Ross University School of Medicine

History

The medical school was founded in 1978 as The University of Dominica School of Medicine by Robert Ross, an entrepreneur. At the time, it was housed in leased facilities at The Castaways Hotel, with an inaugural class of 11 students. In 1982, the University Of Dominica School of Medicine formally changed its name to Ross University School of Medicine at the request of the government of Dominica.

In 1985 California state medical licensing officials (the Board of Medical Quality Assurance), began investigating RUSM, along with other medical schools located in the Caribbean. The officials released a report stating that RUSM at that time had nearly no admissions standards, and that the school was in the business of providing medical degrees to "everyone that wants one." However, RUSM agreed to implement a number of changes recommended by the board and has since graduated over 11,000 practicing physicians.

In the late 1990s, RUSM expressed interest in opening a new medical school in Casper, in the US state of Wyoming, but accreditation was denied by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the organization that accredits MD-granting medical schools in the United States. Some local individuals welcomed the economic impact of a new medical school on the town, but critics questioned the quality of education at a for-profit institution. In 2003, RUSM was acquired by DeVry Education Group.

Campus

The Ross University School of Medicine pre-clinical campus is located in Portsmouth, Dominica. The campus features a medical and anatomical imaging laboratory, a simulation center, and classrooms equipped with several plasma screens and projection equipment. In May 2015, Ross officially opened a new Student Center, a 50,000 square foot facility housing a new library, student study spaces, student services departments, and other spaces. The cost of the project was estimated at $18 million. The building itself is designed to withstand category five hurricanes.

Housing

The university does not offer traditional dormitory housing options. Most students typically live in off-campus university-approved apartment buildings and complexes, selected from an internal housing database. The university also oversees a housing complex known as Ross University Housing, which features studio-style single-occupancy units.

Curriculum

The university accepts students for three different entering classes per year: September, January and May. The fall entering class is typically the largest each year.

Since September 2010, the university has followed an organ systems-based curriculum for its basic sciences. This is divided into two different tracks, known as "Accelerated Curriculum" and "Curriculum" as of May 2013. The accelerated curriculum track covers the basic sciences in 60 weeks of study (four semesters), while the Curriculum track covers the same material in 75 weeks (five semesters) with integrated study breaks. Both tracks share identical first semesters, allowing students more time to decide on the track they wish to pursue.

Clinical training

Unlike many American medical schools, Ross University does not own or affiliate with any particular primary teaching hospital. The university contracts with hospitals throughout the U.S. to accept and place students in clinical rotations. The Bakersfield Californian reported that Ross and Kern County in California agreed to a $35 million deal to enable Ross students to complete clinical rotations at Kern Medical Center. Upon completion of the curriculum, similar to that of US medical schools, students must pass the USMLE Step 2 CS and USMLE Step 2 CK, prior to graduation

Internal Medicine Foundations (IMF)

Prior to starting clerkships for the third and fourth years of the MD program, students are required to complete a six-week clinical semester known as Internal Medicine Foundations (IMF) in Miramar, Florida. Successful completion of this pre-clinical program is required prior to entry into a clerkship.

Clerkships

The university requires students to enter into "track" programs for clerkships, which would have most students complete core rotations at a single teaching hospital affiliate. The clerkship component of the program is currently composed of 48 weeks of required core rotations and 30 weeks of electives. Students have to option to enter clerkships in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom.

Academic outcomes

Like other Caribbean medical schools, the attrition rate at Ross University (20-27%) is significantly worse than most U.S. medical schools (3%). Dropout rates at Ross University are at least 500% higher than those of traditional medical schools and only 52% of students graduate from their program on time. However, according to the university's Gainful Employment data, 77% of students completed the program in four years in 2014-2015.

The university reported a first-time residency attainment rate of 88% in 2015. According to the National Resident Match Program, 595 medical students from Dominica, out of a total of 1100 students who applied for 2013, matched into their preferred residency specialty, a match rate of 55% to their first ranked specialty. However, the university, which considers all students that matched into any residency program on their first attempt, reported a match rate of 88% in 2015.

Since opening in 1978, over 11,000 students have graduated from the university and are currently practicing in all 50 states of the US, in addition to Canada and other countries, as well.

While 76% of Ross students who applied for residency in 2013 earned places, 94% of fourth-year U.S. students earned a first-year match.

Notable alumni

Michael R. Williams was named president of the University of North Texas Health Science Center in 2013. Williams earned an MD from Ross. Nicole B. Saphier is a medical correspondent for Fox News.