A guide to Caribbean medical schools

If you want to go to medical school and you have a limited budget, you could consider attending one of the Caribbean medical schools. Many of these schools have excellent reputations. This article will introduce you to some of the more well-known ones. When considering these medical schools, ensure that you check with the General Medical Council to make sure that your degree will be accepted in the UK.

Studying medicine in the Caribbean

The fees for the courses will probably be less if you choose a Caribbean medical school but there are costs associated with studying abroad such as student health insurance, travel expenses and accommodation. There is also the fact that many of the advantages of modern city living such as theatres, restaurants and movies are not available to residents of Caribbean islands. The Caribbean medical schools with the best reputations are Ross University and St. George University (known as SGU).

Some Caribbean medical schools

St. Martinus University St. Martinus University on the island of Curacao boasts a "European setting on a tropical island". Most of the island's population speak four languages and the university has attracted Dutch medical students since 1968. The Caribbean Medical University The Caribbean Medical University is also located on Curacao. The Caribbean University students attend the Basic Science course at the World Trade Center, Curacao. The University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine The University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine, situated on the island of St Eustatius, has a four-year medical course. St. Matthew's University St. Matthew's University (SMU) on Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands is accredited by the Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine in Ireland. According to their website, St. Matthew's graduates have not had any problems practising in the United Kingdom.

Things to take care of

Not all Caribbean university medical schools have accreditation. The first thing that you should do if you are considering studying abroad is to make sure that your degree will be accepted in the region where you will be practising. You also need to make sure that you speak the language in which the medical courses are conducted as well as the language in which your patients will be speaking when you start interacting with them. The General Medical Council is responsible for ensuring that all doctors practising in the United Kingdom have proper qualifications. To ensure that a medical degree from the Caribbean medical school that you are interested in will be acceptable in the UK, visit Gmc-uk.org.