some people just concentrate on what is going on in class and the positives and not dwell too much on what they cant change. I dont know the current overall attrition rate at Saba because it varies a lot per semester and it is getting progressively worse in recent years due to changes in management and administration. I would hope very much cheaper than others given your description above. She called me after the meeting crying and said she was sorry. Born and raised in the UK, Will went into medicine late (31) after a career in journalism. Yes! Between 2015 and 2022, this rate was 99%. Everything is poorly taught by profs with very thick foreign accents and there is no time to properly review the material. 1. I wont argue that a lot of students drop out. Like I said earlier, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SUCCESS regardless of where you attend medical school. Do you have any undisclosed information on their loan for international student? I have not started medical school yet in the Caribbean, but I expect it is like anything else: if you work hard you can become a competent physician. You just have to put the hours in and learn it. The admin only cares about money and their curriculum is set up for student hardship and even failure. Its a more affordable option. The point of this one example is that the school is run by advantage takers. It is stressful but it is ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT!!!! Like finding out good studying strategies. MAKE THEM! There is no Caribbean school that will tell you there is a 40% fail out rate in their school. Dr. Pamela writing this will not do any good . I have been a PA-C for 5.5 years and am starting MD term 1 this fall. I graduated grade school and undergrad in the US for computer sciences. I dont know how to answer that. I do not recommend any living organism to AUA and the island. We lived in our own apartments. That and SGU is the only legitimate school out of the bunch and make sure youre a good test taker. I wanted to finally speak up. I feel like the same goes when a physician, you will be expected to just work. Some are plain terrible. Unfortunately for some, you do have to crack open a textbook once in awhile. We got them to retreat from that Questions would highlight what should I know. The school and curriculum arent that difficult. So many fractured lives and lost dreams. My inner city High school in US was more rough than a Caribbean medical school. Spot on! The cheating has gone through the roof and theyve taken the curve away. The farthest apartments I heard from students who live off campus are about 15 min distance in car from the school. From the School. offered Phillip a chance to pursue medicine without incurring catastrophic debt. St James doesnt even qualify for federal loans. Many times-the places I was impressed when I saw their loan facilities because Im a graduate of pharmacology in Nigeria and I have been considering studying medicine abroad. Getting into a US medical school does not mean that you are necessarily more capable than another person who was rejected by the same school or all US schools for that matter. I have seen and heard of students being robbed, raped, intentionally run over by vehicles, detained by law enforcement without cause, and students dying for stupid reasons because nobody would come to their rescue. Do this and youll become a doctor. That is hard. Hard to paint with a broad stroke here as so many factors are involved; however, the main point that I think we can all agree on is that these schools should not be deceptive with students. 2. Your email address will not be published. Schools like the International University of Health Sciences allow you to take the basic sciences online (2 years), then find a residency in the United States and their system has been very successful. My school gave me the opportunity to study medicine, something that US medical schools didnt do for me. Do you guys have any advice for me? I worked my tail off to get to this point and I feel accomplished now. But I guess thats more reasonable than going to that one Phil MED school allowing US Student Loans and US MED/Caribbean Territory rates. I saw them dismiss hard-working students who were already in 4th term and close to already over $300k in debt. Phillip was impressed by his story, and by E.L.A.M.s philosophy of offering a free education for students who pledged to practice medicine in low-income, medically underserved areas. Life is short so dont spend forever trying to be a doctor and look seriously at other options which will keep you happy. Personally, I think Saba has a lot to offer that perhaps many students first overlook. To anyone who has suffered at the hands of carribean med schools, or who is reading this and has had even a remotely similar situation. Never really read whole book. Register to our upcoming in-person events and webinars! Every school cares about money, but they have a good track record from my first-hand observation. I think what is missing is the transparency on the part of the schools. will they help pay for the class or semester you need to retake or do you have to find your own funding or take out private loans? lol. Many factors have contributed to the dropout rate and the decision not to go to Saba. To summarize, you need 3 things to make it in a caribbean medical school: 1) dedication and staying away from distractions 2) finding your learning style and resources 3) teaching yourself to stay disciplined. I imagine that you have now made this decision for yourself, and I imagine that the law of averages would suggest you did not finish at Saba, but maybe managed to transfer on from there. Students are eligible for U.S. Federal and Canadian Provincial Loans Hi! There are going to be better or worse choices, and everyone is going to experience the life differently. This is excellent advice. Pill mills abound, Ive even We had a Siesta in between the morning and afternoon classes, but this meant having to commute twice. Saba has a match rate of 58% among US-IMGs. I was a hardworking student with an upwards trajectory grades-wise. weeks taking Segundos and Terceros, only to find out you Failed anyway. not a dorm-which AUA has been deligating that to nearby apt housing complexes on the island. So please, I need to know the truth. Sabas curriculum emphasizes greater integration between case-based learning and clinical skills development. At the time, you work your ass off and you get a shot at getting residency back in the US. I am also SGU student and this is very inaccurate and misleading. Be one of those few students that stay at home with their head in the books while others go out. Life gave us punches as kids in High School in US. I knew it would be impossible to afford a US medical school so I opted for the cheaper Caribbean medical schools. You need to perform in the best way possible on a daily basis and need to be mindful of your health both physical and mental. This certificate is very useful in the field of medicine. I remember studying homeless in the park for the MCAT with a head flashlight on. Please I know you want to atleast sit back and let your MD work for you a little bit and reap rewards of your labor rightfully so.. Dont forget the reason that help you stick to it. If not you can contact me as I have information that you would benefit from. I figured that being at AUA was not healthy for me anymore, I was not happy, not eating well, not sleeping well. If youre considering a Caribbean school, you dont have a GPA that will get you into a proper American school. At AUA, ROSS, AUC, SGU, etc. With all due respect to those who are posting, a fast paced curriculum where you need to maintain a 70% is a feature of all medical schools not just those in the Caribbean. Think about the Caribbean life, and residency, and being a physician. Stop going to the beach every afternoon. One word = corrupted. I managed to serve my two years on the island and another two years in Queens for clinical rotations. Your email address will not be published. VIDEO FROM THE NEW YORKER Fuck the rest, excuses included. Americans dont GO there anymore. Also as an athlete, you knew when not to run or when running, when to stop, like if you pull a muscle. As soon as you are a pre-med, the world will ask a lot from you and they will never stop asking you to be perfect. So no one can tell you about this university like I do because I have 2 years of experience in this university and still I am going to this university. My hubby is deliberating between AUA (global health track) and SGU. By no means was going to this school a disastrous proposition for me. You are going to be hit by a different culture, different environment, may be water that wont run in the morning, sick days, landlords that dont understand your reasoning, noisy neighborhoods unless you are lucky and at a quiet island or area, thieves (there are everywhere even in US) but this time you might be the one to encounter them if life blows them your way. The negative attitude predominates on campus, so I chose to live off campus with success driven students to escape it. Been there and done/doing that! I luckily met you, Dr. Wible, and found out there were options for these feelings and that I was not alone in this process, med school can be hard. The lady in Gobernacion used to give A minimum 50 hours of direct patient care (volunteering, shadowing, working as an EMT, etc. The newly lowered gpa requirement is in place so that they can get more tuition money even though it means that an even higher percentage of students wont make it through the program. US step score is 224. There is CRAZY money in the Caribbean medical school racket! Thanks for writing Elizabeth. Still, this thread is an interesting read if youre looking for more insight into exactly whats going on at Saba (and what it might be like). I actually enjoyed my med 1 courses and like youve mentioned, I met some amazing people. A 3.0 GPA is unimpressive and can easily get lost in the shuffle of competition with higher-graded students. They actually started getting better the further we moved along in semesters. From adequate student support systems, to ombudsmans to hear student pleas or act as support and defenders in events like the ones i dealt with. MED5 curriculum requirements has been changing during the semester as we speak. Saba University School of Medicine (Saba) was founded in 1992 with the goal of providing an excellent medical education and expansive career opportunities for dedicated students, while maintaining an affordable tuition that enables them to practice as physicians with far less debt than other similarly credentialed schools. If a student does fall below either mark students may or may not be allowed to decel, which means repeating the failed class; however, this looks bad on a residency app and if one fails again they are almost certainly dismissed (rare exceptions). This is unethical, fraud, immoral and something needs to be done about it. Spanish is an excellent 2nd language and it is spoken in many countries. Compared to other schools I must say AUA does have good resources and facilities. Do these schools give kickbacks to hospitals in the States so that their students get experience and jobs? I would challenge you to speak with doctors in America now (brilliant doctors I may add) who attained their medical degrees from Nigeria and ask them what life as a medical student in Nigeria was like. I dont even know if that is a race I would run. You learn how to make relationships with the right people if you are smart and people that keep you on track. My advice, from my heart of hearts, and which I can only give in good conscience, is that you absolutely should not attend Saba University School of Medicine. I got into RUSM and SJSM, and having a hard time to decided which one to choose. Certainly not worth getting into a quarter million in debt that will take for ever to pay back. You are not exaggerating? Ive read and heard that due to covid they were considering applications without the MCAT. Yes, there are a whole lot of students that they give these chances to. In some instances, SJSM will have an instructor that practiced medicine in the US. The study environment is best because all teachers are cooperative and professional. If the student doesnt comply, the administrations threatens the student with dismissal, so the student has to lose about two thousand dollars to each landlord from which they move. You sound like you were paid to say this. 80% of lectures and labs are mandatory, which I believe is inconvenient for many of us. my lawn guy goes fishing every day. Was accepted into residencies but they couldnt ratify that because of not having Part II of the Boards. I was considering a Caribbean med school for my daughter. I have qualified and met the exact same requirements at my peers to become a doctor, but you will have to work hard for it. I am 36, considering this as well. students registered as tourists, drove to Texas and cleaned off the tourist People fail to do this homework and thats why they have a rude awakening when they get on the island. Like being released into the ocean with weights to make sure you never see the sunlight on surface ever again.. sometimes we get away with mistakes (being poorly trained) but dont envy US. Lack of access to educational loans But it has also taught me much. First of all, lets get one thing straight here. A simple google search led to me a plethora of backlash forum posts against the school. while i sympathtise with this persons experience, his experience is not mine or that of many other colleagues of mine that went to Caribbean medical schools. I started with sgu in 1998. I know this is a late response, but perhaps it might help others. California approval is a good indicator of quality because their board is very strict in evaluating a school. Intelligent people and the average joe have all fallen victim to such heinous practices. I should have worked as a scribe, shadowed, and did more science work. The competitiveness to get into a US school is unbelievable. Residency then was brutal, no work hours limits, some malignant attendings that could make your life miserable by generally if you survived and completed the program you could be thrown in the fire and survive. What school did they graduate from? I already feel sorry for the innocent people who will be forced to be seen by a QUACK like you. Saba Medical School (Saba University School of Medicine) is located in The Bottom, Saba, in the Caribbean.This Caribbean medical school was founded in 1993 and has enrolled about 1500 MD students since that time. Most of the struggle comes from the first year when you are finding out your learning style and finding what resources work for you. I am a local of the island where my school is located, so due to cheaper tuition, not having to worry about housing or adaptation to a foreign place etc. I knew my calling was medicine and even after being well informed of the risks of attending an international medical school I applied and was accepted to every one I applied to without much troubles at all. Yes, I was a student at a Caribbean medical school. Our class size was comfortable, not crowded, professors were generally great with few notable exceptions due to personality. Tuition was a lot less then nowadays. It is a very rough school, with a terrible attrition rate. Its true. Hi, I actually met one student who got a full tuition scholarship through this program. Applicants with college-level science backgrounds and the requisite G.P.A. Not one of our lecturers has even written the USMLE (or any exam similar to it), NOT ONE. My daughter goes to St.George University School of Medicine.I can only say good things.Their stats in USMLE passing rates are great much higher then US DO Schools.Resendency matching rates are fantastic.This School is harder to get in to,but highly recommend it.They post everything on line ,that you want to know,including name of student and resedency placed in by individual state in the US.The university is very organized,and makes best effort even for families,boyfriends of fiances that have accompanied the Med or Vet Student for the 5 quarters they have to stay in Grenada. I am Pharmacist in 40s with a child and I will start this year .I appreciate if we you can discuss with me your experience. I am a Nigerian.i have a child who wants to study in the Caribbean so will love to hear from you. 7 Do you get federal loans for Saba University? Please get back to me on your thoughts. For example, I got a scholarship of about 40K from my school and Im planning to apply to another one soon. Sure, its a Caribbean medical school but its also one that can set you up for clinical rotations in top U.S. and Canadian teaching hospitals provided you pass through all your pre-clinical training within 20 months. had paid hundreds of dollars for the Fianza bond but they tried to Classrooms are small, and cramped, and the computer lab has about 20 computers and maybe only 12 work. They let in about 700 for the January starting class which are on different schedules and have a smaller lecture hall to accommodate a smaller class. We have a shortage of doctors in the US and yet they are unable to increase the numbers? My friend who was a C average got into Ross through working hard as a scribe. They would fail a few just to prove their Machismo, but no failure quotas. Also, Saba students earn top residencies at medical centers across the U.S. and Canada. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. the first 2 years of medical school at IUHS is online? Overall, I hope that this gives you a better insight on the Caribbean School life. Im still trying to understand the reasoning behind the current modal of physician training that we have. These Caribbean programs are fast-paced so if you miss a class, you miss a lot and its hard to catch up. Once you find your learning style and what resources work for you, things will only go upward. Its not very human, but that is what expected, and if you fail to meet expectations, go easy on yourself and pick yourself up. In 2016, she was accepted to a residency program in family medicine at a hospital in Hendersonville, North Carolina. 1) Students are literally mashed into a lecture hall which seats 900 and there are over 1000 students that must click in for mandatory lecture which is 80% of all lectures. There are double standards in the way you will be treated in residency. And kudos to all the hard work you have put Into your medical studies and I wish to congratulate and wish you the best . All of our lectures are recorded on Echo360, so attendance is not required, so I just sit in my lovely brand new condo here that looks onto the bay and do my class work for most of the day. Sounds like SGU to me. The faculty is diverse. Say whatever you like, but we were in all the way: Mind, body, soul, money. Currently I feel like a clown auditioning for a circus. paupers graves. I graduated from St. Georges University in 2013. Its easier to get in, has a great residency match and USMLE pass rate and is still a fair bit cheaper than your average U.S. school. So learn; and to be honest, if you have never been under high stress and want to be a physician; may be you should study abroad and learn some things that will help you mature and grow to develop abilities to deal with the unknown or unexpected. Even had the dean of medicine call me into his office that was essentially harrasment. Meanwhile, the cost of medical school has skyrocketed; the median student debt for the class of 2016 was a hundred and ninety thousand dollars. In the United States, you have to actively seek it out.. USMLE 1,2 clinical equivalent. The guy didnt even know simple generic names for Zyrtec or such a thing as pericarditis. No school can give you that, you either have it inside you or you dont. So, once again, we are not mashed into one lecture hall. . Not loose my ability to preform academically and 2. There are lots of lawyer at USA for wrong thing so why there no lawyer for any kids and fix the system? I have been hearing that SABA has a small class because a lot of students dont want to go there? Anyways, the school built their own dorm. Why cant anybody find the true numbers of this school online? A pre-med student must first assess their motivation and personal aptitude. I was just wondering how the past year has been for you at AUA. This also gives students to build personal and professional characteristics required to be a successful medical student while further exploring whether medicine is really their calling. Kissing Butt worked. Hi, Luckily there are post-bac programs, special masters programs and even night pre-req classes available to pre-meds that are motivated but still just below the bench mark of being accepted. I also teach 2 med-school courses at a the university. I dont even know the writer but I know this situation all to well. From my research, students who wish to study medicine but do not get in, oftentimes apply to English-language programs in Poland, Hungary, or Romania to study medicine there (if they can afford it) and then get their degrees validated by the EU as MD-Romania for example. In my heart though, I knew that if I was given the chance to prove myself, I would excel. So building stress handling skills in medical schools whether you study in US, or the tough Caribbeans, which also are the awesome beauty, is plus. Proof of coverage is necessary upon matriculation and is often required by hospitals prior to students beginning a clinical rotation.

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