A Brief History of St. Lucia by The World Factbook 2008
The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979. Read More
International American University - College of Medicine [IAUCOM] is an Institution well poised to emerge as a pioneer in Medical Education for the American sub-Continent with relentless efforts devoted to pursue the common goals of high quality health care education & research, by fostering the collective pursuit of knowledge and its translation for rewarding medical careers.
International American University is located at the heart of the Caribbean
Islands stashed away in the west end of a small Island, St. Lucia. IAU Medical School is chartered and supervised by the Government of St. Lucia and accredited by the Ministry of Education, serves as a medical institution founded on the advancement of knowledge through research and education in the areas of basic medical sciences and overall health care delivery system. IAU Medical School prepares its students to strive for excellence and contribute with compassion and integrity, the diverse growing health care needs of our civilization.
The 4 year medical degree program is designed to produce physicians
who would be qualified for licensure and practice in most of the states
in the United States of America and Canada. They may qualify for practice
in UK, India and other countries upon completion of a qualifying examination.
NEW 6 yr MD program starting from August 2005. 2 yrs of Premed in USA,
2 yrs of Basic Sciences in St.Lucia, West Indies, and 2 yrs of Clinical
Rotations in US Hospitals. Excellent opportunity for International Students.
IAU Medical School Curriculum
A Progressive Curriculum
In many medical schools, students are exposed solely to classroom-based didactics during the duration of their basic science coursework. After these approximate two years, they are then required to apply their knowledge to actual cases. At IAU College of Medicine, similar to many of the best medical schools in the United States, we take a more progressive approach to medical education in that our students are immediately exposed to a case-based, problem-oriented curriculum, interspersed with frequent clinical work in local clinics and hospitals. Lecture hours are reduced in lieu of small group teaching with the early introduction of clinical material to improve student interest and to improve the retention of material. Our curriculum helps build the student’s confidence in their own presentation skills, skills which must be honed by the time they are presenting their cases to a room full of medical doctors. International American University College of Medicine therefore places far more emphasis on learning that is active (researching, discussing) rather than passive (sitting, memorizing).
Four-Year M.D. Program
The four-year M.D. program offered by IAU College of Medicine is split into two sections: Basic Sciences and Clinical Sciences. The former is carried out on IAU's campus in St. Lucia; the latter is conducted in ACGME-accredited teaching hospitals in the United States. The Basic Sciences curriculum is described here, whereas the Clinical Sciences curriculum is described on our Clinicals page.
Basic Sciences are completed in four semesters; the fifth semester, or "bridge semester," is set aside for an Introduction to Clinical Medicine course (ICM) and subsequently a Kaplan USMLE review course, which will be completed shortly before the student sits for Step 1 of the USMLE. Semesters 1-4 are completed in St. Lucia whereas Semester 5 is carried out in the United States.
During the student's time in St. Lucia, he or she can be expected to spend half the day in lecture, and half the day working on case studies with his or her peers.
Student promotions are scheduled at the end of the second and fourth semesters. Promotions are granted if the student has passed all courses (courses are graded Pass/Fail). Course grades are based on bi-weekly examinations (30% of final grade) and a final, national board-type examination (70% of final grade).
CASE STUDIES
Beginning with the first week of class, students are presented with a specific case and are required to present and discuss this case the following week. With each case comes a plethora of questions compiled by various faculty members. The student group is required to prepare an oral presentation which addresses each of these questions. The background required to effectively “solve” each case will depend on the specific case discussed during that week. The depth and difficulty of the cases will increase as the students' progress towards their final (fourth) semester at the St. Lucia campus.
Each semester the student will be working in groups on approximately 12 cases. At the end of the fourth semester the student therefore will have handled about 48 cases, which together will have introduced the student to a majority of cases he/she will see in clinical practice. Evaluations in each subject are based on a cumulative final examination and periodic assessments during the course.
Thus, students are exposed to problem-based learning during their entire education with IAU College of Medicine, making our program rare among foreign medical schools.
BRIDGE SEMESTER (Semester 5)
After the successful completion of Semesters 1 through 4, students move back to the United States to begin Semester 5. The first seven weeks are utilized to review the basic medical sciences under the direction of a qualified faculty member (this is the ICM course mentioned above); the subsequent nine weeks are spent in review including a USMLE Kaplan review course. When Step 1 is completed (i.e. passed), students are eligible to apply for their clinicals.
International American University Mission
The mission of IAU Medical School is to prepare medical students to
strive for excellence and contribute with compassion and integrity to
the diverse growing health care needs of our society. We affirm our commitment
to the following:
- To train future Physicians who will contribute positively to the
world through their selfless service, strong medical ethics and appreciation
of human worth and dignity.
- To epitomize excellence in instruction and leadership and to serve
as a premier medical college to transform the medical achievements
for the benefit of the future generations of medical students.
- To be a College and University each made stronger and together, greater
through close academic and administrative partnerships.
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