MSK9's Medical School Thread & Guide

[eLearner]

Since this is a thread about medical schools on an online degree forum, I'll throw these online medical schools into the mix:

International University of Health Sciences

Oceania University of Medicine

College of Medicine and Health Sciences St. Lucia

While I assume you're just trying to be helpful, none of these schools listed are recognized by the State of California Medical Board, which is the standard by which most states adhere when allowing graduates of international medical schools to practice in their respective jurisdictions. It may just be me, but after looking at their websites, these "schools" look more like scam operations than educational institutions. I think schools such as these only serve to tarnish the reputation of legitimate institutions.

I caution any reader or user of this thread to STEER CLEAR of the schools you listed.

That's a very short-sighted, narrow view of things, and I take issue with the erroneous notion that I would post something that could be a scam or is illegitimate.

This is a distance learning board, so it's important to understand that people who come to this board are from all over the world and some are accustomed to studying with distance learning schools outside the United States, and that includes some people who are living in the United States.

While the State of California's positions are important for California and some other states in the United States that wish to follow, they are irrelevant to most other places around the world so it wouldn't make sense to limit information simply to that.

Further, associating them with "scams" is inaccurate, especially considering they all have licensed Doctors working in the United States and other countries (with one charging a fraction of what most in the United States charge), and because they each are legally authorized to operate in their home countries like any other legitimate Carribbean/non-American medical school is. It should also be understood that in order for graduates from those legitimate schools to practice in the United States, they had to (and new grads still have to) pass the exact same exams, and perform the same levels of mandated clinical training as any other medical student is required to, because, after all, the states demand it as do the authorities of the other countries where Doctors from those schools have been licensed to practice over the years.

So while I appreciate the spirit of the caution, it's unnecessary. If a person can go to medical school in their own country, that's obviously the best bet, but for others who are unable for a number of reasons or find that the cost is far out of reach in their own country (which is common here in the United States with our exorbitant tuition rates), those are legal alternatives that people have found success using. If a person happens to be in a state that doesn't accept it, that's unfortunate, but it's also up to each adult to do their own research before enrolling in any program of any kind anywhere, and if they don't do that then the results are of their own doing.