The Trinity Student Advantage

Clinical Experience Begins in the First Term

Because of Trinity's affiliation with a 220-bed teaching hospital, clinical experience begins in the first term—reinforcing what students are learning in the core curriculum with personal patient engagement—and continues through all five terms at the campus in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This clinical experience creates an advantage for students as they begin their clerkships in the U.S.

Small Class Size, More Personal Attention

Our selective admissions process affords students one of the lowest student to faculty ratios available in the Caribbean. The lectures and labs at Trinity are small and accommodating, providing a unique level of personal attention. Trinity's faculty and students work together to establish a mutually supportive learning community—an educational partnership from which both benefit and to which both contribute.

USMLE Preparation That Goes Above and Beyond

Trinity provides students with a comprehensive USMLE Step 1 preparation program designed to increase performance on the exam. At the conclusion of each term, the program reinforces the most frequently tested USMLE concepts taught in the given term and shows students how to apply what they are learning, as they are learning. Additionally, students can take advantage of personal, supplemental instruction from individual tutors, increasing their opportunity to be as prepared as possible for the next phase.

Our Approach to Education

At Trinity School of Medicine, our approach is to model our programs after US medical curricula and teaching principles.

Clinical Exposure

1. Begin clinical exposure in the first week of medical school at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, where Trinity has exclusive access for its students, and continue weekly through the basic sciences terms.
2. Develop clinical skills, including hands-on patient care, in every department of the hospital.
3. Track cases throughout the term that build upon content knowledge being mastered in the basic sciences.

Problem Based Learning

Problem Based Learning integrates the basic sciences with clinical experience. After each two-week session of learning about a particular organ, students are presented with a clinical case and each is assigned a certain aspect of that case. Students do individual research, and then work in groups and with their clinical tutors to present a diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan to a group of professors. The professors ask questions and give feedback on their presentations.  This methodology allows students to synthesize their course-work learning with actual medical histories and case studies and prepares them for presenting cases in their futures.

Faculty Approach

1. Integrate basic and clinical sciences throughout the four semesters of Foundations of Medicine via our relationship with Milton Cato Memorial hospital and its local, affiliated clinics.
2. Provide students with the skills, knowledge and attitudes they will need to practice patient-centered medicine in the world of tomorrow.
3. Incorporate and adhere to established learning practices.
4. Constantly improve our curriculum to respond to and incorporate changes in medical knowledge and practice.
5. Embrace the values of the medical profession and incorporate those values into our curriculum.

Student Learning Approach

1. Define Course Objectives:
   1. Construct courses to focus on a learning objective that includes a plan that will guide students to the mastery of said objective.
   2. Utilize the appropriate tools to ensure that students meet the required objectives. Tools include one-on-one tutors, anatomy lab with cadaver and simulated dissection technologies, lecture halls equipped with lecture recording technology, smart phone/tablet requirement, and open-door policies with all faculty.
   3. Administer exams that assess student preparation, participation, critical thinking skills and knowledge application.
2. Small Group Setting
   1. Provide multi-disciplinary Problem Based Learning (PBL) cases in all courses.
   2. Maintain small group sessions consisting of PBL, laboratories, conferences, seminars, and computer-assisted learning, which complement full class overview lectures.
   3. Individually evaluate each student's capability to demonstrate problem solving and professionalism.
   4. Implement a student-centered plan of action to assist students in maintaining high scores and effective/efficient study habits.

Official Recognition, Approvals and Accreditation

Accreditation

Trinity School of Medicine was granted full accreditation by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) of the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines effective April 11, 2008.

Concurrently, the Government has granted to Trinity School of Medicine a charter with exclusive rights to The Milton Cato Memorial Hospital for its medical school and a preparatory program, and with the right to confer the degree of Doctor of Medicine after the successful completion of the prescribed accredited curriculum (10 terms) and to engage in all necessary and appropriate activities which are incidental to the operation of a medical college.

Trinity School of Medicine's accreditation is also approved by the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) and lists Trinity in its International Medical Education Directory (IMED) effective September 19, 2008.

This listing in FAIMER/IMED and the assignment of a code provides the sanction for Trinity students to register for and take the USMLE Steps 1, Step 2 and Step 3 examinations. Students who successfully complete Step 1 and Step 2 (CK) and (CS), and otherwise meet the requirements for graduation from Trinity, are then authorized by the ECFMG to register for and participate in the National Residency Match Program (NRMP)..

United States Licensing Examinations (USMLE)

These tests assess a student's ability to apply knowledge, concepts and principles as well as to demonstrate fundamental patient-centered skills that constitute the basis of safe and effective patient care. The sequence is as follows:

USMLE Step 1 – taken prior to entering the clinical clerkships – after Semester 5 and prior to starting Semester 6 at Trinity School of Medicine

USMLE Step 2 – Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Clinical Skills (CS) – taken after completing a minimum of 40 weeks of clinical clerkships and prior to the final four months of the medical school curriculum

USMLE Step 3 – taken after graduation from Trinity School of Medicine and prior to the completion of residency training

ECFMG Certification – Trinity School of Medicine students are now eligible for ECFMG certification to sit for USMLE Steps 1, 2 and 3 and they must be certified by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) to register for and participate in the National Residency Match Program (NRMP)

Additional Resources:
United States Medical Licensing Examination website: www.usmle.org

American Medical Association web site: www.ama-assn.org

Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) web site: www.ecfmg.org

Doctor of Medicine (MD) Degree Program Curriculum

The Foundations of Medicine

75 weeks, classes held at Trinity’s St. Vincent and the Grenadines campus.

Clinical Clerkships

During terms six through ten, students will participate in clerkships on medical campuses in the United States. Currently Trinity has clerkship opportunities at ACGME approved hospitals and clinics in New York, Illinois, Washington D.C, Connecticut, New Jersey, Georgia, and Utah

Some students may choose to take electives at locations other than those established by Trinity, for example, in a state where they may wish to eventually practice medicine, at a particular hospital with a strong program in a desired elective or at a hospital being considered for residency training. This option gives the student the added advantage of having completed a rotation onsite and gained knowledge of key physicians and residents prior to applying for residency. Approval by Trinity's Dean of Clinical Sciences will be required.

Trinity's commitment to students is that all clerkships — required and elective — will be conducted in the United States at hospitals with ACGME programs.

75 weeks, clerkships in ACGME approved hospitals and clinics in the US.

Graduation

The Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree is awarded upon successful completion of the Foundations of Medicine curriculum, the Clinical Sciences Clerkships and the USMLE Step 1, USMLE Step 2 (CK) and (CS). The entire program consists of 10 fifteen (15) week terms.

The 75 weeks of Clinical Clerkships will be offered at ACGME approved sites in the United States.

Residency Training

Graduating students will register for the National Residency Match Program (NRMP) or the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) which is a paired choice system for matching applicants to available residencies. Students train in a residency program for two to five years during which time they sit for the USMLE Step 3. Upon completion of their residency (fellowship) and passing USMLE Step 3, candidate physicians are prepared for licensure.

Admission Process

Trinity School of Medicine has an admissions committee comprised of faculty members representing the foundations of medicine and the clinical sciences. The non-voting chair of the committee is the Director of Admissions. Completed applications along with the results of the interview are sent to the committee for its review and recommendation. Typically admissions decisions are received within two weeks of the submission of the application and all supporting documents to the committee. Once the decision is rendered, the applicant will be notified immediately regarding the decision and next steps in the process.

Application Deadlines

Trinity School of Medicine offers three enrollment opportunities each year: September, January and May. We use rolling admissions and there are no application deadlines. However, for best consideration we encourage applicants to submit all materials for consideration within 4 to 6 months prior to the requested start date. If it is determined that you will be offered an interview, you can expect to receive notification from the admissions office within two weeks of the receipt of your completed application.

Tuition and Expenses

Textbooks
Students entering their initial term at Trinity will be provided with an approved list of required and recommended texts. These textbooks should be purchased as soon as practical through our online bookstore. The bookstore provides discounted prices and one stop shopping for used, rental and new textbooks. The bookstore team offers great service and is adept at packaging and shipping orders to St. Vincent. Students should budget $750 to $975 for first term textbook requirements.

In successive terms, students will also receive textbook announcements to assist them with the acquisition of their respective texts.

Clinical Attire and Medical Kits

Clinical attire, consisting of lab jackets, scrubs, dissection kits and patient examination kits will be required during the basic sciences terms. You should budget a total of $750 for these items which can be purchased in advance of your arrival in St. Vincent.

Which can be purchased in advance of your arrival in St. Vincent from the online bookstore.

Health Insurance
Health insurance is mandatory while students are enrolled at Trinity School of Medicine. Students can either enroll in the insurance plan provided by Trinity or provide proof of private coverage to the Bursar at the time of registration for the term. Insurance costs are currently $400 per term and coverage is provided by United HealthCare Insurance Company.

Living expenses

Housing
Trinity offers clean and comfortable residence halls on campus. Incoming students are required to live in on campus housing for their first year (terms 1 -3) when accommodations are available.Trinity will consider requests for students to secure off campus housing to accommodate special needs. Trinity maintains a list of off campus residential quarters that satisfy Trinity housing standards. Costs of off campus residences range from $500 to $1000 per month depending on amenities and location.

Personal
Food and entertainment is estimated to cost approximately $1200 to $1500 per term.

All monetary amounts mentioned on the site are in U.S. denominated funds.
Trinity School of Medicine reserves the right to change tuition and adjust fees or to establish additional fees/charges whenever in their opinion such action is deemed necessary.

Student Loans and Financing for the Doctor of Medicine Degree Program
Trinity maintains relationships with private student loan providers. Students seeking resources to fund their medical education may find our program to be a strong option for addressing their financial needs.

Trinity's student loan program utilizes student credit profiles as a primary factor for loan approvals. It is advisable that students obtain their credit score from all three major credit bureaus to ensure their credit rating is based on the most current and accurate data. There are many organizations that provide this service, but one of the less expensive alternatives is AnnualCreditReport.com.

Private Student Loan Alternatives For US Students
Our loan program is a variable rate program with a fixed margin based on credit score. The variable portion of the rate is based on LIBOR 3 Month Average rate plus a fixed margin based on credit score. To be eligible for this program, students must be accepted to our Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree program, be a US citizen or permanent resident, and be enrolled on at least a half time basis.

To gain loan approval, students must have a minimum credit score of 670 and satisfy the following additional credit requirements.

Additional student loan requirements:

• No more than two (2) trade lines, including collections and charge-offs, have been delinquent ninety (90) or more days in the past two (2) years and the sum of the amount past due on those delinquent trade lines is $500 or less.
• No account listed as "Not paid as agreed" within the past seven (7) years, unless the outstanding balance is less than $1000.
• No records of foreclosure, repossession, open judgment or open suit, unpaid tax lien, unpaid prior education loan defaults, or other negative public record items in the past seven (7) years.
• No record of bankruptcy in the past seven (7) years.

Students that cannot satisfy these requirements may utilize a qualified co-signer to support their loan application. Co-signers must meet the minimum program requirements; satisfy income and other credit requirements.

All student loan applications are electronically submitted on the website portal managed by Student Loan Finance Corporation (SLFC). Students that have been accepted and submitted their initial commitment deposit will be provided the appropriate portal website address and logon access.

Further Information

For detailed information, please contact us.