Please be informed that Saint James School of Medicine’s Bonaire campus is moving to the island of St. Vincent at the end of the Fall 2015 semester (December 2015) and being merged with the already established school in St. Vincent.
This move will require the MD1, MD2 and MD3 students to move to the St. Vincent campus for the Spring (January) 2016 semester.
Students in Clinical Sciences and MD4 will not be affected by this move.
There were several reasons for this tough decision:
- Increasingly difficult immigration requirements for students
- Tough immigration requirements for faculty
- High cost of living
- Lack of space to build a campus
- Extremely limited connectivity with flights to the island
- Lack of cooperation from the government authorities in helping us resolve these issues.
These issues are almost entirely non-existent in St. Vincent.
During this move, SJSM anticipates a smooth transition as this will take place during the winter break. There is enough time for faculty and students to attend to their affairs in Bonaire before their departure.
We fully understand the inconveniences caused by this move, and for that purpose, SJSM is offering several attractive options to students, faculty and staff to alleviate some of the expenses associated with the move.
The faculty and Deans have been briefed about this transition. In addition, frequently asked questions are being circulated. If you have further questions, for the fastest response, please email us
Bonaire@mail.sjsm.org. Someone will respond to your query in 24-48 hours.
Bonaire is a beautiful country with a rich culture and wonderful people. We are saddened by our departure from Bonaire, where we have been since 1999. We will always have fond memories of Bonaire and we wish everyone in Bonaire the very best.
We thank you for your continued support of SJSM.
