Patan Academy of Health Sciences

PAHS is implementing a highly progressive curriculum, modeled after modern curricula used by a growing number of Western medical schools. The curriculum at PAHS focuses on community health, the values of service and altruism, and the health of the entire population, to enhance students’ sensitivity to the health care needs of the rural poor.

Students from rural areas are strongly encouraged to apply to and enroll in PAHS with a view to increase the likelihood of PAHS graduates practicing in remote areas. Preference is given to female applicants, members of socially disadvantaged groups, and applicants who have been employed as paramedics in remote regions.

To supplement the core training in Patan Hospital, PAHS students are assigned to clinical postings at rural hospitals and health care centers throughout the diverse ethnic landscape of Nepal, with an emphasis on regions with disadvantaged populations. Students begin these rotations in their first year at PAHS and continue them throughout their medical education. Students’ experiences at these community postings will reinforce the principles of social responsibility and compassion that the PAHS curriculum is designed to instill in them. At the remote postings, students live with local villagers and learn to overcome the apprehensions associated with working with limited resources in unfamiliar cultures.

The hospitals and health care centers where students complete these rotations are carefully chosen to ensure that students have positive learning experiences. PAHS faculty and staff give the students careful guidance and moral support, in addition to providing them with practical knowledge.