How to Find an Appropriately Accredited Medical School in the Caribbean
Many Caribbean/offshore medical schools falsely advertise that they are “recognized by the Medical Board of California, ECFMG, IMEDs or FAIMER”, but essentially that has little meaning.
Some Caribbean medical schools state that say they are accredited by:
- Medical Board of California
- FAIMER
- ECFMG
- NCFMEA
These kind of statements are a red flag because they are not using the appropriate terminology between recognition and accreditation. The accrediting body for the medical schools in the Caribbean is CAAM-HP – is an accrediting body for medical, veterinary, and dental schools in the 15 member nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Medical schools that claim they have accreditation by NCFMEA, mainly means that they have been approved by the Department of Education’s NCFMEA. This means that students can receive student loans to attend that medical school.
Medical Schools that Have Accreditation or Provisional Accreditation (As of 07/2016)
American University of Antigua College of Medicine, Antigua & Barbuda | Accredited with Conditions, 2014-2017 |
Ross University School of Medicine, Dominica | Accredited with Conditions, 2014-2018 |
Saint James School of Medicine, Anguilla | Initial Provisional Accreditation extended with probation for one year, 2016-2017 |
Spartan Health Sciences University School of Medicine, St. Lucia | Provisional Accreditation Extended, 2016-2018 |
St. George’s University (SGU) School of Medicine, Grenada | Accredited with Conditions, 2015-2019 |
The University of the West Indies (UWI) School of Medicine(Multi-campus) | Accredited with Conditions, 2016-2018 |
Trinity School of Medicine, St Vincent | Provisional Accreditation, 2015-2017 |
Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba | Provisional Accreditation Extended, 2016-2018 |
Source: http://www.caam-hp.org/assessedprogrammes.html
CAAM-HP has a number of accreditation statuses besides being not accredited or fully accredited.
Unaccredited Medical Schools in the Caribbean (07/2016)
Avalon University School of Medicine, Curacao
International American University (IAU) College of Medicine, St Lucia
University of Science, Arts, and Technology (USAT), Monsterrat
Windsor University School of Medicine, St. Kitts
Tips When Choosing a Medical School in the Caribbean
- Consider only medical schools that are ACCREDITED.
- Remember that accreditation statuses change over time. It is better to apply to medical schools whose accreditation statuses has remained relatively consistent throughout the years.
Thank you for this information, there are many people asking which medical school is accredited? I have seen many schools call themselves “accredited by the” which i believe is wrong!
I hope to see this list stay up to date.
A lot of medical schools in the Caribbean claim that they are "accredited" what are your thoughts on this?