St Matthews University

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St. Matthew's University
Motto: Improving Life by Degrees
Established: 1997[1] / 2002[2]
Type: Private (for-profit)
Chancellor: John Marvin
Location: Flag of Cayman IslandsSeven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Colors: Purple,Sea green and Yellow
Website: www.stmatthews.edu/

St. Matthew's University (SMU) is a for-profit private university located in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands in the British West Indies. It comprises the School of Medicine and the School of Veterinary Medicine, which confer M.D. and D.V.M. degrees, respectively.

Contents

[edit] History

The School of Medicine was originally established in Belize in 1997,[1] and relocated to the Cayman Islands in 2002,[2] while the School of Veterinary Medicine welcomed its charter class in the Fall of 2005. The school was acquired by Equinox Capital in conjunction with Prairie Capital in 2005.[3]

[edit] Accreditation

SMU School of Medicine is listed with the World Health Organization and in the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) database of medical schools.[4] SMU School of Veterinary Medicine is listed in the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECVMG) database of world veterinary medical schools.[5]

SMU is fully recognized and approved by the government of Cayman Islands to confer the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degrees to students who complete the SMU curriculum.[6][7]

SMU is accredited by the Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine (ACCM)[citation needed]. The ACCM is a non-US accreditation board which is recognized by the US Department of Education's National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) as having accreditation standards for medical schools comparable to those in the U.S. The NCFMEA declared the "comparability" of the ACCM in 2002 and again in 2004. The determination by the NCFMEA of the ACCM's comparability is on a non-permanent basis and must be renewed in again in 2007.[8][9]

[edit] Licensing

Graduates of St. Matthew's School of Medicine are currently not able to be licensed as physicians in the following states:

  • California: As a result of a site visit done by the Medical Board of California, SMU was officially disapproved for both training and licensure on February 18, 2005.[10][11]
  • Indiana: States SMU is disapproved as of December 5, 2002.[12]
  • Kansas: State regulations require "a graduate of a school which has been in operation for not less than 15 years and the graduates of which have been licensed in another state or states which has standards similar to Kansas." [13]
  • North Dakota: States "graduates of [SMU] after the date of disapproval by the California Medical Board should not presume eligibility for either resident or permanent licensure in North Dakota."[14]
  • Texas: SMU is not listed on the Substantial Equivalence list[15] and as such SMU graduates wishing to obtain a Texas license must submit supplemental documentation in order to become licensed[16].

[edit] M.D. curriculum

Students spend the first four semesters of study following a Basic Sciences curriculum that includes embryology, gross anatomy, biostatistics, biochemistry, pathology, genetics, neuroscience and histology. The fifth semester (pre-clinical semester) is spent in preparation for the USMLE Step 1 exam. Following completion of Basic Sciences and the pre-clinical semester, students leave Grand Cayman in order to complete clinical clerkships at various hospital sites in the United States and United Kingdom for their third and fourth years of study.

[edit] Basic sciences

Semester 1: Patient-Doctor Skills I, Embryology, Histology and Cell Biology, Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Gross Anatomy
Semester 2: Patient-Doctor Skills II, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Physiology
Semester 3: Patient-Doctor Skills III, Medical Microbiology I, Medical Pharmacology, Introduction to Psychiatry & Ethics, Pathology I
Semester 4: Patient-Doctor Skills IV, Genetics, Medical Microbiology II, Medical Pharmacology II, Pathology II[17]

[edit] Pre-clinical sciences

Clinical Therapeutics, Advanced Introduction to Clinical Medicine, Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine[18]

[edit] Clinical Sciences

Core clerkships consist of Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and gynaecology, Family Practice, Psychiatry.[19]

St. Matthew's School of Medicine has been approved by the Education Department of New York, and the Florida Department of Education for the purpose of completing clinical clerkships in these states.[20][21]


[edit] American Medical Student Association (AMSA)

The St. Matthew's University Chapter of The American Medical Student Association (Charter #8070) is one of the largest international AMSA chapters in the world. The chapter currently has over 200 members and continues to grow each semester. The mission statement taken from the SMU AMSA Chapter bylaws states: "The primary purpose of this organization is to enhance the medical school experience of future physicians through education in subjects beyond their basic sciences and by offering the opportunity to participate in community service / activities that will benefit their future academic and professional careers. The secondary purpose of this organization is to help the community of Grand Cayman through volunteer work."

The medical students involved actively participate in community service activities that enhance their academic and professional development. Students also have the opportunity to learn more about the clinical practice of medicine at chapter meetings which usually cover topics from Vital Signs, to ECGs, to Suturing and Intubation. For more information about recent chapter projects please see: http://www.amsa.org/resource/projects/projectdirectory.cfm

[edit] Administration

Chief Executive Officer: John Marvin

Chief Academic Officer: Dr. Gordon J. Green

Chief Financial Officer: Terry Moya

Vice President of Enrollment: Dr. John F. Dietrich

Executive Dean: Dr. Vincent Knight

Dean of Basic Science, School of Medicine: Dr. R. Senthil Kumar

Dean of Clinical Science, School of Medicine: Dr. John Randall

Dean of Basic Science, School of Veterinary Medicine: Dr. William C. Wagner

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b ECFMG IMED. International Medical Education Directory listing for Belize. Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
  2. ^ a b ECFMG IMED. International Medical Education Directory for the Cayman Islands. Retrieved on 2006-08-27.
  3. ^ Prairie Capital::News
  4. ^ IMED Listing
  5. ^ ECVMG listing
  6. ^ SMU Website
  7. ^ SMU Website
  8. ^ NCFMEA Decisions: Countries Determined to Have Comparable Accreditation Standards for Medical Schools
  9. ^ Cayman Net News article 11 February 2005
  10. ^ Medical Board of California. St. Matthew's University Site Visit Report. Retrieved on 2006-08-27.
  11. ^ Medical Board of California. International Medical Schools Disapproved by the State of California. Retrieved on 2006-08-27.
  12. ^ Medical Licensing Board of Indiana. Graduates of Foreign Medical Schools. Retrieved on 2006-08-27.
  13. ^ Kansas Board of Healing Arts. [http://www.ksbha.org/statutes/haact.html#2873 Statues: Chapter 65.--PUBLIC HEALTH Article 28.--HEALING ARTS]. Retrieved on 2006-08-18.
  14. ^ North Dakota Board of Medical Examiners List of Disapproved Medical Schools
  15. ^ http://www.tmb.state.tx.us/professionals/physicians/applicants/STDNHPSE.rtf
  16. ^ Physician Checklist of Supplemental Documentation and Important Information
  17. ^ http://www.stmatthews.edu/med_curriculum_basic-science-curriculum.html
  18. ^ http://www.stmatthews.edu/med_curriculum_basic-science-curriculum.html
  19. ^ http://www.stmatthews.edu/med_curriculum_clinical-science-curriculum.html
  20. ^ New York State Office of the Professions. NYS Medicine Application Forms / Schools allowed to do more than 12 weeks of Clinical Clerkships in NYS. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
  21. ^ Florida Department of Education. Directory of Licensed Institutions. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.