St. Matthew's University (SMU) is a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
for-profit offshore medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
located in
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
. SMU has a School of Medicine and a School of Veterinary Medicine, which confer
M.D.
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...
and
D.V.M. degrees, respectively. St. Matthew's University is owned by R3 Education, Inc.
History
SMU was founded in
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
in 1997 by Dr. Michael Harris and other medical doctors. In 2001, the board of directors changed the university's administration. In 2002, the school moved to the Cayman Islands under interim president Dr.
B. D. Owens
Bobbie Deen Owens (also known as B. D. Owens) (born January 17, 1935) was a university president, serving as head of the University of Tampa, Northwest Missouri State University and St. Matthew's University.
Early life
Owens is a 1959 graduate ...
. Dr. Michael Harris was named president in 2003 and the Medical University gained full accreditation.
The School of Veterinary Medicine was established in 2005 under the direction of Dr. Scott Harris, DVM . The school was acquired by
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...
-based Equinox Capital in conjunction with
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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-based Prairie Capital in 2005.
Accreditation and recognition
School of Medicine
SMU is chartered by the government of the
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
.
and is accredited by the
Accreditation Commission of Colleges of Medicine The Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM) is an international medical review and accreditation agency service for medical schools.
The National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA), part of the Unite ...
, an accrediting agency listed in the
FAIMER
The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to "support the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) as it promotes international health p ...
Directory of Organizations that Recognize/Accredit Medical Schools (DORA).
The School of Medicine has been accredited since 2001 with accreditation extending until June 30, 2025. Since 2002 the United States Department of Education's
(NCFMEA) has recognized SMU's accreditor as using standards that are comparable to the standards used to accredit medical schools in the United States.
St. Matthew's University School of Medicine is approved by the
New York State Education Department
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the supervision for all public schools in New York and all standardized testing, as well as the production and administration o ...
(NYSED) to allow students to complete more than 12 weeks of clinical clerkships in New York State. SMU is one of eight Caribbean medical schools so approved by NYSED.
St. Matthew's University School of Medicine is licensed by the Florida Department of Education's Commission for Independent Education (CIE) for the purpose of providing clinical rotations in Florida. SMU is one of only seven Caribbean medical schools so approved by the CIE (
St. George's University School of Medicine
St. George's University School of Medicine is the medical school of St. George's University located in St. George's, Grenada. The school was founded by Charles R. Modica on July 23, 1976. Because of its size, the school placed more doctors int ...
,
Ross University School of Medicine
Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) is a private for-profit medical school. Its main campus is located in Barbados, and separate administrative offices are located in Iselin, New Jersey, and Miramar, Florida, in the United States. Prior t ...
,
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
The American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) is a private for-profit medical school. Its main basic science campus is located in Sint Maarten, and administrative offices are located in Miramar, Florida, in the United ...
,
Saba University School of Medicine
Saba University School of Medicine is a private for-profit offshore medical school located on Saba, a special municipality of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. Saba University confers upon its graduates the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. It i ...
,
American University of Antigua College of Medicine,
Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) Universidad Iberoamericana (also known as UNIBE) is a private nonprofit coeducational university in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, that was founded in 1982 as a result of the initiative of the Iberoamerican-Cooperation Institute and a Steering ...
School of Medicine,
Medical University of the Americas
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
).
The University is listed in the
World Directory of Medical Schools The World Directory of Medical Schools is a public database of institutions that provide medical education. There are over 3,600 medical schools listed in the directory. The directory is published as a collaboration of the World Federation for Medic ...
.
SMU School of Medicine who are either American citizens or permanent residents can participate on the Federal Direct Student Loan Program.
Medical School curriculum
The MD program at SMU is a ten-semester course of study that consists of three semesters per calendar year. Semesters 1-5 are basic science semesters that are completed at the university's
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles ( ...
(Cayman Islands) campus. Semesters 6-10 consist of 72 weeks of clinical training at rural hospitals in United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom.
Licensure restrictions
In the United States, the medical boards of the following states restrict St. Matthew's University graduates from obtaining licensure::
*
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
*
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
In the United Kingdom, the
General Medical Council
The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...
has listed St. Matthew's University as an institution whose graduates from the Belize campus (closed in 2002) are ineligible for licensure. Graduates from the current Cayman Islands campus are eligible for licensure.
Residence Hall
The Residence Hall is a two-story former tourist hotel building in the luxurious beach area that has been repurposed to create a living learning atmosphere geared toward students’ academic success. New students arriving on the island live in the St. Matthew's University Residence Hall for at least one semester and are welcome to stay as many semesters as they like. The facility is located from campus, with a total of 80 single rooms (), 29 Standard Suites () and 8 deluxe suites () and one study room. The rent for a small room is $4,245–4,800 (USD) for almost 4 months with high-speed internet provided.
School of Veterinary Medicine
St. Matthew's University School of Veterinary Medicine (SMUSVM) is listed by the
American Veterinary Medical Association
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), founded in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 99,500 veterinarians in the US.
The AVMA provides information resources, continuing education opportunities, publicatio ...
, and its graduates qualify for entrance into the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) or the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE) certification programs.
The PAVE program is a foreign licensing program that allows students to qualify to take the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE).
The PAVE qualifying exam is written or online and intended to test the knowledge of students in foreign veterinary schools. It covers material learned in the first three (pre-clinical) years of AVMA-accredited veterinary schools.
The PAVE program is recognized in 39 states currently, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
The ECFVG is a program that assesses the overall knowledge of veterinary students from non-AVMA-accredited schools to ensure they have sufficient knowledge to practice veterinary medicine within the United States.
The program contains four steps and is recognized by all 50 states to allow those that receive a certificate the ability to practice within those states.
Students at the School of Veterinary Medicine complete their pre-clinical education in 28 months (7 semesters), with three more semesters (12 months) completed in either the United States or Canada as the clinical year.
The incoming class size is limited to 35 students and the faculty to student ratio is 1:5.
The requirements for applying to St. Matthew's University School of Veterinary Medicine are: 8 credits (and lab) of General Biology and General Chemistry, 4 credits (and lab) of Organic Chemistry, 3 credits of Biochemistry, 6 credits of Language Arts (English), 3 credits of College Math or Computer Science, 4 credits of Physics (Recommended), and 6 credits of Social Science (Recommended).
There is a concurrent dual degree program available for students to receive their Master of Business Administration degree from Davenport University, which is offered completely online.
Members of the dual degree program receive benefits that include qualification for Title IV federal student aid (for U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens), receiving partnership tuition rates for the entire program, advancing the student's career with two degrees as a doctor of veterinary medicine and an MBA, and the ability to apply up to 15 transferable graduate credits.
SMUSVM has clinical year programs with Purdue University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Minnesota, North Carolina State University, Oklahoma State University, and University of Illinois.
Notable alumni
*
Kehinde Aladefa, Nigerian Olympic athlete
* Daaron McField, former
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
player
See also
*
Medical School
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
*
International medical graduate An international medical graduate (IMG), earlier known as a foreign medical graduate (FMG), is a physician who has graduated from a medical school outside of the country where he or she intends to practice. The term non-local medical graduate may be ...
*
List of medical schools in the Caribbean
This is a list of medical schools in the Caribbean. Schools are listed in alphabetical order by country or territory, then by name. The list includes medical schools recognized by their local governments that award the Doctor of Medicine (MD) and/ ...
References
External links
St. Matthew's University Grand Cayman IslandOfficial University Web Site
{{authority control
For-profit universities and colleges in North America
Medical schools in the Cayman Islands
Health in the Cayman Islands
Educational institutions established in 1997
1997 establishments in Belize
2002 establishments in the Cayman Islands
Universities in the Cayman Islands
Buildings and structures in George Town, Cayman Islands