This is a list of medical schools in the Caribbean. Schools are listed in alphabetical order by country or territory, then by name. The list includes medical schools recognized by their local governments that award the Doctor of Medicine (MD) and/or Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degrees.
All recognized medical schools are listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDMS). Several agencies may also accredit Caribbean medical schools, as listed in the FAIMER Directory of Organizations that Recognize/Accredit Medical Schools (DORA).
Caribbean medical schools can be categorized as either regional or offshore. Regional medical schools train students to practice in the country or region where the school is located. Offshore medical schools in the Caribbean primarily train students from the United States and Canada who intend to return home for residency and clinical practice after graduation. Most offshore schools are dual-campus programs: basic sciences are completed in the Caribbean, while clinical clerkships are completed at teaching hospitals in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
As of 2011, there were 60 medical schools in the Caribbean, 29 of which were regional, 31 of which were offshore. Most of the offshore schools of medicine require applicants to take the MCAT.
The departments of education from both United States and Canada contacted the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and has required that all Caribbean Medical Schools be required to meet the standards of United States and Canadian medical schools. This led the CARICOM to create the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP), an organization which will be assessing Caribbean medical schools. While CAAM-HP was established in 2003, another medical accrediting body was established in 1994, the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM). This body represents the Governments of St. Maarten, Grand Cayman and the Confederation of St. Kitts and Nevis. Those schools that do not receive accreditation from CAAM-HP, ACCM or other accrediting bodies recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME)[5] will not be eligible for ECFMG certification. This means that students from those schools will not be able to complete neither USMLE examinations nor MCCQE; and therefore will not be able to become United States or Canadian doctors, if their school is not certified by the year 2023.
Some schools include a list of affiliated hospitals for their Clinical Rotations part of the program, however, many of these hospitals are not ACGME certified, many clinical rotations that are completed at hospitals that are not ACGME certified will not be considered as completion of rotation, if the hospital is not ACGME certified, hospitals that are certified are sometimes referred to as "Green book hospitals".
Current medical schools in the Caribbean
How do Caribbean Medical Students get a US Residency? Answered. - I was fortunate enough to have the chance to converse with 2 recent medical graduates about the trials and tribulations of the match. I want to thank Dr. Samantha Wolfe MD (Surgery Resident)...
Cuba
Although the schools of medicine in Cuba grant an "MD" degree, these degrees do not require a bachelor's degree; thus, medical students can enroll in medical school straight out of high school. This makes the Cuban MD like the MBBS.
See also
- Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions
- Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine
- World Directory of Medical Schools
- International medical graduate
- Offshore medical school
- List of medical schools
References
External links
- World Directory of Medical Schools
- ValueMD Caribbean Medical Schools Directory
