American University of Barbados, School of Medicine aims to prepare its students to be global leaders in all aspects of health care. The noble profession of medicine has considerable demands and immeasurable rewards. Our goal is not simply to create 'doctors' but 'medical scholars' imbued with a lifelong desire for knowledge and service.
Studying medicine at American University of Barbados is a great opportunity which brings you close to the frontier of current scientific knowledge and sets you upon a path towards the noble profession of medicine within a unique model of medical education which we believe is second to none. In addition to rendering quality education, we endeavor to see our students grow academically, professionally and socially. These characteristics we believe will soon see American University of Barbados evolve as one of the most sought-after names in the field of medicine.
Our faculty and staff represents some of the finest to be found in any medical school and we pride ourselves on their commitment to teaching as well as their pre-eminence within their fields. Our US based medical curriculum is designed specifically to meet the licensing requirements in United States and other nations around the globe. The balanced student-faculty ratio allows for highly personalized discussions and interactions between students and professors. During the Clinical Science Program (Rotations) our students get the opportunity to participate in supervised patient care rotating through varies medical specialities. They also attend Weekly Grand Round at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, during their Core Rotations in Internal Medicine, Surgery, Family Medicine and Pediatrics, which also include lectures, presentation and medical updates.
Globalization in healthcare is a reality. Magnetic resonance images taken in California are analyzed in Mumbai. A Specialist in Connecticut can 'tele-mentor' a student in Brazil. Our students come from diverse backgrounds with rich experiences that make up a truly cosmopolitan community of scholarsat American University of Barbados. It gives the students an opportunity to have a global clinical experience and prepares them for residency and beyond. The global outreach of our faculty and administration ensures that our students have significant options for study and are welcomed to a group of opportunities without boundary. The American University of Barbados continually reviews opportunities to broaden the clinical exposure of our students in the United States and other countries. The School of Medicine serves as the launch pad to medical professionals and guides them in providing better health care thereby alleviating suffering from the communities around the world.
The young individuals born between mid 80’s and early 2000
are the ones to enter the work force. The early years of this Generation ‘Y’
were marked by uncertainties like 9/11, other threats of terrorisms,
globalization, a severe economic recession and school violence.
Generation ‘Y’ was raised by parents who told them they were
special and ‘winners always. This generation prefers to work in groups with
hands- on – experiences. They enjoy trial and error methods in their planning
and the work they do.
Generation ‘Y’ does not value reading and listening to
lectures as has been traditional in medical education. They want learning to be
creative, interactive and interesting as they enjoy thinking ‘outside the box’.
To ensure success medical educators need to understand, that
Generation ‘Y’ cannot be forced into the mould of past generation. Educators in
medical education should focus on 4 core areas.
1-Interactive teaching with technology.
2-Professionalism
3-Mentoring
4-Logical communication
Medical educators need to stay abreast of new technologies
and incorporate them into teaching as Generation ‘Y’ is technology savvy,
advanced in readiness to use new methods. Collaborative with immediate
feedback, multimedia presentations, problem base learning by bringing live
patient for case discussion with audience participation are some ways
appreciated by this generation.
Educators could use Generation ‘Y’ expertise by involving
them in a technology advisory committee. Generation ‘Y’ wants to have a close
relationship with the authority figures just as they did with their parents.
They want to feel special, they love to work with superiors who are
approachable, supportive, good motivators and communicators. They feel
comfortable sharing their opinions and feedbacks. Flexibility and adaptability
is required by the medical educators to nurture the Generation ‘Y’ into
successful and committed medical professionals.
SHAHNAZ ZAIDI HEAD BUSINESS OPERATIONS AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BARBADOS www.aubmed.org
Those looking to study medicine abroad have their priorities cut
out — apart from choosing a reputed institute, they have to factor in tuition
fees, cost of living and the city or country they want to go to.To make their search easy, the ministry of health and family
welfare has come up with a list of medical institutes they can apply to as
degrees from these universities will hold value in India too.The institutes have been ranked on the basis of how students
have performed in a screening test, the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination
(FMGE) conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE).
The FMGE is a licensure exam which screens out testtakers who do
not have the aptitude for medicine and select those who are capable of boosting
the country’s physician workforce with their knowledge and skills.The l i st has around 286 institutions from 42 countries,
including Russia, Ukraine, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines,
United Arab Emirates and Romania. NBE has ranked institutes on the basis of
results of around 35,000 students who cleared their MBBS exams between 2012 and
2014.About 9,690 Indian students passed t he screening t est during
this period with an overall pass percentage of about 27%.
The maximum number of graduates, according to the ranking, were
from China (11,825) with a pass percentage of 18.9%, followed by Russia (5,950)
with a pass percentage of 18.4%, Ukraine (3,520) with a pass percentage of
19.1% and Nepal (3,163) with a pass percentage of 21.2%.There are 16 colleges and universities from where Indian
students have graduated in the NBE screening test with a pass percentage of
100%.Two colle ges in China – Chenyang Medical College and College of
the Left Side of China have a pass percentage of 100% Indians in the test.
Russia’s Kyrgyz Russian Slavic University also has a pass percentage of 100% as
has Ukraine’s VN Karazin Kharkiv National Medical University. Nepal’s Nobel
Medical College has been ranked number one on the NBE list with a pass percentage
of 32%.BP Koirala I nstitute of Health Sciences is a close second with
a pass percentage of 31%.With increasing competition and fewer MBBS seats in India for
lakhs of students who apply, many medical aspirants contemplate pursuing
education abroad in countries such as China, Ukraine, Russia and the
Philippines.Another reason for choosing these countries over others is the
cheaper educational cost when compared to the more expensive countries like the
US or UK.
Experts say the health ministry move will help students as well
as the Indian medical fraternity. “Generally speaking, a ranking based on objectively structured
criteria and defined weightage accruable thereto is definitely useful for a
student to make an appropriate choice for seeking admission to a concerned
college. An objectively-based categorisation is of definite use to the
stakeholders,” says Dr Jayshree Mehta, president, Medical Council of India.
Dr Mehta says t hat t he present scenario would be af fected to
the extent that the Indian students opting for foreign medical qualifications
could make an ‘informed choice’ while selecting an institute. “This would be on
the basis of specific quality information handily available to him so that the
choice is not blind in nature but is based on subtle relevant information.
However, the ranking would turn out to be of consequence and relevance provided
it is made in an objective and definitive manner,” she adds.
Dr KK Aggarwal, honorary secretary general, Indian Medical
Association, agrees. “We must remember that students make institutions and
institutions do not make students.An institution like AIIMS has the best results because the best
students go there. Through such a ranking, students can know the pass
percentage of these institutions. China and Russia have the cheapest medical
fee and that is why most students go there. This kind of ranking helps.”
Students will not be cheated now
Professor Dr Bipin Batra, additional director, National Board of
Examinations (NBE), elaborates how the medical school rankings will help
students and institutions. Excerpts from an interview. Do you think the medical school rankings will help Indian
students wanting to pursue medical education abroad? Yes. As of now, potential candidates are dependent on information
given by agents of foreign medical institutions operational in India or they
are able to get very limited information. Our interactions with foreign medical
graduates over the years have highlighted a dirty nexus of agents duping
candidates. This information will help aspirants make an informed choice. We
are working to compile basic data on the foreign medical institutions for
candidates. Do you think it will help prevent any cases of invalid medical
degrees in India? Yes it will. Despite a liberal regulatory framework for overseas
graduates appearing in the screening test, there are some candidates who end up
pursuing MBBS courses in which guidelines have been violated. This information
about data on previous sessions validates the track record of institutes in
terms of their contribution to the landscape. If any institute does not find a
place on the list, the aspirant has to do due diligence for the same.
An MCI certificate is a must
THEY MUST ANALYSE
THE QUALITY OF MEDICAL EDUCATION IMPARTED THERE WITH RESPECT TO THE
REQUIREMENTS OF CLEARING FMGE
The health ministry has issued guidelines for Indian students
and the foreign medical institutions admitting them. To take the FMGE exam, a
candidate must obtain an eligibility certificate (EC) from the Medical Council
of India (MCI) before seeking admission in an institute abroad. Students have
been advised to exercise due diligence in selecting foreign institutions and
countries. They must analyse the quality of medical education imparted there
with respect to the requirements of clearing FMGE.They have also been advised to check the medium of medical
education in the college where they seek admission and factors such as monthly
living expenses, availability of hostel facility etc. Foreign medical institutions have been advised to select Indian
candidates for their medical courses themselves and not rely on ‘agents’. They
must also ensure that they comply with the necessary Indian regulations, pay
attention to MBBS curriculum in India and statutory requirements for medical
colleges in India in terms of faculty, infrastructure and clinical competencies
at the undergraduate level. The ministry has suggested that the MCI can consider taking an
undertaking from the candidates that they have been given full and correct
information by the college/university about tuition and other fees, facilities,
curriculum of the course, language of instruction/teaching, availability of
hostel facilities, monthly living expenses etc. A copy of the Indian MBBS curriculum as per Graduate Medical
Regulation can also be made available to the candidates at the time of issuing
the EC so that they can refer to it in the context of their training at
overseas medical institutions.
