Skip to main content
Did you know Ross Med has a 
98% first time residency 
attainment rate?1

Learn what else you may not know about Ross Med.

See the Ross Med Difference

First-time residency attainment rate is the percent of students attaining a 2025-26 residency position out of all graduates or expected graduates in 2024-25 who were active applicants in the 2025 NRMP match or who attained a residency position outside the NRMP match.

Home

Main Navigation

  • Admissions
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • AIM Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers
  • MD Program
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information
  • Student Life
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security
  • About
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Community Impact
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students

Utility Navigation

  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

Secondary Navigation

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students
    • Current Students
Search
Cancel Search
Home Home

RUSM Main navigation

  • Admissions

    Explore Admissions

    Are you a strong candidate?

    Take an Admissions Assessment
    Take the Admissions Assessment
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • AIM Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers

    Information For...

    Admitted Students

    Parents

    Premed Advisors

    MERP

  • MD Program

    Explore MD Program

    Do you have a question?

    student asking question
    Speak to Admissions
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information

    Related Links...

    MCAT Information

    Why Ross Med?

    Match Day

  • Student Life

    Student Life

    img for new Mega Menu
    Overview
    new Mega menu Square 5
    Housing
    New Mega Menu Image 6
    Campus Tour
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security

    Related Links...

    Merchandise Store

    Community Impact

    Mission & History

  • About

    About RUSM

    Start Your Road to Residency

    medical students
    Request More Information
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Community Impact
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials

    Related Links...

    Contact Us

    Campus Location

  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. About
  3. Blog
  4. Do US Hospitals Hire Grads of Caribbean Med Schools?
Medical School Tips & Resources

Do US Hospitals Hire Graduates of Caribbean Medical Schools?

Wed, 26 May 2021
  • Caribbean Medical School Accreditation
  • Caribbean Medical School Residency Rates
  • Why Caribbean Medical Schools Are A Good Choice
  • Is it worth going to a Caribbean medical school?
  • Related Resources
  • Get Started Today

    You'll submit your completed Ross Med application online in our application portal.

    Apply Now
  • Caribbean Medical School Accreditation
  • Caribbean Medical School Residency Rates
  • Why Caribbean Medical Schools Are A Good Choice
  • Is it worth going to a Caribbean medical school?
  • Related Resources
  • Hospitals in the United States and Canada—as well as clinics, government agencies, group practices, medical offices, nursing homes, and universities—hire physicians based on their abilities and qualifications. When hospitals need an internist or other doctor, they hire the one they think best fits the role—not the one who went to a prestigious or famous medical school. In the United States, there is a doctor shortage—not a surplus—and qualified physicians are in demand no matter the source of their qualifications. 

    Graduates of accredited Caribbean medical schools—such as the Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM)*—have Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees that enable graduates to practice in all 50 states—and that is what matters. It should be remembered, however, that MD 's must first complete a medical residency and attain licensure before they can practice medicine. 

    Caribbean Medical School Accreditation

    As long as they are accredited, there are many Caribbean medical schools to choose from. When investigating a Caribbean medical school, prospective students should first learn if it is accredited—meaning the school meets the functional and structural standards for medical education in their particular region. Many wonder: Are Caribbean medical schools LCME accredited? This means that the med school’s accreditation meets the standards of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accreditation authority for medical schools in the United States and Canada that provide MD degrees. 

    Students of accredited Caribbean medical schools, such as RUSM*, enjoy the same privileges as students of medical schools in the United States and Canada. RUSM students may qualify for federal student loans through the U.S. Department of Education. RUSM students may register with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates® (ECFMG®) to begin the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) process. RUSM students may also move on to medical residencies accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the residency authority in the United States and Canada.

    RUSM, located on the island of Barbados, is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP). CAAM-HP is recognized by the U.S. National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) as meeting LCME standards. CAAM-HP is also recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), the international authority on medical school standards. CAAM-HP accredits more than a dozen medical schools among the member states of the Caribbean Community and in the Dominican Republic. It has accredited RUSM since 2009. 

    CAAM-HP is not the only medical school accreditation authority in the Caribbean Islands. The Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM), which is also recognized by the NCFMEA and the WFME, accredits eight other Caribbean medical schools. (To see if a particular Caribbean medical school’s accreditation authority meets U.S. and international standards, check the NCFMEA and WFME approval lists.)

    Caribbean Medical School Residency Rates

    After graduating from a Caribbean medical school, residency completion is necessary to start practicing medicine. The main goal of going to an accredited medical school—aside from graduating, of course—is earning a medical residency. An MD cannot practice medicine without completing a residency, which provides three or more years of intense professional training. 

    While in the fourth and final year of medical school, students apply to residencies and go to residency interviews. Students then create a “rank-order list” of preferred residency programs which is matched against a similar list created by the programs. In late March—on “Match Day”—students learn if they have been matched with an ACGME-accredited residency program to fill post-graduate training positions.

    RUSM has a strong history of graduating students earning internal medicine or specialty residencies. In 2019 and 2020, 95 percent of RUSM graduates earned residencies throughout the United States and Canada. This edges out the rate for graduates of U.S. and Canadian medical schools (94 percent).

    Depending on the medical specialty—and there are 135 of them—a residency may last from three to seven years. For doctors in internal or family medicine, residency is complete after three years. Such specialties as anesthesiology, dermatology, and obstetrics/ gynecology have four-year residencies. A general surgery residency lasts five years, while neurosurgery has the longest residency at seven years. 

    Early in residency, doctors typically take the final USMLE exam for licensure. After residency, licensed physicians may go into practice and be certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine or by the board of their residency specialty, and they may apply for membership in the American Medical Association (AMA) or other professional societies. 

    Why Caribbean Medical Schools Are A Good Choice

    Many students choose Caribbean medical schools because they offer opportunities to study medicine to a larger percentage of applicants. They also tend to have a more holistic approach to admissions.

    Holistic admission considers an applicant as a whole person rather than a mere set of grades and scores. This approach considers a student’s adaptability, critical judgment, intellectual and social maturity, life experiences, and volunteer work, as well as graduate school performance when applicable. 

    A holistic approach does not discount grades and test scores, but it does allow for more leniency in academic performance. Students who may have missed the cut on U.S. medical schools—where matriculants have a mean undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.73 (out of 4.0) and an average Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score of 511.5—may have a chance at a Caribbean school where the student averages are slightly lower. 

    Is it worth going to a Caribbean medical school?

    If a student is dedicated to being a physician and is ready to study and work hard, then it is definitely worth going to an accredited medical school in the Caribbean—or any other place, for that matter. All medical schools are difficult, and all are expensive, but if students are able to obtain a MD, a medical residency, and eventually a license to practice medicine, then they are worth it. Students at Caribbean medical schools, like all medical students, must always strive to be near the top of their class, and they must fulfill or exceed the requirements for medical residencies. 

    After entering a residency, Caribbean medical school graduates are no different from other qualified MD's, and with medical licensure and the successful completion of residency, they are physicians ready to practice medicine. 

    The Ross University School of Medicine combines medical science, clinical training, and soft skills support in a state-of-the-art educational environment that keeps learning relevant, contemporary, and competitive. Take the next step toward becoming a physician: apply for admission to RUSM.

    Related Resources:

    • RUSM Accreditation and Approvals
    • RUSM FAQ’s
    • RUSM MD Program
    • RUSM Academic Resources
    • Why Ross?


    *Ross University School of Medicine is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP, www.caam-hp.org).

    CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programs of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM.

    Accreditation by CAAM-HP is a rigorous, peer review process which examines all aspects of a medical program. The CAAM-HP board, an independent and autonomous body of professionals, only certifies medical schools which are operating at the highest levels of industry standards.

    Through this accreditation, the CAAM-HP provides assurance to medical students, graduates, the medical profession, healthcare institutions and the public that programs leading to qualifications in medicine meet appropriate national and international standards for educational quality, and that the graduates have a sufficiently complete and valid educational experience.

    Get Started Today

    Ross Med has the tools to get you working with patients in weeks, not months.
     

    Request More Information

    Share This Article

    • facebook
    • tiktok
    • twitter
    • linkedin
    • email

    The information and material contained in this article and on this website are for informational purposes only and should not be considered, or used in place of, professional medical advice. Please speak with a licensed medical provider for specific questions or concerns. Ross Med is not responsible for the information maintained or provided on third-party websites or external links.

    Related Blogs

    Group picture of Ross University School of Medicine students
    Medical School Tips & Resources
    Innovations in Medical Education at Ross University School of Medicine
    Students working together in classroom
    Medical School Tips & Resources
    Why You Should Start Medical School in May
    Students learning in classroom
    Medical School Tips & Resources
    Will Grades in High School Affect Your Med School Application?
    Ross University School of Medicine
    Apply Now
    Contact Admissions

    Campus Address:

    Two Mile Hill St. Michael
    BB11093
    Barbados

     

    Admissions Address:

    10315 USA Today Way,
    Miramar, Florida, 33025
    Phone: +1 754.707.5547
    Email: Admissions@Rossu.edu

    RUSM Footer Sub menu

    • Information For
      • Admitted Students
      • Career Seekers
      • Current Students
    • Navigate
      • About RUSM
      • MD Program
      • Admissions
      • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Student Life
      • Contact Us
    • News & Events
      • Blog
      • News & Press
      • Events & Webinars
      • On-demand Webinars
      • Academic Calendar
    Branded Element

    © 2025 Ross University School of Medicine. All rights reserved.

    Hands-on From the Start®

    Academic Catalog | Student Handbook | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility Statement | Office of Nondiscrimination and Access | Cost of Attendance | Privacy Policy

     

    Policy on Non-discrimination

    Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) is committed to providing an education conducive to the personal and professional development of each individual and to maintaining an academic environment free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, ancestry, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or parental status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law in the admission to, access to, or treatment, or employment in any of its programs or activities. RUSM will not tolerate, condone, or allow discrimination or harassment, whether engaged in by fellow students, faculty members or non-faculty colleagues.

    Connect with Ross Medical School

    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    Ross University School of Medicine is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP, www.caam-hp.org).

     

    CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programs of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM.

    Accreditation by CAAM-HP is a rigorous, peer review process which examines all aspects of a medical program. The CAAM-HP board, an independent and autonomous body of professionals, only certifies medical schools which are operating at the highest levels of industry standards.

    Through this accreditation, the CAAM-HP provides assurance to medical students, graduates, the medical profession, healthcare institutions, and the public that programs leading to qualifications in medicine meet appropriate national and international standards for educational quality, and that the graduates have a sufficiently complete and valid educational experience.

    CAAM-HP logo - transparent