Tomorrow (Friday, September 23, 2011) will be an important day for many new students here at AUC. The White Coat Ceremony is one of the two most important ceremonies in the medical student’s educational career, the other being Graduation. Performed in most medical, nursing, and PA schools around the US, it is a beautiful ceremony where the students are given their first White Coat, a cloak of trust, professionalism, and compassion. Putting on the white coat for the first time symbolizes the students’ official welcome into the greater medical community of white-coat wearers.
After studying medicine for nearly two years, I’ve come to the conclusion that doctors are always hungry, or at least when they are naming medical conditions. Whether it is a fancy Latin word that ends with the letters “-itis” or named after some famous scientist in the past, there’s countless ways one can describe diseases and symptoms. However, in the medical world, somehow, nothing describes diseases better than with food. Here are some of the more common ones I’ve come across in my studies…
Being apart really changes group dynamics. During Basic Sciences, although we all more or less know each other, groups of close friends and cliques tend to form. Then after Basic Sciences when everyone gets dispersed to different places around the US and UK, the crowd of students get shuffled again, and new bonds form, and we find new support in others we may not have gotten to know as well on the island. I think this is a good thing. It’s good to get to know people again, in a different time, place, and setting, and become a part of many interlinking network of friends.
Just within the last year alone, I have noticed a surge in the use of iPad at AUC, and it’s not a surprise as to why. As I have expressed before, the iPad is an incredible tool for med school, being both versatile and handy. There are tons of apps out there that med students find useful. I’ve downloaded and tried out quite a few apps. Here are the ones I personally like and use regularly.
Ever since moving to Miami after finishing Basic Sciences, I’ve discovered that several of my friends who are starting their rotations here have many questions concerning housing, living situations, as well as who else I know from AUC is or will be going to Miami. As I have not started clinicals yet, I myself have a lot of questions that other students may have the answer for. But who could I ask?
It’s strange how busy one can be without classes. I no longer have any lecture to catch in the mornings. I have no meetings to go to. Yet, this whole week, I’ve been getting up every morning at 7 or so to make coffee for Irene (and for myself) and get on my computer to do U-World questions or read over some First Aid. Then in the evening, I’d meet up with my classmates online and study for about 4-5 hours.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, my study buddies and I study together over Google Plus’s video conferencing several hours a day, five days a week. Here is our Step I study schedule for the next five weeks. Since all four of us use First Aid in common to study, we decided to organize our study schedule in the context of First Aid. We each use other resources as well, which we share with…
Greetings everyone! After four and a half years of living apart, Irene and I are finally building our lives together, here in our new home in Miami! New Home The area we now live in is called Brickell, the financial district of Miami, just south of Downtown. Irene has just started her Psych rotations at the VA hospital, just a…
This is going to be my last post about my time in Basic Sciences on St. Maarten. My last few days have been both relaxing, fun, hectic, and busy. Overall I’d say my time on the island had been bittersweet. It wasn’t an easy 2 years, and there had been ups and downs, but overall, I am happy with the…
So Abe got this awesome camera that takes panorama shots, so on his last day on the island, we took a road trip around the island together to capture the island with it. Check it out (click photos to enlarge)! Thanks Abe for these photos! By the way, Abe recently was named the recipient of the Summer 2011 Karl Stockhausen…
Hiking is one of the simplest and greatest ways to explore a place and enjoy nature, and St. Maarten is in no shortage of beautiful places. One of my favorite places I have found for hiking is the single-file natural trail along the coastline that links Guana Bay to Geneve Bay, on the eastern side of the island, known commonly…
Atmosphere: Johnny B Under the Tree is literally under the tree. There are picnic tables around and Johnny cooks on the grill right on the side of the road. It’s a very modest place, but Johnny’s cooking is world-class. Service: Johnny B and his wife are a cute old couple, with a charming island hospitality. My friends and I got the VIP treatment when we were there. Food: Johnny B probably has the most famous lolo (roadside grill) on the island among locals and visitors in-the-know, and for good reason. His lobster is the best we’ve had on the island.
About: Philipsburg is the capital of Dutch Sint Maarten and the political, business, and tourist center of St. Maarten Highlights: Shopping, Shopping, more Shopping, Beach, Jewelry stores, Electronic stores, Duty-free shopping, Cruise Ship, Hard Rock Cafe, Blue Bitch Bar, Guavaberry Emporium, Boardwalk, Old Courthouse, Yoda Guy.
Throughout the semesters we’ve been here at AUC School of Medicine, we’ve tackled the discipline of medicine from all sides, seeing it from the many different angles of expertise that our professors bring to us. After nearly two years of the continuous process of adding knowledge, reorganizing, and integrating our knowledge base, and synthesizing a new level of personal understanding,…
As many of you in St. Maarten know, Hurricane Luis in September 1995 was perhaps the most devastating natural disaster that hit the island in recent history. A category 4 hurricane of 165-mph winds, Luis left 19 people dead, nearly 20,000 homeless, and $3.5 billion dollars in damage in the Leeward Islands region. St. Maarten was especially hit hard, nearly…
Atmosphere: Skip Jack’s is right on the water of Simpson Bay Lagoon, very fitting for a seafood restaurant. Service: The service was really good when we went. The guy grabbing our lobster for us was really cool in letting us hold them to pose to take pics. Food: Lobster, fish, seafood.. a great place to go for seafood on the island. The lobster is so fresh that you choose it yourself live from a pool.
Atmosphere: Bamboo Bernie’s atmosphere is ultra-modern, exotic, and trendy. With its outdoor elevator leading to the restaurant, leading to the giant Buddha and tiki torches greeting you in the front, and illuminated interior, everything about the way there is well designed. Service: Most of the time, our service has been good, especially during the times we came for Happy Hour. There have been other times though when our service hasn’t been that great, but that’s more specific to this one waiter that works there at night. Food: Their specialty sushi selection is really good and they get really creative in them, including Caribbean-themed sushi w/ mango in them. Their sashimi is also very good, as well as their Sake Hour selections.
Two weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the pilot trial run for the HPI workshop, meant to be a “mock USMLE Step II clinical skills (cs) exam” that the ICM faculty are considering implementing into the ICM curriculum. For those of you who don’t know, the USMLE Step II medical board licensing exam is taken during…
As fifth semester students about to enter clinicals, it is important that we learn how to do the basic clinical skills we will be doing in the hospitals the next two years, like venipuncture, phlebotomy, suturing, or intubation. In previous semesters, I have gotten a taste of all of these skills, including drawing blood, but I have never learned how…
My name is Benji and I am a third-year medical student at the American University of the Caribbean, located on the Dutch side of the beautiful island of St. Maarten. I am currently completing my clinical rotations in the US as well as the UK. I hope you enjoy my site as I share with you this exciting and challenging phase in my journey. Thanks for visiting Diary of a Caribbean Med Student!
Atmosphere: Johnny B Under the Tree is literally under the tree. There are picnic tables around and Johnny cooks on the grill right on the side of the road. It’s a very modest place, but Johnny’s cooking is world-class.
Service: Johnny B and his wife are a cute old couple, with a charming island hospitality. My friends and I got the VIP treatment when we were there.
Food: Johnny B probably has the most famous lolo (roadside grill) on the island among locals and visitors in-the-know, and for good reason. His lobster is the best we’ve had on the island.
