7 Struggles of a Caribbean Medical student

 

I studied in a medical school in the Caribbean and it’s tougher than most people imagine. The moment you mention the Caribbean the image that comes into the mind of most people is nice beaches, parties, basically lots and lots of enjoyment. It’s a whole other ball game when you’re there studying medicine. I’ll be sharing the challenges that I faced while studying there. There are definitely upsides to studying in the Caribbean, my intention is not outline the negatives and discourage anyone with the intention of pursuing a medical degree over there. I want to share  my experiences, the things I’ve heard and seen. I want to give people some insight about what it is like studying over there.

1. It can be costly; This really depends on the amount of money that you have. It is definitely more expensive than studying in Nigeria, or in Ukraine or Russia but it is much cheaper compared to studying in the United states or Canada. The Pre Clinical years are cheaper compared to Clinicals, asides from the school fees, there will be other expenses such as food, rent and other things. Things can be expensive, food, clothes, basically almost everything was expensive, I mean I found it expensive. I didn’t spend money on things that I didn’t need, unless it was very important. I know how hard my parents were working and every cent counts.

2. Distractions; Remember the nice beaches and parties that I mentioned earlier, that is the Caribbean for you. It’s a nice place for a vacation, a great place for enjoyment. There’s a lot of sunshine, the weather is great. It’s a fun place to be. It is very easy to get distracted, there’s always going to be a party or the other during the weekends. You have to stay focused, some people spend all their time partying and don’t come to class or put in their best effort in school. Medical school is so tough, you have to put in a lot of hours when it comes to studying. If you’re partying and drinking all the time, it’s going to reflect and your grades will suffer.

3. It’s a lot of work; Why? Studying medicine in the Caribbean is between 4-5 years and what does it mean, it means you have to learn a lot of things in a limited and short amount of time. It is a lot of work, we had exams every single month, there’s always a lot to read and cover. We had to learn the whole of anatomy in 3 months. It was really overwhelming. You have a really short time to learn a lot.

4. You’re the captain of your own ship; This means that you’re in charge of your medical education, you have to have your own goals and aspiration. I don’t know about other medical schools in the Caribbean, but the school I finished from, the moment we finished Pre-clinicals and entered Clinicals for our rotations, we stopped getting any lectures from school. You have to be self reliant and do the hard work of studying everything by yourself and also gain the most that you can from your Preceptors during your rotations. You have to be agile, hardworking and aggressive with your thirst for knowledge during your rotations otherwise you will learn nothing. The time you also spend during your rotations is shorter.

5. You’re an IMG everywhere; IMG stands for international medical graduate. You’re literally an IMG everywhere you turn and it can be exhausting. Most graduates from a Caribbean medical school rarely stay on the island/country to practice medicine. Most prefer to go the US, Canada, UK or Nigeria. You should definitely know you have 1 or 2 board exams lying in wait for you. USMLE for  United states, PLAB for UK, MDCN for Nigeria, LMCC for Canada. You will be facing at least 1 or more of this if you intend on practicing medicine. I have taken USMLE step 1 and step 2 CK as well as MDCN exam, it is no easy feat, these exams will cost you time and money.

6. The Break Trap; Now what do I mean by the break trap. As a student in the Caribbean, you’re allowed to take breaks during your medical education, You can request for the break from the admin of your school stating whatever reason and there’s also a particular amount of time you’re allowed to take. There are legit reasons to take a break, I took a few breaks, took me a while to start my clinical rotations, took a break to write my step 1 exam and a little bit here and here to rest in between rotations, don’t judge me. COVID also happened, rotations were suspended for months. All these breaks add up and it can prolong your stay in medical school, a 5 year program can become a 6 year program. You have to be really intentional about what you’re doing and not waste your time and money unnecessarily. Remember you’re the captain of your own ship.

7. Stereotypes; There are so many things have heard, some negative, some positive. Some people look down on people that study medicine in the Caribbean, they carry an air of superiority sometimes. It’s a bad attitude to look down on other people just because they walked a different path from you. The truth is studying medicine in any part of the world is challenging and time consuming. Don’t judge people based on where they studied or graduated, judge based on their ability as a doctor. It’s not fair to be put in a position where you have to prove yourself constantly just because you graduated from a particular place. People have to  be more open minded about these things. Regardless of wherever you studied, it’s you that has to do most of the work and  put in the effort that requires you to be a good doctor.

             These are the challenges that I’ve faced studying in the Caribbean, there’s definitely more and there’s also a lot of upsides to it. Despite all of these challenges, I graduated and I’m doing well. To anyone that’s still in medical school, know that all the effort and struggle is worth it and you’re going to be okay. Stay focused, be goal oriented and strategic. It’s okay to have fun and live, your entire life shouldn’t revolve around your studies. It’s okay to socialize, go to the beach, go to a few parties, just don’t lose sight of your purpose, it’s all about balance. I wish you all the very best, I hope you’ve learned one or two things from reading. Thank you.