American University of the Caribbean

American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine

Type	Private , Medical School
Established	1978
Dean	William F. Owen, MD, FACP
Academic staff	75 (on main campus)
Students	≈650 on main campus
Location	Sint Maarten, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Website	Official website

The American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) is an international, for-profit, U.S. curriculum-based medical school with a main basic science campus in Sint Maarten, and is based in Coral Gables, Florida. Owned by DeVry Inc. (along with Ross University School of Medicine)^[1] since 2011, AUC is fully accredited by the Ireland-based Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine (ACCM),^[2] meets the requirements of the federally guaranteed student loan program, and is therefore approved for participation in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and other federal financial aid programs. The United States Department of Education has determined that the commission’s accreditation standards are comparable to those applicable to U.S. medical schools.^[3]

History

American University of the Caribbean main campus in Sint Maarten

Founded by American educator Dr. Paul Tien in 1978, the main campus of the American University of the Caribbean was originally located on the island of Montserrat, but was forced to move to its present location in Sint Maarten after the eruption of the previously dormant Soufriere Hills volcano.

Cincinnati, Ohio

While a medical campus was being constructed on Montserrat, AUC started conducting classes under its Montserrat charter in a rented space on the campus of the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio. The first class, with 107 students, started on 14 August 1978.

Montserrat

The government of Montserrat granted AUC a 25-acre (100,000 m²) parcel of land near Plymouth, where a new campus of 17 buildings was built. AUC began conducting classes at its new campus in Montserrat in January 1980.

On 17 September 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit the island, severely damaging the campus. Students and faculty were evacuated.

Plainview, Texas

While the Montserrat campus was being rebuilt, AUC operated at a temporary location in Plainview, Texas, where classes started again on 17 October 1989.

Montserrat

The Montserrat campus was rebuilt and AUC reopened it for classes in September 1990. Long thought to be dormant, the Soufrière Hills volcano on Montserrat erupted on 18 July 1995, rendering much of the island uninhabitable, including the entire city of Plymouth. Students and faculty were evacuated, and the campus was buried under volcanic ash.

Belize and St. Maarten

AUC reopened its operations in September 1995. 250 students were sent to a temporary location in Belize and 280 students were sent to a temporary location in St. Maarten, at the time part of the Netherlands Antilles. However, on 5 September 1995, Hurricane Luis hit St. Maarten, destroyed much of its infrastructure, and delayed the opening of the St. Maarten operation by three weeks. In September 1996, AUC transferred all students and faculty in Belize to its temporary facilities on St. Maarten.

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.

Curriculum

After completing the initial 5 semesters (20 months)^[4] of study in the Medical Sciences portion on AUC's St. Maarten campus, students then conduct 4.5 semesters (18 months)^[4] 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, The United Kingdom, or Ireland. 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.).

Accreditation and licensure

AUC is listed with the World Health Organisation's Avicenna directory^[5] and in the ECFMG IMED/FAIMER database of medical schools,^[6] which indicates the school is recognized by the appropriate local government agency.

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 governments of Sint Maarten and the Netherlands Antilles.

Some states have their own approval processes for medical schools, all of which have approved AUC. These include California.^[7][8] In addition, New York^[9] and Florida^[10][11] have approved AUC to allow medical students to do clinical rotations in their states.

AUC graduates may apply to the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom for registration (residency training) in the UK without prejudice. The only stipulation associated with AUC graduates are for students who, "... transferred to the American University of the Caribbean following a period of study at another medical school."^[12]

See also

• Medical school
• International medical graduate
• List of medical schools in the Caribbean

References

External links

• Official website

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