Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU)

About Ponce School of Medicine

Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) was established in July 1980, at that time the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredited the university to grant the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Then in 1988, the university began its Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (Ph.D.) and the Ph.D. program was accredited by the Council of Higher Education of Puerto Rico (CHE-PR) in 1992. In 1999 the university began its Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program (PsyD Program) which then later expanded and offered a Ph.D. in Psychology, Professional Certificate in Couples and Family Therapy, and Postgraduate Certificate in Neuroscience of Learning. Furthermore, in 2002 a Master’s of Public Health (MPH) program was started with a specialization in Epidemiology, Environmental Health, and General Public Health. A DrPH in Epidemiology.

Mission

The mission of the university to provide world-class, culturally competent health sciences education. The university wants its students to become compassionate practitioners and scientists who are ready to grasp an opportunity to learn and innovate when it is presented to them.

Vision

The vision of Ponce School of Medicine is to build upon its reputation and to be one of the leading medical university’s in the world. The university wants to mold students into future physicians, researchers, scientists, and leaders who are caring and kind towards the community and towards people who require help.

Goals

The University commits to its Mission and the accomplishment of its Vision by adopting the following Goals to guide its future decisions:

To continue its commitment to excellence in educational achievement by recruiting outstanding diverse students and faculty and providing the appropriate resources for the development of high-quality academic programs.
To expand its academic and professional educational offerings to include other health-related fields
To enhance recognition of the institution’s commitment to excellence in basic and clinical research, scholarship and creative pursuits, supporting existing investigators and recruiting new highly qualified researchers.
To expand and improve its high quality medical, mental health, diagnostic and therapeutic services
To continue to be an institution that prepares ethical professionals and scientists that contribute to society in general and to Puerto Rico.

Ponce School of Medicine Accreditations

The university is accredited by the following organizations:

Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)
Council on Higher Education of Puerto Rico (CHE-PR)
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO)
American Psychological Association (APA)
Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

Admission Criteria for Doctor in Medicine

Requirements

The applicant should be fluent in English and Spanish (writing, reading, speaking, and understanding).
The applicant is recommended to have completed a BA/ BS degree as they will be given preference.
The applicant should have attained a BA/ BS degree with an institution accredited by the Council of Education of PR or by a US accrediting organization.
The applicant should have a minimum GPA of 2.7 on a scale of 4.0; average of the School is 3.5.
The applicant should have a minimum SGPA of 2.7 on a scale of 4.0; average of the School is 3.3.
The minimum MCAT score required is 494.

Required Courses

Course Title	Credits
Biology	8
Chemistry	8
Organic Chemistry	8
Physics	8
Mathematics	6
Behavioral & Social Sciences	6
Spanish	3
English	3

Application Process

The University participates in the centralized application service provided by the American Medical Colleges Application Service (AMCAS), which is an electronic web-based application process. The application deadline in on the 15^th of December of the year prior to the requested admission date.

The AMCAS application should have the following documents:

Three letters of recommendation (two from professors and one written by an individual familiar with the applicant’s skills and abilities) or a composite letter from a premedical committee. Letters must be submitted through AMCAS.
Official transcripts from all universities attended.
US $85 non-refundable application processing fee.

Curriculum

Doctor in Medicine

FIRST YEAR: 40 weeks

FIRST SEMESTER SECOND SEMESTER

Code		Pre-Clinical Courses	Credits	Code		Pre-Clinical Courses	Credits
ANA	601	GROSS ANATOMY, EMBRYO. & IMAGING	9	PHY	602	NEUROSCIENCE	5
BCH	612	MEDICAL BIOCHEMISTRY I	5	BCH	614	MEDICAL BIOCHEMISTRY II	5
ANA	605	HISTOLOGY & CELL BIOLOGY	4	PSY	610	BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE	3
MED	630	CLINICAL CORRELATION I	2	MED	631	CLINICAL CORRELATION II	1
PHY	692	PHYSIOLOGY I	4	PHY	694	PHYSIOLOGY II	4
FCM	719	COMMUNITY MEDICINE & GERIATRICS	2	FCM	720	COMMUNITY MEDICINE AND HEALTH PROMOTION	2
		————–		MIC	642	MICROBIOLOGY I	4
		————–		MED	635	MEDICAL ETHICS	2
		————–		IHS	919	INTERPROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVES IN HEALTH DISPARITIES	1
		Total credits	26			Total credits	27

SECOND YEAR: 40 weeks

FIRST SEMESTER SECOND SEMESTER

Code		Pre-Clinical Courses	Credits	Code		Pre-Clinical Courses	Credits
PHA	781	PHARMACOLOGY I	5	PHA	782	PHARMACOLOGY II	3
PSY	713	BASIC PSYCHIATRY I	2	PSY	714	BASIC PSYCHIATRY II	2
MIC	643	INFECTIOUS DISEASES I	4	MIC	644	INFECTIOUS DISEASES II	2
MED	732	INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL SKILLS I	4	MED	733	INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL SKILLS II	1
FCM	721	FAMILY & COMMUNITY MEDICINE	2	FCM	722	EPIDEMIOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS	2
MED	734	FUNDAMENTAL PATHOPHYSIOLOGY FOR CLINICAL MEDICINE I	3	MED	735	FUNDAMENTAL PATHOPHYSIOLOGY FOR CLINICAL MEDICINE II	3
PAT	761	PATHOLOGY I	5	PAT	762	PATHOLOGY II	4
				ICP	080	INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PRACTICE	2
				SKD	090	SKILLS DEVELOPMENT	1
		————–
		Total credits	25			Total credits	20

THIRD YEAR: 40 weeks and FOURTH YEAR: 44 weeks (5 weeks summer break)
Code		Clinical Curriculum	Weeks	Credits
Typical semester 1 and 2
PED	872	PEDIATRICS	8	10
OB/G	852	OBSTETRICS GYNECOLOGY	8	10
MED	833	INTERNAL MEDICINE	8	10
SUR	816	SURGERY	8	10
PSY	813	CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY	4	5
FCM	822	FAMILY MEDICINE	4	5
PDV	918	PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT I & II	40	2
RAD	902	RADIOLOGY	40	1
Typical semester 3 and 4
MED	934	GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE	4	5
MED	973	EMERGENCY MEDICINE	4	5
RAD*	901	CLINICAL RADIOLOGY	4	5
MED	974	PRIMARY CARE SELECTIVE IN MEDICINE, PEDIATRICS, FAM. MEDICINE or OB-GYN	4	5
ELE	976	ELECTIVES -2- OR 4-WEEKS ELECTIVES	20	25
		MAXIMUM UNSCHEDULED TIME	8	10

Code		Remedial Courses	Weeks	Credits
SKD	091	REMEDIAL: BASIC SCIENCES REVIEW	20	3

Cost of Attendance

Doctor in Medicine Program (4 years)

FIRST YEAR
Education Cost	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 37,710	$ 37,710	$ 37,710	$ 60,000
Fees¹	3,103	3,103	3,103	3,103
Total tuition and fees	40,813	40,813	40,813	63,103
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	2,600	2,600	2,600	2,600
Meals	6,400	6,400	6,400	6,400
Boarding²	2,100	2,100	7,000	7,000
Transportation	2,800	5,600	4,000	5,200
Personal Expenses	2,000	2,000	2,000	2,000
Equipment	892	892	892	892
Loan Fee	442	442	442	442
Test / Other	–	–	–	–
Total Other Expenses	17,234	20,034	23,334	24,534
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$ 58,047	$ 60,847	$ 64,147	$ 87,637

SECOND YEAR
Education Cost	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 37,710	$ 37,710	$ 37,710	$ 60,000
Fees¹	3,148	3,148	3,148	3,148
Total tuition and fees	40,858	40,858	40,858	63,148
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	2,200	2,200	2,200	2,200
Meals	6,400	6,400	6,400	6,400
Boarding²	2,100	2,100	7,000	7,000
Transportation	2,800	5,600	4,000	5,200
Personal Expenses	2,000	2,000	2,000	2,000
Equipment	–	–	–	–
Loan Fee	442	442	442	442
Test / Other	600	600	600	600
Total Other Expenses	16,542	19,342	22,642	23,842
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$ 57,400	$ 60,200	$ 63,500	$ 86,990

THIRD YEAR
Total tuition and fees	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 37,710	$ 37,710	$ 37,710	$ 60,000
Fees¹	3,103	3,103	3,103	3,103
Total tuition and fees	40,813	40,813	40,813	63,103
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	1,800	1,800	1,800	1,800
Meals	6,400	6,400	6,400	6,400
Boarding²	2,100	2,100	7,000	7,000
Transportation	2,800	5,600	4,000	5,200
Personal Expenses	2,500	2,500	2,500	2,500
Equipment	–	–	–	–
Loan Fee	442	442	442	442
Test / Other	1,895	1,895	1,895	1,895
Total Other Expenses	17,937	20,737	24,037	25,237
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$ 58,750	$ 61,550	$ 64,850	$ 88,340

FOURTH YEAR
Total tuition and fees	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 37,710	$ 37,710	$ 37,710	$ 55,157
Fees¹	3,103	3,103	3,103	3,103
Total tuition and fees	40,813	40,813	40,813	58,260
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	2,200	2,200	2,200	2,200
Meals	7,040	7,040	7,040	7,040
Boarding²	2,310	2,310	7,700	7,700
Transportation	3,080	6,160	4,400	5,600
Personal Expenses	2,500	2,500	2,500	2,500
Equipment	–	–	–	–
Loan Fee	466	466	466	466
Test / Other	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500
Rotation Expenses	2,000	2,000	2,000	2,000
Total Other Expenses	21,096	24,176	27,806	29,006
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$ 61,909	$ 64,989	$ 68,619	$ 87,266

Ph.D. Biomedical Sciences Program

FIRST YEAR CLASS
Education Cost	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 12,040	$ 12,040	$ 12,040	$ 13,692
Fees¹	2,737	2,737	2,737	2,737
Total tuition and fees	14,777	14,777	14,777	16,429
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	1,450	1,450	1,450	1,450
Meals	6,400	6,400	6,400	6,400
Boarding²	2,100	2,100	7,000	7,000
Transportation	2,800	5,600	4,000	5,200
Personal Expenses	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500
Equipment	–	–	–	–
Loan Fee	218	218	218	218
Other	–	–	–	–
Total Other Expenses	14,468	17,268	20,568	21,768
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$ 29,245	$ 32,045	$ 35,345	$ 38,197

FIRST YEAR CLASS SUMMER
Education Cost	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 1,720	$ 1,720	$ 1,720	$ 1,956
Fees¹	$ 520	$ 520	$ 520	$ 520
Total tuition and fees	2,240	2,240	2,240	2,476
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	250	250	250	250
Meals	360	360	360	360
Boarding²	210	210	700	700
Transportation	160	280	280	880
Personal Expenses	–	–	–	–
Equipment	–	–	–	–
Loan Fee	219	219	219	219
Other	–	–	–	–
Total Other Expenses	1,199	1,319	1,809	2,409
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$ 3,439	$ 3,559	$ 4,049	$ 4,885

SECOND YEAR CLASS
Education Cost	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 8,600	$ 8,600	$ 8,600	$ 9,780
Fees¹	2,737	2,737	2,737	2,737
Total tuition and fees	11,337	11,337	11,337	12,517
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	1,300	1,300	1,300	1,300
Meals	6,400	6,400	6,400	6,400
Boarding²	2,100	2,100	7,000	7,000
Transportation	2,800	5,600	4,000	5,200
Personal Expenses	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500
Equipment	–	–	–	–
Loan Fee	218	218	218	218
Other	–	–	–	–
Total Other Expenses	14,318	17,118	20,418	21,618
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$ 25,655	$ 28,455	$ 31,755	$ 34,135

THIRD YEAR CLASS
Total tuition and fees	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 6,054	$ 6,054	$ 6,054	$ 6,585
Fees¹	2,737	2,737	2,737	2,737
Total tuition and fees	8,791	8,791	8,791	9,322
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	850	850	850	850
Meals	6,400	6,400	6,400	6,400
Boarding²	2,100	2,100	7,000	7,000
Transportation	2,800	5,600	4,000	5,200
Personal Expenses	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500
Equipment	–	–	–	–
Loan Fee	218	218	218	218
Other	–	–	–	–
Total Other Expenses	13,868	16,668	19,968	21,168
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$ 22,659	$ 25,459	$ 28,759	$ 30,490

FOURTH YEAR CLASSES
Total tuition and fees	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 5,658	$ 5,658	$ 5,658	$ 5,835
Fees¹	2,737	2,737	2,737	2,737
Total tuition and fees	8,395	8,395	8,395	8,572
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	550	550	550	550
Meals	6,400	6,400	6,400	6,400
Boarding²	2,100	2,100	7,000	7,000
Transportation	2,800	5,600	4,000	5,200
Personal Expenses	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500
Equipment	–	–	–	–
Loan Fee	218	218	218	218
Other	–	–	–	–
Total Other Expenses	13,568	16,368	19,668	20,868
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$ 21,963	$ 24,763	$ 28,063	$ 29,440

FIFTH YEAR CLASSES
Total tuition and fees	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 4,368	$ 4,368	$ 4,368	$ 4,368
Fees¹	2,737	2,737	2,737	2,737
Total tuition and fees	7,105	7,105	7,105	7,105
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	400	400	400	400
Meals	6,400	6,400	6,400	6,400
Boarding²	2,100	2,100	7,000	7,000
Transportation	2,800	5,600	4,000	5,200
Personal Expenses	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500
Equipment	–	–	–	–
Loan Fee	218	218	218	218
Other	–	–	–	–
Total Other Expenses	13,418	16,218	19,518	20,718
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$ 20,523	$ 23,323	$ 26,623	$ 27,823

Master of Science in Medical Sciences

FIRST YEAR CLASS
Education Cost	Residents – Local	Residents – Travel	Residents – Boarding	Non Residents – Boarding
Tuition	$ 31,004	$ 31,004	$31,004	$31,004
Fees¹	3,103	3,103	3,103	3,103
Total tuition and fees	34,107	34,107	34,107	34,107
Other Expenses:
Books & Supplies	1,750	1,750	1,750	1,750
Meals	6,400	6,400	6,400	6,400
Boarding²	2,100	2,100	7,000	7,000
Transportation	2,800	5,600	4,000	5,200
Personal Expenses	2,000	2,000	2,000	2,000
Equipment	–	–	–	–
Loan Fee	219	219	219	219
Other	–	–	–	–
Total Other Expenses	15,269	18,069	21,369	22,569
Total Estimated Cost of Education	$49,376	$52,176	$55,476	$56,676

Student Associations

American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA)
Graduate Student’s Association (GSA)
PsyD Student Association
PHSU Tuna

A Guide to Prosper in Medical School

To become a good Medical student, you need to dedicated, confident, and have a good work ethic. Along with all of this, a medical student must create a study-method which is in sync with the way they learn best. Students who figure out what kind of study environment and study material helps them score great are considered geniuses while students who are unable to do this barely pass. Here are a few tips on how to become successful in medical school and along with that have some fun as well.

Procrastination is not affordable!

Plan your time effectively so that you have time to get good sleep, go to classes on time, revise, and also take out some time for yourself. You can plan your time efficiently by sticking a wall planner in your room and marking it with important dates; such as, when a certain assignment is due, or when there is going to be a quiz, dates of the final exam, etc. you can also use this planner to plan your study schedule so that you do not waste time thinking what to do next!

Always revise

The amount of content a medical student has to learn is insane! To ensure you do not forget any concept you need to revise daily. When you come back from classes, have something to eat and then revise what was taught that day, then on weekends revise the whole week’s content and so on. Revising, again and again, will engrave that concept in your brain and who will not have to worry about forgetting any concept.

Look after yourself

This is one of the most important things as medical students are so engrossed with studying and getting good grades that they forget to care for themselves and their mental health. You need to keep in mind that all the good grades and the hard work are not going to count if God forbid you become sick. At times you will have to take a step back, breathe deeply and give some time off to yourself. Read a book, watch a movie, or go play some sports, bake something, whatever your heart desires but be mindful that you do not take yourself off the determined path you have chosen. Keep a balance between studying and keeping yourself happy and healthy.

All the help you need!

There will be times when no matter how much attentively you listen to your lecturer, go to the teacher’s assistant, or ask for a peer’s help your mind is unable to grasp the concept. Almost every medical student reaches the point where their mind is blocking all the lectures it’s listening to. You do not need to worry as Dr. Najeeb Lectures are here to save you! These are video lectures available on his official website and consist of almost all topics listed in the medical curriculum; starting from Gross Anatomy, Neuro-anatomy, Embryology, Histology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology, to Pathology. How are these the key to the solution? Studies have shown that the human brain processes information more quickly through a video and these are not just boring medical lectures. What sets them apart is that Dr. Najeeb makes his lectures diverse by making the environment friendly, catering to questions, drawing illustrations on the board which are revised by him so much and so thoroughly that the diagram and each of its concepts is engraved in the students brain. Since they are present online, one can access them anywhere, anytime and get a subscription on his website which will give the student access to a huge video library.

That’s all folks.

Keep these few tips on your mind, furthermore learn and revise the hardest topics in the morning as the brain activity during that time is the fastest and information leaned and revised at that time is engraved in the brain. Lastly, take care of yourself, be consistent and determined, and remember; the sky is the limit!