Cost of Supplies

Hi everyone! Moving to a new place like St. Maarten and deciding what to pack from home can be a headache, especially if you are not sure whether you should buy something on the island when you get here or bring it from home. Luckily in St. Maarten, you can pretty much find most things you need. For those of… Continue reading

Traveling in the UK

There’s no doubt that coming to the UK for rotations is a unique experience, not only because of the well-known clinical learning opportunities of the UK teaching hospitals, but also because of the many great travel opportunities here as well. While my six weeks in the UK was shorter than how long most AUC students who come here stay, I… Continue reading

ECT

When my attending suggested that I go check out Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The first thing that came to my head was the disturbing scene in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest in which Jack Nicholson was restrained by a group of nurses and doctors and while consciously talking, and obviously unaware of what… Continue reading

Weekend in Scotland

Coming abroad to the UK for clinical studies, it’s difficult not to take advantage of the weekends to explore the country. Being in an age-old and dynamic place as the UK, the travel opportunities are endless, and relatively easy, with the extensive train networks and public transportation here. This past weekend, after a week of ward rounds, patient interviews, and… Continue reading

York

This past Saturday, my friend Sebastian and I took a 2-hour train ride from Blackburn where we were doing clinical rotations to the beautiful medieval city of York, in northeastern England. York was founded by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago, as the capital of Rome’s northernmost imperial reaches. The city was later conquered by the Vikings, and became the… Continue reading

English English

Being in England for a week already, I’m already getting a sense of some differences between American English and British English, particularly the English spoken in Blackburn, Lancashire. While I find myself putting a little more effort and focus into listening when other people are speaking, I find that adjusting to the English here hasn’t been as difficult as I… Continue reading

The Waiting Game

Now that the step is over, I’m playing the waiting game… waiting to schedule my rotations and waiting to start clinicals.  I feel like this entire semester has been a semester of anxiety: I’ve been anxious while studying, anxious during the test, anxious after the test, anxious waiting  for scores, and just when I think I get a brief moment… Continue reading

Sports at AUC

AUC does not have official school-sponsored sports groups. However, AUC students have always put together sports groups. Throughout my time on the island, I have seen basketball, soccer, street hockey, and softball teams created by AUC students. Many groups, like the AUC Bacteriophages (men’s softball) and the Cushingnoids (men’s soccer) have competed with local island teams in the St. Maarten… Continue reading

Passed Step 1

Dear Friends, Family, and Blog Readers, I’m happy to announce that I have passed Step 1 of the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam! It’s such a big relief, and one that marks the end of the first half of my journey through med school and beginning of a new phase: clinical rotations! Thank you to my friends, family, all those at… Continue reading