Before I begin addressing the title question of this article, I think it is essential to provide you with my background. I have gone to an American medical school (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) and have trained at all American institutions throughout my residency and fellowship. During my time as an associate program director, I have taught mostly American and Caribbean trained medical students. Additionally, we have had a smattering of a few other scattered foreign-trained medical students in our program. Our institution has a connection to St George’s University. Also, a majority of the Caribbean medical graduates that attend our radiology residency come from this institution. So, my training and the mix of students in our program may reflect my biases. Other program directors may have different opinions based upon their own experiences and combination of residents.
In the United States, we think of Caribbean schools as a place for college graduates to go when they cannot get into an American medical school. When I first started working at Saint Barnabas Medical Center back in 2006, if you would have told me the best trainees come from Caribbean medical schools, I would have looked at you funny and said “Really?”. However, as time went on, my biases have significantly changed. So, what are some measures of the Caribbean versus American resident quality to justify this change in opinion?
Continue reading Do Caribbean Trained Medical Students Make Better Radiologists?
