Information for Parents

The U.S. State Department announced a Level 4 travel advisory recommending U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. In addition, the travel advisory suggests that United States citizens who are living overseas arrange for return to the United States. We have confirmed directly with the U.S. State Department that U.S. citizens (and legal permanent residents) will continue to be able to enter the country. 

We strongly encourage you and your student to consider the risk of traveling and the risks based on current conditions at your student’s potential destination during the rapidly evolving public health situation, especially in many of the U.S. cities.  Throughout the globe, healthcare systems and resources are strained while managing the volume of COVID-19 cases. 

Adtalem (the parent company of RUSVM) is partnering with island nation governments, airlines and other resources to ensure that there will be at least one outbound flight with available seats from St. Kitts  to one designated U.S. city with access to a major Canadian city available for our community every week for the remainder of the semester. We are also in constant dialogue with the island nation governments to ensure our colleagues and students can depart St. Kitts should they choose to do so. 

The health, safety, and well-being of your student is our top priority.  

Our campus will remain open and in operation in accordance with the CDC guidelines. We have proactively stocked supplies and resources in order to ensure that we will be able to continue to follow CDC guidelines and provide the resources your student may need should they wish to remain on island. We will continue to provide services and support to our RUSVM community while your student is in their St. Kitts home. We have shifted classes to online in a virtual, interactive learning environment. We are successfully delivering all lectures in an online format, while also reducing the uncertainty and risk of travel. 

The RUSVM community is participating in social distancing measures. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that keeping a distance of six feet (two meters) is a critical component to reduce potential exposure and mitigate the risk of community spread. This means limiting group gatherings, avoiding confinement in small spaces, and avoiding physical contact during interactions, such as greetings. 

While the St. Kitts campus remains open, with basic services available, we strongly advise students to limit their time on campus whenever possible.  As the situation evolves, we will continue to evaluate our policies regarding campus operations, services, and access to spaces on an ongoing basis. 

We are thrilled to have your student join our Rossie family and start their veterinary medicine journey!  We are dedicated to providing your student with a high-quality learning environment that prepares them to become a member and leader of the worldwide public and professional healthcare team. As the global public health situation of COVID-19 continues to evolve, our main priority is the health and safety of our students, our colleagues and our community.  US and Canadian travel advisories remain in place and we urge you and your student to do as we have at RUSVM in adopting CDC guidelines.  With this is mind, we want to share some changes to the May start for our Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. 

For the May 2020 semester, we have shifted classes to online in a virtual, interactive learning environment with an anticipated shift to campus around mid-semester. While this does delay your student’s move to campus, we are committed to helping your student successfully transition to life in St. Kitt’s once they arrive.  We will continue to keep your student informed on timelines as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve. 

As with many universities, we shifted to online education for the remainder of the January semester. RUSVM is part of a global university system that has a history of successful teaching online. We are successfully delivering all lectures in an online format and we are prepared to deliver your student a similar first-class virtual learning experience, while also reducing the uncertainty and risk of travel. We believe this decision will allow us to provide high-quality education while also keeping our entire community safe. 

Now that your student is settling into new routines, we know there are questions on the delivery of the upcoming May 2020 semester. We remain committed to providing as little disruption to coursework as possible. As the global public health situation continues, we have created a plan that provides academic continuity until your student can return to campus. 

DVM classes for semesters 1 – 7 will be held online beginning May 4, 2020 with an anticipated return to campus around mid-semester, pending global conditions. 

• Lectures are the main focus of the first part of the semester, with laboratories the focus of the latter half the semester.  

• If consistent with best practices from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), we will designate a travel week in the middle of semester for your student(s) to return to St Kitts. The mid-semester travel week may vary by class.  

• During the mid-semester travel week there will be no classes to allow those who left campus to return without having to worry about attending lectures or making up classwork.  

• The semester will end on August 20, 2020.  

We are thrilled to have your student join our Rossie family and start their veterinary medicine journey. As the global public health situation of COVID-19 continues to evolve, our main priority is the health and safety of our students, our colleagues and our community. US and Canadian travel advisories remain in place and we urge you and your student to do as we have at RUSVM in adopting CDC guidelines. With this is mind, Vet Prep for the May 2020 semester is 100% online in a virtual, interactive learning environment. 
 
As with many other universities, we shifted to online education for the remainder of the current January semester. RUSVM is a part of a global university system that has a history of successful teaching online. We are successfully delivering all lectures in an online format and we are prepared to deliver your student a similar first-class virtual learning experience, while also reducing the uncertainty and risk of travel. We believe this decision will allow us to provide high-quality education while also keeping our entire community safe.  

While this does delay your student’s move to campus, we are committed to helping your student successfully transition to life in St. Kitt’s once they arrive.  We will continue to keep your student informed on timelines as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve. 

As the global public health situation continues to evolve, our main priority is the health and safety of our students and their families, our colleagues and our community. With this in mind, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine has determined it is critical to cancel the May commencement ceremony. While your student’s hard work deserves to be commemorated, we won’t be able to come together in person in May. The circumstances of this global health crisis mean we, as medical practitioners, need to lead by example in modeling social distancing and putting community safety first. We applaud your graduate for their perseverance and dedication to reaching this milestone in their veterinary medical training and will reach out to them with an update on how we plan to celebrate at a later date. Please know, this in no way lessens the importance of your graduate’s accomplishment, and if anything, further demonstrates the critical need for exceptional healthcare professionals.