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)

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

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_Accreditation_Authority_for_Education_in_Medicine_and_other_Health_Professions

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.