Vanuatu College of Medicine (VCM) is pleased to announce that it is now accepting
applications from international students.
An introduction and summary is available, with links to other
relevant documentation about the College, including the Student Handbook.
Authority: VCM operates under a charter executed by the Prime Minister of
the Republic of Vanuatu.
The Medical Board of Vanuatu recognizes the medical degree from VCM. Its graduates are eligible
to practice within the country of Vanuatu, subject to any local laws relating to immigration,
work permits, and admission to practice.
International students will need to apply for registration as an overseas-trained doctor in their own country and sit the appropriate local exams.
VCM Approach to Learning: VCM has both licensed and internally-developed
software programs and content (cases, exhibits, assessments) developed and used by medical
schools in Australia and the USA for digital, including online, learning
VCM students have access to highly qualified clinical tutors both on campus and online.
These clinical tutors work with small groups of students in regular tutorial sessions that
focus upon intensive "Guided Discovery Learning" (a variant of problem-based
learning), combined with self-instruction and self-assessment.
Using the VCM approach students will be able to study either in Vanuatu or for some parts of
the course via distance learning mode from their own country.
Advantages to This Approach: Offers flexibility in terms of pace of instruction and location of instruction; provides instruction in an internationally accepted method of medical education: problem based/guided discovery learning; encourages students to have patient contact and clinical experiences from the beginning of the degree program; minimizes disruption to personal and working life while studying; increases access to the study of medicine; allows for progressive payment of fees as and when the student can afford to study.
Course Structure: The academic year comprises 6 blocks of 8 weeks each. There is only one four-week break at Christmas. The course consists of 18 blocks of study. There is a rolling admission allowing students to enter every 8 weeks.
Four-step Program of Study and Qualifications: VCM currently offers:
- Step 1: Foundation Course in Health Professions Education
- Step 2: Initial Medical Degree BSc (PCP) Bachelor of Science as a Primary Care Practitioner
- Step 3: Final Medical Degree. MBBS Bachelor of Medicine/Surgery OR MD Doctor of Medicine:
- Step 4: Postgraduate Degrees. MMed Master of Medicine.
Admission Requirements and Student Selection All candidates will be required to undertake a basic selection test within the last two year
period. These include the Graduate Record Examinations GRE - General Test (preferred); the Graduate
Australian Medical Schools Admissions Test (GAMSAT); the Australian Undergraduate Medical Admissions Test (UMAT);
or the North American Medical Colleges Admissions Test (MCAT).
On the basis of the admissions tests candidates will be ranked, and the final selection tool
will be a standardized semi-structured interview, focusing on the personal
qualities important for the pursuit of a career in medicine.
Tuition Fees: The total cost for the degree is AU$120,000. This compares favourably to competing private institutions. Discounts are available for early payment, and a "pioneers" discount is available for the first cohort of students. The tuition fees are AU$750 per week. Each week includes one problem for the first 80 weeks.
Studying In Vanuatu: VCM is physically located in the Port Vila area, the capital of the country. The Republic of Vanuatu is an archipelago of 70 islands, with the capital on the island of Efate. Because of the intensive course work and to aid rapid acclimatization to Vanuatu and integration into VCM, the first block is required to be spent in Vanuatu.
Summary: The VCM Value Proposition. VCM provides:
- A unique proprietary online curriculum that uses "guided discovery" learning as its model, with case scenarios and thousands of "learning objects" to support the learning process, including learning guides. Guided discovery learning is our variant of problem-based learning (PBL), the model adopted by most new medical schools in Australia and the UK
- A powerful digital Learning Management System (LMS) that can link teachers, learners, and the curriculum "uncoupled in time and space"
- An experienced team of management and faculty that has significant local involvement
- A Charter to operate a university in a sovereign country and award degrees that are internationally recognized (in the near future)
- A telecommunications license to create a "virtual private network" for health and education in the country using a new satellite service for Asia and the Pacific (application pending)
- Access to local and foreign students who will enrol in the courses or have already done so. Thirty two local students were enrolled in the first Foundation Block, and a further 20 will commence for the next block