UMHS Commitment to Academic Excellence,Medical Education and Public Service

UMHS Response to the National Call to Action for Higher Education

The University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) is committed to a clear educational purpose: to educate competent, compassionate and professionally responsible physicians prepared to serve patients, communities and the healthcare workforce of the United States and beyond.

In response to the U.S. Secretary of Education’s National Call to Action to institutions of higher education, UMHS reaffirms its commitment to rigorous teaching, academic excellence, intellectual inquiry, responsible scholarship, transparency and public service.

As an international medical school with Basic Science education in St. Kitts, an academic progra in Portland, Maine, and extensive clinical education within teaching hospitals in the United States, UMHS maintains a particularly close relationship with American medical education and healthcare.

Our students undertake a curriculum aligned to U.S. medical education standards, complete externally benchmarked assessments, prepare for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), undertake clinical education within the U.S. healthcare system and progress into residency programs and medical practice. UMHS is fully accredited by ACCM (Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine) which is recognized by the US Department of Education through NCFMEA (National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation) ACCM has fully adopted the LCME standards of Accreditation both as written and applied. The LCME is responsible for accrediting US medical schools. In 2025 we underwent another review, and we are proud to announce that we are 100% in compliance with the ACCM standards. UMHS is also accredited by the country of St Kitts and has multiple state approvals. 95% of our graduates that participated have obtained a residency in the United States. This in part is due to the reputation of the University, the quality of the education, student performance on licensing examinations, as well as the quality of our students.

1. Transparent and Merit-Based Admissions

UMHS will continue to maintain clear, publicly accessible admissions requirements and ensure that applicants are considered based on academic preparedness, achievement, personal qualities relevant to medicine and their capacity to succeed in a demanding medical curriculum. We will regularly review our published admissions information so prospective students can understand our academic prerequisites, MCAT requirements, selection processes and expectations before applying. All UMHS applicants are assessed without unlawful discrimination and in accordance with applicable accreditation requirements and law. UMHS admissions criteria and requirements are published in multiple locations including the website, viewbook, and catalog. UMHS is committed to transparent, mission driven, merit-based admissions criteria that treat students equally.

2. Free Inquiry and Intellectual Openness

Medicine advances through evidence, questioning, debate and the willingness to reconsider established assumptions when better evidence emerges. UMHS will continue to foster an academic environment in which students and faculty can examine competing scientific, clinical and ethical perspectives, engage respectfully with differing views and pursue legitimate academic inquiry without ideological conformity. We will protect lawful academic expression while maintaining the professional standards necessary for a safe and respectful medical-learning environment. The code of conduct and policies on professionalism are published in the student handbook and made available to all students. In addition, the university has both a faculty and staff handbook that also delineates the code of conduct, The handbooks include provisions for possible violations, disciplinary options, due process standards, and potential penalties.

3. Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship and Research

Teaching is at the center of the UMHS mission. We recruit, develop, and evaluate faculty with a particular emphasis on subject expertise, academic and professional qualifications, teaching excellence, evidence-based reasoning, professionalism and commitment to student learning. We will continue to support research and scholarship that advances biomedical and clinical knowledge, improves medical education, addresses important health problems and gives students meaningful opportunities to participate in scientific inquiry. All such research will be conducted with appropriate ethical oversight, academic independence and integrity. Students have an opportunity to participate in research both in St. Kitts and in the United States. Our faculty are appropriately credentialed and experienced educators who are fully dedicated to student success. Prospective faculty are interviewed by senior administration as well as faculty. All Basic Science Faculty Applicants are required to provide a lecture to both students and their peers. Students then rank the candidates and provide a student survey to the recruitment committee for consideration. Students, faculty, and senior administration all take part in the hiring process to ensure we recruit the most qualified candidates. The student body are involved in the recruitment process and also provide feedback on faculty’s teaching performance which is acted on as appropriate by the Dean.

4. Affordability, Transparency and Student Outcomes

Medical education represents a substantial commitment for students and their families. UMHS therefore recognizes its responsibility to demonstrate the value of that investment. We will maintain transparent tuition and fee information, provide responsible-borrowing and financial guidance, and encourage students to borrow no more than necessary. We continue to maintain our fees at a level below our competitors to ensure affordability. Students at UMHS may qualify for a range of financial aid to cover the full cost of attendance. That includes student and institutional loans, scholarships, lines of credit, provincial loans, and payment plans. Our financial aid department stands ready to assist and provide guidance to students in need of financial aid. The university is also approved for Veterans Benefits.

We will continue to report meaningful measures of educational success and seek to increase the transparency of those measures, including student retention, academic progression, licensing examination performance, graduation and residency placement. Our objective is not simply to enroll students, but to enable them to progress successfully towards becoming physicians. We are fully dedicated to our student’s success and have provided them with the resources to excel academically. Students throughout the academic program are fully prepared to sit for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). UMHS is one of the only foreign medical schools that offers a two semester USMLE review program. The review includes NBME Self Assessments, a Kaplan Medical Lecture Series, full access to the UWORLD question bank and faculty facilitators and content providers.

5. Academic Rigor in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

A physician must possess knowledge, judgement and professional competence personally. Technology can support those abilities, but it cannot replace them. UMHS will maintain demanding academic and progression standards supported by externally benchmarked assessment, including appropriate use of National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examinations and USMLE-related measures. We have developed and will continue to maintain clear standards for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in medical education. Students must understand both the potential and limitations of AI, including bias, uncertainty, confidentiality and professional accountability. Assessment must continue to establish what students themselves know and can do.

6. Research Integrity and Responsible International Collaboration

As an international institution, UMHS values legitimate academic and scientific collaboration across national boundaries. Such collaboration must never compromise research integrity, academic independence, patient confidentiality, protected information or applicable legal and regulatory requirements. UMHS will maintain appropriate safeguards concerning research funding, conflicts of interest, international partnerships, sensitive information and external influence. No external organization should improperly determine research conclusions or suppress legitimate academic findings. Students are encouraged to participate in research both in the United States and St. Kitts. In the future, we hope to further expand these opportunities to Canada and the UK. Our students in many instances have the opportunity to publish their research and attend nationally recognized symposiums to present their research. All research in St. Kitts is funded by the university.

7. Service to the American Physician Workforce

Preparing physicians to serve patients is central to the UMHS mission. Our students undertake a U.S.-oriented medical curriculum, prepare for U.S. licensing examinations and complete substantial clinical education within U.S. teaching hospitals. UMHS graduates subsequently enter residency programs and contribute directly to patient care.

We will continue to strengthen that contribution by:

• Continuing to prepare graduates to rigorous academic and professional standards;
• supporting successful progression into U.S. residency training;
• maintaining strong clinical education partnerships;
• supporting students interested in specialties and communities with significant physician need;
• strengthening education in evidence-based medicine, population health, quality improvement and responsible use of healthcare resources;
• encouraging service to underserved patients and communities; and
• preparing future physicians for scientific and technological change in medicine.

Accountability

These commitments are intended to be measurable, not simply aspirational. UMHS will periodically review its performance against them and continue to improve the transparency of information available to students, prospective students and the wider public.

We believe that the quality of a medical school should ultimately be demonstrated through the quality of its teaching, the rigor of its standards, the integrity of its academic environment and the ability of its graduates to progress successfully into the medical profession.

Our commitment is straightforward: to provide rigorous medical education, to be accountable for the outcomes of that education, and to prepare physicians capable of serving patients and communities with knowledge, skill, integrity and compassion.