AUC 101: Your Guide to Medical School Webinar
AUC 101: Your Guide to Medical School
At AUC, we realize that each of our students is unique. Everyone has their own personal story that motivates them and their own path to achieving their dream. We appreciate that—because our students aren’t numbers. To us, they are future physicians, and we’re here for them.
The AUC School of Medicine campus features a fully equipped anatomy lab, simulation center, applied research laboratory, and other learning tools geared toward integrating medical school classroom study with practical applications of medicine.
AUC knows success. Residency directors look closely at a medical school student’s performance on USMLE exams when making a residency decision, so it’s important AUC students do well. During 2019-2020, AUC achieved a 94 percent first time pass rate for USMLE Step 1. It doesn’t end there, either. In 2020, AUC achieved a 92 percent first-time attainment rate. Preparing our students to attain a medical school residency placement is one of AUC’s highest priorities.
AUC’S Accredited MD Program: All 50 States
AUC offers a fully accredited MD program that is recognized by the U.S Department of Education as having standards that are comparable to that of US medical schools, so students at AUC will sit for the same USMLE, and AUC medical school graduates are able to obtain residency and licensure in all 50 states. AUC School of Medicine graduates are automatically eligible to apply to take the PLAB (Professional and Assessment Board) test and apply for GMC registration without requiring an individual assessment. This automatic institutional recognition gives AUC graduates a clear path to pursue a residency position in the UK and makes them eligible to apply for UK licensure.
The AUC MD program is a standard four-year program. Students begin the program with the medical sciences portion of the curriculum at the AUC School of Medicine campus in St. Maarten, which will take 20 months, or five semesters. AUC's medical sciences program is designed to match students' needs, with faculty easily accessible for assistance and students provided with adequate opportunity for self-directed study. Students receive a mixture of lecture and hands-on education at AUC’s modern facilities, involving a concentrated study of the medical sciences through AUC's US-modeled medical school curriculum. Anatomy, Histology and Molecular/Cell Biology are the focus during the first semester. Subsequent semesters explore a logical sequence of science coursework, including advanced courses in Molecular/Cell Biology, Physiology, Pathology, and Behavioral Sciences.
Students are introduced to clinical medicine as early as second semester with an increased emphasis in fifth semester, which allows them to experience the clinical application of the medical sciences well before they advance to the clinical portion of the program. During the fifth semester, students prepare for their rotations through clinical orientation, where they will meet with clinical advisors. Clinical advisors are going to be there to help students map their clinical years, including helping find specific locations and making sure students complete the clinical curriculum. Students then return to the US, where they sit for the USMLE Step 1. There’s a four-month span to allow students ample time to take the exam and submit a passing score, after which students begin clinical rotations.
Clinical Rotations: Years 3 & 4 in The US or UK
During years three and four, AUC students perform clinical rotations in the United States and/or the United Kingdom at one of the more than 30 AUC-affiliated teaching hospitals. Students do not have to take rotations in the UK, however it is an opportunity to get more international exposure.
The clinical science curriculum is separated into core and elective rotations. Core rotations are the foundation of a student’s clinical medical education. Elective clerkships are medical subspecialties under each of the main core rotations. Students choose their electives according to their preferred area of postgraduate residency training. All AUC clinical sites in the United States offer residency programs approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or are affiliated with a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
Students are advised to take four to eight weeks of electives in a primary field of interest. Four to six weeks of family practice is highly recommended, as this is a condition of licensure in many states. AUC’s Chief Academic Officer recommends that students also take Emergency Medicine and Neurology. Additionally, it is recommended that each student take 18–22 weeks of electives in internal medicine subspecialties. See course description section for full listing of subspecialties.
Each clinical site is staffed by a program director, faculty members and a medical education coordinator who work together to facilitate the learning experience for AUC students. While there, students serve as a member of a team composed of students, residents (US) or registrars (UK), and attending physicians (US) or consultants (UK). You’ll interview and examine patients, interpret laboratory results, perform certain procedures, communicate with patients, families, and the health care team, and more. Students then sit for the USMLE Step 2CS and CK. Students must pass both exams to graduate, which is when the real work begins.
AUC Medical School Admissions - What We Are Looking For
The number one criteria the AUC Medical School admissions committee looks for in applicants is how serious students are. Serious about committing themselves to the medical arena and to medicine, to dedicate and truly focus on evolving into an outstanding physician.
Students are required to have or be in the process of completing their bachelor's degree before they begin the AUC medical school application process, but need to earn the bachelor's degree before they actually matriculate. Students are required to submit their personal statements, as well as the letters of recommendations (one academic, and one professional) for the AUC medical school application. Students can submit more if they would like, but two are required. Students will also be required to include their resume or CV, describing their education, employment or experience in the medical field, with their AUC medical school application.
That might sound like a lot of documents and hard statistics, but AUC takes a holistic approach in reviewing each applicant. What that means is that AUC doesn’t look at an individual number for the MCAT scores and make a determination from there; that's the reason for having the personal interviews. Our admissions committee wants to hear students’ entire story. It wants to know how you got to that number, as well as information about your motivation for medicine and more.
Tuition
Once they’ve been accepted, the next thing on most students' mind is the cost. How much is tuition at AUC School of Medicine, and how will students pay for it?
The total cost of tuition for the medical sciences part of the curriculum is 23,240 per semester, while the clinical science part is a flat rate of $26,000 per semester. That is a lot of money, but luckily the FAFSA students fill out for their undergraduate degrees is the same thing AUC students use to finance their medical education.
AUC also offers a number of scholarships, including several that are auto-awarded based on certain GPAs, scholarships that reward students for working with alumni, scholarships that reward students with a long history of community service, and more. A full list of the scholarships offered by AUC can be found here.
How AUC Can Help You
During your time as a student in the AUC MD program, you will have the opportunity to continually receive professional and personal guidance, to further your development as both a physician and a person.
One thing always identified by graduates and students is the way AUC supports them, starting even before they are admitted. From the moment a prospective student begins the AUC medical school admissions process to the time they graduate and beyond, someone from AUC will be there to help and offer guidance when needed. This includes nonacademic support like wellness counseling, to ensure you have all the tools needed for a successful medical career.
Want to know more?
Want to know more about AUC Medical School admissions, or have any questions about the AUC School of Medicine application process? Contact the AUC medical school Admissions team to receive answers to your questions.