Florida International University- AUA Collaboration
American University of Antigua College of Medicine (AUA) offers two programs conducted in collaboration with its one-of-a-kind collaboration with Florida International University (FIU):
- Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program, in collaboration with FIU
- Global Health Track, in collaboration with FIU
Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program
Participating AUA students complete all core clinical rotations, without interruptions, at clinical sites affiliated with FIU. This is an excellent and unique opportunity for qualified AUA students to augment their academic and clinical experience in an US medical school environment. In addition to core rotations, AUA students have the opportunity to attend elective rotations at FIU, which may include medical research projects.
Students are able to:
- Participate in rotations with, and be assessed by, FIU-affiliated medical faculty dedicated to teaching the Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program
- Access FIU academic and recreational facilities
- Be exposed to top national and international faculty and guest speakers
Students who complete the Graduate Core Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program and all other components of AUA’s curriculum will receive a Doctor of Medicine degree from AUA, a FIU Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program transcript, and a FIU Certificate of Completion.
Global Health Track
Global Health has been defined by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health as “the area of study, research and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide.” Global Health addresses the health of populations in a global context and transcends the political boundaries of nations focusing on social determinants of health, healthcare disparities including infectious and non-communicable disease issues, human rights as well as economic development, and policy and system issues.
The Global Health Track is a comprehensive longitudinal track in global health, four academic years in length, that is integrated into AUA’s curriculum. The Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program at FIU hospital affiliates is an integral component of the Global Health Track during Clinical Sciences.
The purpose of the Global Health Track is to support and guide students in developing expertise in global health issues with the goal of career involvement involving patient care, service, policy making, research and education.
The longitudinal Global Health Track is structured around the following themes:
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Global Health Themes
- Governance (health systems, economics, ethics, )
- Burden of disease (child health, women’s health, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, )
- Physical, mental, and social wellbeing
- Technology
- Security (environment, complex humanitarian emergencies, intelligence, )
- Climate change
- Medical Spanish
- American Heart Association BLS & ACLS instructor training
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Preclinical Sciences Component
The 2-year Preclinical Sciences Component is conducted on the campus of AUA in Antigua. It consists of four 2-week blocks before periods one, two, three and four, a 1-week block before the Basic Clinical Science Integration course and longitudinal coursework during periods one through four.
The lectures are conducted by international faculty (FIU, University of the West Indies, State University of New York, Cornell University, New York University, University of Illinois, University of Nevada, United Nations, Doctors Without Borders among others) and AUA faculty.
In addition, students conduct field trips and exercises and are introduced to research methodology. Students receive American Heart Association instructor training in Basic Cardiac Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support.
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Clinical Sciences Component
The Clinical Sciences component is conducted at FIU-affiliated clinical sites in Florida and AUA-affiliated clinical sites within the US and abroad. Students will participate in the Advanced Introduction to Clinical Medicine (FM1/IM1) rotation at FIU and the AUA-FIU Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program (upon successful completion of requirements and acceptance by the graduate certificate program admission committee).
After completion of the Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program, students have the opportunity to attend elective rotations through FIU and AUA in the US and internationally. Students also have the opportunity to join AUA faculty initiated international relief projects and to deepen their expertise in global health research. The clinical component is supplemented by medical Spanish exposure.
Students who complete the Global Health Track have historically been viewed as attractive candidates to residency directors at United States hospitals.
At the completion of the program, a student should be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of social determinants of health, health equity, social justice, and governmental policy in terms of their impact on the distribution of health services in low-resource settings within the United States and internationally
- Demonstrate understanding of health and human rights issues and determinants of health specific to immigrant, migrant, displaced, and refugee populations
- Understand specific needs of the medically underserved and uninsured
- Demonstrate knowledge of effective advocacy strategies for health systems improvement within the global context
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with the patient, family, and caregivers with sensitivity to sociocultural and health literacy issues so that the diagnosis and plan of care are clearly understood and pertinent to their specific situation
- Understand the epidemiology of global communicable and non-communicable diseases
- Identify and adapt evidence-based resources and tools for use in limited-resource healthcare settings
- Interact in a cross-cultural manner sufficient to deliver basic medical care, including working with translators
- Perform an efficient comprehensive physical examination when practicing supervised in an internationally located office, hospital, or skilled nursing setting, being mindful of cultural factors, including gender, modesty, and religious practices
- Use clinical skills to appropriately diagnose and treat patients under supervision in the context of local resource availability
- Select, perform, and interpret under supervision diagnostic procedures within the context of limited resource healthcare settings
- Formulate a plan of care that is relevant and practical in a specific cultural setting
- Demonstrate understanding of resources and issues pertinent to travel medicine, health risk prevention, health maintenance, and variations in healthcare services that are specific to international travel
- Discuss treatment plans based on knowledge of global influences, utilizing resources that include local, state, federal, and international agencies, as applicable
- Recognize his or her own practice limitations and seek consultation with other healthcare professionals and systems resources to provide optimal care within a global context
- Understand the organization, financing, and systems health indicators of international healthcare
The student should develop attitudes that encompass:
- Commitment to lifelong learning and contribution to the body of knowledge about global health
- Recognition of his or her own biases and stereotypes related to healthcare delivery in international settings
- The need to balance compassion, humanism, realism, and practicality in the consideration of heath care delivered in specific global settings
- Respect for dignity and autonomy through self-care and self-determination within a cultural and global context
- A desire to advocate for systems change to improve the health of the community in which he or she
Upon completion of the Global Health Track, completion of requirements of the Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program and all requirements for graduation from AUA (including but not limited to passing all in-house and external exams and passing all required courses and clerkships) the student will receive the MD degree and the Global Health Certificate from AUA as well as the Certificate of Completion of the Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program from FIU*. The Global Health Track is open to all eligible entering medical students at AUA.
*Students who complete the FlU Graduate Core Clinical Clerkship Certificate Program are not graduating from an LCME accredited medical education.
