Inspira Advantage, a medical school consulting company, interviewed Dr. Manuel Flores, the Provost and Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs at the University of Health Sciences Antigua for an exclusive look at what sets their medical school apart.
What makes the University of Health Sciences Antigua stand out from the competition?
In 1982, Dr. Yele Akande, our esteemed founder, embarked on an ambitious mission upon his arrival in Antigua & Barbuda. He envisioned establishing a medical school at the former NASA Apollo Tracking Station in Dow’s Hill, Piccadilly. Driven by his passion, he left an indelible mark on the world and coined the inspiring motto, “Medical School to the World.” This motto encapsulated the University of Health Sciences Antigua (UHSA), which swiftly embraced technology, emerging as one of the pioneering institutions harnessing its full potential. UHSA played a pivotal role in bringing the “.AG” domain name to the island, a responsibility it continues to manage. As one of the few Caribbean medical schools that are family- and privately-owned, UHSA continues its steady expansion, forging international partnerships and attracting students from around the globe. Guided by a leadership team deeply committed to growth and adherence to accreditation standards, this family-operated university carries forward its legacy of producing exceptional physicians. Over four decades, UHSA has proudly graduated students from more than 21 countries. These accomplished graduates have pursued diverse medical specialties, including surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, and pediatrics. Many esteemed UHSA alums have attained prestigious positions as Heads of Hospitals, Department Heads, Faculty, Chief Residents, and Popular Lecturers at renowned institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Yale, and Oxford University. Their success stands as a testament to the excellence fostered at UHSA.
Which qualities can students build during their time at the University of Health Sciences Antigua?
UHSA’s Faculty has adopted certain competencies that should be met by every student. Student evaluation and feedback will be given in each of these domains of competence throughout the student’s education. Failure in any single domain is sufficient to result in academic probation or dismissal.
As a measure of their competence, every graduate will be proficient in the following areas:
The Science and Practice of Medicine:
- Apply scientific principles and a multidisciplinary body of scientific knowledge to the diagnosis, management, and prevention of clinical problems.
- Identify the variation in the expression of health and disease through critical evaluation.
Clinical Competence:
- Obtain a sufficient level of medical knowledge to understand the basic facts, concepts, and principles essential to competent medical practice.
- Exhibit the highest level of effective and efficient performance in data gathering, organization, interpretation, and clinical decision-making in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of disease.
The Social Context of Medicine:
- Identify and respond to factors that influence the social, behavioral, and economic factors in health, disease, and medical care.
- Recognize features that can lead to improved health and health behaviors among our neighboring populations and design and implement proper models of intervention through effective community consultation and participation.
- Display the attributes of a leader in the health professions, including participative leadership, vision, integrity, empathy, and optimism.
Communication:
- Demonstrate effective and compassionate interpersonal communication skills toward patients and families necessary to form and sustain effective medical care.
- Present information and ideas in an organized and clear manner to educate or inform patients, families, colleagues, and the community.
Professionalism:
- Display the personal attributes of compassion, honesty, and integrity in relationships with patients, families, and the medical community.
- Adhere to the highest ethical standards of judgment and conduct as they apply to the health care milieu.
- Demonstrate a critical self-appraisal of his/her knowledge and practice of medicine, as well as receive and give constructive appraisal to/from patients, families, colleagues, and other healthcare professionals.
- Demonstrate Lifelong Learning capabilities, including the use of information literacy and evidence-based medicine for clinical decisions.
- Identify the limits of personal knowledge and experience and demonstrate intellectual curiosity to actively pursue the acquisition of new knowledge and skills necessary to refine and improve his/her medical practice or to contribute to the scientific body of medical knowledge
Inspira Advantage is proud to interview experts at the nation's most renowned med schools for insights on what makes their programs unique and how they shape career-ready med students.
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