WILLEMSTAD – For many young people on Curaçao, becoming a doctor can feel like an impossible dream. But Dr. Aemil Palm hopes his story will show local students that a medical career is within reach — and that it can begin right here on the island at Sint Martinus University (SMU).
At just 26 years old, Palm has already completed medical school, passed all three United States Medical Licensing Exams (USMLE), worked as a general practitioner and returned to SMU as a lecturer to help guide the next generation of doctors.
Graduation Day
Palm began his journey at SMU in 2017 immediately after graduating from high school at the age of 17. Unlike many medical schools abroad that require students to first complete a bachelor’s degree, SMU allowed him to directly enter medical training.
“I knew I wanted to do this,” Palm explained during an interview with Curaçao Chronicle. “If you know yourself and you believe you can do it, then why not go right into it?”
He completed his basic sciences partly on Curaçao and partly online from the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic before continuing his clinical rotations in Michigan in the United States.
According to Palm, studying and living in the U.S. turned out to be far less intimidating than many students on Curaçao might imagine.
“Culturally, the U.S. is much more similar to Curaçao than many people think,” he said. “The biggest difference was really the climate. Michigan is very cold.”
Palm believes Curaçao students are naturally well prepared to adapt internationally because of the island’s multilingual and multicultural environment. He says local students should not fear pursuing education abroad.
“No, not at all,” he said when asked whether Curaçao students should be concerned about culture shock in the United States.
Today, Palm works as a general practitioner on Curaçao, supports local clinics as a locum physician, teaches at SMU and is also active within Curaçao’s growing medical tourism sector, assisting visitors with urgent healthcare services and prescriptions.
Despite his accomplishments, Palm emphasizes that success in medicine is not reserved for geniuses.
“A lot of people think medicine is impossible for the average person,” he explained. “The difficult part is not that the information is too hard. The challenge is the amount of information you need to retain.”
According to him, discipline, consistency and discovering an effective study method are far more important than natural talent.
“You can still have a balanced life,” Palm said. “But you need a consistent study routine that works for you.”
One of the most difficult moments in his journey came during the COVID-19 pandemic while preparing for the first USMLE board examination — an eight-hour test widely considered one of the toughest medical exams in the world.
Palm admitted he initially struggled and eventually had to completely change his study strategy before succeeding.
In the end, he successfully passed all three USMLE licensing examinations — a major achievement that can open international opportunities far beyond the United States.
According to Palm, USMLE credentials are also valuable in countries including Australia, Canada, Curaçao, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Qatar, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
“From my personal experience, Curaçao and the Netherlands definitely recognize the value of these credentials,” Palm noted.
He hopes his story will inspire more Curaçao students to realize that international medical careers are possible without immediately leaving the island.
“If you want to study medicine in the U.S., then as a local, SMU is your best choice,” he said. “Even if you want to come back to Curaçao, SMU is one of the best options.”
Looking ahead, Palm plans to continue specializing in areas such as family medicine or internal medicine while eventually opening his own practice.
For now, however, one of his main goals remains helping young people on Curaçao believe in themselves and their future.
“You don’t have to know everything right away,” he said. “You don’t have to know exactly where you’ll be in ten years. But as long as you have a vision, you can get there.”