There has been a lot of talk about the status of the St. James School of Medicine’s survival. Let me make it clear to you that the school is not shutting down, nor is it in the process of shutting down. Readers of this site questioned what was happening and I had no answer to give them because I didn't know anything. But now I do know what's happening and I will lay it out.
Right now, the accreditation of the Bonaire campus is extended for another 5 years supposedly. Apparently, the Bonaire campus education quality must be in parallel with Dutch education standards and that's where the problem started. So, SJSM has to improve the quality of education.
I’m not going to sugarcoat anything, the ground reality is if Bonaire ever lost the Dutch accreditation then Bonaire campus will close and the SJSM accreditation will be dependent on the Anguilla campus. Unfortunately, for the Bonaire students who already registered with the ECFMG for USMLE Step 1, SJSM will mostly likely transfer everything from the Anguilla campus and it will show “transfer” on your transcript. If you didn’t register yet with the ECFMG then you should be good, but don’t take my word for it.
Currently, SJSM have cleared anything and everything that stood in the way of the Bonaire campus's accreditation so you don't need to worry. The best thing is to call SJSM’s main office and ask them what happened in detail.
Bottom like is, SJSM Bonaire still has IMED accreditation and it will continue to run.
Here is the letter the students received from the main office:
We are pleased to announce our IMED listing issue has been RESOLVEDOver the past months we have been working closely with the Dutch Government regarding the school's accreditation.We have been advised that these discussions have been successful and ourIMED listing is secure. We are now waiting for the official extension notification documentation which is due shortly.The extension means SJSM Bonaire will continue to operate as normal with the support of the Dutch government and local Bonaire administration. Our students can therefore focus on their medical studies with certainty.Sincerely,Saint James School of Medicine - BonaireAdministration