The Faculty of Medical Sciences

Welcome to the Faculty of Medical Sciences at St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago. We are situated at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex and comprise the schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and advanced nursing education.

Ours is the only Caribbean, medical school that offers the problem-based learning system. This modality of learning requires student interaction in small groups, supplemented by didactic lectures. The Faculty of Medical Sciences offers a choice of research-based, postgraduate degrees in the schools of medicine and veterinary medicine, which will allow interested graduates to pursue research work in areas of interest in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and public health.

We also offer the MD by thesis in clinical disciplines, as well as professional training in anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, radiology, psychiatry, orthopaedics, child health, internal medicine and surgery.

The Faculty of Medical Sciences is committed to the development of excellence in dental, medical and veterinary health research. While our research priorities are determined by local and regional needs, our perspective will remain international through the development of productive, research collaborations with renowned research institutions across the world. In so doing, the Faculty of Medical Sciences will bring developed, world technology to solve regional, health problems, as defined by regional governments and agencies.

Over the last two decades, the dramatic changes, which have taken place in healthcare systems, have created many new and exciting roles for healthcare providers. The Faculty is well equipped with modern teaching and research laboratories, which facilitate practical classes and on-going research programmes. Computer-assisted, learning facilities have also been established. A well-stocked Medical Sciences Library is on site with a Students’ Computer Laboratory providing access to Internet and literature search facilities. Students of the Faculty also have access to the Veterinary, Dental and Medical Hospitals, which are maintained by the North Central Regional Health Authority.

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the most southerly of the Caribbean islands and benefits from a strong, petroleum-based economy. We see a vast range of diseases common both to developed and developing countries. Our Faculty members are of the highest calibre, and ably guide the students through the understanding of health and disease.

You will find that Trinidad and Tobago is a truly cosmopolitan nation, with great, cultural diversity. We are proud to boast that all races and creeds live in harmony here, so that one's professional training is complemented by exposure to a unique nation and its peoples.

Background

The University of the West Indies (UWI) was founded in 1948 at Mona, Jamaica, as a college of the University of London. In that year, thirty-three students from nine countries of the British West Indies were admitted to the founding Faculty of Medicine. The University Hospital was completed in 1953, when the first graduates obtained their MBBS degree, having had their clinical training at the Kingston Public Hospital. In 1961, the University of the West Indies became an independent entity, and, at about that time, it established two other campuses, firstly in Trinidad at St. Augustine, and later in Barbados at Cave Hill. The University then served 15 different territories, most of which were still colonies of Great Britain.

As a result of a feasibility study on expansion and/or duplication of the Faculty of Medicine, The University accepted the need for expansion and in 1979, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago agreed to fund the establishment of the school and hospital at Mt. Hope. A purpose-built facility to accommodate medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy and advanced nursing education was built on the Mt. Hope site, where a Women’s Hospital was already located, and which was in use for that segment of the training of students in Trinidad. This complex, subsequently called the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, is managed by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, and, since 1989, accommodates the teaching facilities of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at St. Augustine for medical, dental, veterinary and pharmacy students. In 2005, we welcomed our first nursing students.

Life in Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has been referred to as a "bona fide expression of life's energy and an experience that you will return to time and time again". As a student in Trinidad and Tobago, you have the opportunity to be part of an untold number of great experiences. Many cultures and races form the population, and there are an equal number of cultural and ethnic events throughout the year. Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago has been dubbed "the greatest show on earth". The festival occurs two days before the beginning of the Lenten season, but there is a build up to the finale over a four-week period. Many students actively participate in the Carnival celebrations, either as spectators, or, more often, as masqueraders.

If you enjoy eco-adventure, Trinidad and Tobago is home to over 400 species of birds, 600 species of butterflies, 2,000 species of flowering plants and shrubs and 100 species of mammals. You can go on the nature trails or visit some of the natural spots throughout the country. Avid sport persons also have the opportunity to attend several international meets and competitions that are held throughout the year in, most sporting disciplines.