Frequently Asked Questions

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• Absolutely! Trinity School of Medicine is entirely focused on preparing students to practice medicine in the United States. Our curriculum is based on the United States Medical School model.
• The top US Medical Schools introduce clinical training into the basic sciences curriculum. To effectively administer a program of this caliber, a tightly integrated hospital relationship is a requirement. At Trinity School of Medicine, we are tightly integrated with Milton/Cato Hospital in Kingstown, St. Vincent. This 220 bed hospital and its staff have had over 30 years of experience working with and training medical students in clinical medicine. We introduce clinical medicine in the first semester curriculum and carry the training through the entire basic sciences course study.
• We work diligently with students to prepare for the United States standardized examinations required of all medical students (USMLE Step 1, Step 2 (CS) and (CK) and USMLE Step 3, by providing the proper curriculum, smaller classes and a higher teacher/student ratio and the incorporation of a formal Step 1 test preparation program within the 15 week AICM offered in St. Vincent given by a professional team of educators.

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• There are 10 semesters of approximately 15 weeks each. The first 4 semesters (basic sciences) and the 5th semester (introduction to clinical medicine), are taught at Trinity School of Medicine’s campus in St. Vincent and at Milton/Cato Hospital in close proximity to our St. Vincent campus, which is a total of approximately twenty (20) months. The clinical rotations (5 semesters) are taught within the United States at one of our affiliated teaching hospitals. Our medical degree program is 40 months in total.
• It is important to note that our 5th semester (introduction to clinical medicine) is taught in St. Vincent. This means you will not have to move to another location and learn another hospital system all over again as with many of the other Caribbean Schools. Many other Caribbean schools do not have teaching hospitals and the required integration and must rely on extended relationships that aren’t fully integrated throughout their course of study of the first 5 semesters. This requires the student to move twice in a four month time period, once to the teaching hospital for the 5th semester, and again for clinical rotations as they are rarely at the same Hospital.

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• Yes. Trinity offers ACGME core rotations of internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics/gynecology and psychiatry in addition to the elective clerkships. Ten hospitals and medical facilities in the Atlanta, Georgia area will be host to Trinity’s clinical clerkships in 2010. Additional locations are planned for 2011.

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• Graduates are eligible for the NRMP Residency Placement Match program. Once students have successfully completed Step I and Step II of the USMLE and Clinical Skills Assessment Test and have received their ECFMG certification, they are eligible for residency training in the United States.

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• • Our first distinguishing characteristic is the fact that we are a medical school – small in size and in number of students but with a richly experienced faculty and staff with a sophisticated and timely curriculum that will best prepare our students for success on the standardized examinations required of all medical students (USMLE Step 1, Step 2 (CS) and (CK) and USMLE Step 3. Due to our low teacher/student ratio we offer Supplemental Instruction to students as needed, individual tutors, and learning resources to ensure that students completing the Foundation of Medicine program and the Advanced Introduction to Clinical Medicine – are fully prepared to take their place along sides students from US medical schools who are embarking upon the clinical years of their training.
• • Second, Trinity has adopted curricular changes that are consistent with those offered by the best medical schools in the United States. Our focus is on teaching and learning processes as we attract and select a qualified group of candidates who will benefit from a curriculum that is based upon the best of adult learning theory and practice. What does this mean? It means that we will be incorporating the latest in technology, problem based learning, and, most importantly, the integration of the foundations of medicine (basic sciences) with clinical disciplines and applications. From the very first day of class and throughout the 5 semesters in St. Vincent – students will be exposed to the clinical relevance of basic sciences content and, through a clinical applications module that follows, several complex case studies as they develop. Subsequently, case studies will be integrated into courses throughout the 2nd year and in a capstone course that serves as the Advanced Introduction to Clinical Medicine (semester 5).
• • Our third distinguishing characteristic has to do with our location on the beautiful island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. What makes the locations so special? Beyond the fact that St. Vincent is one of the most beautiful islands of the Caribbean and that locals provide a warm and friendly environment and are proud to be in partnership with the medical school, St Vincent is home to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital – and that is arguably the most important distinction of Trinity. Milton Cato Memorial Hospital is a bona fide teaching hospital and has served in this capacity for more than 30 years and will serve as the affiliated teaching hospital for the Trinity students in St. Vincent. The presence of the teaching hospital on St. Vincent provides a formal and structured setting for the clinical training that will be incorporated in the curriculum from semesters I through V.
• • Our final distinguishing characteristic is the incorporation of a formal Step 1 test preparation program within the 15 week AICM offered in St. Vincent. The best among the master teachers throughout the United States who specialize in preparing students for the USMLE Step 1 will be brought to St. Vincent to offer their particular areas of content – covering all the basic sciences and the integration of the basic sciences into clinical situations and scenarios. As a Trinity student you will leave St. Vincent with confidence and assurance that you have received the best possible preparation to enter the next phase of your medical training, the required and elective clinical clerkships – leading to the award of the MD degree and acceptance into a competitive residency program of your choosing.