Action Report of the Medical Board of California (SMU and Sa

[jgilbert63]

An FYI for those at St. Matthew's (and Saba) wondering where the approval process stands:

Reference the October 2004 Action Report of the Medical Board of California ( http://www.medbd.ca.gov/08-04actionreport.pdf ).

Immediately following page 12 is the board's 2003-2004 Annual Report. On page ii of the Annual Report, it states,

"During fiscal year 2003-04, the division assembled teams to conduct site inspections of Saba University and St. Matthew's University, both in the Caribbean. Site inspections began in mid-May with St. Matthew's satellite campus in Windham, Maine, extended to Saba University's basic science campus in the Caribbean, back to the states with a visit to four hospitals in Chicago where both Saba and St. Matthew's students complete some third- and fourth-year clinical training, ending with an inspection of St. Matthew's basic sciences campus on Grand Cayman. The teams are expected to present their findings to approve or disapprove these schools to the Division of Licensing at board meeting in the near future."

Per the CA Medical Board's website ( http://www.medbd.ca.gov/meetings.htm ), upcoming meetings are scheduled for:

November 4-5, 2004 in San Diego

and

February 17-18, 2005 in Los Angeles or Riverside.

NOTE: Dates and locations may change.

[wolfvgang22]

thanks for the heads-up! 8)

[teratos]

I'm anxious to see what they say. These will be the first approvals in years. Hope all goes well. G

[jgilbert63]

Talks with an SMU official during this weeks' chat session indicated there will likely be a short-term delay in SMU's CA approval due to IVAN's impact on the Grand Cayman campus. The likely delay did not, in any way, appear to be associated with the quality of education at SMU and the recent site visit. I'll leave it for a SMU representative to further elaborate on the discussions between SMU and the CA Medical Board and the revised timeline for a decision on approval.

[SMU_Information]

Thanks jgilbert.

Here's a short piece from the email I received from Dr. Thornton earlier today (I just got back to the hotel).

"Hurricane Ivan came ashore in Cayman on September 11th and 12th. As you know the island and the school received substantial damage. Renovations are well underway and are anticipated to be completed by early December of this year. The Island Government has formally announced that the infrastructure of the island and the hotels will be back to pre-hurricane standard by November 15th. In the interim we have relocated the campus to Portland, Maine and leased excellent campus and residence hall facilities.

Yesterday I received a call from a staff member of the California Board. I was told that considering the fact the campus and facilities the California Board had reviewed in June had changed as a result of the devastation from Hurricane Ivan, it would be necessary to come for a follow-up site visit to be scheduled before a decision regarding the approval of St. Matthew’s University could be made.

It is not likely that this visit could be scheduled prior to early March 2005. Given this change, it does not appear possible for a decision to be rendered until, at the very earliest, at the May 2005 meeting and it would be even as likely at the August 2005 meeting. "

We will keep you updated as we are!

[microphage]

I wonder if this applies to SGU as well(I doubt it though).

Maybe they wanted another vacation? :wink:

[jgilbert63]

I wonder if this applies to SGU as well(I doubt it though).

Maybe they wanted another vacation? :wink:

I asked the same question. What does damage to an infrastructure have to do with the quality of education......and if infrastructure does impact the quality of education, why doesn't this apply to SGU? Answer, SGU already has CA approval. I'm scratching my head on this one. Then again, thinking weakens the team.

[tampanian]

As I understand it, approval for a given state can be revoked. This may not be accurate but, supposedly, AUC was approved by New York when the campus was on Montserrat, but lost it when they moved to St. Maarten. After being in St. Maarten for about eight years or so they were re-approved by New York in the spring of 2003.

It’s very unfortunate that Ivan caused the damage that it did, as we were quite possibly at the threshold of Cali approval. On a more positive note, at least the staff member for the California board mentioned that a follow-up visit will be required before a decision could be made. It seems to me that if they had previously found us inadequate, they wouldn’t need or want to schedule another visit. For the most part, they must have liked what they had seen.

I have a question about licensure. Is a graduate of a certain school eligible for licensure in all of the states that the school is currently approved in, or would it be only the states that the school was approved in at the time the student graduated? For example: If a student graduated from St. Matt’s this year, and if St. Matt’s were to become approved with the state California next year, is that graduate eligible for a license in California? And vice-versa, if at the time of a student’s graduation, their school is approved by a given state, and for some unforeseen reason, the school later looses its approval by that state, is the student still entitled to licensure there? (I understand that in rare situations a state may evaluate an individual case and make an exception, but I’m asking technically.)



Thanks,

SMU-MS3


(Best of luck to Saba with the Cali decision!)

[AUCMD2006]

"This may not be accurate but, supposedly, AUC was approved by New York when the campus was on Montserrat"

this may not be accurate but when SMU got kicked out of belize, the former owner was kicked off the board of directors for using school money for personal expenses including a speed boat and armed guards from the rival school there prevented students from taking final exams...


its fun to play this game. i don't know if AUC ever had NYU approval prior to 03 they said they just got around to applying...this would go along with their previous history of being interested on bottom line only but in the last two years they've added a lot to improve the school along with the ever present concern for the green and gold..hehe

as for being grandfathered in for licensure people here have said that its on a case by case basis. this may not be accurate but for california at least they said they would have to see if the school met california guidelines when the student attended..

peace

[tampanian]

Look “rrod”, you seem a little defensive. I’m not trying to knock your school. The reason I posted that was to make a point that I believe a school can loose and then regain approval by a given state. If you’ll notice, that was asked a few posts previous. I’m not sure what “game” you’re referring to. I have heard that SMU did have those problems when in Belize, and all I can say is that it’s not that way now. There were both students and admin at AUC that told me that the school used to have NY approval before moving to St. Maarten. I heard all of this because in spring of 2003, I was in fourth semester at AUC.

Not that I owe you an explanation or even that I care what you think, but I’m tired of studying at the moment and I feel like wasting some time. I left and went to SMU because the majority of my friends were heading to England for their third year and I did not want to go. Not because I thought England was a bad choice, but because I was tired of living out of the country and when I started clinicals, I wanted to be in US hospitals to make connections, which I have been doing very successfully. I know, I know…there’re plenty of spots in the US for third year students…well not when I was there. If you wanted to go to the US for the third year, and remain in one city for any length of time, you had to be near the top of the class or score very well on Step 1…it was very competitive, otherwise you would have to move every few months. Well, I was in the middle of my class and I wasn’t going to take Step 1 for another six months. To complicate things, the core clinical coordinator resigned (there’s a nice little story about that too which I would tell if I was trying to knock AUC) at the start of my fourth semester and at that time, there was a lot of confusion about clinicals. Friends that were a semester or two ahead of me were saying that they were sitting out without scheduled rotations. I did not want any part of that, so after careful consideration, I transferred. I’m still in contact weekly with many of my friends from AUC…heck, I probably know more about that place than you and I’ve been gone a year and a half kiddo (or should I say “notorious” kiddo)!

Take your meds and relax. I wasn’t trying to play a game nor was I trying to insult your school. I was only attempting to help answer a concern of another student. I wrote “This may not be accurate”, but in all reality, from everything I heard, it probably is. If it is, it’s not a knock against AUC, if it isn't...oops! If you haven’t noticed, EVERY school has had issues to deal. Rather than being defensive and making a lame attempt at an insult of what happened to SMU back in Belize, do like the majority of us and use this forum to exchange helpful information. I was saying something about AUC only with the attempt to demonstrate that that a school can loose and then regain a given states approval, if that is actually what happened. AUC is a good school. When I was there I studied hard and played hard, and if the clinical program at the time was a little different, I would still be there. Fortunately, for me, things have gone as I expected and I’m better off now at SMU.


(THAT was just for you zed…whoever you are!)


Peace,
SMU-MS3

[AmericanIMG]

Tampanian,
what states do, that i have heard of, is that for past graduates whose school later gained approval, they deal with them on a case by case basis (rrod was correct in his statement as far as i know).
specifically for California, after having talked to Pat Park and having asked Pat specifically whether i can practice in Cali if by graduation SMU does not have Cali approval, i was told that California would look at each applicant thoroughly and make their decision.
as a side note, i hope that clinicals are going well, if you have time and could PM me and give me any advice on basic science i would really appreciate it.

:wink:

[MedSter]

Tampanian and whoever else responds to quotes in this forum by Rrod...just ignore him. He's like a cat, if you feed him (by responding to his stupid comments) then he'll come back, because he'll get the impression that he feels wanted.

I dont know if you noticed, but a lot of students from other med schools come on SMU's forum to bash. They try hard, but SMU's student body keeps getting larger and larger. SMU is always coming up and improving. We have GUARANTEED CLINICAL SPOTS for those who pass STEP 1.
I have a few friends at AUC who have passed their step 1 MONTHS ago and are still waiting for that promised US spot to do all their cores. But apparently Phil Green who runs AUC's clinical rotation assignments has been blowing them off and telling them how nice England and Ireland would be to do clinicals. When you enroll in a medical school because you're promised clinical rotations in the US when you pass step 1, and then later told you cant do them all because all AUC's spots are filled, and youre still waiting to start a core somewhere...you tend to regret that decision to enroll in that certain medical school.

As far as AUC losing and regaining NY approval, yes it is true. They had NY approval when on Montserrat, but it took them almost a decade to regain it on St Maarten. I just hope AUC keeps up with the promise to do research, or else they'll lose their PROVISIONAL liscense from NY ( as NY threatened to do last year because after AUC got NY approval, AUC didnt fullfill its obligation to do research. So now they have the anatomy professor assigning questionable "research" studies.)

If Ivan wouldve hit St Maarten, AUC students would NOT be studying medicine right now. SMU's Admin isnt afraid to spend the money to get their students' semester up and running, even if it means spending a lot of money. If Ivan wouldve hit St Maarten and AUC, I'm pretty sure the owner of the school, Dr. **** (whose statue is right smack in the middle of the campus) wouldnt shell out the money to let the students semester continue. I have friend there right now who are fed up with this false image as AUC being the school as it was advertised. This is the school where you have to buy your lecture notes every morning before class, spending at least $30-50/week on lecture notes. If you want to print them up from your laptop in the library, get ready to shell out 15 cents for a single page printed. At SMU we had unlimited access to copy machine that was FREE for students. The AUC dorm manager, Mr. Johnson was the AUC equivalent to a slum lord. I've heard from at least 3 first semesters ther that you had no control over the thermostat in your own dorm room, as AUC wouldnt let you set it to a really cold setting on those hot Caribbean nights. I wont mention the many days apparently when the sinks in the Campus' bathrooms had its water turned off.
Ok, I can go on taking shots at AUC, but I'm done with my Pathology break. Good stress relief that was.

[microphage]

Wow, what a load of crap. I'm not gonna even bother with the last post since I'd rather spend the rest of my weekend doing nothing. You can sit there and believe whatever you said but like I said.. it's a load of crap.

[teratos]

After Hurricaine Luis (cat 4), which occurred just weeks after the move to St. Maarten, AUC started classes again on St. Maarten within a week. We were having courses in a hotel. I was there, so I know that's true. The new campus/dorms are designed to withstand a category 4 storm.

As for AUC being NY approved on Montserrat, I don't know. I never heard that, but It could be.

I believe that CA has accepted people retroactively in the past. Each school is an individual case, so applying past decisions to future ones is unwise. I CAN be. G

[PatPark]

To AmericanIMG: For the record, I have never told anyone that the California Medical Board looks at each applicant thoroughly if the Board doesn't recognize the applicant's medical school. I've said just the opposite. If the California Medical Board doesn't recognize a particular medical school, the Board has no jurisdiction to review their graduates' applications at all. Perhaps you're recalling a conversation or e-mail concerning the issue of "retroactivity." I frequently reply that the Board will not address the issue of retroactivity (or lack thereof) until the Board reaches a final decision regarding a school that has applied for recognition in California. It's not guaranteed that the Board will grant schools recognition retroactively to all former students and graduates. Californians should not attend unrecognized medical schools until AFTER the Board has issued positive decisions on those schools' applications. It's too risky.

[AUCMD2006]

just making a point that if you don't know then don't say it because now 20 idiots six months from now will still ask about the thermostats not being controlled.

and now i know why you "transfered"...prozac is not indicated to relax...hehe but maybe you can try a benzo, soma, or some benadryl...hehe but you were right you didn't have to explain but could you at least have made it slightly interesting?

seriously this is how rumors start.

medster you should check before opening yer trap:
http://www.clinicalanatomy.org/news.html
and for the record i am not a cat i hate cats, i am an ***....mainly because i don't sugar coat stuff, don't like it don't read it keep on truckin in "wish i had a license land" i'l be in "able to pay my loans back town"..again just being funny doesn't mean you will not get a license from smu because just like bigfoot, yeti, and the lockness monster they're out there....hehe

clinicals: yep the school messed up by not foreseeing that the improvements they made in the last 18 months would yield an almost 90% first time pass rate creating shortage at the most wanted sites but i'l gladly take that.

as for the dorms seriuosly you guys should be screen writers because that is classic! there is a thermostat in each room so unless mr johnson is able to be in 100 places at once i don't see how he can have any control. being an ra the only people i've seen him give attitude to are people who tharsh their apartrments, remove smoke detectors, or are being evicted for the above two other than that hes not mr rogers but he is very easy to deal with.

if hurricane had destroyed the place you're right, the school would probably send us to some third rate hotel in cayman or belize to save the cash.

relax, if you can't make fun of your own school then who can you make fun of? round two advantage auc

[AmericanIMG]

Pat : i was talking exactly about retroactivity (if CA approval is given after a student graduates form a med school). sorry to all if i didnt make it clear enough

:wink:

[MedSter]

just making a point that if you don't know then don't say it because now 20 idiots six months from now will still ask about the thermostats not being controlled.

and now i know why you "transfered"...prozac is not indicated to relax...hehe but maybe you can try a benzo, soma, or some benadryl...hehe but you were right you didn't have to explain but could you at least have made it slightly interesting?

seriously this is how rumors start.

medster you should check before opening yer trap:
http://www.clinicalanatomy.org/news.html
and for the record i am not a cat i hate cats, i am an gluteal....mainly because i don't sugar coat stuff, don't like it don't read it keep on truckin in "wish i had a license land" i'l be in "able to pay my loans back town"..again just being funny doesn't mean you will not get a license from smu because just like bigfoot, yeti, and the lockness monster they're out there....hehe

clinicals: yep the school messed up by not foreseeing that the improvements they made in the last 18 months would yield an almost 90% first time pass rate creating shortage at the most wanted sites but i'l gladly take that.

as for the dorms seriuosly you guys should be screen writers because that is classic! there is a thermostat in each room so unless mr johnson is able to be in 100 places at once i don't see how he can have any control. being an ra the only people i've seen him give attitude to are people who tharsh their apartrments, remove smoke detectors, or are being evicted for the above two other than that hes not mr rogers but he is very easy to deal with.

if hurricane had destroyed the place you're right, the school would probably send us to some third rate hotel in cayman or belize to save the cash.

relax, if you can't make fun of your own school then who can you make fun of? round two advantage auc



Remember folks, don't feed the cats by responding to Rrod ( i know another term for a cat that would describe Rrod)... they just keep coming back and back again. I would call Rrod a troll ( as Dr. Durst refers to Rrod's other ValueMD username "Zzzzzzzzz"), but i like to use the cat analogy best. Cats keep going to different schools' forums and taking shots and proclaiming that THEIR SCHOOL IS SUPERIOR TO YOUR SCHOOL. I would put money on it that if Harvard had a ValueMD forum he'd be on there trying to take shots at the school with bogus and stupid claims.

Rrod, remember, even though you probably got rejected by SMU in the past, you can always apply for the next semester. No need to hold grudges there. Just polish up that GPA, re-write the MCAT (cuz I dont think your 14 would cut it for SMU), and have some AUC staff (not the Dean, because he's ditching the school after this semester, or the 2 professors who just up and left a couple semesters/last semester-the Neuro prof and Micro prof), well you get the picture, have somebody who's still there write a letter of recommendation or two for you.

Yeah it would be nice if Dr. **** would send you guys to a 3rd rate hotel in the Cayman Islands...take your pick...Marriott, Holiday Inn, Hilton, Westin or even the Ritz-Carlton (which Bill Gates owns a couple units of). If that annoying cat can't even get his basic geography straight, I wonder about his medical studies. Lets start a fund for Rrod's USMLE Prep courses and Exams. I think he might be taking Step 1 more than a handful of times by his displayed level of intelligence. I know AUC is a respectable school, but when did they start taking Spartan or St Chris dropouts ( I kinda doubt Rrod can get into any of those schools either).It's really hard to believe that Rrod went to the same school as Dr. Durst or Levator as they display a much more elevated level of intellgence than he does. But since AUC is Dept of Education recognized, I guess they do have to fulfill their role in taking disadvantaged students like Rrod (born without a functioning brain). Ok, I'll stop bashing on AUC and Spartan and St Chris for that matter. But I will admit, bashing on the "cat" is even more fun.


TO EVERYONE: Sorry for stooping to the "cat"'s level. I needed a chance to release some pre-exams anxiety, gotta stop going to Tim Horton's for coffee this late at night!!
(NO MORE STUDY BREAKS FOR ME TONITE!!!)

[AUCMD2006]

i can't get into details of why those professors left because it would be feeding into rumors i'l just leave it at better off.

i don't need a second screen name i say whatever i want with my own name and anyone on campus can find me anytime where as the veil of annonimity is great isn't it medster?

i said before i make fun of all schools equaly i don't think auc is the best as it certainly has many faults but its also not scraping the bottom of mud.
two can do boring long stories, here my submission:

i've said before the first school i applied to was smu, got in without an interview, phone call, or anything else...what was amusing was that i got the loan financial aid package before the acceptance letter which goes to show the true intention of any of these for profit schools, the auc package had it all in one but the financial app was infront..hehe....after the disaster in belize i did not see the point in following a brand new school to cayman and found this site and all the other schools. i have respect fo dr thornton since he refunded my security deposit and understood why i didn't want to attend. since then smu seems like it made a lot of improvements and i have referred several people that PM'd me that were given either conditional acceptance or denied acceptance here there as a viable option.....ok i give up there is just no way i can make this any more boring you win... :twisted:

this is what i usually email these people and my list is still the same

1)US MD/DO
2)australia, israel, ireland, UK
3)SGU, AUC, Ross, maybe eastern europe if you can manage the language
4)Saba, SMU
5)consider a PhD
6)spartan, MUA, SC etc

then tell them to check licensability, ask school about pass rates and refer them to this site. so i am a cheerleader for noone i hate these schools euqaly just some more than others....

pesimist forever!
notorious rrod

lighten up this is all in sport and for god's sake i am not a cat i hate cats call me a dog, a female dog, a ****, horse's ****, anus maximus, penis maximus, the great aholio but not a cat i hate cats..i actually enjoyed the undergrad dissection of the cat....

ok advantage smu, yours was better this wasn't as good i was up late manning my rrod USMLE exam telathon with my boys jerry's kids" ok.

[MedSter]

Rrod does have a point. We are all in the same boat when it comes to our future goals. We all are in this to be physicians and really it just comes down to how you do on Step 1. If you attend Harvard and get a 230...you get a 230. If you attend AUC and got a 230, its a 230. SMU 230, 230. Ross....you get the picture. If you attend Spartan and get 230, look outside your window for flying pigs!! :lol:

Every Caribbean school has faulty things going on with them somewhere in the system. It can be a histo prof at (fill in school's name) school or the racist janitor at another. If you look hard you'll find something you can complain about.

SGU, Ross, and AUC are the three oldest Caribbean schools that have quality programs. Of course in their ove 20 years existence they've had problems here and there, just how I'm sure any US Medical Univ would have at times. They're very respectable and proven programs. SMU is on its way up there, seemingly at a very fast pace. I see Saba gaining respect as well. I see in the coming years that when people mention respectable Caribbean medical schools, its not just gonna be SGU, Ross, and AUC anymore. SMU is definantly on that list and who knows what other school will be up there as well.

Rumours are always floating about this school or that school. But we should just take them for what they are...rumours. They might get us offended at times, but if they're not confirmed rumours that you get from the source (and can be verified if requested), then take them all with a grain of salt.

When I get PM'd for medical school rankings I tell them to look at this forum and the respective school's websites. Talk to students from that school and with administration. Make an informed and thorough decision and regardless of whatever school you go to, be prepared to work really hard. When I say work hard, the ultimate goal is to pass USMLE Step 1 with a good enough score to make you competitive for a US residency.

I am very proud of SMU for a number of reasons that I dont feel like listing. But of course they have some room to improve here and there. I can confidently say I would choose SMU over any other Carib school. There's many SMU students who feel the same. At the same time there's many AUC students who are extremely proud of their school and would vouch for it as I would do for SMU, as well as Ross and probably even some Spartan students (if they actually exist) would too.
We have to respect and admire other medical students determination and willingness to go through this other route to get to their dreams (becoming an MD).

We do have to let loose though, which I do think many people are just too serious on this forum (myself at times included) and not take sarcasim too harshly.

As far as USMLE exam taking fund raising, search the forums of AUA and Spartan for more info, they have the process down pat :lol: Ok AUA just started, we'll give them a grace period for now.

Ok, back to Path. In the words of SMU's former histo prof in his hard to understand English, "Hear me.. you must take care and study, know EVERYTHING for my test"... gotta get back to path studying and KNOW EVERYTHING! Those new SMU students got it a lot better now that Dr. Rogers (AUC's old Embryo Prof) is at the helm now for embyro and histo..

[AmericanIMG]

this is clear, yes???
tissue...tissue...yes

an inside joke for the old histo prof's students...

:lol:

[ActionPotential]

I only suffered his "teaching" for a very short time, but what stands out with me and my colleagues no doubt, is his asking "any doubts?" after each and EVERY sentence he ever uttered in class. if hearing that phrase "any doubts?" repeated a hundred times in class (quite literally) doesn't make you want to flee the lecture hall screaming, i don't know what would.

[AmericanIMG]

all joking aside the professor was a very learned and intelligent man...i hope that he and the other faculty dont see our joking as mocking, just as playful banter.

:wink:

[wowmd]

I got a better one.

"pH" = bia*ch.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[MDTOB]

Here's one:

"Hear me!"

[Scott1981]

pay for notes at the window at AUC? news to me.
we pay a one time fee of $150 for thousands of pages of the notes. sometimes they are even bound. its a bargain to me.

but hey...... im numb to any bill under $1000 after spending $9500 on tuition..... :shock: