Need Advice

Hello everyone,

This is my first post and I came here because I got tired of all the people bashing me because I'm a medical student who is doing my first 2yrs online. I will do my last two year in clinicals in the US and Ghana.

I've been reading the information on this site about Liberia and the ODA. I attend St.Luke University School of Medicine located in Liberia. From what I've been reading, Liberia does not support distance learning programs. However, my school has full accrediation in Liberia and Ghana. Graduates can become licensed in Ghana or Liberia. This is what I've been told.

The ODA list my school as a sub campus of St. Regis, however, St. Regis does not know about my school and denies any affliation. My school also denies any affliation with St. Regis.

My medical school began operation in 1999. It has been written about in the press in africa. So, if it's a fake university, I would like to know before I get to far.

I did not come here to defend my school. I only came here because I thought this would be a good place to meet and talk with others who are distance education students regardless of what your major is.

Thanks,

 

St. Luke.

Sounds good but I'm not sure what it means.

 

There are at least two St. Lukes. Are you dealing with the one that claims to be in Liberia, or the one run from Florida that says it has campuses in Senegal and England.

I think it is essential that you get, from you school, the names and contact information for five people who are actually practicing medicine based on a St. Luke degree -- preferably in whichever country you either live in, or plan to live in.

If they do, then be sure to talk to each of them, and satisfy yourself that they really are licensed and in practice.

If they can't or won't or can't do this, I think you have your answer.

Second: where will you be doing your 'clinicals'? Have you determined that it is a real place? And that, with certainty, they will accept your first two years at St. Luke?

The only St. Luke graduate I have read about is the doctor who was arrested in Nevada last year for practicing with a St. Luke (Liberia) license. One newspaper article (http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2004/MERC-Jan-01-Thu-2004/22879236.html) says, in part, that in Nevada,

"anyone can practice medicine till he or she gets caught. Two recent cases point to glaring holes in the process. Andrew Elias Michael, who ran a clinic in Henderson [Nevada], is awaiting trial after he was indicted for practicing medicine without a license. [His degree is from] St. Luke's Medical School, an unaccredited institution in Liberia."

I've been writing about this kind of stuff for about 30 years, and I have not yet heard of any legitimate medical school that offers two years on line. But I have been wrong before.

Do let this forum know what you learn; it could be very helpful to others.

Thanks.

 

You are doing the right thing in asking this question.


I do not if this is a legitimate school or not, but I note it has a southern california telephone number and address (where tuition must be mailed in US$)

 

There seems to be but one St. Luke as opposed to St. Luke's.

This site indicates a degree in Naturopathic Medicine:

 

This site discusses the on-line courses:
http://www.stluke.edu/bsop.html

 

There seems to be some confusion

You all are right in terms of a number of St. Luke School of medicine out there.

To begin, St.Luke school of medicine, Liberia/Ghana, the one I intend, has never operated out of Florida does not have a campus in florida nor any US state. It has an administrative office in California. However no campus is there.

There is a St.Luke school of medicine in Belize. This school is not the same school that I attend.

St.Luke school of medicine, liberia/Ghana used to have an agreement with Southern Graduate Institute in the US. St.Luke School of medicine, Liberia/Ghana itself does not have a naturopathy degree program. SGI is an affliate school with St.Luke School of Medicine Liberia/Ghana.

In terms of the students who were arrested for practicing without a license, sadly, there were a couple of students who were arrested for doing this. None of these students were licensed nor graduates of St. Luke School of medicine, Liberia/Ghana. Because I don't know the details of these cases, all I can say is that all students have been instructed to not introduce themselves as doctors during clinicals. I believe that the confusion comes with the fact that these students were DC. A DC is a doctor of chiropractic medicine. I can only assume that these students were introducing themselves as doctors and treating patients as DC's would. However, these students did not make it known to their patients that they were medical students. Thus, when they announced to their patients that they were doctors, patients assumed that they were MD's. This is not hard to understand since anyone can say that they are a doctor. When one says they are a doctor and has a white lab coat on, one would assume they are MD's. However, we know that a doctor can be a PH.D, DO, DC, DPT, DOT and so on and on.

St. Luke school of medicine is an accredited medical school in Liberia and Ghana, has hospital affliation with a couple teaching hospitals in Ghana, India, Mexico, USA and the UK. We have students who are in these countries doing clinicals and residency currently.

However, I was commenting on what I was reading from this site. According to the information that I was reading, someone on this site said that no university in Liberia has been accredited that offers distance learning programs. Thus, if this is the case, then someone is misrepresenting information, either St.Luke University School of medicine or the poster. Thus, I posted because I am thinking perhaps this person knows something that I don't. If what they say is true, I would like to know it before I invested to far to turn back.

I must admit that I do not know all that is going on with the government in Liberia. However, St. Luke University School of medicine Liberia/Ghana is WHO listed, IMED listed and ECFMG certified medical school. A medical school cannot have these listing if for one it is not accredited in the country it listed as being it's location and does not have government approval. Also, IMED and ECFMG verifies all information sent in by medical schools with the government of that country before they are certified. If St.Luke University School of medicine, Liberia/Ghana were in fact a non-accredited (not accredited by the government) medical school, there would be no way that it would be listed with IMED or ECFMG. Student's would not be able to sit for the USMLE which is a test that every medical graduate who wants to practice medicine in the US has to take.

Yet, I was reading on this site that the government of Liberia is disfunct. Schools have been popping up in Liberia left and right. I have no way of knowing if this is true or not. Again, if anyone has information that I don't, please let me know so that I can do my own investigation to find out the truth of the matter.

Lastly, since there is no national accrediting body for Foriegn medical schools, all foriegn medical schools are considered non-accredited medical schools in the US. This include some of the top foriegn medical schools such as Oxford, Fliders and McMasters. So, when you see an article that says a medical school is non-accredited, changes are they are talking about a foriegn medical school. However, this does not mean that the medical school is non-accredited in it's own country.

I hope this clears some of the confusion up and I thank everyone who replied. Again, if you have any information which I'm missing, please let me know, particulary on the government of Liberia.

Thanks,

 

I forgot to mention.....

The thread on this site that I was referring to is located here:

http://www.degreeinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15226

If what this person says is true, then all educational systems outside of the Univerisity of Liberia will be shut down. If I'm mistaking, please let me know.

Thanks,