There are a lot of spectacular reasons to earn a masters degree. From personal academic enrichment to general career planning, all the way down to specific job requirements, graduate degrees are a viable path to expertise and growth. A masters degree is not, however, a requirement to practice medicine, nor even a recommendation. Despite this, they have become a begrudgingly common method for attempting to pad a GPA after a difficult admissions cycle in a US and Canadian medical school admissions process already placing too many barriers in front of qualified applicants. Today, we're going to look at this phenomenon, dig into some data, talk to our students, and offer some insight into why it may not be what it's cracked up to be and what other options may be out there for you.

Earlier this month, the World Pediatric Project (WPP) held its first mission for 2019 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  Its focus was on general pediatric surgery with Dr. Jeffrey Lukish, pediatric surgeon from Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC as team leader. 

For the unaware, the WPP offers surgical and diagnostic care to children in the Eastern Caribbean and has been actively working in St. Vincent and the Grenadines since 2002. Trinity School of Medicine students are frequently in the mix with them in a volunteer/learning capacity. This mission was no different, with Trinity students taking part, re-dedicating the school to clinical education and community service.  The busy visit was a productive one. On consultation day alone, forty-one local children, and an additional fifteen from neighboring islands, were seen by Trinity students and the visiting team of surgeons. 

In Canada in 2017, only 2,617 of the 13,690 applicants were admitted to medical schools. An astonishing 81% of the applicants- many of whom would make phenomenal physicians- found themselves rejected at home. For many people considering medicine, becoming a doctor is a calling. So, a large percentage of those Canadian applicants without a seat looked abroad—most of them to the Caribbean, but some considering Ireland, Australia, and Eastern Europe as well. But, what happens when school is over? In 2018, of the 1,758 international medical graduates (IMGs)- most of whom were Canadians that tried to match back home- only 123 were selected. This is by no means to say that this isn't still a viable path for Canadians, and a fair number of Trinity graduates have matched in places like Ontario, Calgary, British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba.  

The point is that the decision to study abroad is a major one, with many factors to consider, from proximity to home, to academic approach, matching, cost, and long term career plans.

On Tuesday, we hinted that we had something say about the United States and Canadian application systems and the challenges they had for most applicants. Well, today's the day. We're going to cover something that's long been an elephant in the room for medical schools across the hemisphere.

Getting into US and Canadian medical schools is a numbers game. And the rules don't add up.

Last week, we published data that gave insight into this year's match for Trinity and its graduates. As a follow up, we're going to break down some of the complexities at play in the match itself, and give guidance to medical students, present and future, on how, and where, Trinity students go that extra mile and succeed.

There has been a flurry of coverage on international medical education, lately. These pieces have painted an interesting picture of the sometimes under-noticed benefits to patients and hospitals as well as the pragmatic and necessary contributions to public health. We thought we'd weigh in on these and offer some of our own perspective.

Trinity School of Medicine is, as always, dedicated to reaching out to qualified students, wherever they may be. We've scheduled a tour across Canada and the US, sending our admissions directors to connect with prospective students and provide what they need to take the next steps towards their futures in medicine. 

As Trinity School of Medicine continues to grow, so must the administration guiding that growth, ensuring the depth and breadth of quality scales with it. To that end, we are very excited to announce that Dr. Skelton is transitioning to focus on his role as chancellor and we are proud to welcome the eminently qualified Dr. Linda Adkison as dean. 

Previously, Dr. Skelton held both positions himself, noting: "My initial plan was to serve as chancellor and dean through Trinity's obtaining accreditation by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Medicine and the Health professions (CAAM-HP) and then assist in identifying my successor. I am extremely pleased that Dr. Linda Adkison, a colleague from my Mercer days with extensive medical education, medical research, and medical administrative experience has agreed to join us as dean and relocate to St. Vincent. With this change, I will continue as chancellor to assist Dr. Adkison, and to work with her, President Wilson, and the Board of Trustees to continue the establishing of Trinity as a leading international medical school."