So there I was sitting at a table for 4. Alone with my great current book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Kingsolver. Alone in fact, in the entire restaurant. Staring out across the ocean, watching the sun drop out of the sky.
I was enjoying some black bean soup and a coffee, mulling over the options for medical school this coming year. The thought of traveling across the world is, to say the least, daunting. Far away from family, friends, my favorite deli's, snow, and the mountains.
My two acceptances so far have been to Caribbean schools which, the ones I'm accepted to, have great reputations, encouraging match statistics for residencies, and really unique opportunities for 3rd and 4th year clerkships. But it is a fact that the island students have to prove themselves, which can be a good or a bad thing. I know I will be a strong student with my nursing background so that doesn't scare me off too much. But the distance and the IMG status does cause me to hesitate a wee bit.
But then I sat back and sipped on my coffee and thought...
Nah...I think I can handle the hurdles...
5 comments:
There's still alot of time left in the application cycle for the US...
A lot of the FMG stigma comes from the fact that you're training on a subset of patients that may be different than the patients that you're going to see in the US/Canada who have an assumed level of primary care. Also a lot of the more academic US/Canadian programs look down on the carribean schools because of the overwhelming stench of academia that they have to maintain. If you're looking into EM still, over half of independent grads match in the US...and there are certain programs that accept more than others.
And if you have to study biochem on the beach...so be it.
Wait a minute?! You said there was a lot of time left in the US application cycle...but AMCAS closed Oct 15th no? I thought I missed the USA MD school boat while I was living in tents in India!?! Explain yourself.
:)
Yeah I'm in the same boat of deciding about med in the carribean and am scared to death, so you're definitely not alone!
There is a still a huge stigma attached but the barriers have been reduced and they have opened a lot of residency spots for IMG's here in Ontario at least, where even after a family med residency it is possible to work in most emergency rooms.
And hey studying on a paradise island with no snow to shovel is definitely an advantage!
Oh...you didn't submit AMCAS...that's a different story then.
In the dictionary, for the definition of migratory, they probably have a link to your blog. And a reference to Monty Python.
You? Intimidated by moving? How many kilometers do you have on The Cosmic Valise?
I was suspecting that your problem would be that you would be tied to one spot for so long, as in several semesters at one school.
You'll manage and probably thrive.
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