Congrats Graduates — Welcome New Students
As 2025 comes to a close, Oceania University of Medicine celebrates a year filled with milestones, new initiatives, and student success. This year, 28 new doctors earned their Doctor of Medicine (MD) from OUM, representing American Samoa, Australia, North America, and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Meanwhile, 97 new students commenced on their medical school journey in 2025, joining OUM’s January cohort of 55 students and the July cohort of 42 students. With the new year just around the corner, we anticipate nearly 60 new students joining the MD Program in January 2026. (Watch OUM social media and website news for our confirmed number of incoming students.)
OUM Earned Re-Accreditation Through 2030
We are proud to say that the University underwent re-accreditation this year, resulting in the Philippine Accrediting Association for Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU) renewing our accreditation through 2030. To learn more about OUM’s accreditation, visit the Accreditation page.
Hurdle Exam Achievements Related to USMLE, AMC, OSCE
Student achievements held firm in 2025, with a 100 percent USMLE Step 2 first-time pass rate and an 84 percent USMLE Step 1 first-time pass rate, both unchanged from 2024.
In addition, OUM now offers not only USMLE Preparation, but this year introduced its AMC Preparatory Program to support students and graduates planning to pursue medical registration in Australia. Those interested in practicing in Aotearoa New Zealand are also encouraged to attend, as the AMC Part 1 is now accepted as an equivalent to the NZREX Clinical, opening an additional pathway to licensure for OUM graduates. Our comprehensive program will provide structured guidance, study resources, and faculty-led instruction to help candidates succeed on the AMC Part 1 (MCQ) examination.
OSCEs — Objective Structured Clinical Examinations — are a student’s final assessment of medical school. Graduation is often all that’s left in their journey. OUM is proud to have held three OSCEs in 2025 in May, September, and November in Brisbane with 31 students getting even closer to earning their medical degrees. Students who passed their OSCEs were from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, and Samoa.
With these accomplishments, OUM remains dedicated to shaping future medical leaders and contributing to healthier communities. Read on for more highlights, achievements, and inspiring stories from an extraordinary year. Explore OUM’s 2025 highlights below!
New Program And Resource Launches During 2025
Clinical Transition Units Assure Students are “Rotation Ready” — The first two years of medical school are strenuous, when students learn the basic sciences that form the foundation to study and practice medicine. Following this pre-clinical phase, students are ready to apply their theoretical knowledge and begin caring for patients.
But before OUM students are allowed to begin clinical rotations, they must complete Clinical Transition Units (CTUs), two eight-week training periods culminating in an in-person week. CTUs were introduced to the curriculum this year, and in-person sessions were held twice in Brisbane, Australia, and once in Apia, Samoa.
OUM’s CTUs are a revamping of the University’s previous Clinical Skills Course with additional hands-on training integrated into the coursework. During in-person week, students are taught to perfect patient histories, how to gown and glove, suture, administer intradermal injections, perform cannulation (which allows for drawing blood or administering fluids/medications), and more. CTUs ensure that students are prepared to participate in all aspects of patient care, including communication with families, airway management, EKG interpretation, and other essential skills/procedures.
Over the years, there has been an inaccurate perception that a medical student’s clinical rotations are for hands-on learning and honing skills on-the-job. However, OUM faculty clarifies that while that may be true for some training, more realistically, many clinical skills cannot be self-learned simply by observation — they need to be taught, practiced, and assessed.
New Community, Accommodation, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (CAEIC) Established
OUM established a new committee for community, accommodation, equity, and inclusion. The function of OUM’s CAEIC is to provide advice to the Academic Board on the University’s strategic directions, priorities, policies, and quality assurance processes for community, accommodation, equity, and inclusion, to promote a university culture of excellence, cultural awareness, and inclusion, and to ensure positive student outcomes. The Committee, chaired by Associate Professor Nicolette McGuire, PhD, Associate Dean for Student Engagement, will encourage excellence in accommodation, community engagement, and cultural awareness across the University.
OUM Closing the Year with New Website
The University website has been completely redesigned.
What’s new?
- More User-Friendly & Easier to Navigate — improvements to layout and flow make it simpler for users to find what they need quickly and intuitively.
- New Design with More Brand Consistency — the updated design aligns with our evolving identity, featuring unified colors, typography, and messaging that more clearly represent who we are.
- Stronger, Clearer Messaging & Structure — key pages have been reorganized to provide more meaningful, impactful information for future applicants and students.
- More Efficient to Maintain & Expand — behind the scenes, the site is now easier to update and maintain, allowing our team to keep information current, highlight new initiatives, and continually improve the user experience.
We’re proud of this milestone and look forward to seeing how it supports our community and strengthens the journey for future medical students.
See More About OUM’s 2025 Highlights
NEW STUDENTS:
Meet the impressive students who began their medical school journeys with us in 2025. Impressive pre-med school careers, multiple graduate degrees, and more.
GRADUATES:
28 new doctors earned their medical degrees from OUM in 2025. Graduates were from Aotearoa New Zealand, American Samoa, and Australia. This year’s Graduation Ceremony was held in Brisbane on Saturday, 14 June 2025. Have you seen the Graduation Video?
CLINICAL TRANSITION UNITS:
CTU In-person week launched in July with 19 students taking the course in Brisbane, Australia, and 2 students taking it in Apia, Samoa, while 16 more students completing their in-person week during November in Brisbane — that’s 37 students ready to begin clinical rotations post their CTUs.
OSCEs:
Three OSCEs were held in Brisbane this year.
- 11 students took their last med school exam at the OSCE held in May, with 4 passing all cases, an impressive accomplishment.
- 14 students passed the September OSCE, and 2 of them passed all cases.
- 6 students passed the November OSCE.
Cheers to all 31 students who passed the OSCE this year!
OUM In the NEWS:
- 11 November 2025 (Samoa Observer, Apia, Samoa)
Two Samoan academics become fellows of the Pacific Academy of Sciences
(featuring Vice Chancellor and President Dr. Satu Viali)
https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/116831 - 9 October 2025 (TALANEI.com, Pago Pago, American Samoa)
LBJ Hospital signs MOU with Oceania University of Medicine
https://www.talanei.com/2025/10/09/lbj-hospital-signs-mou-with-oceania-university-of-medicine/ - 02 July 2025 (Iredell Free Press, North Carolina, USA)
Health System welcomes inaugural class of internal medicine residents
(featuring Dr. Nunta Campbell, OUM Graduate)
https://www.iredellfreenews.com/news-features/2025/iredell-health-system-welcomes-inaugural-class-of-internal-medicine-residents/
Together We Celebrate 2025 — Preparing for a Bright 2026
As we close out 2025, OUM extends heartfelt gratitude to our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners for their dedication and commitment throughout the year. Together, these efforts have not only led to individual accomplishments but have also advanced OUM’s mission to prepare compassionate, skilled medical professionals who make a meaningful impact worldwide.
We celebrate our graduates for reaching this significant milestone and commend their hard work and perseverance. To our current and incoming students, we look forward to supporting you as you continue your journey toward becoming physicians.
Thank you for being part of the OUM community. We look ahead to 2026 with excitement and optimism for another year of success and growth.