Attending medical school in the sunny Caribbean can be a terrific way to enter a competitive field. There are clear perks, after all, to studying science and performing clinical work with a beach in such close proximity. Caribbean medical schools can offer ambitious medical students many benefits, from hands-on clinical experiences to lower tuition costs.
However, opting to attend a Caribbean medical school can also pose unique challenges. Fewer available resources and newer school structures can make it easy for tensions to run high or for students to find themselves mired in confusing school disciplinary procedures.
And, to make matters worse, in med school, the stakes are high — for both medical students and the medical school.
Medical schools have reputations to protect. For that reason, school administrations may mete out sanctions with a heavy hand, even when severe sanctions may not be merited.
Medical students have spent years of their lives and considerable resources to get where they are. If they're on the receiving end of unfair sanctions, that could ruin their entire futures.
If you're a student at a Caribbean medical school and you're facing academic issues and concerns that could affect your ability to earn your degree, retain the services of premier student defense attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and his team at once. The Lento Law Firm Team will support you as you work to protect your degree, your reputation, and your future.
The Pros and Cons of Attending a Caribbean Medical School
When you decided to attend a medical school in the Caribbean, chances are that you were well aware of the benefits of that choice.
For example, Caribbean medical schools often offer:
- Lower tuition costs
- A warm and sunny climate
- Clinical experience earlier on in the medical student program than many schools in the United States
- International experience and wide-ranging networking, which can be a significant benefit to those seeking to develop their future medical careers
- Flexible scheduling options, which can be extremely attractive to students with families or secondary jobs
In many cases, these benefits significantly outweigh the cons of attending a Caribbean medical school.
For other students, the downsides of this educational choice only become apparent (and serious) a few years into their program — after they (potentially) feel stuck in their choice.
Some of the cons of attending a Caribbean medical school may include:
- Accreditation. Depending on the specific school you choose, your Caribbean medical school may not be accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Attending a school that is not accredited by this or other major accreditation boards can make it difficult to progress after school.
- Limited (or different) networking opportunities. While Caribbean medical students may stand a better chance of networking internationally, they won't have as many ways to network with their future U.S. colleagues. This can also make it difficult to pursue job opportunities and residency in the United States.
- Fewer resources: Again, depending on the nature of your program, you may find that Caribbean schools have limited resources — e.g., less medical equipment and outdated technology. This can make it challenging for medical students to learn practical skills important for future doctors.
- Limited research opportunities. In today's competitive medical student and medical professional landscape, it's increasingly essential that medical students pursue research in addition to their more didactic coursework. Research requires extensive resources — resources your Caribbean medical school may not have. The opportunities to pursue research as a student may be few and far between.
Despite these potential concerns, attending a Caribbean medical school can be a tempting opportunity for some students.
Those students will find they have several options for schools to choose from.
The Top Medical Schools in the Caribbean: A Brief Summary
Here is a quick list of the medical school options in the Caribbean:
- American University of Antigua College of Medicine
- American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
- Avalon University School of Medicine
- Caribbean Medical University
- International American University College of Medicine
- Medical University of the Americas
- Ross University School of Medicine
- Saba University School of Medicine
- Spartan Health Sciences University School of Medicine
- St. George's University School of Medicine
- Trinity School of Medicine
- University of Science, Arts and Technology College of Medicine
These schools are located all over the Caribbean — from St. Maarten to Monsterrat to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Several of these schools are consistently ranked highly by different medical school organizations. Many graduates of these medical schools go on to have fulfilling careers.
In other cases, students experience issues and concerns that can stand in the way of their achieving their medical school degrees.
What Are the Unique Concerns and Complexities of Attending a Caribbean Medical School?
Medical students who attend Caribbean institutions have the usual pressures and pitfalls to consider when progressing through their programs.
Medical schools, in general, are incredibly cutthroat environments. As a medical student, it can feel like your professors, administration, and fellow students are all out to win a zero-sum game.
When you add in the conditions often present at Caribbean medical schools — few resources, newer accreditation — the complex experience of attending medical school can become a nightmare.
For example, if something goes awry, you may not feel like you have any resources to turn to alleviate your situation. Instead, you might feel trapped — which can result in poor decision-making and further tough situations.
The competition between you and your fellow students may only be magnified if there are few research positions (for example) to go around — which can result in unfair accusations of misconduct or even acts of sabotage.
And finally, the process by which students progress from one year to the next may be subject to less oversight than similar processes in the States. (We'll discuss that in more detail below — refer to "What is a Promotions Committee" and "My Caribbean Medical School Has Raised Concerns. What Should I Do?" for more information.)
What Types of Misconduct, Academic Issues, and Progression Concerns Could Be Problematic at My Caribbean Medical School?
The first place to look when answering questions about progression or conduct issues at your Caribbean medical school is your school's code of conduct.
This is a document (that should be freely available on your school's website) that dives into your school's expectations — both academic and behavioral — of its students.
Perusing that document should shed some light on the types of misconduct, academic issues, and progression concerns that your school finds problematic.
The most common issues include:
- Plagiarism
- Cheating, or other forms of academic dishonesty
- Unprofessional behavior, such as mistreating colleagues or patients
- Failure to keep up with academic coursework
- Failure to pass USMLE exams
- Failure to maintain a specific GPA
- Failure to obtain licensure
- Taking an extended leave of absence (even if it's for completely valid reasons, your school could interpret this as a problem)
If your school is aware that you are experiencing any of these or related issues, your school could decide to hold you back academically (e.g., fail to 'promote' you to the next year), suspend you, or even dismiss you.
At your stage of education, any of these sanctions could be devastating.
What are Medical Student Professionalism Concerns?
Some of the issues and concerns that can stand in the way of a medical student achieving their degree are expected — cheating, for example.
Professionalism concerns are a little more unique to the medical school experience.
If your Caribbean medical school is citing you for professionalism concerns, they could be referring to:
- Poor language or behavior in front of patients or colleagues (e.g., being argumentative or disrespectful)
- Breaching patient confidentiality
- Breaking expected boundaries between student and teacher or physician and patient
- Abusing alcohol or a controlled substance
- Exhibiting poor communication skills — which can extend to having a poor bedside manner, a lack of interest in patient welfare, a lack of empathy, or difficulty telling patients hard-to-hear information
While many schools will address professionalism concerns by recommending further education, 1:1 mentoring, or remediation, other schools may not have the bandwidth or resources to make this happen. If your Caribbean medical school is attempting to sanction, dismiss, or hold you back because of any of these concerns, it's worth talking to Attorney-Advisor Lento to make sure that you don't suffer any undue consequences.
What Are Medical Student Progression Concerns?
One of the ways that medical schools quantify student progress is through standardized exams, such as those offered by the USMLE (the United States Medical Licensing Examination).
If you don't pass those exams, that isn't good for you — but it also isn't good for your school's reputation. Your school may decide to hinder your promotion to the next level of your education based on your exam performance.
That might not be the only reason your school flags you for progression concerns. Reasons for this allegation at medical schools may include:
- Consistently-poor academic performance
- Unethical conduct
- Personal issues such as health problems, financial difficulties, or family issues
- Licensing issues at the state, USMLE, or ECFMG levels
Unfortunately, though you may have a good reason (such as health problems or the need to take a leave of absence) behind a temporary failure to progress, your school may not see it that way. It's vital to speak with experienced medical student defense attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and his team the moment you're aware that a dispute or sanction could be in your future.
What Is the USMLE?
The USMLE is a series of examinations that physicians take to demonstrate their ability to apply their knowledge to pursue better patient health outcomes. It's a heavily-regulated way for prospective doctors to work toward medical licensure.
There are three steps in the USMLE process. After going through all three steps, candidates will have demonstrated basic scientific knowledge, clinical skills, and clinical competency.
To obtain U.S. medical licensure, you'll need to complete all of these steps and examinations successfully. Medical students take USMLE exams during their medical training. If a medical student takes a USMLE exam and doesn't pass, their school may decide to hold them back for a certain amount of time or provide sanctions.
This can be financially disastrous and result in sanctions on a student's permanent record — which themselves can make it even more difficult to pursue licensure and jobs later on.
What Is the ECFMG?
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, or ECFMG, also comes into play for students of Caribbean medical schools.
After you graduate from your Caribbean medical school, you'll need to get certified by the ECFMG to enter a medical residency program in the United States and take the Step 3 USMLE exam. As discussed above, this is a nonnegotiable for progressing toward your career as a physician.
The ECFMG helps facilitate this process for graduating students from foreign medical schools, including Caribbean ones. There are many things that need to happen in this complex process, from visa application to verification services and investigations into the validity of degrees.
Obtaining ECFMG certification isn't the final hurdle a medical student at a Caribbean medical school must overcome — far from it. (For example, medical students will also need to obtain licensure from the state medical board where they want to practice.)
And obtaining ECFMG certification itself can be rife with issues. You'll need to demonstrate graduation from an accredited medical school, which can be more difficult with Caribbean medical schools than with schools in the United States. You'll also need to have passed USMLE's Step 1 and Step 2 exams. If you experience any difficulties preparing for ECFMG certification, or achieving any step en route to ECFMG certification, call Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento and his Student Defense Team to resolve issues as early as possible. You don't want to get past your medical school graduation before you discover potentially-huge obstacles standing between you and actually using your degree!
What Is a Promotions Committee?
The promotions committee at your Caribbean medical school is a group of school administrators and faculty members. This committee evaluates medical students, usually on a yearly basis. It takes into account a student's professional conduct and academic progress before recommending whether a student should progress — or be 'promoted' — to the next year or whether a student needs to stay where they are.
On a theoretical level, this is a good thing. It's vitally important for good patient outcomes that doctors are well-educated and exhibit professional, safe behaviors throughout their entire careers — including before they obtain their degrees.
However, promotions committees may not always make their decisions fairly or base their decisions on all available data. When this happens, and medical students are held back, this can ruin their careers (and their lives).
Attorney-Advisor Lento and his Team can help you make sure that this doesn't happen to you. If you're facing allegations from your Caribbean medical school or are worried that your school could be questioning your academic progress, call the Lento Law Firm immediately.
What About Appealing Promotions Committee Decisions?
If you have sufficient reason to demonstrate that your school's promotions committee made a bad call, you may be able to appeal.
First of all, your school's promotions committee isn't necessarily final. Your school's code of conduct will have more insight into this process, but if your promotions committee decides to hold you back, you should have a (short) period of time in which you can appeal the decision before it becomes final.
If this is the case, work with Joseph D. Lento and his Team immediately to decide on the best possible rationale for your appeal. You'll only have one chance to appeal your school's decision before it does become final, so you will need to make sure it's a good one.
Typically, medical schools require that an appeal include a solid rationale. Examples of the rationale you may try to submit include:
- That your school did not follow its own rules in terms of judging progression
- That more information has come to light since your alleged incident that should impact your school's decision
- That you can clearly demonstrate that your actions, when seen in the right context, were not problematic
- That your school's initial judgment was made in bad faith, or was arbitrary
After you submit your appeal, you'll need to wait for your school to review it and (potentially) reconsider your sanction. If your school is open to negotiations, Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento will negotiate on your behalf to work towards a lessened sanction or to otherwise persuade your school to stop being an obstacle standing between you and your degree.
If this works, great! If not, you may need to file further appeals or consider legal action. In any case, having Joseph D. Lento and his Student Defense Team on your side from the very beginning is your best bet for the most streamlined, effective disciplinary or progression process possible.
My Caribbean Medical School Has Raised Concerns. What Should I Do?
If your Caribbean medical school or its disciplinary process is standing between you and degree acquisition, your #1 priority must be calling Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento and his team.
You can't just work with any lawyer — or even any student defense lawyer. Handing disciplinary processes at medical schools (and at Caribbean medical schools in particular) requires specific experience and a deft hand. The Lento Law Firm Team is well-versed in protecting medical student rights at Caribbean medical schools.
So, once you're aware that you might be the subject of an investigation or invited to stand before your school's promotions committee, call Attorney-Advisor Lento. That will be the single best thing you can do to help navigate the labyrinthine processes ahead and avoid unfavorable, career-terminating consequences.
Once Attorney-Advisor Lento is on board, he and his team will begin learning everything possible about your specific school's processes.
For example, depending on the specifics of your case, Attorney-Advisor Lento may focus on:
- The stated criteria your Caribbean medical school uses to determine who moves from one year to the next
- Whether the school adheres to those standards
- Whether the school considers the failure of a certain percentage of medical students yearly as simply "thinning the herd" or otherwise necessary and natural
- How the promotions committee is trained to determine who should move on to the next year
- Whether each member of the promotions committee has any biases that could affect their ability to make fair decisions about medical students' futures
Once Attorney-Advisor Lento learns more about your case and what may or may not have influenced your school's decisions, he and his team can help you pursue further action.
You benefit from retaining Attorney-Advisor Lento in several ways.
For one, you don't have to try and navigate your school's disciplinary procedures on your own — and you don't have to attempt to balance your full-time status as a student with defense creation or research into medical school progression issues and precedent.
For another, when you retain the Lento Law Firm Team, you access a wealth of resources relevant to students working towards degrees at Caribbean medical schools. Caribbean medical students often experience licensure issues even after they've obtained their degrees, for example. Attorney-Advisor Lento can help you later, if you experience issues, then, with a range of services, including firm communication with your state's board of medical professional licensing and evaluation of your license application.
For now, as you're preparing for your Caribbean medical school's hearing, know that Attorney-Advisor Lento can help you gather evidence to support your defense, coach you for hearings, assist with a persuasive appeal, and more.
Retain Premier Medical School Defense Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento Today
No matter which part of your Caribbean school's disciplinary system you're encountering difficulties with, the stakes are too high to delay.
You need the help of a professional legal team — the student defense team at the Lento Law Firm. For years, Attorney-Advisor Lento and his Team have helped medical students nationwide and in the Caribbean protect the degrees and careers they've worked hard to enjoy.
Call 888.535.3686 now, and the Lento Law Firm Team will get started on your case. Alternatively, you can contact us online by filling out this brief form.
