The posts against IUHS have become so redundant on this forum, that I almost wonder what the true ulterior motive is of the posters. No one leaves any names or any specific information. I think that it really is time for the people on this site to re-evaluate where this information is coming from.

Let me just give you some of my own experiences with IUHS. First, I was one of their first students on campus. I went through the PBL curriculum, and stayed with IUHS on campus at St. Kitts for my basic sciences. I then did transfer to another school, but that was much more for personal reasons than because of the quality of on campus education. I took and passed the USMLE Step 1 on my first attempt with a score of 90. I then took and passed Step 2 and the CSA, also with similar scores, and also on the first attempt. I applied for and matched for residency in General Surgery, Categorical. I changed my mind about my specialty, and I was let out of my contract and then applied for and matched in categorical medicine at a university program. I have been published 4 times in the last year in very reputable journals.

What I am trying to say is that, it doesn't matter where you go. In most instances it doesn't even matter who your professors are. You have to work hard on your own, you have to make sure that you learn what you need. You have to study hard. The role of professors, especially in a PBL program is not to hand you all of the information, but to help you to cull the sheer volume of possible information downward to the essentials that you must know, and allow you to expand on that information as much as is possible. I am not the only former IUHS student that stayed on campus that passed step 1 on the first attempt. I personally know two others - but those are the only two that I remained in contact with.

I am not urging anyone to attend or not attend IUHS. What I am trying to do is give you at least this much encouragement - wherever you choose to attend medical school, if you work hard, do the reading you need, do questions, pay attention to what you are offered - you can succeed and succeed well. On the downside, if you think that you can get by on the board exams with simply the material you get in class, it doesn't matter where you go offshore - you are not going to make it.

I wish all of you the best of luck in pursuing your medical career. If you have any questions, post them on this forum and I will attempt to respond as I have time. Try not to focus on the negative aspects of being offshore - it will only take away from your ability to concentrate on important things. And enjoy the beaches and time with your friends - trust me you will miss them immensely when you finally are able to start residency.

circus, can you comment on any potential pitfalls with various states licensing in regards to IUHS? I assume that you must have done research into this. Care to share?

There are some states that I cannot get a license. California and New Mexico are among those. But those two states also are out of bounds for all but St. George, Ross and AUG, I believe. I don't know about Indiana - which is widely quoted on this forum - I wasn't interested in practicing there, and I did not contact them. Illinois should not be a problem for me. I am also able to apply in New York once my residency is completed (since I performed rotations in the US - NY regulations). I was also an on campus student for my studies at IUHS, so I will be able to apply in Massachussetts. I can also apply in Virginia. Those are the states that I was most interested in, so I checked them most in depth. I may have some difficulty in Pennsylvania, but that is not uncommon - pennsylvania has been known to even deny training licenses to residents from offshore schools, including ross. You can contact the rest of the state boards if you want - I contacted quite a few, but in general the most important issue I found was to make sure that all rotations were green book if possible. If they are not (if any of them are not), then that places the greatest amount of restrictions on you.

Thanks circus for the reply. With all the discussions about the eLP at IUHS I was not sure about the viability of a degree from the school.

ross auc and sgu are ok for california and new mexico but due to the fact that most if not all states require physical presence at a campusfor a number of weeks any pbl distance learning program is currently worthless if you want to work. also circus i assume to be a resident and does not have the unrestricted license yet which, even though i am not there yet, i have checked into at least in florida and illinois is much more difficult to get than a restricted license for residency and he may run into a glich if he/she used any pbl credits for his MD. at least according to the illinois board maybe other states are different. either way i will never understand why, if given an option, would anyone go any route other than the tried and true. maybe i am not adventureous, maybe i value 200k too much i don't know which.....unless you've been rejected from every decent fopreign school why oh why would you try and chart new territory? my 2 cents

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Did you see the law changes effective 7-15-03 for Virginia. This will effectively stop those who did ELP from IUHS and UHSA I think. Az Skeptic

http://www.dhp.state.va.us/medicine/leg/Med_7-15-03.doc

18 VAC 85-20-122. Educational requirements: Graduates and former students of institutions not approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the board.

A. A graduate of an institution not approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the board shall present documentary evidence that he:

1. Was enrolled and physically in attendance at the institution's principal site for a minimum of two consecutive years and fulfilled at least half of the degree requirements while enrolled two consecutive academic years at the institution's principal site;

2. Has fulfilled the applicable requirements of § 54.1-2930 of the Code of Virginia.

3. Has obtained a certificate from the Educational Council of Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), or its equivalent. Proof of licensure by the board of another State or Territory of the United States or a Province of Canada may be accepted in lieu of ECFMG certification.

4. Has had supervised clinical training as a part of his curriculum in an approved hospital, institution or school of medicine offering an approved residency program in the specialty area for the clinical training received, if such training was received in the United States.

5. Has completed three years of satisfactory postgraduate training as an intern or resident in a hospital or health care facility offering an approved internship or residency training program when such a program is approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the board for internship and residency.


a. The board may substitute other postgraduate training or study for the three-year requirement when such training or study has occurred in the United States or Canada and is:

(1) An approved fellowship program; or

(2) A position teaching medical students, interns, or residents in a medical school program approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the board for internship and residency training.

b. The board may substitute continuous full time practice of five years or more with a limited professorial license in Virginia, and one year of postgraduate training in a foreign country, in lieu of three years of postgraduate training.

6. Has received a degree from the institution.

if you read my earlier post, i believe that i did mention i was an on campus student. And I also believe that I mentioned that the biggest hurdle was ensuring that all your rotations were green book.

As for me - I was not aware of the absolute latest regulations from virginia. But they are not significantly different than they were before. And since I did attend on campus, they do not affect me to as great a degree as they might some others. Of course, if you read my posts, you will see that I do not mention the eLP program or its possibilities/problems anywhere. I did not choose to follow that route, and I have not researched what that route would imply in terms of licensing requirements.

Also - as far as an unrestricted license being more difficult to obtain than a training license - that may generally be considered to be the case. However, in general, you will find that states will only issue training licenses to those residents who meet, at least in the broadest sense, the general requirements for an unrestricted license at some point in the future. This may not be a universal rule, but you will note that if you are not eligible for unrestricted licensing in california, you will not be able to obtain a training license and train in a residency program there. The same applies in Pennsylvania. Although unrestricted licensing is never a guarantee for offshore students, in general if you are in a residency program in a particular state with a training license, and you pass your residency with no legal problems or lawsuits, and you apply for a license, you should hopefully be able to obtain it.

Hope that helps.

if you physically attended the school, and can prove it via your passports,receipts,etc. you won't have any problems I think. The ELP program folks haven't caught on that the state boards require physical attendance. I have researched it fairly comprehensively.

Pennsylvania won't accept UHSA but I read nothing about IUHS in general in their laws.

Massachusetts is more complex than Pennsylvania.....

Az Skeptic

If you stayed on the campus it shouldn't be a problem. It is the distance learning program that won't work. G

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DISCLAIMER: I have no financial stake in ValueMD, or any medical school.

Where can I go online to get the details?

Thanks

Mark