Atlantic University School Of Medicine

Atlantic University School Of Medicine
Established 2010
Location St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
17°07′24″N 61°50′35″W / 17.1232°N 61.8430°W / 17.1232; -61.8430Coordinates: 17°07′24″N 61°50′35″W / 17.1232°N 61.8430°W / 17.1232; -61.8430
Website ausom.org

Atlantic University School Of Medicine (AUSOM) was an offshore private medical school located in St.Lucia (2010 -August 2017) and then St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda (August 2017 to December 2017). Established in 2010 in Saint Lucia, the school operated at Rodney Bay, Gros Islet until 2017.[1][2][3] The school's offshore office is located in Island Park, New York.[4] The school's application was approved by the Cabinet of St. Lucia in 2010,[5] though as of 2014, the country did not have legislation in place for licensing and regulating medical schools.[6]

Programs

The primary educational programs at AUSOM consisted of a 2-year premed course of study; a four-year medical curriculum, which lead to a Doctor of Medicine degree; or a six-year track which combined the premed and medical training. In addition to theoretical and academic training, students are required to complete 48 weeks of clinical clerkships.[7] Students participate in community health clinics from their first year of study, offering services of basic health checks, diabetes screenings and basic eye examinations.[8] The school accepts both Lucian and foreign students, offering a scholarship program for Lucian residents who qualify.[9]

Accreditation

Atlantic University School Of Medicine received approval from the St. Lucian Cabinet in 2010.[5] It is not accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP).[10]

USA: It is listed in the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory (IMED) and in the World Health Organization's World Directory of Medical Schools, but as of January 1, 2018, students and graduates of this medical school with a graduation year of 2018 and later are not eligible to apply to ECFMG for ECFMG Certification, which also renders them ineligible to apply to ECFMG for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE) as a step toward ECFMG Certification.[11] Students and graduates of Atlantic University School of Medicine are subject to enhanced procedures that must be met in order to be eligible for ECFMG Certification and USMLE examinations that lead to ECFMG Certification. ECFMG will provide information and instructions to applicants upon receipt of application.[11]

Canada: Candidates from Atlantic University who will graduate on January 1, 2018 or thereafter are not be eligible to apply for Medical Council of Canada (MCC) services or apply for licensure in Canada.[12]

In August 2017, Atlantic moved to a new campus in Antigua and Barbuda after losing approval in St. Lucia and with ECFMG and Canada.[13] During this time, ECFMG states "In 2017, ECFMG determined that certain staff / officials of Atlantic University School of Medicine engaged in irregular behavior in connection with providing false information and documents to ECFMG."(see under "Sponsor Notes").[13] This same note has been added to their listing in St. Lucia so students can see it in both places.[14]

Media

Some time at the end of 2017 to the beginning of 2018, certain administrative individuals from AUSOM made a false claim that the school was CAAM-HP approved </ref>http://www.caam-hp.org/documents/Advisory%20re%20False%20Claims%20in%20Antigua%20Observer.pdf

This was at a time when the school had no ECFMG approval and was facing a shutdown of its operations by the Antiguan government. In response, CAAM-HP made the following announcement on February 19, 2018, under the Disclaimer section of their website: “False Claim made in the Antigua Daily Observer about the Accreditation of Atlantic University School of Medicine.”</ref>http://www.caam-hp.org/

Post Shut Down

Per ECFMG, those students who have transferred out of AUSOM by the end of 2017 and resumed their medical education with another accredited university in 2018, will be eligible to apply for USMLE Steps and ECGMG graduation certification upon finishing medical school at another accredited university.

Current Status

AUSOM no longer exists and ended its last academic semester in December 2017. However, the school still maintains its website active which allows prospective students to apply for the program via website. </ref>http://www.ausom.edu.lc/apply/ At the same time, AUSOM's website states that school still is accredited by ECFMG: "Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Ministry of Education has notified the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory, of the Charter and License granted to Atlantic University School of Medicine. To this extent, IMED has listed Atlantic University School of Medicine within its International Medical Education Directory.

Qualified students who receive sponsorship from Atlantic University School of Medicine are therefore permitted to register and complete the United States Medical Licensing Examination(s) required for ECFMG certification. Upon successful completion of the ECFMG examinations and subsequent certification, students are eligible to make application to the National Residency Match Program and enter post-graduate training within the United States of America." <ref>http://www.ausom.edu.lc/about-us/ This is a false claim considering that the school lost its ECFMG listing at the end of December 2017.

References

  1. ↑ "School Detail". World Directory of Medical Schools. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  2. ↑ "BREAKING NEWS: Medical school relocates from St. Lucia to Antigua". Antigua Observer. July 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017 – via stlucianewsonline.com.
  3. ↑ "Atlantic University School of Medicine students remain in limbo: report". Antigua Observer. November 2, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017 – via stlucianewsonline.com.
  4. ↑ "Atlantic University School of Medicine". Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research. 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  5. 1 2 Bousquet, Earl (May 20, 2011). "St. Lucia debates over location of a US medical school". Beijing, China: China International Publishing Group. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Sammie, Anthony (August 20, 2014). "Senator calls for medical training in Saint Lucia". Castries, Saint Lucia: St. Lucia News Online. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "New Basic Science Curriculum for January 2016". Island Park, NY: Atlantic University School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Free Health Clinic". Massade, Gros Islet, St. Lucia: The Star. June 17, 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  9. ↑ "Atlantic University School Of Medicine (AUSOM) – Several Tangible Benefits To Be Derived By Saint Lucia And Saint Lucians!". Castries, St. Lucia: The Voice of St. Lucia. 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "Programmes Assessed by the CAAM-HP". Kingston, Jamaica: Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  11. 1 2 "School Detail". search.wdoms.org. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  12. ↑ "Students graduating after 2017 from five Saint Lucia medical schools will not be eligible for medical licensure in Canada | Medical Council of Canada | Le Conseil médical du Canada". mcc.ca. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  13. 1 2 https://search.wdoms.org/home/SchoolDetail/F0004816
  14. ↑ https://search.wdoms.org/home/SchoolDetail/F0002374
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