American University of the Caribbean

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For the unaffiliated university in Haiti, see American University of the Caribbean, Haiti.

American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
American University of the Caribbean logo.svg
TypePrivate, Medical School
Established1978
DeanHeidi Chumley, MD, MBA
Academic staff
75 (on main campus)
Students≈650 on main campus
Location
Sint Maarten, Kingdom of the Netherlands
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

The American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) is a private medical school. Its main basic science campus is located in Sint Maarten, and separate administrative offices are located in Iselin, New Jersey, and Miramar, Florida, in the United States. AUC is owned by Adtalem Global Education.[1]

History[]

American University of the Caribbean main campus in Sint Maarten

Montserrat[]

Founded by American educator Dr. Paul Tien in 1978.[2] The main campus of the American University of the Caribbean was originally located on the island of Montserrat. However, the university had to be evacuated in 1995 due to volcanic activity in the Soufrière Hills. The campus remained closed for two years, until it was finally destroyed by pyroclastic flow from the volcano in 1997.[3]

St. Maarten[]

AUC purchased a parcel of land in the village of Cupecoy on the Dutch side of St. Martin and construction of a permanent campus began in July 1996. The new campus opened on 1 May 1998. AUC's new campus consists of teaching and learning facilities featuring classrooms and laboratories, an imaging anatomy lab, a microbiology lab, and a medical library. The school was purchased by Adtalem Global Education in 2011 for $235 million.[4]

Building 2

Hurricane Irma[]

Hurricane Irma struck Sint Maarten on September 5 and 6 2017 and the AUC campus, including the dormitories, suffered minor damage but classes had to be canceled and all students were evacuated off the island of Sint Maarten, as the island attempted to restore basic services. According to the AUC's official hurricane update page, students were sheltered in a building that was engineered and designed to withstand a category 5 hurricane (Building 2). Supplies were distributed to sheltered students, colleagues, and loved ones in the storm's aftermath.[5] Several residences, where students were staying, were "completely destroyed--and food and water is scarce", according to the CBC. The school arranged for students to start the next semester on September 29, 2017, having made an arrangements with a North West England university (University of Central Lancashire) to share their facilities until students were able to return to the Sint Maarten campus.

Covid-19 Pandemic[]

AUC made the decision to re-open their campus in January 2021.[6] January 2021, saw a record number of covid-19 related cases and deaths in the United States.[7]

Curriculum[]

After completing the initial 5 semesters (20 months)[8] of study in the Medical Sciences portion on AUC's St. Maarten campus, students then conduct 4.5 semesters (18 months)[8] of training in the Clinical Sciences portion (also known as the Clinical Years) at AUC's affiliated teaching hospitals, whereby the students may choose between teaching hospitals in the United States[9] or The United Kingdom.[9] Both the required core rotations (Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, and Psychiatry) and elective rotations in any specialty may be taken at one or several different clinical sites. After a total of four years of training, students are awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.).

The residency attainment rate for AUC graduates was 92 percent in 2020.[10]

The tuition for medical sciences is $23,240/semester, while the tuition for clinical sciences is $26,000/semester.[11]

315 U.S. students graduated from the MD program in 2019. 200 of those students graduated on time, for an on-time percentage of 63.49%.[12]

Accreditation, recognition and licensure[]

Since 2011, AUC has been accredited by Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine, which accredits Caribbean medical schools.[13] AUC is currently recognised by the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom, meaning graduates with courses completed prior to September 2019 are eligible for practice there.[14] AUC is included in the list of approved schools recognized by the Medical Board of California, a list that is frequently used throughout the United States by ACGME-accredited residency programs to validate international medical school credentials for postgraduate training.[15]

AUC is listed with the World Directory of Medical Schools' directory[16] which indicates that students and graduates of this medical school are eligible to apply to ECFMG for ECFMG Certification.

AUC is accredited by the Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine (ACCM), an independent organization based in Ireland that accredits medical schools on behalf of several governments, including the government of Sint Maarten.

Some states have their own approval processes for medical schools, all of which have approved AUC. These include California.[17][18] AUC is approved by the New York State Education Department (NYSED)[19] to allow students to complete more than 12 weeks of clinical clerkships in New York State. AUC is one of eight Caribbean medical schools so approved by NYSED.[19] Additionally, Florida[20][21] has approved AUC to allow medical students to do clinical rotations in that state.

AUC graduates (post September 2019) are eligible for registration with the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom, which as a result means that graduates can complete postgraduate (residency) training or work at any stage of their careers as practicing clinicians in the UK.[14]

In 2014, only 53 percent of United States citizens who attended an international medical school secured a residency via the NRMP, compared to 94 percent of medical students who attended an American medical school. [22]

Student loan debt[]

The US Department of Education reports that median student loan debt is $331,634 for students who have completed the program. [23]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ https://www.adtalem.com/
  2. ^ https://www.aucmed.edu/about/facts-and-figures
  3. ^ https://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/294
  4. ^ https://smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/7316-devry-inc-announces-acquisition-of-american-university-of-the-caribbean-expands-devrys-offering-in-high-quality-medical-education-creates-worlds-leading-provider-of-international-medical-education
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ https://www.aucmed.edu/student-life/return-to-campus
  7. ^ https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/27/us-reports-record-number-of-covid-deaths-in-january.html
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "AUC - Review Clinical Sciences Curriculum | American University of the Caribbean". Aucmed.edu. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Clinical Rotations in the UK and US". AUC School of Medicine.
  10. ^ https://www.aucmed.edu/about/residency-placements
  11. ^ https://www.aucmed.edu/admissions/tuition-and-financial-aid
  12. ^ https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/american-university-caribbean.pdf
  13. ^ "ACCM home". Accredmed.org. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Overseas medical qualifications we do not accept". Gmc-uk.org. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  15. ^ https://www.mbc.ca.gov/Applicants/Medical_Schools/Schools_Recognized.aspx
  16. ^ "American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine". World Directory of Medical Schools. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Medical Schools Recognized | Medical Board of California". Medbd.ca.gov. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  18. ^ [1] Archived 24 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b "NYS Medicine:Application Forms". www.op.nysed.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Commission for Independent Education - Clerkships". Fldoe.org. Archived from the original on 17 June 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  21. ^ "Nonpublic Postsecondary School/College Details". App1.fldoe.org. 29 July 2002. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  22. ^ Hartocollis, Anemona (31 July 2014). "Second-Chance Med School". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Foreign Medical School Information: American University of the Caribbean" (PDF). studentaid.gov. US Department of Education. Retrieved 27 July 2021.

External links[]

Coordinates: 18°3′1″N 63°7′37″W / 18.05028°N 63.12694°W / 18.05028; -63.12694

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