The Doctor Factory

At What Cost an M.D.? Offshore Medical School.the phrase conjures up visions of scantily-clad students propped up against palm trees, casting glances at Grey's Anatomy, while keeping one eye firmly on the talent on the beach. It evokes images of predatory professors who are living out the remainder of their days on a tropical island because they are hiding from their past, or simply cannot hack-it in real life, in one of the large, cold countries. We all know, of course, that this is only prejudice and myth. But, is it? Caribbean medical schools are now a huge source of physicians for the USA: the quality of the education which these students receive affects us all. But the quality of the education stems from the nature of the professors and what a cast of characters they are! Idealists rub shoulders with cynics; teachers of ethics with hypocrites and lechers. Sometimes the ethicist is the hypocrite and lecher and things become confused. This book is a fictional account of life at one such medical school, written in the form of a professor's memoir. It is set against the backdrop of a small Caribbean island: freedom and spice are in the air.