Medical from US Virgin Islands. **no pre-med**??

[Danpres2k]

Hi, My friend is a computer science major and since the IT market has been dwindling for a while in
the turmoil of enconomy, he is having second opinion on his career. He wants to go to a medical
school now! but since he has already wasted nearly four years in getting the CS degree, there is a
slight reluctance in him becuase of the time it would take to complete the degree(10 years!!!).

Recently, I heard that if somebody goes for a medical degree in us virgin islands, then he doesn't
have to take the pre-med and thus save four years. Is that true. Can somebody give me more
information on this subject i.e. taking medical degree in us islands and any good schools? Thanks

-d

[Josh The Cynic]

arhardal@yahoo.com (danpres2k) wrote in message news:<5539af9a.0401111658.27b31eb1@posting.google.com>...
> Hi, My friend is a computer science major and since the IT market has been dwindling for a while
> in the turmoil of enconomy, he is having second opinion on his career. He wants to go to a medical
> school now! but since he has already wasted nearly four years in getting the CS degree, there is a
> slight reluctance in him becuase of the time it would take to complete the degree(10 years!!!).
>
> Recently, I heard that if somebody goes for a medical degree in us virgin islands, then he doesn't
> have to take the pre-med and thus save four years. Is that true. Can somebody give me more
> information on this subject i.e. taking medical degree in us islands and any good schools? Thanks
>
> -d

Both you and your friend are woefully misinformed--so much so that I pray to the invisible man in
the sky that someone so stupid will NEVER apply to medical school. Then again, maybe stupid
people should apply, that way people like me have a much better chance of getting in. Anyway, on
to your question... First of all, it does not take 10 years to get a medical degree (not unless
you take more time than the traditional student). It only takes four years (after you've earned
your bachelor's degree, of course) to get a medical degree. After that, it's time for the
residency. Second, there is no such thing as a "pre-med" degree, if that's what you're implying.
In order to go to medical school, you only need to take one year of biology, chemistry, organic
chemistry, and physics (all with lab, of course). Also, you'll want to take some calculus (he has
most likely already taken calculus if he has a computer science degree). After this, you take the
MCAT (it's funny you never mentioned that, and it's an ESSENTIAL part of applying to medical
school). Then you have to take into consideration all the extracurriculars (volunteering, doing
research, etc.), your personal statement, and your letters of recommendation. THEN, AND ONLY
THEN, should you apply to medical school. Going to medical school outside of the U.S. (if you're
an American) is generally frowned upon; it carries a lot of stigma with it. Us Americans are
arrogant enough to think that only an American medical education is worth pursuing. People often
have a hard time finding a residency program that will take them after graduating from a foreign
school. Keep that in mind. I'd only use it as a last resort. So, tell your friend this: all he
needs to do is take the classes I mentioned above, take them MCAT, and get some kind of medical
experience. By the way, why are YOU asking this and not HIM? And why didn't you just read the
goddamn FAQ? Jesus!

[Doctor J]

In article <66db77d2.0401281220.21e4c5a@posting.google.com>, Josh The
Cynic <JoshTheCynic@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Going to medical school outside of the U.S. (if you're an American) is generally frowned upon;
> it carries a lot of stigma with it. Us Americans are arrogant enough to think that only an
> American medical education is worth pursuing.

Josh is right. There is no medical practice outside the USA. Everyone else is using bamboo shoots
and elderberrys for cancer treatments these days. Its a far cry from clubbing the people like we
used to!! What a dolt.

[Mike]

Whether it's frowned on or not, is secondary. What is important to consider is that 75% of foreign
medical graduates who try to practice medicine in the U.S. will fail. This includes U.S. citizens
who study overseas. (Only 50% will pass the USMLE, and of those who pass, only 50% of them will get
in a U.S. residency.)

Based on this information, I would only study outside the U.S. if I couldn't get into an MD or DO
program after several attempts.

Mike

--
Mike
George Washington University School of Medicine
http://www.NontraditionalMedicalStudent.com (http://www.nontraditionalmedicalstudent.com/)

"Doctor J" <futrfysician@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:040220041410297107%futrfysician@netscape.net...
> In article <66db77d2.0401281220.21e4c5a@posting.google.com>, Josh The
> Cynic <JoshTheCynic@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Going to medical school outside of the U.S. (if you're an
> > American) is generally frowned upon; it carries a lot of stigma with
> > it. Us Americans are arrogant enough to think that only an American
> > medical education is worth pursuing.
>
> Josh is right. There is no medical practice outside the USA. Everyone
> else is using bamboo shoots and elderberrys for cancer treatments these
> days. Its a far cry from clubbing the people like we used to!!
> What a dolt.

[Josh The Cynic]

Doctor J <futrfysician@netscape.net> wrote in message news:<040220041410297107%futrfysician@netscape.net>...
> In article <66db77d2.0401281220.21e4c5a@posting.google.com>, Josh The Cynic
> <JoshTheCynic@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Going to medical school outside of the U.S. (if you're an American) is generally frowned
> > upon; it carries a lot of stigma with it. Us Americans are arrogant enough to think that
> > only an American medical education is worth pursuing.
>
> Josh is right. There is no medical practice outside the USA. Everyone else is using bamboo shoots
> and elderberrys for cancer treatments these days. Its a far cry from clubbing the people like we
> used to!! What a dolt.

Uh, "Doc" here has a hard time understanding sarcasm, apparently. I kinda get the feeling that he's
the type who got A's in school, but doesn't know how to do his laundry or cook a simple meal. I've
met plenty of people like you, Doc. Read my post one more time and then see if you catch the
sarcasm. The rest of us are waiting for you to catch up. Please hurry.

[Doctor J]

In article <66db77d2.0402050902.53ce2d3d@posting.google.com>, Josh The
Cynic <JoshTheCynic@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Doctor J <futrfysician@netscape.net> wrote in message
> news:<040220041410297107%futrfysician@netscape.net>...
> > In article
> > <66db77d2.0401281220.21e4c5a@posting.google.com>, Josh
> > The Cynic <JoshTheCynic@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Going to medical school outside of the U.S. (if
> > > you're an American) is generally frowned upon; it
> > > carries a lot of stigma with
> > > it. Us Americans are arrogant enough to think that
> > > only an American medical education is worth
> > > pursuing.
> >
> > Josh is right. There is no medical practice outside
> > the USA. Everyone else is using bamboo shoots and
> > elderberrys for cancer treatments these days. Its a
> > far cry from clubbing the people like we used to!!
> > What a dolt.
>
> Uh, "Doc" here has a hard time understanding sarcasm,
> apparently. I kinda get the feeling that he's the type who
> got A's in school, but doesn't know how to do his laundry
> or cook a simple meal. I've met plenty of people like you,
> Doc. Read my post one more time and then see if you catch
> the sarcasm. The rest of us are waiting for you to catch
> up. Please hurry.
I can recognize sarcasm when I see it. Mine was sarcasm, but
for you I'll use standard protocols from now on.</sarcasm