Does anyone know about the Guadalajara SOM? How do they compare with Ross in the Carribean? There residency placement? How many doctors pass the exams in the US and practice in the US? Anything you would like to add (info or more questions), please do.
I was intrigued that the first 2 years are in Spanish and then they slowly transition over to Spanish. When you graduate you are completely bilingual. Does that help job placement in the US?
http://www.uag.edu/medicine/med4.htm
I am currently on a layover in Guadalajara and the Captain made me promise to look into Guadalajara SOM. I have also contacted my clinician recruiter friend to see what recruiter and physician general consensus is. I will update here if I find out any interesting info. Thank you!
- Kimberly_h Said:
I was intrigued that the first 2 years are in Spanish and then they slowly transition over to Spanish. When you graduate you are completely bilingual. Does that help job placement in the US?
http://www.uag.edu/medicine/med4.htm
I am currently on a layover in Guadalajara and the Captain made me promise to look into Guadalajara SOM. I have also contacted my clinician recruiter friend to see what recruiter and physician general consensus is. I will update here if I find out any interesting info. Thank you!
Guadalajara SOM, which has been a long-time supporter of OldPreMeds, is one of the oldest of the foreign medical schools that US students have attended. Unlike many of the Caribbean medical schools, Guadalajara SOM is attached to a long-standing legitimate university. However, it suffered the last few years,, I believe because of a change in its connection to clinical rotations and residency training in the US with the discontinuation of most fifth pathway programs.
If I am not mistaken, fifth pathway programs were established in the US mostly to ensure that IMG/FMG (international medical graduates/foreign medical graduates) had adequate clinical training prior to starting US-based residencies. Many of the off-shore schools suffered, and still do, from having arrangements for rigorous clinical rotations for their 3rd/4th year students. I believe that Guadalajara SOM relied heavily and made connections so that many, if not most, went on to fifth pathway spots prior to residency.
I would speculate that the growth in clinical arrangements by most off-shore schools, the growth of transition year residency programs, and likely lack of funding, the fifth pathway programs stopped taking new students about 3-5 years ago. That left Guadalajara SOM in a bit of a lurch for a few years until it established more permanent clinical rotations.
I bring up all the above because Guadalajara SOM has gotten a slight bum-rap over the past few years because of it.
However, in my opinion, I think it is one of the better schools as it is long established, associated with a legitimate and one of the oldest university in the americas, has successfully placed many american graduates in US residencies. My impression from my dealing with them is that they behave/act like a real university and I would trust the data they give on residency placement where as many other off-shore schools are rather vague and seemingly shady on such numbers.
Link Guadalajara SOM Residency Placement Data for 2010
Thanks for the info and reply! I noticed a few errors in my original post — tired from flying all night, so the spelling suffered. Just to clear it up… Guadalajara SOM International program teaches the first 2 years in English then slowly transitions into Spanish over the next 2 years. By the end of it, you should be bilingual. In order to apply you have to already completed 12 hours of college spanish.
I was considering applying to UAG, since one of my goals is to work in Latin America. I already do volunteer work in Mexico and speak sufficient Spanish. I was not aware that one needs 12 hours of Spanish; I took only 6 units in my first time in college, and learned the rest by working with and talking to patients at a free clinic I run in rural Mexico (Sinaloa).
I am considering UAG as my Number 1 school. I am a pre-med Junior in the States and my Dad is an alumni from UAG and although he said it was a hard course he says it was a great school and has had a successful practice for almost 30 years. If anything I think the most attractive part of UAG Med school is becoming a bilingual and bicultural physician. In the United States this is a great background to have. I really hope you consider UAG it has a great program and it does not hurt that Guadalajara is a such a culturally rich and beautiful city.
- datsa Said:
My guess would be that if you can show sufficient fluency in spanish, that the technical requirement would be waived.