Why Choose Saba University School of Medicine (SUSOM)

30+ years and 3,500+ MD program graduates later, we’re proud that SUSOM has lived up to its founding vision. That is, to establish an international alternative to North American medical schools that provides expansive education and hands-on training on our Caribbean Basic Science campus, individualized support and guidance, and a pathway to rotations, residency and practice in the U.S. and Canada.

Reasons to Choose SUSOM

The SUSOM mission is to provide a diverse group of students with the opportunity to become practicing physicians. This mission is at the heart of everything we do. The curriculum, faculty, clinical program, Saba campus and school community are all aligned to help achieve this mission.

99% Three-Year Residency Placement Rate*

In order to obtain full medical licensure in North America, medical school graduates must complete postgraduate residency training. 

Our Student Support Services, including the Road to Residency Program, Residency Application Preparation and Mock Residency Admissions Interviews, are designed to help ensure that students are well-prepared to manage the residency application process confidently and effectively.

Notably, SUSOM’s students have achieved a 99% residency placement rate over the last three consecutive years. Graduates have secured positions in a wide variety of specialties, with many pursuing training in primary care specialties (internal medicine, family medicine, OB/GYN and pediatrics) and other graduates pursuing general surgery, orthopedic surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, emergency medicine, diagnostic radiology, neurology, and anesthesiology. 

This is testament to the effectiveness of our school’s comprehensive MD program, which prepares students to succeed academically and personally in medicine.

98% USMLE Step 1** & USMLE Step 2 CK*** First-Time Pass Rates

Passing the USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 CK on the first attempt is an important milestone for MD program students. Not only does it demonstrate their attainment of required medical knowledge, but residency directors consider these results when selecting students for postgraduate residency programs. 

Excitingly, SUSOM students achieved 98% USMLE Step 1 and 98% USMLE Step 2 CK first-time pass rates in 2024!

To best prepare our students for the USMLE step exams, we provide a test center that mirrors the test conditions and environment that students will experience during USMLE testing.

Dedicated faculty and a carefully designed curriculum also give our students the resources they need to succeed, including one-on-one faculty-student interactions, individualized support, and a structured clinical medicine program where students receive weekly feedback to augment their clinical knowledge and skills.

MD Program Curriculum

The SUSOM curriculum is based on six major competencies that include patient care, scientific and medical knowledge, lifelong learning, professionalism, communication and interpersonal skills, and facility within the social and community context of healthcare. These prepare students to achieve the competencies used by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for residency programs and the practice of medicine. The general structure of the SUSOM MD program curriculum parallels that of medical schools in the United States and Canada.

Basic Science

The Basic Science curriculum is systems and competency based, with both horizontal (combining different disciplines within one course) and vertical (integrating scientific foundations with clinical reasoning) integration.

The Basic Science portion of the MD program (semesters 1-5 on the island of Saba) starts with foundational material in the first two semesters and progresses into a systems-based orientation in the latter three semesters. Throughout this portion of the MD program, students develop clinical skills in parallel with the Basic Science content. The clinical skills program initially focuses on communication skills, and then develops students’ skills in obtaining a patient history and conducting a physical exam, as well as developing clinical reasoning skills to arrive at a differential diagnosis.

The combination of Basic Science knowledge and clinical skills is designed to ensure that students succeed in the Clinical Medicine portion of the program.

Clinical Medicine

The Clinical Medicine portion of the MD program begins with an 8-week Research: Literature Review and Analysis module, when students are expected to apply the knowledge and understanding from their Basic Science courses to analyze a current and complex medical care question, using evidence from relevant medical literature. Following this period, successful students move into clinical rotations.

Clinical rotations are conducted at affiliated teaching hospitals and medical centers in the U.S. (core and electives) and Canada (select electives) over 72 weeks. These sites are vetted by SUSOM and reviewed on a routine basis to ensure the quality of clinical training. 

SUSOM has carefully curated its clinical affiliates over time. The majority of core clerkships are delivered in community hospitals with a strong focus on education. Each has a residency program in the corresponding specialty, and in general is the type of residency program that accepts our students. The curriculum is designed to deliver a consistent experience, and to help ensure that all students successfully develop the competencies and skills needed to succeed in postgraduate residency training.

Learning Environment Centered on Student Success

Our students, faculty and staff are all integral parts of the SUSOM community, and together work to foster and support student success. 

The faculty represent a variety of disciplines and have extensive qualifications, including advanced degrees and doctorates. They all also have direct experience in teaching medical school students. Further, the Basic Science faculty all reside full-time on the island of Saba. This helps create an exceptionally close-knit academic community, in which students have ready access to their faculty both during office hours and in informal settings. The integrated curriculum allows students to maintain relationships with faculty who teach across the Basic Science portion of the MD program.

To help ensure that our educational offerings are accessible to a diverse student body, SUSOM has developed multiple instructional strategies and support structures:

• Lecture Capture: All lectures are recorded via Panopto and made available for asynchronous review. Playback speed controls allow students to adjust the pace to suit their individual learning needs.
• Faculty Accessibility: All faculty maintain regular daily office hours, enabling students to drop in for real-time clarification of content, discussion or academic support.
• Peer Learning through Pods: The Pod system fosters small-group, faculty-guided peer learning, allowing students to engage with material collaboratively and reinforce understanding through discussion.
• Advance Access to Materials: Students receive lecture materials in advance of classroom sessions, providing time to preview content and prepare questions, thereby enhancing engagement and retention.
• Study Skills Workshops: Upon matriculation, all students attend a series of study skills workshops facilitated by the Student Support team. These sessions aim to equip students with foundational academic strategies while also reducing stigma around help-seeking behavior – an essential element of cultivating a supportive learning environment.

Collectively, these strategies promote a culture of academic support and inclusivity, align with accreditation expectations for fostering student well-being and professional development, and enhance equitable access to medical education.

Accreditation and Recognition

Saba University School of Medicine is the only Caribbean medical school that has met the exacting standards of European accreditation. SUSOM’s MD program is accredited by the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO), which is recognized by the World Federation of Medical Education.

The United States Department of Education, via the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA), has determined that the accreditation standards used by the NVAO to accredit SUSOM’s MD program are comparable to those used by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body for medical programs in the United States and Canada.

U.S. State Approvals

SUSOM students who successfully complete the requisite licensing examinations are eligible to practice medicine in Canada, Puerto Rico and all 50 U.S. states. 

Specifically, the following bodies have approved, recognized or licensed Saba University School of Medicine:

Study on the Island of Saba

The Basic Science portion of the SUSOM MD program is conducted on the island of Saba, which is located in the central Caribbean, 28 miles south of St. Maarten. Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the island features a land area of five square miles and has a total population of approximately 2,000 residents. Tourists frequently visit Saba for its world-renowned diving, tropical rainforest and relaxing environment. 

Our medical students benefit greatly from the peace, safety and serenity of their island home over five semesters. Many find it to be the perfect location for focused medical studies, with few distractions or interruptions. The opportunity to enjoy unique Caribbean opportunities to relax and have some fun outside of your study time, such as snorkeling and tropical hiking, is also a memorable benefit of this Caribbean medical school experience.

In terms of traveling to the island, there are daily, direct flights to St. Maarten from the United States and Europe, and multiple flights a day from St. Maarten to Saba. It can also be reached from St. Maarten via a 90-minute ferry ride.

U.S. and Canadian Financial Aid

Saba University School of Medicine is one of the select international medical schools approved to participate in U.S. Federal Student Aid programs. Eligible MD program students from the United States can apply for federal student loans. Canadian students in the MD program are eligible for government loans via relevant provincial aid programs (excluding ON, BC and NL).

Tuition, Admissions and Next Steps

Tuition

Along with the availability of government financial aid for MD program participants from the U.S. and Canada, SUSOM is proud to provide our expansive medical education at accessible costs. The world needs more doctors, and our tuition and administrative fee rates make medical school a possibility for people around the world!

Admissions Requirements

Explore our admissions process and prerequisite courses, and start your journey to medical school success. Importantly, we operate a rolling admissions process, with start dates in January, May and September. Aspiring medical students are free to apply at any time throughout the year.

Next Steps

If you would like more information, please be sure to contact our helpful admissions team – they are always happy to chat and answer any questions you may have.

Or get started today by learning how to apply; importantly you can submit an application via our portal or by sharing a verified copy of your common app (AMCAS, AACOMAS, TMDSAS or OMSAS):

Alumni Testimonials

Frequently Asked Questions

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*99% 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.

**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 in calendar year 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.

***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.