The Accelerated Review Program at UMHS offers aspiring physicians the opportunity to ease into medical school and prepares them for the rigors of the medical school program.
Every major decision in a person’s life is carefully planned out. For some of us, a career in medicine was one of those life changing decisions. Nevertheless, despite how much you plan for it, you will never know what it is like until you arrive. See, up until that moment, everything is dependent on external sources. People will generally exaggerate or underestimate what you should expect and how you should prepare. If you fail a Chemistry exam some will say your medical career is doomed while others will say it’s not a big deal. Who is right? Truthfully, neither or both.
If you stumble along the long journey to medical school and lose your motivation and drive, it very well might be the end of your perspective career in medicine. However, if you learn from your mistakes and keep pushing forward, it will only make you a better doctor in the end. Just as there are people who only see you for your mistakes and others who wish them away, there are medical schools that will do the same.
Why is UMHS different?
During your search, you will find medical school admissions who will seem to focus entirely on a below average MCAT score and others who will accept students whose entire academic record indicates that they are not ready for the challenge of medical school. Neither of these options will work for most students. In light of that, there are medical schools (primarily international medical schools) who offer premedical review programs for students who have weaknesses in either standard score (MCAT/GPA) but exhibit an overall strong academic record.
I did research on nearly half a dozen international medical schools as well as their review programs. UMHS offers the most appealing program of all the schools. Accelerated Review Program (ARP) is a three month program offered to select prospective students. The program works to prepare students for the rigorous medical program. It is both structurally and financially competitive. The admissions committee thoughtfully selects one to two dozen candidates (depending on the incoming semester).
How will ARP help prepare you for the rest of your medical career?
ARP is structured around the UMHS medical program curriculum. A number of courses from the curriculum are selected and taught by the same professors who teach in the medical program. This allows ARP students the advantage of becoming familiar with the professors who will teach them during the medical program, as well as the campus and island life of Saint Kitts.
During the three months that I spent in ARP, I learned the reality of life as a medical student. I met and befriended students in other semesters who shared their experiences with me. Perhaps I could have spent that time starting as a Med 1 at another medical school, and avoided “losing” three months. However, the knowledge, experience and motivation that I gained during those three months makes it time well spent and not lost.
Although as pre-medical students we are eager to become medical students and as medical students we are eager to become doctors, it is essential to remember that it not a question of racing through the process; rather, of mastering each step and gaining as much experience and knowledge along the way. Undoubtedly, ARP made me a more knowledgeable and confident medical student.
Learn more about the ARP program at UMHS here.
(Top photo) The beautiful island of St. Kitts, home of UMHS. Photo: UMHS archives.
About UMHS:
Built in the tradition of the best US universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciences focuses on individualized student attention, small class sizes and recruiting high quality faculty. For these reasons, UMHS is quickly becoming the school of choice among Caribbean medical schools.
Dr. Jasmine Rivas is a 2018 graduate of UMHS. The Florida native is currently working in a Family Medicine residency at East Carolina University in North Carolina.
