March 24, 2009 Minutes
• Dr. Alan Emsley, professor at St. Matthew’s University
o He is a geneticist, worked with production animal breeding; geneticists share a lot of experiences with veterinarians.
o Being a veterinarian is broader in its opportunities than many people know. You should keep a journal of your vet experiences.
o You should look at foresight report on veterinarian medicine (just google it).
• Information on the school:
o 2 years, 4 months: 7 four month semesters with no summers off. Then there are 7 schools where you can apply to do your one year residency.
o The school is 3.5 years old, but have already graduated some veterinarians; established in 2005
o 15 out of the 21 students in the first class of the school have graduated already
o Classes vary from 10 – 27
o The classes form 3 times a year
o It is in the Caribbean, on the Cayman Islands, less than an hour from Miami.
o During hurricanes, people leave. Planes are in plentiful supply and people are moved off the island. Hurricanes are rare, though.
o Cayman Islands are the 5th largest financial center in the world; has lots of opportunities for jobs for spouses/partners. Low crime rate. Open society.
o For more information on the island, go to http://www.CaymanNewResident.com/.
o There are familiar places, such as pizza hut, burger king, blockbuster. But you have to drive on the left. There are two modern hospitals and many pharmacies.
o The school consists of two 3-story campus buildings located in the Safehaven corporate park.
o Wireless internet throughout campus
o Student : teacher ratio = 6:1; community devoted entirely to teaching – no researching. Teachers are there to provide support to the students to connect you to courses and the life you’re undertaking.
o Dean Wagner; Dr. Amsly can get you in touch with the dean to talk to you about the school. He can also schedule you a visit with him if you want to visit the campus.
o New clinical facilities built a year ago, about 20 minutes outside campus.
o Relative small faculty: 15 to 17. Come from all over the world and many are certified in the U.S.
o Admission requirements are outlined in the pamphlets. Some different things that they require are: passport, passport photos, and a police report.
o 139 credit hours total that prepare you for a ride range of veterinarian medicine.
o There are many opportunities to have contact with animals not found the in U.S.
o When returning to the U.S. to do clinical studies, it starts the process of getting you credited in the U.S. The ECFVG are the guidelines to become licensed in all 50 states.
o Another route is PAVE; the main difference is that you can do your clinical experience at an accredited vet school that would count for your required year. However, there are only 27 states that accept PAVE creditation.
o There are dorms, married housing, etc. Usually students stay for one semester and then usually decide to live off campus. The office staff will help you find accommodations.
o There is a public transportation center and many students bike places they need to go. A car is not an actual necessity.
o You can get a dual degree program in business classes. It adds on hours, but it qualifies you for student loans.
o Financial aid is limited because school is so long. There are Ed-Invest Loans – a private organization.
o application fee waivered for those enrolling in 2009
o AEmsley@StMatthews.edu is his email address if you have questions.
o Tuition is about $107,000 for the whole program; $8900 per semester plus a fee for the clinical rotations.
o One month deadline
o Around 40 applications; they have no cap
• Horseback riding is being moved because April 18 is the open house in the vet school.
• The zoo is definitely on April 11 with Dr. Schumacher, and he will be speaking at our next meeting. It’s a free tour; the time is tentative but somewhere around 10:00 and it would probably be a two hour tour.
• We still have some extra shirts on sale.