The University of Medical Sciences is a private medical school in San José, Costa Rica. It is the largest and oldest private medical school in Costa Rica and one of the most prestigious in Latin America. Currently the main campus is located in the country's capital with the latest technology in medical education and one of the best simulated hospitals in the region. The university offers a great variety of degrees such as Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Microbiology and Clinical Chemistry, Licentiate of Physiotherapy, Licentiate of Nutrition and Doctor of Pharmacy. UCIMED also offers master's degrees and medical specialties such as a Master's Degree in Health Management and Specialty in Gynecology and Obstetrics.
History
UCIMED was founded in 1976 by surgeon and researcher Dr. Andrés Vesalio Guzmán Calleja, who was one of the original founders of the national medical school of Costa Rica. It was originally named Escuela Autónoma de Ciencias Médicas. It started as an initiative that was championed by Dr. Guzmán and collaborators as a response to ideological differences between the authorities of the national university of Costa Rica known as the University of Costa Rica, which was the only university who offered a medical degree. The conflict originated in part because in this particular time access to learn medicine was reserved to individuals with a specific ideological trend. Initially the campus was based in the San Juan de Dios Hospital, using the infrastructure of the hospital's psychiatric wing. The emblem of the institution bears the dome of its first grounds at the hospital. At the beginning it served as the medical school of an established university known as UACA. However, in 1999 the medical school separated from its partnership with UACA and changed its name to UCIMED establishing itself as an independent institution. Three years later in March 2003, the National System of Accreditation in Higher Education, which monitors and verifies that higher education excelence standards are met nationally, granted UCIMED its accreditation in Medicine. UCIMED and UCR school of medicine were the only two institutions at the time to meet this standards. In 1998 UCIMED introduced pharmacology as a major which now currently meets SINAES standards of quality. Later on, the programs of Microbiology, Physiotherapy and Nutrition were also included as part of the degrees offered. Currently, all of the degrees offered are accredited by SINAES, being one of the few universities in Costa Rica that achieves this. Moreover, in 2019 the university's medical school achieved an international accreditation by the Consejo Mexicano para la Acreditación de la Educación Médica, which guarantees the excellence of the academic education. At that time, UCIMED was the only Medical School in Latin America and the Caribbean to achieve this recognition.
Academics and accreditation
All of the programs at UCIMED are semester-based and classes are taught in Spanish. Regarding the M.D. program, students who finish the first five semesters get a bachelor's degree in health sciences. At the fifth semester students start their clinical clerkships at hospitals from the Caja Costarricense de Seguridad Social such as the Hospital San Juan de Dios, Hospital México, Hospital Calderón Guardia, Hospital de Alajuela, Hospital de Heredia and Hospital Max Peralta de Cartago which are the main hospitals in Costa Rica; nevertheless, the university also has a wide network of access into secondary and tertiary care health infrastructure. Students rotate in various courses during their degree, such as semiology, internal medicine, surgery, psychiatry, pediatrics, OB/GYN and community medicine. In the last year, students do an internship in the country's hospitals. After finishing the eleventh semester, students who are in medical school obtain their MD degree. It is the only medical school in Costa Rica with a fully equipped simulation hospital. Students have access to pertinent obstetrics and gynaecology, primary care, advanced care, emergency care and surgery clinical scenarios in a controlled and supervised environment. This preparation helps the students to be prepared when facing a real scenario, ensuring the patient's security and well being. Collegiated physicians can also participate in various workshops and courses offered to further medical education in the simulation hospital. The university is part of the World Directory of Medical Schools from the World Health Organization and is nationally recognized for having a key role in the preparation of health professionals in the country. In 2016 the International Foundation of Medicine Clinical Sciences exam was applied to all last-year medical students in Costa Rica before their acceptance for their internship. UCIMED was the only institution next to Universidad de Costa Rica to achieve passing scores over the international standard and had the second-best results behind UCR on national standard passing scores. In 2017 UCIMED continues to be on the top performing institutions in the IFOM exam only challenged by the UCR on best overall results. Historically, both universities are considered to be the two best institutions in medical education in Costa Rica.
Admissions
The university requires students to do an admission test to apply. The admission test will measure the student's basic knowledge in some areas such as chemistry, biology and mathematics. Following this, applicants have to present their high-school transcripts and diploma. National and international students whose grades achieve the university's standards are granted an interview with a clinical psychologist and the dean of medicine or vice dean to provide counseling and assess motivation. If accepted, results are published on the university's web page.
Agreement with Kaplan
UCIMED has signed an agreement with Kaplan, Inc. to help provide a program to prepare medical students for the USMLE and the NBME IFOM exam required for internship in the Costa Rican Healthcare System. This provides students with Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates certificate with aid from Kaplan Inc. representatives working within UCIMED grounds. Kaplan Inc. USMLE preparation programs discounted for applicants who opt in.
