Medicine

The foundations of Medicine are incorporated during the first years of the program: basic sciences, Liberal Arts, and pathophysiology, and students are encouraged to carry out research projects as medical assistants. During the students' third year, their knowledge is applied in the study and resolution of cases, as well as in the integration of the basics with the clinical and therapeutic elements. The study and resolution of cases alternate with the development of abilities and skills both in the simulation laboratory with high-fidelity mannequins, standardized patients, and in real patients.

We apply standardized assessment, generated in the USA, beginning during the second year and throughout the entire program (NBME and USMLE I-II). In the practice of community contact, the student also applies their knowledge to transmit concepts of health promotion and prevention and voluntarily participates in medical brigades, as well as in international rotations in the USA and Europe.

Simulation Hospital

The School of Medicine certifies multiple important courses for the career of a doctor in training such as: APLS, BLS, ACLS, and ATLS, as well as modules in obstetrics, surgery, and pediatrics, granting students better academic and practical training.

Standardized Patient Program

Along with the Simulation Center, the Standardized Patient program complements and advances medical education at USFQ. A standardized patient is a person trained in the medical interview and physical examination to allow practices and exams to be carried out by medical students. The patient analyzes, evaluates, and rates the student's performance, including their ability to develop a reliable and professional relationship with the patient.

Comprehensive Community Development

Strengthening the social consciousness of  USFQ, we train individuals who understand the health needs of communities and their individuals. During the program, doctors integrate their knowledge to plan and execute creative projects. Additionally, students participate in free healthcare rotations at the Padre Carolo Hospital and at Health Subcentres. Each of them serves an office and a patient.

Global Health

The Global Health program manages the exchange of Medical students to carry out elective subjects and international and national clinical rotations. Thanks to the large number and variety of these agreements, students have the opportunity to really get to know and experience other health systems along with teachers, residents and medical students. During these rotations, students hone their skills and abilities in the physical examination, creating medical records and clinical histories, and participate in case presentations involving all members of the hospital medical team; these experiences enrich and complement the career at USFQ. Our students have successfully completed their internships at international institutions such as the University of South Florida, the University of Florida, Lurie Children's Hospital, Northside Hospital, Georgia and George Washington University Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, and the University of Maastricht, among many others.

National Board of Medical Examiners exams

We provide training for the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) to all USFQ Medical students. Students are required to pass the NBME clinical and basic science tests to graduate. These exams allow both students and Faculty to measure their levels of knowledge at an international level and prepare for graduate programs and residencies abroad.

Bilingual Education

The Medical program is a bilingual one, providing students with the resources to research, study, and work in the medical field in English and Spanish, opening doors for graduate programs and residencies not only in Latin America but in Europe and the United States.

Library

We have the most complete, modern, and up-to-date medical library in the country. We have databases and digital reference resources, accessible not only from USFQ computers but from anywhere.

Integration of Liberal Arts

The educational model of Liberal Arts in Medicine develops the capacity of students to think critically, develop entrepreneurship, creativity, and research, and to be leaders in the Medical field at national and international levels.

The medical professional will have the ability to:

• Stay up-to-date in the effective use of the latest technologies to analyze, diagnose and solve the healthcare needs, integrating prevention, cure, recovery, and rehabilitation of the individual and the family with ethics and professionalism.
• Provide medical care focused on the patient and their family, based on quality and warmth, creating an important link between doctor/patient.
• Communicate effectively and sensitively with patients, their families, and communities to achieve effective healthcare.
• Integrate knowledge of basic and clinical sciences applied in national medicine for the prevention, diagnosis, and intervention of diseases in patient medical care.
• Research and keep abreast of scientific and technological advances in order to apply medical care in the areas of prevention, promotion, intervention, and recovery, based on concrete evidence.
• Work effectively and efficiently in multidisciplinary teams.
• Know and apply the regulations and policies of the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador and other regulations applicable at the national and/or international level.
• Maintain ethical, honest, professional, and compassionate behavior in all areas of work, including clinical practice, interaction with colleagues and with health teams, administration and management of human and financial resources.
• Offer the patient, their family, and the community they serve holistic care, incorporating their knowledge of Liberal Arts into their work.
• Practice medicine in an inclusive system focused on multiculturalism, diversity, and gender equality, treating all people without any type of discrimination.

The USFQ School of Medicine graduate will receive a humanist education of excellence, will become a leader in the medical field, and will have the potential to develop professionally in the first or second level of care within the national health system, with the objective of providing medical care to individuals, families, and communities.

The graduate will have the capacity to integrate the deep knowledge and skills of the basic and clinical sciences that are used in modern medicine to carry out analysis, diagnosis, and solve the healthcare needs with an integration approach to healing, recovery, and rehabilitation of the individual and their family, through the optimal use of new technologies and clinical-surgical procedures and through the continuous evaluation of quality.

The graduate will develop with professionalism and ethics to attend to and care for the individual, family, and community, at the level of their professional practice or at the organizational level, with skills to lead teamwork and with the application of skills and tools of communication that allow them to work effectively in multi-professional and inter-professional teams in the context of health and educational scenarios, integrating approaches of law, interculturality, and gender equality.

The graduate of the School of Medicine will know how to apply the social sciences to compare individual health requirements with those of the community in the short, medium, and long term and will formulate proposals to influence the social determinants of health, prevent diseases, and promote healthy lifestyles, that allow for improving the quality of life of the professional and their family, and that serve as an example to the community.

The graduate will have developed the ability to appreciate and contribute to the understanding of the determinants of health within the local, regional, national, and international context and environment for continuous learning and improvement based on medical practice and the incorporation of evidence-based medicine for decision-making.

The USFQ School of Medicine graduate, through the integration of Liberal Arts and humanities, will know how to promote professional and personal development with a free, critical, creative, innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.  

Student Testimonials:

“Studying Medicine at USFQ instilled in me the idea that specializing outside of Ecuador was a viable option. I did two rotations abroad, the first in Pediatric Surgery at the University of Kitasato, Japan, and the second in Clinical Genetics at Northside Hospital, Atlanta. After graduating I was awarded the MEXT scholarship funded by the Japanese Government and I received my Ph.D. in Human Genetics at The Graduate University of Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)/National Institute of Genetics in Japan. I am currently a researcher and professor at the School of Medicine, where I investigate undiagnosed genetic conditions and innate errors of metabolism through DNA sequencing,  I also carry out population genetics studies in association with the University of Kanazawa (Japan).”

- Dr. Vanessa Romero Aguilar, MD, PhD Human Genetics. Researcher. USFQ professor. (Class of 2011) -

“Studying Medicine at the University of San Francisco has been one of the best decisions I have made in my career. The School, without a doubt, has taught me Medicine under international standards. During my rotations in the United States I felt that I was on the same level as other medical students thanks to the knowledge I received from each of my professors. The School not only provided me with knowledge: the clinical skills and professionalism I learned during my career have helped me stand out. It was during my process of applying to my medical specialty that I was able to better appreciate that USFQ educated me in such a way that I can face the challenges that show up in my career. Currently, I am beginning the specialty of Internal Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital-University of Miami. Without a doubt, I can say that USFQ was a fundamental part of reaching this new stage not only during my student life but as a graduate; the School has never stopped supporting us. I am immensely grateful and have the highest recommendation for those interested in pursuing an excellent Medical program."

- María Alejandra Mendoza Domínguez, MD, Internal Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital-University of Miami. (Class of 2015) -

“I applied to the Internal Medicine graduate program in the United States in September 2017 and was accepted at Texas Tech University. I am very excited to start this new stage of my life. The teachings and the example of many doctors and professors at USFQ have been fundamental to my professional training and as a human being in general. I am immensely grateful to USFQ for giving me the tools and opportunities to train in the country of my choice. USFQ opens your eyes and gives you the confidence to perform anywhere in the world. Additionally, I had the opportunity to teach in my school, an experience that was key in my career and will surely help me to relate to my patients and team better. I hope someday to repay everything the university has given me.”

- Barbara Mantilla, MD, Internal Medicine Residency, Texas Tech University at Lubbock (Class of 2015) -

"The multiple international agreements  the faculty maintains with universities in Europe and the United States opened doors to me for research opportunities and specialization training."

- Dr. Xavier Vega, MD, Chief Resident, Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, SIU-SOM, Springfield, IL, USA. (Class of 2003) -

 "The excellent education at USFQ School of Medicine prepared me in the best way possible to pass the USMLE and complete the graduate and medical residencies that I obtained with ease after graduation. As I began my residency in internal medicine, I felt that my knowledge level was superior to that of most American students. This helped me to be chosen as chief resident, to receive a fellowship position in cardiology, and now to work as a professor and attending physician for the Cleveland Clinic, the #1 ranked cardiac hospital in the USA."

 - Dr. José L. Baez-Escudero, MD, FHRS, Staff Cardiac Electrophysiologist, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL, USA. (Class of 2001) - 

"When I applied to the Residency Program in Surgery in the United States in 2004, there were a total of 15,600 applicants from all over the world competing for 1,108 positions. Only a total of 56 foreigners were accepted, and half of us graduated as surgeons in the United States in 2010. I was subsequently hired at the University of Virginia to perform Liver, Pancreas, and Kidney Transplants. Studying at USFQ opened many paths for me since the academic curriculum is based on the highest international standards. Personally, it taught me to be patient and mature. After all these years, I remember my start at USFQ as if it were yesterday. The vast majority of the teaching methods that I use for my residents and students are based on my education at USFQ .There is no doubt that studying at USFQ was the best decision I could have made." 

- Dr. Harry F Dorn, MD, Transplant Surgeon, General and Trauma Surgeon, University of Virginia, USA. (Class of 2003) -

"The academic curriculum, teaching method, and culture of USFQ Medical School are on par, and in some respects have an advantage over medical schools in the US. The student/professor ratio is exemplary because it allows for almost personalized teaching. I think that a great characteristic of the program at USFQ is the speed and intensity with which the student is exposed to patients, which helps not only with the development of self-confidence as a future doctor, but also allows for early practice in medical procedures and the acquisition of skills and abilities. I was fortunate during my time at USFQ because the professors and tutors had something in common: they help you think big, and they want each student to reach their maximum potential."

- Dr. Rolf O. Montalvo, MD, Family Practice, Houston, TX, USA. (Class of 2001) -

 "Thanks to the training I received at the University, today I am Chief of Emergency Services at Stevenson Memorial Hospital, Deputy Director of the Alliston Family Health Team and owner of a private primary care clinic in Canada. I hope that the basic teachings of the School of Medicine continue to achieve the highest standards in quality and effectiveness, not only in Ecuador, but worldwide, as my fellow graduates from the class of 2001 have demonstrated."

- Dr. Oswaldo C. Ramirez B.Sc., MD, CCFP, Windsor Health Center, Alliston, Canada. (Class of 2001)

Comments from our professors:

"I came to USFQ in 2001, and despite my severe physical disability and limited financial resources, USFQ trusted me and opened its doors to me at the School of Medicine. Since then, I have been very blessed to receive a first world education that has allowed me to develop my skills and talents in a comprehensive way within an extraordinary academic community."

- Dr. Ivan Sisa, MD, MPH, Professor at the School of Medicine (Class of 2007) -

 “During my undergraduate medical career, USFQ gave me the opportunity to do research rotations at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, which led me to see medicine from another point of view. I understood that clinical practice can be accompanied by research without having to choose between one path or another and this is what I decided to do: I completed my medical specialty in Spain in Clinical Microbiology/Infectious Diseases and at the same time obtained a Ph.D. at the University of Barcelona.”

- Dr. Ana Aguilar, MD, Ph.D. Universitat de Barcelona-Cum Laude, Clinical Microbiology/Infectious Diseases. USFQ Medicine and Infectology Professor, Hospital de los Valles, Quito (USFQ Class of 2003) -

“The training I received at USFQ allowed me to be competitive internationally. During my career at USFQ, I had the opportunity to work in research at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and in clinical rotations at Emory University teaching hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. After graduating, I took the US licensing exam, USMLE, and I received an excellent grade. With this background, I completed my graduate degree in Pediatrics and subspecialty in Adolescent Medicine at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, Florida. I chose to return to Ecuador to work for my country. In addition to my clinical practice, I work at the USFQ School of Medicine, where I have the pleasure of sharing my specific acquired knowledge and skills with future doctors.”

- Dr. Marisol Bahamonde, MD, Pediatrician, Adolescent Medicine. USFQ professor, Professional Qualification Coordinator. (USFQ Class of 2003) -