International University Of The Health Sciences

Mission

IUHS uses an innovative, low-cost solution to transform the learning experience and underlying economics of medical education, with the goal of addressing the global shortage, inequitable distribution, and demographic representation of healthcare professionals, especially in primary care. The mission includes redefining medical education so it is relevant to the needs of society today and in the future. Indeed, we continually ask, “How can we better educate and nurture a new generation of physicians and prepare them to deliver 21st health care in a rapidly changing world?” The University is a driver of social transformation by broadening the pool of future doctors and nurses beyond the narrow demographics of traditional medical schools. Our motto – “in servitium communitatis mundi” means “in service to the global community”. We strive to effect innovation and change in medical education on a global basis.

Governance

The Board of Directors promotes the sound development of The International University of the Health Sciences within the functions prescribed for it, helping it transform the global medical education industry and aiding it in performing at a high level of excellence in every endeavor. The Board of Directors provides oversight and top level guidance to IUHS. In the exercise of its authority and responsibilities, the Board of Directors provides strategic oversight to provide coordination, focus, advocacy, stewardship and leadership for the diverse IUHS learning community.

Licensure

Founded in 1997, and with alumni practicing in 22 states, The International University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine is accredited by the Government of the Federation of St. Christopher & Nevis (St. Kitts), and is listed in the World Health Organization’s World Directory of Medical Schools, 7th Edition. The WHO listings are now maintained online by the University of Copenhagen in the Avicenna Directories. Consequently, in the United States, the Educational Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) will permit IUHS graduates to sit for licensing examinations (USMLE Steps 1 & 2); and the same applies in respect to the licensing process for most other countries (i.e. LMCC exams for Canada, PLAB exam for the United Kingdom (subject to residency requirements), AMC exams for Australia, etc.). Upon completion of the registration process and necessary exams, ECFMG and its international division ECFMG/EICS will both credential IUHS graduates. All the relevant documents and links are fully presented in the virtual library of the IUHS website. Medical graduates seeking licensure in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada or elsewhere must contact the appropriate individual national/state Board of Medical Education and Licensure for information relating to licensure requirements within that jurisdiction. Students wishing licensure in a country other than the United States must contact that country’s medical regulatory body for information relating to its regulations for licensure. Each individual state and country regulates the license to practice medicine in that state or country. While IUHS will endeavor with best efforts to assist our students and graduates, it is ultimately the students’ and graduates’ responsibility to determine and satisfy the licensing requirements.

The IUHS Difference

A New Model of Medical Education for the 21st Century Understanding that innovation creates sustainable change, IUHS is not a traditional brick and mortar school. The University invests in its students not in large capital-intensive infrastructure. Think of it as medical school 3.0.

Active Learning

IUHS uses technological innovation and is on the forefront of the new knowledge about how people learn. The University uses “Active Learning” and problem based cases to contextualize medical science learning in clinical settings and increase comprehension and retention. Active Learning puts students and their learning needs at the center of the experience; it stands in contrast to “standard” modes of instruction in which teachers do most of the talking and students are passive. A growing body of research has made it clear that the overall quality of teaching and learning is improved when students have ample opportunities to clarify, question, apply, and consolidate new knowledge. As a result, the role of the lecture has dramatically changed. At IUHS the lecture is not abandoned but instructors create opportunities for students to engage new material, serving as guides to help them understand and apply information.
<br\> Benefits to Active Learning:

• Improved critical thinking skills
• Increased retention and transfer of new information
• Increased motivation
• Improved interpersonal skills

Use of Technology

IUHS believes that multiple modalities are needed for Active Learning: the interaction between professor and students and amongst students should be much more fluid and effective than a traditional fixed-seat amphitheater lecture. At IUHS, the pre-clinical medical science program is delivered using a unique integrated approach that combines core organ-based, pre-clinical basic sciences delivered online with interaction with local associate clinical faculty who provide essential hands on training, and one-to-one interaction with the academic enhancement team. As a result, IUHS students can live and learn in the environment in which they will practice and gain access to the finest faculty throughout the globe. In addition, the University uses a number of technologies throughout its programs to actively engage students in ways that are very different from the all-too-typical lecture class where the lecturer wraps everything up and students scamper off to the next class. The University deploys Blackboard Collaborate as its academic delivery platform to facilitate interactive instruction and group study. The core pre-clinical lectures feature two-way audio, multi-point user video, interactive whiteboard, application and desktop sharing, rich media, breakout rooms, and session recordings (accessed as through Virtual Library on the IUHS student portal). In addition, the University uses DxR Clinician, the leading problem based virtual patient simulator education system as an integrated component of the program. DxR is a web-based, fully interactive patient simulation software that tests and integrates all elements of the patient encounter. This tool enables IUHS to assess each student’s performance with a standardized virtual patient. Lastly, the Virtual Library is a password protected central academic resource for students as well as a platform for study group activity.

Low Tuition Fees

IUHS tuition fees are approximately $80,000 total for 4 years of medical school . If you plan on going into Family Medicine or any other practice that is not a sub-specialty, the University’s low tuition fees mean that you will not be burdened with large loans after graduation.

Diverse Student Body

One of the hallmarks of IUHS is its student diversity. The United States is a diverse and multi-cultural society with varied beliefs and customs. IUHS students benefit from an academic environment that is as diverse as the communities in which they will practice. Also, the majority of US medical schools have unofficial age barriers making it difficult, if not impossible, for a ‘mature’ student to gain acceptance. IUHS looks at the overall student in evaluating his or her capacity to be successful in medical school. IUHS encourages students to apply from all disciplines. Applicants who hold degrees such as Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Podiatric Medicine and Doctor of Chiropractic make up a significant percentage of our current student body and they excel in their MD studies at IUHS. Quality of Academic Faculty Because the school is not constrained by physical location, it has the best U.S. professors and international associate faculty who enjoy being part of a global innovative community. IUHS faculty have a worldwide audience of the next generation of medical doctors, establish links and networks with forward-thinking medical professionals, enjoy flexibility to give lectures from virtually anywhere, and are able to conduct research or author and edit other projects.

Entrance Requirements

IUHS is a global medical school that appreciates the diversity that exists in the backgrounds of our worldwide student body. Applicants following a North American undergraduate education path must have a minimum of 90 credits towards a degree that includes the listed pre-requisites. Applicants from other jurisdictions should have an education profile in keeping with their local entry requirements to medical school. Completed undergraduate degrees are preferable. The IUHS medical degree is awarded as either an MD or MBBS at the choice of the graduate. The University has found that previous medical coursework and clinical experience makes students especially well qualified to pursue their MD degrees. Furthermore IUHS believes students who hold non-science degrees in areas such as liberal arts, engineering and law bring a great value to the medical profession and we welcome these applicants. IUHS offers premedical studies through which students can complete their entrance requirements.