Our top priority is to provide quality medical education that prepares students to become competent, caring and professional medical practitioners. To achieve this goal, we strive for continual improvement and development as an institution. For this reason, I want to share some important updates on the University’s recent achievements, along with our plans for the future.
Outstanding Accreditation Success
As you may be aware, we recently underwent the second of two complete, fully independent accreditation site visits over the last year. The feedback provided during the visits, and the subsequent visit reports, was excellent. As a result, UMHS has been awarded full re-accreditation from both the St. Kitts Accreditation Board for five years, and most recently, the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM) for a full six years.
The site teams were most impressed with the strength of our academic program, the dedication of our senior administration and faculty providing a quality education, and the caliber of support we provide for students to ensure their success. We are proud to state that in both reports, we met all of their standards, and the few suggestions for improvement are already being implemented or incorporated into our operational or strategic plans. We take these reviews seriously, and believe their response is a testament to the quality of our academic program. We have always followed accreditors’ recommendations for improvement and will continue to provide the best education possible. The detailed reports particularly commend our students and the quality of our medical education, all of which would not be possible without the collective and collaborative approach of everyone involved.
It is also important to state that ACCM has adopted the US standards of accreditation (Liaison Committee on Medical Education/LCME) both as written and applied. Their accreditation is recognized by the US Department of Education through the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA). We are pleased to inform you that in each case, UMHS was deemed to have met and is compliant with the standards of both accreditation boards.
In summary, we have done remarkably well and our efforts have been recognized. UMHS is dedicated to your success, and we will continue to provide you with the resources, faculty, and support you need to succeed. Our goal is to continue to enhance the academic program to provide you with the best education possible.
Data and Developments
UMHS has an 87% Overall Pass Rate for USMLE Step 1 and a 91% Overall Pass Rate on USMLE Step 2 CK.
The UMHS attrition rate is one of the lowest in the Caribbean. Over 85% of our students complete the medical school program. In addition, since the inception of the university, approximately 93% of our graduates have obtained a residency. We are very proud of the fact that the vast majority of students who have studied at UMHS have gone on to graduate and obtain a residency.
We are fully dedicated to student success and will provide you with the support and tools required to be successful. This includes:
- Dedicated and highly qualified faculty, learning specialists, and counselors who are dedicated to student success.
- The recently established USMLE Performance Advisory Group, which is in the process of making several important recommendations to introduce changes and developments in order to improve USMLE performance.
- Provision of the resources necessary to succeed on USMLE Step 1, including UWorld and Kaplan Medical.
- A new 15-week review program in Maine that includes the use of Kaplan Medical Didactic Lectures, the UWorld Question Bank, utilization of NBME Self-Assessments, and CBSE as the new final examination based on recommendations from our students. Most importantly, faculty from St. Kitts will also be acting as facilitators in small groups to review UWorld questions. This will be one of the most comprehensive review programs offered anywhere and will have a significant impact on student performance and outcomes.
- Starting in May, we will also be offering integrated question-based USMLE review sessions in St. Kitts for EBS 5/Med 4 students. Starting in September, Med 4/EBS 5 students will also have full access to UWorld. Additional enhancements are planned for the September St. Kitts Review Program. The goal is to have two full semesters of review and to better prepare you for Step 1.
We believe that with our ongoing approach and multiple new developments, UMHS will continue to improve the performance and success of our students.
Residency Match and Alumni Success
In addition, we have been collecting data about our alumni on an ongoing basis and would like to share with you some further important news. Our alumni have gained licensure in all 50 States, Puerto Rico, England, and Canada. They are currently either practicing or have obtained residencies and fellowships at some of the more renowned hospitals in the United States including the Mayo Clinic, Mount Sinai, Johns Hopkins, UChicago Medicine, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Barnes Jewish Hospital, Duke University Health System, University of Michigan, and Loyola University Medical Center.
In 2025, our students Matched at some of the more prestigious hospitals including Yale, West Virginia University, Penn State, Florida State, University of Virginia, and Morehouse School of Medicine.
Besides primary care, our students and alumni have Matched in most major specialties including Anaesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, Neurological Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Radiology, and Radiation Oncology to name but a few. In addition, our alumni have also completed over 100 different types of fellowships.
We are very proud of the accomplishments of our school, our students, and our alumni.
Thank you, and well done everyone!
Warren Ross, President
David Graham, Provost
May 2025
