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The Basic Sciences program
takes place during 15-week terms on the island
of Sint Eustatius. Depending on the student's
background and needs, the Basic Sciences program
will be completed in five or six terms. Summer
and winter breaks between terms are only a few
weeks long allowing students to complete three
academic terms in any given calendar year rather
than just two terms, as in most U.S. medical schools.
Thus, students following the five-term program
may complete their Basic Sciences medical training
and enter the Clinical Medicine phase of training
in under two years.
Five-Term
Program
In the 5-term program, students complete
Basic Sciences courses over five terms as illustrated
below. Courses are typically taught in 45-minute
blocks and are held between one and five days
per week, depending on the course.
First and Second Terms
Third, Fourth and Fifth
Terms
Six-Term
Program
The six-term program is provided to students
who may need extra preparation in pre-Basic Science
disciplines before undertaking Basic Sciences
courses. Students who have had a long interval
between college and matriculation into medical
school or those who need additional credit hours
for medical school eligibility may benefit from
following the extended six-term curriculum. Eligibility
will be determined by an academic review.
The first term of the six-term
program is known as the Introduction to Medical
Sciences, with the remainder of the curriculum
being identical to the five-term program as previously
described.
Testing Center
At the University of Sint Eustatius,
Basic Sciences students become proficient in taking
USMLE-style computerized examinations in the University’s
dedicated Test Center. The Test Center contains
multiple partitioned booths containing individual
computers. Each semester during designated weeks,
students meet at the Test Center to take their
exams. Consistent with USMLE Step I, exams consist
of clinical vignette questions, often including
images and graphs, with answers presented in multiple
choice format. The computerized testing program
allows for easy navigation of test questions,
automatic log off when the time limit for the
exam has been exceeded, and instant feedback as
to the student’s score on the examination.
The Introduction to Medical
Sciences term comprises the following five courses:
Medical Biology & Cell Biology
Organic Chemistry
Medical Physics
Public Health (including Epidemiology,
Biostatistics and Preventive Medicine)
Introduction to Basic Medical
Sciences (including an introduction to Anatomy,
Embryology, Histology, Physiology, Neuroscience,
Clinical Medicine, Molecular Biology/Genetics
and Biochemistry).
The disciplines taught within
the Introduction to Medical Sciences term are
taught within the context of medicine so as to
enhance learning and success in completing the
remaining five terms of the Basic Sciences. The
Introduction of Medical Sciences term consists
of approximately 325 hours of classroom and laboratory
training (23 credit hours).
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