Each year, hundreds of medical students from the United States and beyond come to Sint Maarten to experience island life while studying to become physicians. American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, from its technologically advanced campus in Cupecoy, carries out a powerful education mission while also helping to improve the health and well-being of the people of Sint Maarten.
Like the island where it has its home, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) prides itself on diversity, opportunity, and leaving a lasting impression on those who come in contact with it. In the year 2017 the medical school celebrated its fortieth anniversary, a milestone reached after enduring a volcanic eruption in its original home and the devastation wrought by Hurricane Irma.
AUC’s campus, built in 1998, looks out onto Mullet Bay, but the 700-plus students tend to have their eyes on their studies. AUC offers a four-year medical degree program modeled after US medical schools. Students spend about two years in Sint Maarten mastering the basic medical sciences before leaving the island for hospital-based training in the United States and the UK.
The university, which started in 1978, was originally located in Montserrat, but a volcanic eruption in 1995 forced a move to Sint Maarten, where AUC has been a valued citizen institution ever since. Medical students, faculty, and staff members provide community service programs all over the island, including everything from health screenings for diabetes to beautification projects to youth programs with local orphanages and schools.
Although about 90 percent of its students are from the US, the AUC campus has an international character. The faculty are recognized education experts from across the globe, many attracted to Sint Maarten by the island’s vibrant culture, lifestyle, and sunny skies. The university employs over 100 Sint Maarten nationals, who take pride in contributing to an institution whose impact is felt far beyond the island shores.
That impact means doctors: more well-trained physicians to care for patients, especially in under-served areas of the US where good doctors are badly needed. In 2018, nearly 300 new AUC-graduates completed medical school and started medical residency positions in the US, and the school has more than 6,500 graduates. Visitors exploring the island of Sint Maarten just might run into one: they may practice medicine far away, but AUC’s alumni never forget Sint Maarten, and return again and again.
