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ICARUS Medical Entrance

This page is a summary of the VCM Student Handbook, which can be viewed in full as HTML, or the original can be downloaded as a (better quality) PDF document. Links to other relevant documents are included in this summary.

• The Vanuatu College of Medicine (VCM) welcomes students from all countries.
• The faculty and administration of VCM are dedicated to provide a high quality, British Commonwealth model of medical education, and a degree recognized anywhere in the world as a prerequisite for foreign medical licensure.
• VCM is located in the Republic of Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides) in the South West Pacific.

1. Authority to Operate

• VCM operates under a charter executed by the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu.
• VCM is an autonomous statutory corporation operating in partnership with the Government of Vanuatu, represented by the Prime Minister, the head of government.
• Authorisation from the Prime Minister 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.
• The Prime Minister has accredited VCM, which has been authorized to grant the degrees of Bachelor of Medical Sciences as a Primary Care Practitioner [BmedSci(PCP)]; Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)OR Doctor of Medicine (MD); and a Masters of Medical Science (MMedSci). The Vanuatu College of Medicine has applied for listing in the World Health Organization World Directory of Medical Schools and in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED).
• The sponsors of the venture prepared a submission to the Government detailing the rationale for the creation of a new medical school in Vanuatu (HTML)
  (Also downloadable as PDF)

2. Accreditation

• Accreditation of medical schools is a national responsibility. While international accreditation would be highly desirable, there is no body that has the authority to do so. Instead two organizations have created databases of schools that are accredited based on a request for listing by the Minister for Health (or sometimes the head of government).
• The two organizations that are generally recognized are:
  1. World Health Organization (WHO): Department of Health Services Delivery
     [Listing is found in the World Directory of Medical Schools (7th Ed.): Geneva: World Health Organization. 2000.
  2. Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education Research (FAIMER): is an offshoot of the Educational Council for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and publishes the International Medical Education Directory (IMED). VCM has applied for listing in the IMED database.
• There are criteria for the documentation of quality related to the accreditation process. These were developed by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). They include "must have" and "should have" criteria. VCM has set up an Academic Board to monitor these quality criteria. We are using a Total Quality Engineering approach to the process, including a software program (WebHoshin).
• The VCM quality criteria (but not the interventions) can be viewed at this link.
• Australian students may be interested in the newly released draft accreditation standards from the Australian Medical Council: Part 1 and Part 2. These are also based on the WFME standards.

3. 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.
• 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 problem based learning (PBL) combined with self-instruction and self-assessment.
• A variant of problem based learning is emphasized, as it integrates from its inception the basic sciences with clinical content, ensuring students are better equipped to be clinical decision makers upon completion of their degree.
• The variant is labeled "Guided Discovery Learning", where learning materials are provided in a highly structured curriculum, and lectures are de-emphasized
• 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.
• Students studying at a distance will be required to identify and study with a "telementor" in their location, who must be a registered medical practitioner with at least four years post-graduate experience (PGY4). Distance students would be expected to meet with their mentor at least twice weekly.
• Guided Discovery Learning: Worked Example. (HTML, for browsing)
• (PDF, for download)

Advantages to This Approach

The advantages of the VCM approach to learning are that it:

• Offers flexibility in terms of pace of instruction and location of instruction
• Provides instruction in an internationally accepted method of medical education: problem based 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.

4 Online Core Curriculum for Family Medicine (OCCFM)

VCM offers this unique online collection of problem-based cases and learning materials to students. OCCFM is thoroughly documented in a separate monograph, (contents and introducion viewable) which should be downloaded from the Web site and studied as a companion to the Handbook.

The portal (PDF) cases can be viewed with a list of body organ systems and the cases included with that system. There is a link to the case catalog in this page.

5. 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.

The course structure is as follows:

Mechanisms of disease

• Foundation course (8 weeks)
• Organ-system problem-based learning A (32 weeks)
• Organ-system problem-based learning B (40 weeks)

Clinical Rotations

• (12 weeks each, not necessarily in this order)
• Medicine (and some sub-specialties); Psychiatry and Community Medicine
• Surgery
• Pediatrics
• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Accident and Emergency Medicine (including anesthetics)

Advanced medicine/pre-internship

• (10 weeks each)
• Advanced internal medicine (with some pediatrics, specialties)
• Advanced surgery (with specialties)

All students must undertake the first block of study (8 weeks) in Vanuatu, and at least one rotation. Accelerated progression is possible in non-clinical blocks.

6. Pathways to Practice

• The school will be listed in the World Health Organization Directory of Medical Schools. Therfore, the degree will be recognized in the 50 Commonwealth countries and the EU countries.
• Graduates will be registered to practice in Vanuatu and can do so subject to immigration and other requirements. Completing a course of study at a WHO listed medical school and being registered to practice medicine are the basic requirements for applying to practice medicine in most countries.
• Students wishing to practice medicine in the USA will do so as foreign graduates requiring a state license. For most graduates this pathway will require them to sit the USMLE exams.
• Students wishing to practice in the UK, Australia or New Zealand, will also do so as foreign graduates, and will need to undertake the respective Medical Council Examinations for foreign graduates. (The New Zealand Medical Council also uses the USMLE exams for foreign graduates only.)
• It will be the student's responsibility to familiarize themselves at the outset with the specific requirements for registration in locations in which they wish to practice.
• Students will be able to complete their internship in Vanuatu if they wish.
• There is more detailed information about registration requirements for Australia, the USA, and the UK in the Appendix of the Handbook document. VCM cannot provide assurance of registration in all of the multiple jurisdictions that control this complex process, and this information is provided as a guide only.
• Note for Australian students: the Australian Medical Council has posted on its Web site a definitive statement about another similar school in the region whose students will be eligible to sit for the exam. Our group founded this school.

7. Programs of Study and Qualifications

VCM currently offers:

7.1 Step 1: Foundation Course in Health Professions Education

A diploma award for high school leavers with no post-secondary experience: This is jointly offered with Icarus College, using an extended course that is already accredited in Victoria. The extensions are built upon the US Congress Institute of Medicine report on Health Professions Education.

7.2 Step 2: Initial Medical Degree

• BSc (PCP) Bachelor of Science as a Primary Care Practitioner: For students who already have a degree from a recognized tertiary institution, or for students with a minimum of one semester of successful study at tertiary level.
• The course is of 80 weeks duration arranged in 10 blocks of eight weeks. The successful student will have a license to practice medicine in Vanuatu as a Primary Care Practitioner.
• The course uses problem-based learning cases, nursing care plans, and a clinical skills course from the University of California.

7.3 Step 3: Final Medical Degree.

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine/Surgery OR MD Doctor of Medicine: Resulting from 60 weeks of clinical rotations; two 10-week preinternship phases; and the completion of a final barrier assessment.

7.4 Step 4: Postgraduate Degrees.

MMed Master of Medicine. These are based on programs in the core clinical topics that are equivalent to current specialty training programs, but with a much greater courseware component. The first of these to be offered is a MMed (Surgery). This includes a basic and advanced course on problem solving in surgery, and also includes a RITA program (Record of In Training Assessment).

8 Admission Requirements and Student Selection

• VCM encourages students from a diverse educational background to apply. Graduates in the liberal arts, humanities, basic sciences, and allied professional backgrounds are welcomed.
• VCM's student selection procedures are based on best practice research on medical school selection worldwide. VCM will require applicants to have demonstrated successful performance at either high school or tertiary level studies. Students must have a grade point average of 5.5 or above or credit level equivalent or above to be considered.
• 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.
• Please note: The medical school does not have a traditional pre-medical undergraduate course of study.
• Prospective students may download the Admission Form (Adobe PDF), and follow the instructions in the form about returning it.

9. 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.
• A flexible arrangement for payment is available so that students can pay by the Problem Module (AU$750), by the Block (AU$6,000) or by the year (AU$36,000 for six blocks). These arrangements allow student to pay as they can afford to study.
• These fees are payable one month in advance; refunds for withdrawal are scaled; 90% refund for withdrawal before commencement of the block, 75% for withdrawal during the first week of the block, 50% for withdrawal during second week of block, and no refund after the second week.
• Withdrawal must be requested from the Registrar, and will be effective from the time of acceptance by the Registrar.

10. Studying In Vanuatu

Location

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.

Travel

Students must have a return air ticket every time they visit Vanuatu. This must be given to the university administration along with the student's passport so that the university can arrange appropriate student visas and also for security purposes.

Accommodation

There is a wide range of accommodation in Port Vila, from "backpacker" style to five-star luxury resorts of world quality. Students willing to share would be able to use serviced studio apartments for about AU$800 per month each.

Transport

There is adequate transport on the island. Cars, motorcycles, or bicycles can be rented or purchased. Numerous taxis and public buses can be hailed from almost any street, and are very cheap.

11. Recognition and Transfer of Study Achievement

• VCM assigns credit points and credits to the courses. These are used for transferability of academic accomplishment. VCM is very conscious of the problem in medical education about transferability.
• Credit points are set at 3 per subject for a one-week case and 6 for a 2-week case. This equates to 24 credit points per block and this 240 points for the Step 2 degree (BSc in Primary Care). This compares to other programs that have 3 x 13 week semesters for 39 weeks a year for 2 years for a total of 240 credit points.
• The further 80 weeks in the Step 3 program gives confers an final professional degree and is equivalent to 480 total credit points. The amount of study then is about 17 hours per credit point or 51 hours per 3-credit point week.
• VCM recognizes that the final degree differs among countries and regions. The Commonwealth countries usually award an MBBS degree. This is based on tradition and is not really consistent with a prior award of a baccalaurate degree. The North American countries (USA and Canada) award an MD degree. VCM will allow students to choose which final degree they wish for the award.

12. 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

All materials © ICARUS College, Australia, 2007