Why St. Matthew’s University

Highly Credentialed and Well-Established

At St. Matthew's University School of Medicine (SMUSOM), we are as committed to your dreams as you are. Throughout your ten semesters with us, we will do everything we can to ensure your success by supporting all aspects of your education and life.

Since 1997, more than two thousand students have obtained their MD degrees from SMUSOM. Our graduates have earned residencies and/or permanent licensure in nearly every state in the U.S., Canada, and numerous other countries. Our students achieve exceptional scholastic success, with U.S. licensing examination pass rates comparable to U.S. schools and well above the average of other non-U.S. schools.

Why St. Matthew’s University?

Quality education

St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine (SMUSOM) has attained an unprecedented 100% Three-Year Residency Placement Rate¹ for their MD program graduates.

An expert faculty with small class sizes and a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio greatly contributes to the achievement. This focused attention has led to consistently strong USMLE Step I pass rates by SMUSOM students.

SMUSOM has achieved 90% USMLE Step 1 first-time pass rate² over three years (2022-2024) and 97% USMLE Step 2 CK first-time pass rate³ in 2024.

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Amazing campus and location

The Cayman Islands’ remarkable success as a financial center and tourist destination has transformed the nation into a dynamic society that has every modern convenience but still retains the charm and vibrancy of the Caribbean. People from more than 100 countries live and work in this British Overseas Territory, creating a lively and unique blend of cultures.

An outstanding pre-clinical curriculum and the clinical shadowing programs at Cayman hospitals and clinics help our students understand the powerful link between Basic Sciences and clinical practice. This is a great way to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of medicine. The state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and learning platforms at St. Matthew’s University are among the most advanced in medical education today.

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Qualified Faculty

Highly credentialed, experienced faculty, with each holding an MD and/or PhD

Highly experienced faculty travel from all over the globe to deliver a curriculum that they are passionate and proud of. They are dedicated to ensuring that students gain high pass rates and progress into their clinical studies and transition to fulfilling and successful careers in their specialist fields.

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Clinical Rotations

Successful MD program participants experience five semesters of classroom and lab-based learning on our Grand Cayman campus (Basic Science), followed by five semesters of clinical rotations at affiliated teaching hospitals, clinics and medical centers in the U.S., and select elective rotation sites in Canada (Clinical Medicine). The Clinical Medicine period includes 72 weeks of core (40) and elective (32) rotations.

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U.S. Federal Loans

SMUSOM is one of the select international medical schools approved to participate in U.S. Federal Student Aid programs. MD program participants from the U.S. are eligible to apply for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Additional information at www.studentaid.gov.

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Canadian Financial Aid

Canadian students in the SMUSOM MD program are eligible for government loans from their home provinces (excluding ON, BC and NL). Students may apply for up to 52 weeks of financial assistance annually. Canadian students should contact their individual province directly for information regarding additional requirements.

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Accreditation

St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine’s M.D. program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM), the accrediting body for the Cayman Islands.

The United States Department of Education, via the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA), reviews the standards that countries use to accredit medical schools. The NCFMEA has determined that the accreditation standards used by the ACCM to accredit St. Matthew’s University medical program are comparable to those used by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body that accredits M.D.- granting medical programs in the United States.

Mission

To provide students from diverse backgrounds with the opportunity to acquire the medical and clinical expertise needed for a successful career as a practicing clinician, along with the skills and confidence needed to critically evaluate and apply new information.

Our competencies which stem from our mission:

Patient Care: Students must be able to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of illness and the promotion of health.
Scientific & Medical Knowledge: Students must demonstrate knowledge about established and evolving biomedical, clinical, and associated sciences and ability to apply this knowledge to the practice of medicine throughout the life cycle.
Lifelong Learning, Scholarship & Collaboration: Students must be able to examine and evaluate their patient care practices, appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and use this information to improve their abilities.
Professionalism: Students must demonstrate a commitment to the highest standards of professional responsibility, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity in all interactions with patients, families, colleagues, and others with whom physicians must interact in their professional lives.
Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Students must display interpersonal and communication skills that foster effective information exchange and build rapport with patients, their families, and professional associates.
Social & Community Context of Healthcare: Students must demonstrate knowledge of and responsiveness to the larger context of health care and the ability to effectively call on system resources to provide care that is of optimal value to the health of the individual and of the community.

MD curriculum, built for success

During the first two years, students partake in a series of clinical medicine courses that focus on the art of patient care along with preventive medicine. The unique thing about St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine program is that these courses are integrated with the Cayman Island’s world-class healthcare system.

We have a focus on teaching where dedicated, talented faculty whose time commitments are focused on teaching and mentoring.

1. 100% Three-Year Residency Placement Rate is the percentage of students attaining a residency position out of all graduates or expected graduates in 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 who were active applicants in the NRMP match or attained a residency outside the NRMP match.

2. First-time pass rate defined as total number of students passing the USMLE Step 1 on their first attempt divided by the total number of students taking USMLE Step 1 for the first time during the calendar years 2022-2024. In order to sit for the USMLE Step 1 exam, the student must successfully complete the Basic Science curriculum and such other prerequisites as the school may establish at its discretion.

3. First-time pass rate defined as total number of students passing the USMLE Step 2 CK on their first attempt divided by the total number of students taking USMLE Step 2 CK for the first time in calendar year 2024. In order to sit for the USMLE Step 2 CK exam, the student must successfully complete the Clinical Medicine curriculum and such other prerequisites as the school may establish at its discretion.