universities in costa rica (medical school)

[ticacoral77]

hello,
Anyone know about the program in medicine at UNIBE (universidad de Iberoamerica).
How's this university, the campus? ect?

thanks

[Russ]

That's a good question.  Overall the best medical programs are at the state universities the UCR and UNA.   However only 25% of the students who want to go to the UCR are admitted each year, and even lower percentages for degrees like medicine, dentistry and law. 

This fact has spawned an opportunity for private universities like ULatina, Veritas, Universidad Interamericana and of course UNIBE - to name some.  To be honest I have not heard anything one way or another about UNIBE, but in general the private medical schools have solid programs and are internationally accredited.  Unless you are planning to work only in Costa Rica upon graduation and have no plans for further study, I would venture to guess that the international credentials that a school has would be the deciding factor. 

Possibly Rod may shed some more light on UNIBE - since his step-daughter is studying medicine at a private school....

[rod]

Your answer to this question is excellent, Russ.
My stepdaughter has just graduated from Universidad Latina and she is now gaining experience (read this as "earning slave wages") at a private clinic.ULatina has 16,000 students and has a respected reputation but all the universities in the country, public and private, turn out more doctors than the Social Security Administration (known universally as the Caja) has the budget to absorb into the hospitals they administer. (They need more but cannot pay them and a large percentage of Costa Ricans use the very good private hospitals and clinics here to avoid long waits for diagnosis and treatment.) Graduate MDs go into service with the Caja hospitals and clinics after internship if their name comes up in a lottery. My stepdaughter didn't make the cut but can re-submit her name for the next lottery.
I'm not certain of creditation in other countries where demand for medical services outstrips the supply, but I'm certain ULatina can answer that question.
Hope this helps
Rod