MD vs DO vs Caribbean Medical School

If you want to become a doctor in the U.S., there are 3 main medical school paths to choose from: MD, DO, or Caribbean. Unfortunately, there’s a terribly large amount of misinformation regarding the pros and cons of each, and which you should ultimately choose. In classic Med School Insiders fashion, we’ll cut the fat, debunk the myths, and give it to you straight. No matter what you may have heard, it DOES matter which medical school path you take. It frustrates me that people’s egos and pride get in the way of providing sound advice to pre-meds who deserve to know the truth.

00:35 - Why Are There Three Medical School Options?
02:25 - The Data on Medical Schools
04:39 - The Data Limitations No One Talks About
05:00 - Student Caliber Matters
06:20 - Not All Residency Matches Are Created Equal
08:06 - The Residency Merger
09:51 - Dispelling Myths & Misconceptions
10:00 - Holistic Medicine
10:31 - The DO Stigma
11:41 - A Moment of Honesty

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Disclaimer: Content of this video is my opinion and does not constitute medical advice. The content and associated links provide general information for general educational purposes only. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Kevin Jubbal, M.D. and Med School Insiders LLC will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this video including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or death.

[MedSchoolInsiders]

Thanks for watching! Let's have a mature and rational discussion in these comments =)

[CrimPyro]

why the hell am i watching this, I work at taco bell 🤦‍♀️

[DrAdnan]

Dr. Jubbal’s not afraid to rustle some feathers if the data’s right 💪

[lauriesutton]

The thing about this is, I was born and raised in the Caribbean. This gives me a discount for premed. Also, as I am not a US citizen, I can’t get student loans. Thus, for me Caribbean is a much better option

[CottageLayout]

Every single argument made here is completely valid, especially the point regarding academic ability of the individual. I’m a DO student and I understand that if I want to match into a competitive specialty I’ll have a more difficult path when compared to my MD colleagues. That’s just the fact of the matter. That notwithstanding I am still humbled by the opportunity to become a doctor, and thankful to those who gave me the chance. One thing I would implore pre-meds to consider is what do they care about more: the career or those two letters after their name? I think those who are high performers in college get a sort of “credentialing high” when they think about all the cool titles and letters they can achieve lol. If your dream is FM or Peds (low competition) BUT you would rather go Caribbean instead of DO because of the letters you’ll get after your name then maybe you should reconsider why you want to be a doctor in the first place.

Remember: medicine is a wonderful field that comes with some prestige and most doctors are in the top 5 or 6% of earners in the country. BUT if the only things you consider as a premed are respect (MD>DO) or salary (surgical>primary care) then you are going to have a rough go of it.

[binuramakasheva]

STATISTICS APPLY TO POPULATION, NOT INDIVIDUALS. - I want this merch

[DavidSmith-zflh]

I’m a DO medicine resident in an MD residency. All I can say is kids, listen to this video. I’ve had a bunch of premed scribes, undergrads ask which school they should go to and my first question to them is, “Well, it depends on what you want to do.” And most of them say cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, derm, yada yada. I encourage them to go to US MD schools because facts.

Also, the whole “holistic” thing is spot on. It’s as if a NP saying “well we LISTEN to our patients.”

Commence triggering...

[christiancasteel]

Don’t pick Carib over DO bc you think patients are gunna be skeptical of a DO degree. 99% of patients do not even know the difference between their physician and their NP/PA. This is such a silly argument to risk being 400k in debt with no job over.

[damilare]

Sincerely we all come here as pre-med for the truth even if it hurts. I am just glad we have people like this who still believe in delivering the hard fact and after weighing all these options based on concrete evidence, we are better equipped to properly make informed decisions. Thank you doctor Jabbal.

[YhormEG]

Totally agree. I feel privileged to attend a DO school, but it's not without its downsides and it helps no one to pretend otherwise.
Also worth mentioning MD schools have, on average, better opportunities for research which helps tremendously with competitive residencies.
I had an MCAT above US MD average at a 512 but a GPA fairly well below. Though my last three years of college I maintained over at 3.9 average with an A in virtually all the prerequisite classes, it wasn't enough to undo my freshmen year. I made an informed decision to not spend a couple more years fixing my GPA or attending a master's program and chose to go the DO route. Part of my personal equation was that I didn't want to do anything hyper-competitive, and every year you aren't an attending physician is a large chunk of money you aren't making that year. Going in with the expectations that I certainly can't count on just working hard and having competitive specialties open to me, being honest with what realistic goals could be. Being happy in life is all about keeping your expectations realistic, and I would never count on being the exception to the rule. The DO route is great, I honestly love it, but you just have to know what you're getting yourself into.
At the end of the day what I'm getting myself into is the opportunity to become a physician, and I'm grateful there is a pathway perfect for me.

[Fandomonium]

I’m a proud D.O! And I matched orthopedics this past spring. I applied both the NRMP and AOA match. Took COMLEX and USMLE, and felt my curriculum prepared me well for both. LOTS of connections built along the way helped me bring me where I am today. Had 15 interviews total (average ortho is about 7-8). I wish you reported the amount of D.O’s that matched in the AOA match in addition to NRMP, which is always above 93%. Either way great video! Premeds please comment if you want advice on pursuing a competitive speciality going the D.O. route or if you wanna hear my story, (I chose my school so I can be debt free out of med school)

[AhmedMohamed-vcpp]

Honest conflict is more important than dishonest harmony! Love your videos and the pre med roadmap course! I'm starting college this fall and that course has removed the burden of trying to plan every step, I now know exactly what I need to do and what not to do. Thanks Dr J.

[jonmsweet]

From someone who has been a full-time educator in internal medicine residency education for 24 years, served as a residency program director, and worked with allopathic, osteopathic, and Caribbean students and residents for the same period of time...your video is spot on. 100%. Prospective medical students would be wise to heed your advice.

[joebrennan]

Can you do a video discussing MD/PhD programs?

[marinaereva]

Hey Kev, I am a medical doctor from Bulgaria, working in Switzerland and writing PhD in Germany. I quited my residency in Cardiovascular surgery in the capital of Switzerland this year. Your videos inspired me so much, just the specialty wasnt what I imagined, but it foesnt mean I am a bad doctor or a broke. Thank you :) :) :) You and meds insiders helped me soo much

[livinglou]

I'm a FM resident. From my experience there is no difference in practice when I've worked with other MDs and DOs. DOs match slightly less than MDs. Caribbean school grads match at a much lower rate. However, one thing that was not covered in this video was that the number of places you apply to for residency after medical school affects your chances of matching. MDs typically apply to 20-50 places for any given specialty. DOs apply to around the same amount of programs. Caribbean grads apply to WAY more. I've spoken with people who have applied to >200 programs. Bottom line is that they can also match, but they generally have to work harder (and pay more for applications).

[mikeluvzweed]

Great video. I'm a 3rd year DO student and I'd say you're spot on. Personally, I'm going EM and could care less about a stigma. However, there are a lot of people who can't get over that. My stats were higher than the MD schools in my state (except for one), but I only got accepted to the DO program, and I was cool with that. Wouldn't catch me dead at a caribbean school tho lol.

[sophiesan]

The fact that you took the risk and make this video to help people is already amazing! thanks Dr. Jubbal! You are one a big inspiration of mine. I finish up nursing school this August and I hope to help out the nursing school community the same you do with med students! Cheers to making this world a better place!

[raymetal]

Dr. Jubbal, you’re completely right! Facts are facts, you cannot just ignore them cause they hurt your feelings. I’m applying to med school (30+ MD programs) this cycle. Even with a 511 MCAT and 3.81 GPA, I’m still applying to a couple of DO programs as a backup. MD admissions are very competitive nowadays and I don’t wanna wait a year to apply again if i don’t get accepted in any of them. If I end up getting accepted only in DO programs, I’ll become a DO. Either as an MD or DO, i will work my butt off to be a great physician. But as you said, I am aware and acknowledge the limitations of becoming a DO. Thanks for providing objective info on your channel!

[CNNRNNTransformer]

There is literally UWI medical school as well. Which is not for profit and is very comprehensive