Diary of a Caribbean Med Student

When we parted earlier this year, I never knew when was the next time I would see Chris and Arif again. While on the island, we were always together since the beginning. Together we can be so honest to each other that it didn’t matter what we said. These guys were the best. But as honest as we were to… Continue reading

Being away from the Caribbean for a few months already, I can truly say I miss the beautiful beaches, the community, the warm weather, the water, the cultural diversity, the food, the mountains, and the friends I’ve made there. However, there is one thing I DON’T miss about living in the Caribbean…
Note: This was a particularly unusually gnat/mosquito-infested day.… Continue reading

Ever since I moved to Miami to study for my USMLE Step 1 exam, my life has been pretty routine: wake up, study in the morning, meet with study group, finish study group, and afterwards, you guessed it… study some more… you get the point. But today my routine was a bit different. While I was studying some medical case… Continue reading

Our generation is living in an age of social media, where communication is getting ever easier and learning has expanded beyond the books. With the advent of social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube, we’re finding more and more ways to use social media to ease and enhance our learning experience. As a med student, here are 5 ways I’ve… Continue reading

With the approaching autumn, Irene and I decided to have our first hot pot night of the cold season. Hot Pot is a tradition in both of our families, with everyone cooking fresh meats, vegetables, noodles, fish cakes, and an assortment of other wonderful things over a steaming "hot pot" of broth in the center of the table while eating, sharing a good time together. While you can find hot pot anytime of the year, it's especially common during the winter months. Here's some fish cake. Continue reading

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. Continue reading

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... Continue reading

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. Continue reading

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. Continue reading

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? Continue reading

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. Continue reading

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... Continue reading

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… Continue reading

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. Looking back, I’d say my time on the island had been absolutely amazing, although bittersweet. It wasn’t an easy 2 years, and there had been ups and downs, but in the… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

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. Continue reading

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,… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

NBME Comprehensive Exam Passed Kaplan Comprehensive Exam Passed Basic Sciences It’s been great… cya later Basic Sciences! I am DONE! 🙂… Continue reading