The University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Accreditation Status

The University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts, (UMHS) understands the importance of having its programs accredited so that our graduates may obtain residencies and ultimately practice medicine in the United States. 

The St. Christopher and Nevis Accreditation Board, an arm of the Ministry of Education, has granted UMHS provisional accreditation on January 1, 2008.  This means physicians graduating from UMHS are able to be licensed in the Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis. 

To qualify for licensure in the United States, an international medical school must be accredited in the country in which it is located, must be listed either in the directory of the World Health Organization or Global Education Directory in Copenhagen (Denmark) and recognized by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).

The government of St. Kitts has petitioned for recognition and registration with The World Health Organization (WHO) and ECFMG.  We expect to obtain the required recognition and listing as soon as we become operational in May 2008,  which will ensure our graduates that they will qualify for licensure in the United States.  Once this is accomplished, UMHS graduates will be eligible to become ECFMG-certified to sit for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).  Passage of USMLE Steps 1 and 2 is required for students to be eligible to participate in U.S. residency training.

Because UMHS is focused on providing the highest quality medical education for its students and positioning them to successfully pass the USMLE Step 1, the University has applied to obtain the shelf and subject area examinations.  These examinations, utilized by most U.S. medical schools, are made up of questions similar in scope and content to that of the USMLE.  They will be integrated into the basic science curriculum to ensure a high pass rate on the USMLE.