Venkat Raman
Auckland, April 14, 2020
Fifteen students of the Oceania University of Medicine (OUM) qualified to enter the medical profession following their recent graduation in Australia.
The ceremony, held in Melbourne on March 7, 2020, was attended among others, by OUM Founder-Chairman Taffy Gould, Vice-Chancellor Dr Viali Lameko, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Dr Randell Brown, Dean (Asia Pacific) Dr Chellaraj Benjamin, Dean (Australia) Dr Meshach Kirubakaran, Director of Faculty Affairs Dr Paula Diamante, BBJ Marketing Owner Joe Korac, members of the faculty, members of the families of graduates and students from the region.
New Stars of OUM
Julian Lai, Adefunke Liz Nnadigwe and Peyman Zarkandi received the Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence.
Graduates from Australia included Dr Adefunke Nnadigwe, Dr Colin Marriott, Dr Daliya Sari, Dr Duc Nguyen, Dr Esther Oluyide, Dr Julian Lai, Dr Kevin Reid, Dr Matthew Stewart, Dr Mikaiel Yosouf Mohmand, Dr Mohamad Yosouf Mohmand and Dr Tri Ngo.
Dr Neghabian and Dr Zarkandi received their degrees in absentia.
Dr Noor Al Rawe and Dr Martin Stonehouse were graduates from New Zealand and South Africa.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Ms Gould said that Distance Learning in the field of medicine is yet a largely untested enterprise but was pleased that OUM has been able to evince the interests of doctors in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The graduates lauded the vision of Ms Gould and express their gratitude to Mr Korac and academic advisers for their support.
Excellence and flexibility
In an earlier interview with Indian Newslink, Ms Gould said that OUM has a record of 150 medical graduates who are now rendering medical services around the world.
“There are no restrictions on the number of students that the University can take but we follow a strict entry procedure since we aim to ensure that doctors of high calibre and expertise go out to serve the world. The ability to manage and cater to varied time zones, the success of the graduation programme and the comparative cost advantage are factors that work in favour of OUM,” she said.
A Samoan-Chartered Medical School, it is a partnership between the Samoan Government and e-Medical Education, a Florida-based company.
The OUM curriculum is divided into two phases, namely Preclinical and Clinical, offered respectively as Distance Learning and hands-on learning in a clinical setting at regional teaching hospitals.
Because of its remote location and to encourage students from other parts of the world to pursue medicine, the University developed an online curriculum and began to receive applications from all over the world.
About Taffy Gould
A philanthropist, Ms Gould established OUM in 2002 to address primarily the problem of shortage of qualified medical professionals in the South Pacific and later extended it other countries where paucity of human capital eludes timely healthcare service delivery.
Speaking to a hall full of family, friends, faculty, and students, each graduate expressed thanks to
OUM currently has 239 students from 10 countries and 122 graduates undergoing post-graduate training or practicing medicine in six countries. Seven OUM graduates are practicing medicine at Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital (TTM), the University’s primary teaching facility located in Apia, Samoa.
Many OUM students continue to work and earn an income during the two years of preclinical studies. During this time, students will spend an average of 40-50 hours per week on their studies. OUM essentially becomes a second full-time job, and some students seek flexible work schedules during this time.
An alumni’s impressions
Jennifer Allen of the Class of 2012 said, “ A few things got me through the rough patches at OUM: recognising quality time with children over quantity, learning that laundry and dirty dishes could wait, that asking for help was OK, and that being at one sporting event could be just as rewarding as being at all of them…If becoming a doctor is something you have always wanted to do, then enrol at OUM and do it. The faculty and staff will support you and do everything they can to make sure you become a doctor.”
Comparative benefits
Dr Benjamin, a Radiation Oncologist and President of Auckland Indian Medical Society, said that the total cost of the five-course course would be US$ 140,000, far less compared to the fees charged by Universities in Australia (about US$ 255,000). In the US, the cost per year for a non-resident student could be about US$ 150,000.
He said that Science graduates would be eligible to apply for admission to OUM, which is a fully accredited Medical School worldwide.
“It is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Indian Medical Council. Students from this University are eligible to take AMC Part I and II and NZREX examination after they complete their medical course,” Dr Benjamin said.
Students interested in enrolment from India and any part of the world can email him at chelleraj.benjamin@oum.edu.ws
(Pictures Supplied)
