Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University and American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC), an Adtalem Global Education institution, have established a partnership to increase access to a medical education program for qualified FranU students through Adtalem’s Medical Education Readiness Program (MERP). Through this partnership, FranU students who successfully complete the 15-week MERP preparatory course and meet AUC’s minimum admissions requirements will receive an interview and conditional acceptance into the next AUC medical school class.
“The healthcare industry is facing significant workforce shortages, which are only expected to grow over the next decade,” said Gannady Raskin, MD, executive director, MERP. “By partnering with FranU to offer students a pathway to earn a Doctor of Medicine degree from AUC, we are increasing access to education, teaching students the essential skills to boost their knowledge in foundational principles, and providing them with a support system to help them succeed throughout their educational journey into medical school and beyond.”
Through personalized instructional support, MERP will teach students how to study in medical school, which is foundational to handling the rigorous demands of the curriculum. All MERP instructors hold either an MD, PhD, or equivalent degree, and have established experience in teaching medical and undergraduate or graduate-level students. The program provides instruction on the four basic science courses of similar content and depth to those taught in the early semesters of a medical school curriculum, including clinical anatomy, medical biochemistry and molecular biology, medical microbiology and immunology, and medical human physiology and biophysics.
“More than 4,000 learners have successfully completed Adtalem’s MERP. Over the past five residency match years (2019-2023), 881 MERP advancers, including 209 from underrepresented groups, have graduated from medical school and entered residency positions in the U.S. We are excited to welcome FranU students to this program that is helping learners fill critical roles in the healthcare industry.”
Qualified students who enroll in MERP will have the opportunity to simultaneously enroll in select FranU didactic courses that closely match the MERP courses. To receive credit for the FranU coursework, students will only be required to take a cumulative final exam. Students who successfully complete MERP and matriculate into AUC may also be eligible for the MERP scholarship for which they qualify.