Atlantic University School of Medicine

Atlantic University School of Medicine (AUSOM) was an offshore private medical school, located in St. Lucia from its foundation in 2010 until August 2017 and then for 5 months in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda until December 2017, when it fully closed.

Atlantic University School of Medicine
Atlantic University School of Medicine building in St. Lucia
Active2010–December 2017
Location
Rodney Bay, Gros Islet, St. Lucia
St. John's
,
Antigua and Barbuda

17°07′24″N 61°50′35″W
Websiteausom.org (archived)

History

Established in 2010 in St. Lucia,[1] AUSOM operated at Rodney Bay, Gros Islet[2] until August 2017. It was housed in part of the St. Lucia National Neurological and Mental Health Wellness Centre, a facility originally constructed by China to serve as a Caribbean regional psychiatric center and completed by Taiwan after the United Workers Party came to power in the 2006 elections; it was the fourth offshore medical school in St. Lucia at the time.[3] Its application was approved by the Cabinet of St. Lucia in 2010,[4] though as of 2014, the country did not have legislation in place for licensing and regulating medical schools.[5] The college had an offshore office located in Island Park, New York.[6]

The St. Lucia Medical and Dental Council set a deadline for AUSOM to show proof of accreditation, as a result of which the college moved in August 2017 to St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda [7][8][9][10][11][12] ECFMG then added a statement under "Sponsor Notes": "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.".[12]

The college ended its last academic semester in December 2017. Per ECFMG, those students who had completed MD by end of 2017, and those who had transferred out of AUSOM by the end of 2017 and resumed their medical education with another accredited university in 2018, were eligible to apply for USMLE Steps and ECGMG graduation certification upon finishing medical school at another accredited university.. After closure, AUSOM's website remained active for some time. Students who had not graduated with MD by December 2017 had to transfer to other medical schools to complete graduation. Students who had graduated with MD prior to December 2017 were not affected.[13][14]

Programs

The college accepted both Lucian and foreign students, offering a scholarship program for qualified Lucian residents.[15]

The primary educational programs at AUSOM were: a two-year premed course of study; a four-year medical curriculum, which led to a Doctor of Medicine degree; and a six-year track that combined the premed and medical training. In addition to theoretical and academic training, students were required to complete 48 weeks of clinical clerkships.[16] Students participated in community health clinics from their first year of study, offering basic health checks, diabetes screenings, and basic eye examinations.[2]

Accreditation

Atlantic University School of Medicine received approval from the St. Lucian Cabinet in 2010.[4] It was not accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP).[11][17] On February 14, 2018, the Antigua Daily Observer printed an article containing claims by AUSOM administrators that the school was now CAAM-HP approved.[18] By December 2017 the school had already closed. On February 19, 2018 CAAM-HP responded with a statement on the Disclaimer section of their website headed "False Claim made in the Antigua Daily Observer about the Accreditation of Atlantic University School of Medicine".[19][20]

United States

AUSOM is listed in the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory (IMED) and in the World Health Organization's World Directory of Medical Schools,[1] but as of 1 January 2018, only students and graduates of this medical school with a graduation year of 2017 and earlier are fully eligible for ECFMG Certification and take the United States Medical Licensing Examination.

Canada

Candidates from Atlantic University School of Medicine and 4 other St Lucia medical schools who graduated on January 1, 2018 or thereafter are not eligible to apply for Medical Council of Canada (MCC) services or for licensure in Canada.[21] This reference from the Canadian Medical Council website shows “Effective today, candidates from five Saint Lucia medical schools who will graduate on January 1, 2018 or thereafter are not eligible to apply for Medical Council of Canada (MCC) services or apply for licensure in Canada. These five schools are:

  1. American International Medical University School of Medicine
  2. Atlantic University School of Medicine
  3. College of Medicine and Health Sciences
  4. International American University College of Medicine
  5. Washington Medical Sciences Institute.

Candidates who will graduate from these medical schools before January 1, 2018, are still eligible to apply for MCC services and licensure in Canada.”

Graduates from the Atlantic University School of Medicine remained eligible for ECFMG certification in the US and for MCC licensure in Canada since the school became fully closed in December 2017.

References
  1. "Atlantic University School of Medicine: St. Lucia". World Directory of Medical Schools. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  2. "Free Health Clinic". The Star. St. Lucia. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  3. Bousquet, Earl (20 May 2011). "St. Lucia debates over location of a US medical school". China.org. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  4. Bousquet, Earl (20 May 2011). "St. Lucia debates over location of a US medical school". Beijing, China: China International Publishing Group. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  5. Sammie, Anthony (20 August 2014). "Senator calls for medical training in Saint Lucia". stlucianewsonline.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  6. "Atlantic University School of Medicine". Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research. 2010. Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  7. "Breaking News: Medical school relocates from St. Lucia to Antigua". Antigua Observer. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017 – via stlucianewsonline.com.
  8. Georges, Geraine (31 July 2017). "Atlantic University fleeing over accreditation issues?" (video, 4 mins, 2 secs). St. Lucia: MBC Prime News.
  9. Actille, Cecille (9 October 2017). "School of Medicine" (video, 2 mins, 49 secs). St. Lucia: MBC Prime News.
  10. "Atlantic University School of Medicine yet to receive accreditation in Antigua". stlucianewsonline.com. 28 August 2017.
  11. "Atlantic University School of Medicine students remain in limbo: report". Antigua Observer. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  12. "Atlantic University School of Medicine: Antigua and Barbuda". World Directory of Medical Schools. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  13. "Apply for Admission to the Medical School". Atlantic University School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018.
  14. "About Our Medical School". Atlantic University School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018.
  15. "Atlantic University School Of Medicine (AUSOM) – Several Tangible Benefits To Be Derived By Saint Lucia And Saint Lucians!". The Voice of St. Lucia. 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  16. "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.
  17. "Programmes Assessed by the CAAM-HP". Kingston, Jamaica: Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  18. "Atlantic University School of Medicine now accredited". Caribdaily. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  19. "False Claim made in the Antigua Daily Observer about the Accreditation of Atlantic University School of Medicine" (PDF). Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions. 19 February 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2018.
  20. Drewitz, Majka (19 March 2018). "Atlantic University School of Medicine (AUSM) not accredited by CAAM-HP". The Connection. Educational Credential Evaluators.
  21. "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. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
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