Diary of a Caribbean Med Student

It’s amazing how time flies. I’m already a little more than half-way through this rotation! The family medicine rotation at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital is 6 weeks total and during this time, we are assigned to 3 weeks of inpatient shifts and 3 weeks of outpatient shifts. This past week, I just finished my outpatient portion, and have started my inpatient portion.… Continue reading

I first met Gina during my family med rotation. After years of smoking and drug use, her voice was deep and raspy, despite being only 23. I could tell her skin was weathered, hiding under a thick layer of makeup and mascara. She had come in for a drug detox, and needed an initial physical exam. “Are you pregnant?” Dr.… Continue reading

Hello all! I’ve just survived my first week in New York City! Although I’m rotating in the Bronx, I decided to stay in Manhattan due to some people’s suggestions. Because I want to enjoy the perks of being in Manhattan but also be close to the Bronx (and save money at the same time), I’ve decided to stay in northern… Continue reading

From day one when I first met my class, I’ve always been amazed at the caliber of students that come into and out of AUC, despite being a Caribbean medical school. I see the drive and the passion in my classmates, upperclassmen, and alumni. Many of us are motivated by our past mistakes, our desire to not give up on… Continue reading

Yet again, I have finished another rotation… pediatrics is DONE! I just took my NBME shelf exam for pediatrics on Friday in Miami, and now as I write this, I am in the middle of New York City, about to start my next rotation in family medicine at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital for the next 6 weeks. I am going to miss… Continue reading

It’s been about a year since I left St. Maarten. Since leaving, I have passed the USMLE Step 1, gotten married, finished a psych rotation in Blackburn, England, then finished a psych sub-internship, internal medicine rotation, and pediatric rotation in Miami. How time flies! Sure, there were a lot of things that I don’t miss about the island… like the… Continue reading

Ever since leaving the island, I’ve been joining the Facebook groups of different incoming classes at AUC to update myself as of what’s going on on campus, and to be of use here and there and participate in discussions. I’m probably the only clinical student that still participate in the groups, which were originally created for the student orientation advisors… Continue reading

“We’re going to play a game” Dr. Vuong said to Erin and me.”I’d like you to go into the next room and ask the patient’s mother everything about the patient but the age. I’ll tell the mother not to reveal to you her baby’s age. Then, I’d like you to come back to me, then using the clues you’ve gathered,… Continue reading

Being multilingual opens up tons of opportunities for doctors to communicate better with patients. By far, Spanish is the second most common language spoken in the United States (and the world) and it is growing. Some places in the US, Spanish first-language speakers are the majority. Here in Miami, Spanish is the language of the streets and the workplace, and… Continue reading

Hey everyone! As you can see, I’ve been really busy with rotations and shelf exams that I haven’t been updating my blog as much these past few months. Just an update, I am doing well and am in the middle of my pediatric rotation right now in Miami. My attending right now Dr. Calle has been great. The other AUC… Continue reading

In Basic Sciences, we learned about what the normal body is and how diseases can make it abnormal. However, in Clinical Sciences, the emphasis is more on diagnosis, treatment, and decision-making, particularly what the next best step in the management of an individual patient is.  Deciding what the “next best step” is for a patient is a challenge and may… Continue reading

During your clinical rotations, it’s always nice to have a pocket pharmacopedia with you, and a reference handbook, and a calculator, and a pen light, and your textbooks… but unfortunately there are only so many things you can fit in the pockets of your white coat. Luckily, the iPhone and other smart handheld devices have applications that can replace all… Continue reading

After rotating in internal medicine for the past two months, it’s clear to me that medicine is an art that requires the awareness of all the senses… Through vision we can detect any lesions, changes of color, and general health of our patients. Through touch we can determine the location, size, shape, and texture of an abnormal mass or organ.… Continue reading

Last week, AUC broke ground for a new building on campus. It will be located at where the current basketball court is, replacing it. The green lawn in front of the main building will be flattened (currently it is a slope). The building has three levels above ground, which will house new small group study rooms, faculty offices, a new… Continue reading

I’d like to take a moment to express how thankful I am with my life right now. First of all, I am living with my wife, Irene, who makes me happy everyday that I’m with her. We both share similar experiences, as we both are students and roughly have the same schedule of going to rotations in the mornings and… Continue reading

We all know diabetes and obesity are rising health problems plaguing our country today. As a nation, our belt sizes are getting wider and wider. Sure, some of us blame McDonald’s or fried chicken, but I feel one thing we really need to change is our cultural perception that sodas are beverages. Sodas have become America’s number one source of… Continue reading

Now that I have finished both a psychiatry core rotation at the Royal Blackburn Hospital in the UK as well as a psychiatry sub-internship elective rotation at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami, I’ve come to understand the main similarities and differences between the practice of psychiatry in these two locations. While the diagnoses and treatments are more or less the… Continue reading

Hi everyone! I have just completed my first two weeks of my internal medicine rotation, with ten more weeks to go, and already, I’ve seen quite some interesting cases. I had the opportunity to see patients with enterocutaneous fistula, respiratory failure, COPD, crush injuries, hematemesis, among many. As my current attending is also in charge of the hyperbaric chambers here… Continue reading

As third year medical students, my classmates and I have passed the halfway point of our medical school careers and it is a good time for us to start thinking more about what we’d be interested in doing for our careers. Many of us probably entered medical school thinking we know exactly what we wanted to do. I certainly did.… Continue reading