Cuba and the preventive, integrative and community medicine approach of its health system have been recognized worldwide for many years. Cuba has been supporting the international community with the education and training of health professionals in various disciplines. Clinical medicine and nursing programs are popular among international students.
In the last 50 years, more than 100,000 Cuban and foreign doctors from more than 80 countries of all continents have been trained in Cuba’s universities of medical sciences.
The Academic Services modality includes Undergraduate Programs: where multiple university majors are offered, Postgraduate Programs for academic training: specialties (residencies), masters and doctorates; as well as Postgraduate programs for professional advancement: courses, trainings, certification programs, seminars, workshops and specialized conferences.
International students experience in Cuba
All international students must take a compulsory introductory year, during which they learn Spanish and become familiar with their new environment.
In Cuban teaching universities, medical programs place more emphasis on hands-on learning. The country has a network of teaching hospitals where medical students can apply their theoretical knowledge in real-life situations to real patients, unlike most Western medical schools where students will be in contact with patients only after graduation. In Cuba, students must work with patients from the first day and throughout their studies. Each student is assigned a “patient bed” in a hospital upon arrival. For the duration of their studies, they will attend to patients in this bed with the supervision of a teaching doctor.