Oceania University of Medicine

Oceania University of Medicine (OUM) is a Samoan-chartered medical school run by the Government of Samoa and e-Medical Education, LLC, a Florida-based firm. This university ranks 2nd on our list of best universities in Samoa. Preclinical and clinical phases comprise the OUM program. Prior to beginning clinical rotations, OUM students must pass the USMLE Step 1 or an international equivalent. The preclinical phase is delivered through distance learning, while the clinical phase is delivered in clinical settings in regional teaching hospitals. The medical school was formed in 2002 by philanthropist Taffy Gould, a group of Australian doctors, and others to address a hole in the South Pacific: a shortage of medical experts.

Because of the remote location of Samoa and the surrounding islands, and online curriculum with local physician mentors evolved. Aspiring physicians in other places faced comparable challenges in earning a medical degree due to geographical isolation and/or personal obligations. Soon after, OUM began to get applications from people all around the world.

Oceania University of Medicine (OUM) functions as an autonomous statutory corporation in cooperation with the Samoan government, represented by the prime minister, under a charter executed by the Government of Independent Samoa (previously Western Samoa). Its jurisdiction stems from the Oceania University of Medicine Act, which was passed by Samoa's Legislative Assembly in January 2002. As part of the arrangement, OUM is operated by e-Medical Education, LLC, a worldwide software and health science education corporation. The institution, which is located on the grounds of the National Hospital Complex in Apia, officially opened in March 2002 with seven students.

Professor Don Wilbur, the acting Dean, returned to the United States less than a month after the school opened, leaving only one academic staff member in Samoa. In October 2002, five university students claimed that they were not receiving the education for which they had paid. An Australian Labor MP slammed the university's Australian branch in 2005 for providing "worthless" degrees. The Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities granted the university accreditation in 2009. Accreditation was first given in 2010 and was reaffirmed in 2011. Without the knowledge of the university council, Vice-Chancellor Professor Surindar Cheema and the majority of the staff were fired in March 2011 by the university's American owner.

The Samoan government began talks in September 2012 about taking over the university and combining it with the National University of Samoa. The Samoan government began completely supporting the university in January 2013. The university was nationalized in 2014 and handed to the NUS, where it became the School of Medicine. Overseas students are still graduating from the university. The university relocated to new teaching facilities at the Tupua Tamasese Motootua Hospita in 2019.

Location: Apia, Samoa
Website: www.oum.edu.ws
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OceaniaMed/