St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine, Cayman Islands, Caribbean

Forum: SMU Forum
Location: Cayman Islands, Caribbean
Basic Science Tuition: $11,650/semester
Clinical Science Tuition: $14,850/semester
USA Clinical Rotations: Yes
Time required for MD: 10 semesters
Year founded: 1997
Scholarships: Yes
Email: Email SMU
Bookstore: St. Matthew’s Bookstore
Album: SMU Album
Student reviews: SMU Review

About St. Matthew’s University

Providing quality education focused on the success of our students, as well as patient-centered care, is the foundation of St. Matthew’s University. The Medical School, founded in 1997, has the only hospital-integrated education and research program in the Caribbean. Our students achieve exceptional scholastic and professional success, with recent U.S. licensing examination pass rates on parity with U.S. schools and far above the average of other non-U.S. schools.

St. Matthew’s University offers a rolling admissions process with no deadline to apply. However, seats in each class are competitive, and early applicants have the advantage of securing a place in the semester of their choice. Semesters begin in September, January, and May. St. Matthew’s Medical School’s state-of-the-art campus offers wireless internet connectivity, excellent anatomy, histology, microbiology, and clinical skills labs, along with beautiful classrooms, spacious study areas, and student lounges. An inviting, newly renovated residence hall with access to beautiful Seven Mile Beach is just minutes from campus.

With world-wide accreditation and clinical sites in the US and England, St. Matthew’s University Medical School has attracted students from a variety of nationalities, creating a diverse mix of medical students from Europe, particularly the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. A student body drawn from a variety of backgrounds complements the cultural mix of life on Grand Cayman today.

Clinical Sciences are taught in teaching hospitals throughout the United States, Canada, and England, making the educational experience truly international. St. Matthew’s students stand shoulder-to-shoulder in clinical rotations with students from medical schools in the U.S., Canada, and England. St. Matthew’s graduates have been very successful in securing excellent residency positions in some of the finest and most rewarding facilities in the United States.

Study Medicine from an International Perspective

With medical schools in the U.S. forced to turn away highly qualified applicants due to GPA criteria, St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine offers a second path forward. Today, more than 20% of America’s physicians owe their education, and some of their success, to medical education outside the United States. St. Matthew’s offers an alternative, but not a compromise. We maintain the highest standards to ensure we prepare the next generation of physicians who are both competent and compassionate.

St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine makes rigorous demands of its students. The overall program is carefully designed to support the greatest career flexibility. Graduates are well prepared for the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), qualifying them to enter a U.S. residency program. We also offer a joint dual-degree program with Davenport University; graduates of both programs earn an M.D. and an M.B.A.

St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine is a premier physician preparatory training facility. Our students benefit from:

• Integrated medical curricula
• Spacious, fully equipped, and technologically advanced campus facilities
• A low student-to-faculty ratio that ensures personal attention
• United States and United Kingdom clerkship training at accredited teaching hospitals, including sites in:
  • District of Columbia
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • New York
  • Maryland
  • Washington
  • London, UK

Admissions

Each candidate is evaluated on the basis of the following factors:

• Academic background
• Overall grade point average
• Science grade point average
• Strength of major/minor
• Letters of reference
• Personal statement
• College activities that demonstrate service to the community
• Personal interview

The admissions committee begins reviewing applications for the upcoming semester on the 1st and 15th of every month. The committee selects students who exhibit the strongest potential to flourish in a medical school environment and to execute the duties of a medical doctor professionally and ethically. If a student’s credentials meet the admissions criteria, the candidate is interviewed in person or by telephone before a final decision is made. Applicants should submit materials early and ensure files are complete, since the admissions committee will not review incomplete documentation.

Curriculum

Basic Sciences

The medical curriculum at St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine integrates basic and clinical science to give medical students an understanding of the human body in health and disease. This approach enables medical students to use their knowledge not just to treat patients, but to prevent disease and promote good health.

Sensitivity is as important to patient care as mastery of clinical skills. We believe patients are cared for, not “processed.” St. Matthew’s University students are taught to incorporate social, cultural, and spiritual perspectives when working with patients. A healing partnership with patients grows from mutual respect and understanding. At St. Matthew’s University Medical School, we believe that learning to balance analytical skills and people skills is vital to a doctor’s success. Throughout the first two years, medical students participate in a series of clinical medicine courses focused on the art of patient care and preventive medicine.

Patient care, in the broadest sense, is at the center of every course. Medical students examine the role of medicine in the community and the effect disease has on the family as well as the individual. Special segments address the ethics of the physician-patient relationship and the ethical dilemmas posed by modern medicine.

Clinical Sciences

At the end of the fourth semester of Basic Sciences, students begin their clinical clerkship rotations. During the fifth semester, students take part in a Clinical Orientation, where they receive information on available clerkships. Each student completes a Clinical In-Processing File listing their three preferred training sites. Every effort is made to assign students to the hospital that best suits their qualifications, requirements, and preferences.

Core rotations are taken and completed at a teaching hospital (defined as a hospital with a residency-training program accredited by the ACGME) or at a St. Matthew’s University-approved site. Each student is prepared to sit for the appropriate licensing examination required by each hospital in order to begin core clinical rotations at an approved hospital. St. Matthew’s University staff submit documentation to the affiliated hospital for credentialing, a process that takes four to six weeks.

Want to Know More?

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