Thread: Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

As of November 5, 2003, this thread will NO LONGER BE UPDATED!

Please visit the St Chris website for the latest news.

http://www.stchris.edu

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Attention prospective students:

This thread will remain locked so that people won't clutter it up with questions. It is designed to help prospects retrieve information quickly. If you have any questions regarding this thread, I will create another thread called "Questions about FAQs" so you can ask as many questions you would like. However, realize the answers you see in here are pretty much finite.

Sincerely

What is St Christopher's College of Medicine?

St Christopher's College of Medicine is a French West African and English European program. It has campuses located in Luton, England and Dakar, Senegal.

St Christopher's College of Medicine offers a four-year M.D. program, a six-year M.D. program, and a five-year M.D., Ph.D. program designed to meet the requirements of the United States Medical Licensing Examination. The M.D. program consists of five fifteen-week semesters in the Basic Sciences abroad followed by six semesters in Clinical Clerkships in the United States of America.

The M.D., PhD program consists of nine fifteen-week semesters in the Basic Sciences and Research Laboratory abroad followed by six semesters in Clinical Clerkships in the United States of America. Admissions are available three times a year in January, May and September.

St. Christopher's College of Medicine has associations with King's College London and Ealing Hospital.

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Here's some more information about the school from an advertisement.

The curriculum incorporates both the American and Canadian Medical Education systems and is designed to meet the rigorous requirements of the United States and Canadian licensing examinations. The body of the program is comprised of a five-semester basic science program that includes a medical licensing prepatory course provided by The Princeton Review in conjunction with the six-semester clinical clerkship program.

The faculty at St. Christopher's College Of Medicine is comprised of individuals who possess terminal degrees as an MD or PhD and possess extensive backgrounds in medical education, research and clinical practice that permit them to contribute significantly to the educational experience. It is through this integration of research and clinical participation that students are kept at the forefront of medical advances. The low student/teacher ratio enables our students to have more responsibility and autonomy than medical students in many other schools.

St. Christopher’s College of Medicine’s commenced operations in 1998 and has campuses in Dakar, Senegal and Luton, England. The College is WHO (World Health Organization) listed and is scheduled to appear in the WHO’s World Directory of Medical Schools, 8th Edition, set forth for publication in the near future.

On the Senegal campus, courses are taught in French with a clinical studies program, also in Senegal. Additionally, the College directly operates medical centers in Dakar and Kolack, Senegal and offers over 27 humanitarian programs within Senegal in areas of reading, writing, mathematics and personal hygiene.

The second campus is located in Luton, England. The student body is surrounded with all the academic, cultural and commercial vitality that of the city. Students in Luton, which is just thirty miles north of London, study in a diverse cultural environment devoted to education and research and is surrounded by many fine shops and restaurants.

Students may choose to reside in our dormitories or can be assisted in renting from a private, local landlord. The facilities consist of a state of the art fitness center, and library/computer lab. In addition, all St. Christopher students receive full medical and dental coverage under the United Kingdom's National Health Service at no additional costs. Additionally, please note that social services and religious advisors of all denominations are also available.

Upon successful completion of the Basic Science component of our program, students begin their Clinical component within the United Kingdom and in ACGME approved teaching hospitals within the US. The clinical program is seventy-two weeks in duration and tuition includes the student’s malpractice insurance.

Note the following interesting information regarding the College:
· England Campus offers everything within walking distance, student discounts at most retail establishments, free health insurance for students, minimal cost at physical fitness facilities, various intramural sports programs, clubs, tutoring at no cost, handicap accessible facilities, and a diverse religious and ethnic student body.
· Modern, state of the art campus in Luton, England
· Association with Guys & Kings College in London
· On campus wireless, internet access
· Student/teacher ratio of 5:1
· Labs in histology, microbiology, physiology, gross anatomy, and neurology
· Western blots in histology lab and microbiology lab
· No additional out of pocket lab fees
· Princeton Review Course/Live Lecture (PRC/LL)
· PRC/LL students receive over 2k pages of printed study material, on line internet access to all study review guides
· PRC/LL students complete 3 mock exams under exact exam conditions for the following: 1 exam in the beginning of the course for evaluation purposes, 1 exam in the middle in order to assess progress, a final exam an the conclusion in order to ascertain final exam readiness.
· All clinicals are completed in ACGME accredited hospitals
· UMSLE pass rate – most recent reported results at 92%
· Grads have matched at some of the most highly respected university residency programs.
· Financial aid through a number of major international banking institution

If you are interested, please contact their Admissions Department for North America at 908-301-1150 or 888-728-0100 (USA only).

Why are you called St Christopher's

St Christopher was the patron of travel. The legend describes an episode in which he was crossing a river, when a child asked to be carried across. When Christopher put the child on his shoulders, he found the child was unbelievably heavy. The child, according to the legend, was Christ carrying the weight of the whole world. This is what made Christopher the patron saint of travelers and is therefore invoked against storms, plagues, and other natural catastrophes. Hence the name Christopher means Christ-bearer and the feast day of St Christopher's is celebrated on July 25.

So how is the legend related to our college?

Since most of our students come from the United States and Canada, St Christopher's College of Medicine commits to carry the students safely across the Atlantic in order to provide them with a medical education.

by FG
Vademecum - The Guide
A St Christopher's College of Medicine publication
Vol 1, Issue 1

Are you WHO / IMED listed?

St. Christopher's College of Medicine is recognized by the World Health Organization. You will find us in the 8th edition of the WHO publication.

http://www.stchris.edu/pages/licensure.htm

Although the WHO says instruction began on Feb 25, 2000, the college actually started in 1998. Feb 25, 2000 was the official date the college received their WHO listing. The school started in Cambridge, England and relocated to Luton, England because of their associations with the University of Luton and King's College London.


ECFMG's IMED listing:

http://imed.ecfmg.org/search.asp

IMED is now the leading authority that maintains the list of foreign medical schools. The WHO discontinued doing this.

Currently, St Christopher's College of Medicine is chartered under the country of Senegal, not the UK. From the "country" drop down box, please select Senegal.

Why is the school chartered in Senegal?

....

We at Saint Christopher's College of Medicine are involved in many humanistic projects that the students and faculty can be proud of. We, in affiliation with the AAII, run twenty-seven programs in Senegal. They involve sending trained personnel into the countryside and villages to teach classes in reading, writing, math, and personal health care. We receive funding from the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and from student tuition to run these programs. We also run and help staff health care facilities and hospitals across the country. At one of our free health care facilities in Senegal we have seen as many as seven hundred patients in one week.

In the United Kingdom we have also made great strides in the advancement of our program. The addition and expansion of well-trained committed faculty, hospital affiliations, and consolidation of the program to the Luton campus will enable us to better focus and enhance the basic science program. This along with the commencement of the MD-PhD program, the MD-MSc program, the PhD program, the MSc program, and the Pre-medical program allows us to further extend our educational committment through research and publication. Further development and expansion of our affiliations with both the University of Luton and Guy's and King's College in London will allow us to continue and expand upon an excellent educational opportunity.

......

by PL
Vademecum - The Guide
A St Christopher's College of Medicine publication
Vol 1, Issue 1

What is Vademecum?

Vademecum - The Guide, is a St Christopher's College of Medicine publication co-produced by AMSA and SGA of St Christopher's College of Medicine. The publication is handed out to students every semester and at special meetings/conferences.

Are there plans for a new permanent building?

Details to come soon.

Where are clinicals held?

There seems to be an overlap of our sites with SGU's sites. I recommend you go to SGU's site and look at their list of hospitals. It is not a comprehensive list but we do have other sites not mentioned on their website.

If you're a new student just entering the premedical or biomedical science program, you shouldn't be concerned with this. What you should be concerned with is passing your classes. Our college is competitive and not everyone passes. If you don't pass your classes, you can't go on to clinicals.

There is nothing to worry about.
Our college is built around our clinicals and we do have some good ones too! We will only put you in ACGME hospitals in the U.S.
Just be fortunate you can even do U.S. clinicals. Most foreign medical schools can not even provide this to their students. Providing clinicals for international medical graduates is a very sensitive and political issue.

Do I have to go to Africa to do clinicals?

No. There is no African requirement to do clinicals. However, if you want to do an elective in Senegal, the college can setup something for you. You will need to be fluent in French since Senegal was formerly a French controlled country.

Can I do my clinicals in the U.K.?

Yes, you can do your clinicals in the U.K. The college will have to make a special arrangement with a nearby N.H.S. hospital. We have several students doing clinicals in the U.K. because they admire the country and its health system.

Why is it that students can go to clinicals without passing Step I?

This is a hospital policy. There are hospitals out there that don't require Step I scores in order to start clinicals. However, this doesn't exempt you from taking Step I. You must pass it eventually in order to be licensed in the U.S. There are no loopholes! Hospital programs set up their own rules and requirements. There is no one standard for all hospitals in the U.S. The U.S. doesn't have a national healthcare system like the U.K. Usually, our most prestigious programs require a min score of 205-220+.

Are your clinical sites A.C.G.M.E. approved?

All our U.S. clinicals are held in A.C.G.M.E. accredited hospitals.

Is there an attendance policy?

For the attention of all students:

Just a quick reminder of the Attendance Policy.

As per the Students Academic Policies Procedures Handbook, pages 9 & 10:

"Students are required to attend at least 80% of the classes in all of the courses for which they have registered.

An attendance register will be taken by the lecturer at the beginning of each class.

Any student found to have missed 10% of lectures for a given course will receive written notification from the Director of Student Affiars to the effects that should they miss more than another 10% of the course material, a notice will be made to the Dean of Basic Medical Sciences, and the appropriate action be taken.

Any student found to have missed more than 20% of the classes at the end of the half semester of a given course will be deemed to have failed the course and a failing grade will be recorded on the students transcript. such students will be required to retake the course in the following semester.

The 80% attendance rule applies to all students registered for a course, whether they are taking the course for the first time or retaking the course.

Any absence from a class laboratory is included, whether due to sickness or personal circumstances.

Students are required to attend classes in thier entirety. Late arrival or early departure from classes is not permitted"

Finally no food or drink are permitted in the classroom & mobile phones must be switched off. Any student who receive or make a phone call during lecturetime will be asked to leave the class and an absence will be marked for that lecture.

Thank You for your attention.

From the Office of Dean of Basic Sciences

What do I need to bring?

For semesters 1,2, and 3: (mtt recommends)

Scrubs and dissection kits are not needed for anatomy lab. All equipment is provided by King's College London. Lab coats are provided and are used for dissection. Scrubs are rarely used by students. Most UK students are dressed nicely and wear white coats over their clothes.


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For semesters 4 and 5: (bts recommends)

bts said:

1. Stethoscope (absolutely essential)
2. Opthalmascope and otoscope set
3. Reflex hammer
3. pen light
4. if you want a blood pressure cuff (sphygmomanometer)
5. Other fun things like tongue depressors, blah, blah, if you want them.

In the 4th semester, you will be practicing Physical Diagnosis(PD) on real patients at local doctors' offices so you must be able to perform and that includes having the proper tools to make the diagnosis.

In the 5th semester, you will be practing more PD on patients as well as further clinical medicine at a London hospital and for that the same equipment is needed. In addition to all the medical equipment, make sure you have nice dress clothes and dress/casual clothes that you can wear to the hospital, doctor's offices, and white coat ceremonies. Our administartion INSISTS that all students present themselves very properly when representing St. Christopher's in these venues.

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Note -

You can buy supplies in Luton and London so there's no need to haul everything over here. If you need toiletries, office supplies, and medication, there are stores in the mall. You can buy everything here and live comfortably.