As a medical student at Spartan Health Sciences University, I read with interest the article that appeared in the December 15, 2003 publication of the Hartford Courant by Jack Dolan and Andrew Julien. Rest assured, Mr. Editor, that the goal of this letter is not to praise the undisputable merits of Spartan as a counterbalance to the unduly negative picture of the medical school painted by Dolan and Julien (hereinafter “D&J”). Rather, the objective of this letter is to present a more balanced view of Foreign Medical Schools in general, and Spartan Health Sciences University in particular. Before I proceed, a caveat is in order. The opinions expressed in this letter are my own only and are not necessarily shared by Spartan Health Sciences University or its administrators.



I believe that D&J have done a disservice to the Hartford Courant by writing a poorly researched, clumsily articulated, biased article that gives a good name to the National Enquirer. I candidly admit that I am outraged that D&J insinuated in the article that most, if not all Spartan students are naïve, unsophisticated, innocent students on whom unscrupulous Spartan administrators and professors are perpetrating some type of educational fraud. Well D&J, I suspect that some Spartan students have credentials in different fields of endeavor that will make the envy of anyone working for the Hartford Courant.



Frankly, the D&J article is not fit for publication even in a high school newspaper. This is because D&J did not even make a veiled attempt to conceal their bias and their lack of professionalism. The great number of mistakes, falsehoods, innuendoes and quite frankly bold-face lies in the article defy a comprehensive rebuttal. Allow me to address the most salient illogical and aberrant statements expressed in the article.



D&J’s argument that Spartan is a sub-standard medical school is predicated on the following premises supported by flimsy if not comical evidence

The school lacks adequate facilities
Spartan students cannot receive hands-on training in St Lucia and Spartan graduates cannot be licensed in St. Lucia
The school does not have the respect of local physicians interviewed by D&J
The school accepts students rejected by American medical schools
A twenty-year old report from California regulators was less than flattering to Spartan


Spartan’s alleged lack of adequate facilities



D&J described the physical structure of Spartan as “four classrooms, one lab and three old cadavers in a building near a brewery”. It begs the question why did not D&J mention the new addition to the building that is almost completed. For D&J’s information, the new classrooms and the new labs will be used for medical education not for teaching courses in Ethics in Journalism. The mention in the article of “three old cadavers” is too silly to dignify with any comment. It is my understanding that the Hartford Courant journalists that are assigned to the city beat are used to seeing fresh cadavers every night. Sorry, but violent crime is not that high in St. Lucia to afford Spartan ready access to fresh or new (as opposed to old) cadavers.



For D&J’s information the cadavers that are used in the anatomy laboratory come from the United States, as is the case for almost all other foreign medical schools in the Caribbean islands. In addition the school’s physical facilities and its teaching equipment and other resources are more than adequate to support the small class sizes that are the pride of Spartan. With expansion on the horizon, additional physical facilities are being added to accommodate a greater number of students.



Spartan students alleged inability to receive hands-on training or a medical license in St Lucia



D&J are not even clever in waging their war against Spartan. In the second sentence of the article, they mention that the doctors who graduate from Spartan are for export only. In the next breath, I mean the next sentence, D&J proclaim “government officials and hospital administrators in St Lucia have refused to license Spartan graduates …”. Any reader with a cerebral cortex functioning at 2 % of its capacity would ask himself or herself the simple and sophomoric question “If the “mostly American-born” doctors who graduate from Spartan are for export only, why would they want to be licensed in St Lucia? In D&J’s fantasy world, there is a long line of “mostly American-born” Spartan graduates who are begging the government officials of St Lucia for a license to practice medicine in St Lucia.





It is no secret that American students attending foreign medical schools have no interest in doing clinical rotations in the countries where the schools are located. Almost all such schools offer clinical rotations in the US where the students wish to practice medicine. Thus, I am at loss understanding why D&J think it is relevant to mention in the article that “government officials and hospital administrators in St Lucia have refused to allow the school’s students to train in local hospitals”. Are we to believe that the “dejected” Spartan students, after begging the St Lucian officials -- to no avail -- for access to training at the St Lucian hospitals, are left with no choice but to settle for critical hands-on training at sub-standard US hospitals? In the D&J’s fantasy world, the poor Spartan students, denied of St Lucian medical expertise, have to settle for “US hospitals that are ill-equipped compared to the high-tech hospitals of St. Lucia”. D&J should retire to the stage since they have a future in comedy.



The school’s alleged lack of respect from local physicians interviewed by D&J





In the article, D&J quoted a certain Dr. David Bristol as having strong reservations about the standards of medical education at Spartan. The arrogance with which Dr. Bristol made his statements in the article would lead the reader to believe that Dr. Bristol is one of the two proud sons of St. Lucia who have won the Nobel Prize. To the best of my knowledge, the genial Dr. David Bristol is not one of them. At least not yet, not for medicine anyway. The fitness (or lack thereof) of Spartan graduates to practice medicine is decided by the US-based National Board of Medical Examiners, not by Dr. David Bristol. If the genial Dr. Bristol wants to challenge the judgment or credentials of the members of the National Board of Medical Examiners, he is certainly welcome to do so. Nonetheless, he should know that the credentials of any single member of the US-based National Board of Medical Examiners probably dwarf his own credentials.





I found it ironic that at the same time that Dr Bristol was making his “insightful” comments about Spartan, the local newspapers were rightfully boasting about a proud daughter of St Lucia scoring in the top 2% in the USMLE Step I exam. Maybe the most honorable Dr. Bristol did not want to mention that the student in question is also a proud Spartan graduate. By the way, Dr. Bristol, if you did not score in the top 2% of whatever medical licensing exam you may have taken, it may be due to the fact that you did not get the benefit of a great Spartan education. Too bad, so sad. Spartan may not want you either as a professor or as a student, “if you know what I mean”.



I am not a journalist, I am a medical student. I found it disturbing that D&J did not even question the motivation of Drs. David Bristol and Francois who were eager to make derogatory remarks about Spartan. This lack of insight from D&J is more disturbing in light of the fact that attorneys who represent clients with medical malpractice grievance have a very hard time finding medical doctors willing to testify against their colleagues in spite of the attorneys’ willingness to pay A SUSTANTIAL FEE to the potential expert witnesses. Dr Bristol and Francois eagerness to testify should have raised a few eyebrows. Investigative reporting is too important to be left in the hands of amateur journalists.



Journalists working for newspapers with strong ethical standards would have inquired about the motivation of Drs. David Bristol and Francois. For example, they would have asked the following questions. Are Drs. David Bristol and Francois afraid of competition from daughters and sons of St Lucia who are proud Spartan graduates and who have proved themselves as second to none in US medical national exams and residencies in surgery in the United States? Do they have any financial interest in other medical schools in St. Lucia? Do they want to pull the ladder behind them after they have reached the apex of the St. Lucian medical society? Do they diagnose their patients’ ailments with limited or no information in the same manner they pass judgment on Spartan with limited or no contact with the school?



Spartan’s alleged admission of unqualified students



D&J’s admonishment of Spartan for not being very selective in its admission process is dull-witted. Spartan should not have to make excuses for accepting students from diverse backgrounds who are willing, ready and able to leave the comforts of American society to pursue their dreams of becoming physicians on foreign soil. Of particular significance is the fact that D&J fail to recognize a basic tenet of American society. Specifically, the concept of a second chance is tightly woven in the American social fabric. For example, the American educational system affords students who do not get accepted at prestigious universities an opportunity to pursue their dreams at less selective universities. This clever concept stems from the realization that

A significant number of students who do not get accepted at selective universities are nonetheless very QUALIFIED in spite of the fact that they lost in the admissions derby to other students with better credentials. Spartan has students and alumni to whom the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted patents for their inventions. In addition 3% of the current Spartan students in the Basic Sciences program have doctorate degrees, and about 10% have Master’s degrees.
In a significant number of professions, students who did not get accepted at prestigious universities can, after completing their academic training, redeem themselves by passing rigorous exams, such as the USMLE Steps 1, 2 and 3 administered by the National Board of Medical Examiners.


Students who did not get accepted at prestigious universities routinely compete effectively against students accepted at elite universities. This is because after their school training, professionals are typically judged on their performance, not their past potential as students. For example in a “meritocratic” organization such as the armed forces, there are more generals who are graduates of the “Reserve Officer Training Corps” than there are generals from the prestigious academies. Americans’ life, liberty and property are being protected by generals whom D&J would have probably labeled “unqualified students” in their youth.


D&J would be shocked to know that

Some Spartan graduates for whom D&J have so much contempt, are professors of medicine at US-based medical schools. Others are chief residents at major US hospitals. Spartan is also proud to count among its graduates medical directors who are currently training residents who graduated from US-based medical schools.
30 to 40% of the physicians practicing in the US are Foreign Medical School Graduates (FMGs). This means that D&J and their family probably have already received medical care from the so-called “poorly trained” FMGs.
About 10% of current Spartan students in the Basic Sciences program are sons and daughters of licensed medical doctors in the United States. If Spartan were as awful as D&J and Dr. Bristol claim, such physicians would not have trusted their children’s medical education to Spartan.


The D&J article was poorly researched and included information that is incorrect. For example, D&J stated that some “conditions have convinced officials in six states, including California and Texas, that licensing its graduates poses an unacceptable risk to patients.” The fact is California and Texas would not allow most Foreign Medical School graduates to do residencies or clinical rotations in those states. Nonetheless, once a FMG has a license to practice medicine in one state, s/he can apply for a similar license in Texas and California. Ordinarily, such licenses are routinely granted after the usual bureaucratic formalities. The proclamation by D&J that most FMGs are banned from practicing in six states of the US is administrative law primarily in D&J’s own mind.



The California Report



In a futile attempt to bolster their false allegations with official documentation, D&J dusted off a report from the State of California that is -- brace yourself for this – almost twenty years old. In case D&J have not noticed, we are in the 21st century.

When the report was drafted

· a significant number of current Spartan students were still wearing diapers

· the Internet was not in existence. So the statement by D&J that “Little appears to have changed in nearly two decades” is simply obtuse to put it charitably.

· The professors who were teaching at Spartan at that time are no longer employed by the school



Finally, I found it puzzling and somewhat incredible that among the 100+ Spartan students in St Lucia D&J, “acting in good faith”, could not find a single student willing to say anything positive about Spartan.



I talked to some current Spartan students who weren’t interviewed by D&J or whose opinions were not published by D&J and here are a few of the comments they had about the article.



“If D&J’s goal in writing the article was to expose the low standards set for Spartan students, they have only managed to expose only the low standards set at the Hartford Courant. By publishing the December 15, 2003 article on Spartan, the Hartford tarnished its reputation that was never sterling to begin with.”





“Fortunately for D&J, the strict standards of tort law that are used for medical malpractice do not apply equally stringently to malpractice in journalism”



Even though, you did not solicit my counsel, Mr. Editor, I will take the liberty to suggest that you transfer the authors of the article to the Entertainment section of your newspaper since “inquiring no-minds want to know”



“After reading that awful article by Dolan and Julien, I believe the Hartford Courant should change its slogan to “When the Hartford Courant speaks, the truth is silent.”



In conclusion, I would like to say that Spartan Health Sciences University, in spite of its humble beginning, has educated medical students who have become great medical doctor who are admirably serving their communities. Spartan has dedicated, highly qualified professors teaching equally dedicated and qualified students. The D&J’s article cannot and will not blemish Spartan’s glorious past and its present that promises a bright future.

so is CT's numbers correct on the amount of doctors who have licensed over 20 years (219?)

Is your response the official response from Spartan? If so,wht is your position with Spartan.

__________________
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Still skeptical after all these years.
This is it. There are no hidden meanings.WYSIWYG

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"will not blemish Spartan’s glorious past"


Glorious past? Okay, I suppose all things are relative.

When there is an official response from Spartan, could you post that too?

Thanks in advance.

if the president of the Association of American Medical Colleges describe CT article as "irrational" and the president of the US national medical association describe it as "extremely disturbed by the article unsubstantiated findings" that is good enough for anyone not to use the series as her/his trusted reference for any info.,why would any of the targeted schools[over 15]reply when much more influential presidents of the most reputable medical organization already spoken?

Because silence implies confirmation or approval.

your letter sounds like you are a spartan administrator than a student. i'm not sure if this helps their cause or not. maybe you felt there were not taking enough action for you, so you had to do it yourself. i don't know., but it does show that the administration consistently use the ostrich approach to handle their problems, which usually lead to more problems eventually. a good administrator would not let their students answer their call to duty. that's why you pay them.
CT could argue:If it were not true, why did i not get a letter from the president or spokesperson of the institution.

same baseless crud as the newspaper article...all claims and no proof. so where are spartan grads medical directors, faculty, etc. man with 219 working docs if a large prtion is in faculty that leaves few to care for patients doesn't it?

__________________
OBGYN PGY II
I see light at the end of the tunnel!!!...wait a minute its just another freakin tunnel!

I did simple yahoo search and found that many Spartan grads are faculties in Univ Fl,Univ Tx.,Boston,New Mexico,UT.,venderbilt,Harvard,Yale,and many more,Assistant director of residency Allentown,CEO research co.N.Miami,Dean of school Orlando,
I can speak on my homestate in Florida and tell you that I am impressed to say the least,2 in my speciality double board certified,director of international cancer laison grad of MD anderson cancer ctr[the best],founder of pharm.Co.praised by forbes magazine,world class pioneer in ortho[physician of the year 03],Fl medical asso committe member/harvard grad,Authority in pain managment and Hem/onco in naples written books,and I can go on and on but with my credentials [4 boards certifications] I can tell you I am truly impressed.
If Harvard,MD anderson,or other med training programs not good enough for you then nothing we can do to please anyone.

Sorry currentstudent, but your rebuttal sounds sophmoric and immature. The shots at D & J are crude at best and lack the level of sophistication that the letter from the American Administrator had written. There's no way to prove your facts either and it's a sad day when a student has to stand up for an institution while the admin is in hiding.

Could I have written a better retort...NO. Which is why I didn't, but I applaud your effort.

"For D&J’s information the cadavers that are used in the anatomy laboratory come from the United States, "

The above is an excellent point and clarification you make as no doubt the authors D/J were under the false impression the cadaver was not from the United States thus students would have been studying the incorrect non pertinent anatomy for medical practice in the united states.

Thank you.