Good evening from St. Kitts / Ottawa (Sorry the post took me a bit of time)
So looking at the archive on the right, I see that my last post was in October. For that I am sorry. The reason behind this is time. After my last post in October, I failed to find opertune moments to write more entries. When I did have the time, I didnt have the energy. This ended up being the case for the rest of the semester apparentlyl! But dont worry, I will be getting back into it now.
The biggest news I have to share is that my time in St. Kitts has come to an end. Today was my final exam, and I got the all clear from the Dean that I am on my way to Maine! This is a very exciting time, but also comes with some mixed emotions. At the end of this post, I will be sure to get all inspirational and such, but until then, I have lots of catching up to do. I will write about a few different things that I would have liked to have written here at various times in the semester. Please feel free to read whichever headings seem intersting to you:)
Student Governent
Wihle my time as a student in St. Kitts comes to an end, my time with student Government also comes to an end. As was mentioned previous, I fulfilled the position of Vice president this semester. It was a super great oppertunity, and I got to work with some fantastic people. I highly reccomend SGA to any of you soon to be UMHS students out there. You wont regret it.
Some of the events that happened
-Sunfest: The usual event that happens post block 2. There was a beach, drinks, food, and fun. The only issue was that the sky was grey and it rained... But only for a bit! Still a success.
-Med-Olymics: O wait, no it was cancelled. Another club at the school decided to have a catamaran trip that same day, and something about one of the classes having an exam, so there was not enough interest to make the event worth while. After two successful semeseters in a row of Olympics, its okay to take one off :)
-Food Trucks: For all of you new students, you are welcome. It was a project we have been working on for the last 2 semestes. Students wanted an alternative to the regular calf food, so after working with administraiton in SK and with President Ross, we aquired three food venders that now operate on Campus. The three are Rituals Coffee (Essentlly island Starbucks), Shawarma king, and Spice of Inida. All the most popular places student like to eat. It was great having some choice with regards to food, and not being forced to eat Chicken Parm on Wednesday and Fried chicken on Friday for once..
-Ross Vet Collaberation: Another goal of ours this semester was to connect with our neighbours. We are all students living on this island for a good while, why not branch out and meet new people. We met with the exec board of the One health club at Ross earlier in the semester, and ended p having a BBQ with them a few weeks ago. It was lots of fun. We had a good turn out from both sides, and got to meet some great people. We also opened the doors for many more events in the following semesters. Already we have a planned debate night where we will have a faculty lead debate on varous medicine topics that span both human and veterinary medicine, such as Lyme disease etc. Im am sad I wont be a part of this..
-Video Shoot: As part of the SGA and ambassdor programe, I got to take part in a video shoot that was being conducted for new schol advertising. I got to make a few appearances in there, so keep an eye for those videos to pop up on the UMHS website at some point in the future ;)
Those are the more excitng things to do with SGA. Everything else is just the regular old stuff.
Ambassador Program
There is not much to report here. Talked to a bunch of people, got hung up on a few times, tried my best to help people out etc. The one intersting piece of news is the possibility to extend the program to Maine. A few of us who are leaving this semester were asked if we would like to continue our roles as ambassadors while in Maine. This is a paid position (Deduction from tuition) so I am all for it. I dont know all the specifics yet, just that it will happen! Ill keep you posted on that. This is another great opertunity for you new students to get involved!
Hospital rotations
This is where I left off last post. I was just about ready to start hospital rotations. Well those finished quite a while ago, but I am happy to share the experience. First off, it was great. I think looking back, it will be amazing to know that you were able to gain experience in a hospital setting such as SK. We are expected to do 5 rotations at the hospital. Those are Internal medicine x2, Surgery, OBGYN, and Peadiatrics. The day will go as follows. Arrive at hospital, head to your ward, meet the Doc who will be in charge, you are assigned a patient in groups of about 3, will have about 40 minutes to take a history and conduct any physical examinations you wish, and then attend a seminar presented by one of the hospital docs. This takes about an hour. After that, you return to the ward and discuss all the cases with the Doctor. Each one has a different approach, but it will consist of you giving your full report and him asking you a bunch of questions. It was great experience and we got to test out practical knowldge quite a bit. I took a lot from the experiecne and hope that everyone does as well.
The only downside to it all is the working condiritons. There is no AC in the hsopital. This means you will be stading up for 5 hours in dress cloths and a lab coat in the heat of SK. Not the most fun at at times. You get used to this by the end. The hospital is a very neat component of your last semester, and it is really the first practical hospital expericne you get on this journey. Try to make the best of it.
Maine Housing
The one thing I will say here is get a head start. The school provides you with little help in finding housing, so dont waste time assuming they will give you a big master list of houses to choose from. There are a few suggested places on the UMHS website, but they are quite expensive. At least more then what I am used to paying in SK. Feel free to check them out if you choose. Sometime after block three, you will also get a list of housing from staff in Maine. There are some decent houses there, but the problem is that lots of them are already taken by then time the list comes out. Most of those houses are also listed on craiglist which is where most students will find their houses. Obviously, be carefull with this i.e. dont be sending money to people unless you know it is legit.
In terms of places to live, depends on what you like. Old orchard beach is popular, but a bit farther way from school. Its up to personal preference. Most people will have a car in Maine, so just mapquest stuff and see what you are comfortable with.
SCC
SCC or Student Clinician Ceremony is a ceremnony that final semester people attend. Other semesters are welcome to go as well, but they have to pay for their seats. Most of the time it is held at either the Marriott or Carambola. This semester it was at Carambola. It was a nice venue, but because it is an open concept design, it was very hot and there was quite a few mosquites. It was still a very nice ceremony and one of the last times you have to dress up while on the island ;) There will be some pictures at the bottom, and some of them will be of SCC.
ICM
ICM finishes about a week and a half befor exams start. This is really nice. When you are in your last semester, having only two exams to study for will be so nice. Especially if you are in MED and used to 4 exams a semester. All in all, this course was great. As descussed earlier, there is a lab component as well as a written. You will have a block exam each block, two practical exams, final presentation, and SOAP notes. These are written summaries essentially of the patients that you have seen in the hospital. You have to hand in two off these by the end of the semester. They are a bit tedious, but get used to them becuase its what we do for the next two years while we do clinical rotations. The block exams for ICM are not bad. Certinaly devote most of your time to Path and Pharm, but dont let ICM slip either. With only 40 question exams, its pretty easy to go from an A to a C if you are not carefull. You will get a good guage after block 1. Practical exmas are pretty fun. They are just like PD, except you are expected to know more, and the questions are a bit tougher. For your final practical, aside from the 3 ICM proffs there are also 3 hospital doctors who come to evaluate. You will either get 2 hospital docs and 1 ICM proff, or 2 ICM proffs and 1 Hospital doc. Its all luck of the draw. The hospital docs are pretty good. They are the ones we work with when we do our hospital rotations, so we know them already. This course is fun. Enjoy it, dont let it stress you out.
Pharmocology
Another fun class. There is nothing too difficult about the class conceptually, what makes it difficult is the fact that there is so much material that you are expected to know. To me, it was very interesting though. Real medicine, real application. You get a taste of pharmcology with others courses, but with Pharm it puts it all together. There is lots to know, so make sure you spend the time. There were not any real good questions to practice from except for Uworld. I find it hard to do questions for a class when you have to search far and wide for them. If you stick with the material provided, you will be fine for the course. Obiously our goal is to do as many questions as possible befor Step, but after the course, when you have gone over everything, you can better and more efficiently answer questions. Just stick with this course. Dont let other people psych you out and dont get scared becuase of its name. Is a fun course, enjoy it.
Pahology II
Like all the other last semester courses, this is another great one. One of the main reasons for this is the professor. He makes class very interesting and is one of the best proffs at the school. For those of you who are thinking about coming to UMHS, I hope he is still teaching when you get there because you are all in for a treat. The key to success in this course is to study. The material is plentifull, and the tests are hard. Gone are the days of choice A B C D. Get used to reading a paragraph long questions of lab vlaues and patient presentation only to look at the answer choices and see choice A though J. No joke. You know it or you dont. One way to succeed is to do questions. There are quite a few good resources for practice Q's, but those will be made aware to you when you take the class. Uworld is always the best, and you might see very similar questions on his tests. I wont tell you the other sources now, because I guarantee you wont remember what I say by the time you get to your last semester. All the sources will be given to you by the time your get there, or at least will be super easy to find. You will feel pretty impressed with yourself when you finish this course.
Prepping for Maine
I know when I first started the basic science portion of the program in SK, Maine was a fairly distant stage that I didnt worry too much about at the time. As you start to progress through the program, you obvisouly learn more about life past SK. At this point, I will give you a quick overview of the things you need to think about as you get ready to leave the island.
First off, which I have already mentioned is the vaccinations. This is the first thing you should start to think about as you enter into your last semester, or on the break right befor you start your last semester. This is a very important step, and it is best to meet with the school nurse well in advance so you know what you need to get done for both Maine and Rotations. If you do things right, you can be ready for even the clinical program after Maine. Next is working on housing, which I have already mentioned aswell. After those two, most of your preparation is done. Actually, one other important thing might be trying to decide what you want to do for transportation while in Maine. Ive been told that it is failry essential to have access to a car, so you might want to do a bit of research. I live close enought to Maine that I can drive, so I will be taking a car myself. Other people will often rent a car in Maine (proabably a bit expensive), but I have also been told that there is a market to purchase cars as well. I havent done much research here becuase I am bringin my own. A lot of students will trade off cars with students who are finished their semester in Maine. So there are options for you, just be sure you think about it and maybe budget in a few extra dollars. If you are rooming with someone who has a car, there is a chance that you could carpool. It is not a guarantee, but Carol in Maine does a great job at making sure roomates who carpool have similar schedules. This means you will both have to be in the same group A/B (so get vaccinations in early!), as well having the same preceptor while in Maine. Most of the clinicals or hospitals that we will rotate with are a fair distance from school. Definitally not walking distance, and the bus system is not very established so Im told. The staff in Maine are great to deal with, so be sure to ask them any questions you may have as you get closer.
Another thing to think about when going to Maine would be the ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) course that we all must take befor rotating in hospitals. You are able to get this course on your own if you choose, but they also offer is as an optional course in Maine. The cost is just under 400US and you need to have that money for the first day. It is not included in tuition. This means that one weekend will be used for the ACLS course. You could probably find it for a bit cheaper on your own, but if you do it in Maine, you will be doing the course with all your classmates which will add to the experience no doubt. The onther thing you might be able to do ahead of Maine would be a CPR HCP course. Not sure if you nead SFA, but definitelly the first two. This is quite a chore if you have never gotten these courses befor, as you cant take them at the same time usually. HCP is like the "next step" course. If you dont get it on your own, you can take it in Maine as well, similar to ACLS. I dont think there is a cost to it. If you already have them, then you are exempt. Just something to think about,
The rest of Maine prep is pretty tailored to your own preferences. Some people study befor Maine for the entrance exam, some dont. Up to you. It is designed to be a diagnostic to see where you sit after SK, but some people will brush up on some previous material. It is not meant to be an exam where you study hard for, it meant to be a dignostic. So do whatever you are comfortable with I suppose.
My preceptor
Befor you leave the island, you will fill out a survey which outlines your previous experience and interests for purpose of pairing you with a preceptor. I am interested in EM, but this was not an option unfortunatelly. A few days ago we were sent our preceptor assigments and I have been assigned to a Surgeon at the Central Maine Medical Centre! This is pretty cool. I called his office the other day and I am in surgery day one! We will be spending one day a week with our preceptors and I think this will be a good experience. I will be sure to keep you guys informed.
This is about it for now. There obviously was a lot that happened during the two months that I didnt write any blog posts, but that is what happens when you dont do this regularily. You talk about the big stuff and leave out the small stuff. I will be better in Maine and will try to update this more frequently. I like being able to look back and remember all these experiences, but you forget a lot, or things get blended together and its hard to put in down on paper after the fact.
Things Ive learned (Last SK edition!!)
- Flying to Puerto Rico with Liat this semeseter has been an absoute nightmare for people. People were stranded all over the place and had to resort to chartering flight to get them home.
- I remember I have a housing deposit in St Kitts that I have to try to get back.
- SK is changing so much! They are building everywhere and I am excited to be able to see what the island is transformed into over the next few years. I just hope that the rugged nature aspect of the island is maintinaed as best as possible.
- While I spent about a year and a half on the island, I still never really got used to the heat and craved the cold weather. I certinaly built up a toerance to it, but it is just too unnatural for a Candian :P very nice at times, but also way to hot at other times.
- I never for to snorkel the shipwreck. I really wanted to do that..
- I left SK happy that I actually experienced the island. So many people will go through 2 years on the island, and many have never actually experienced it. They go form home to School and thats it. They have never gone on a hike, never drove around the island, never went to Nevis, never went to any landmarks like Brimestone or anything!! I dont unerstand it. All I ask is that you guys get out and explore if at all possible. It is a beutiful island and I want you guys to enjoy your time there. Its a wonderful experience.
- Cows can run fast
- I will miss SK and the people there dearly.
As I finsih this part of my medical edcuation, I look back with nothing but happy memories. Of course there were times that you got upset, that you were stressed out, got very little sleep, but in all honesty the happy moment massivly outshined the negatives. I was able to make the best of my time there and I really hope that everytone else can figure out a way to do that same. Looking back a few years down the road, St. Kitts should be a distant memory of an amazing life advanture. I know it will be for me. And to all those still on the island, I wish you the best of luck and cant wait to meet you guys down the road in the halls of a hospital somewhere. Only we will know what it took to get there, and that will be a connection we will share forever!
To finish, I want to include something that a fellow classmate named Adrianna wrote that I think sums up many peopls feeling of the island so well..
You're never really prepared for the biggest parts of your life. I was not prepared to hate island life, to be a patient when I was studying to be a doctor, to fail, to succeed. I was never prepared to feel so lonely, isolated, determined, or mentally and emotionally fatigued. I was not prepared to miss so much time with family and friends. I was never prepared to meet strangers who became family. I was never prepared for any exam or 8am lecture. I ended up not prepared to leave the island home that has stolen a piece of our hearts and minds and didn't bring tissues when I cried on the plane- again, not prepared. Despite all of this, and mostly because of this, I am prepared for a lifetime of serving others in medicine and I feel prepared for every challenge life will throw at me. Ready for the next adventure! #SKN
Cheers,
Mike
So looking at the archive on the right, I see that my last post was in October. For that I am sorry. The reason behind this is time. After my last post in October, I failed to find opertune moments to write more entries. When I did have the time, I didnt have the energy. This ended up being the case for the rest of the semester apparentlyl! But dont worry, I will be getting back into it now.
The biggest news I have to share is that my time in St. Kitts has come to an end. Today was my final exam, and I got the all clear from the Dean that I am on my way to Maine! This is a very exciting time, but also comes with some mixed emotions. At the end of this post, I will be sure to get all inspirational and such, but until then, I have lots of catching up to do. I will write about a few different things that I would have liked to have written here at various times in the semester. Please feel free to read whichever headings seem intersting to you:)
Student Governent
Wihle my time as a student in St. Kitts comes to an end, my time with student Government also comes to an end. As was mentioned previous, I fulfilled the position of Vice president this semester. It was a super great oppertunity, and I got to work with some fantastic people. I highly reccomend SGA to any of you soon to be UMHS students out there. You wont regret it.
Some of the events that happened
-Sunfest: The usual event that happens post block 2. There was a beach, drinks, food, and fun. The only issue was that the sky was grey and it rained... But only for a bit! Still a success.
-Med-Olymics: O wait, no it was cancelled. Another club at the school decided to have a catamaran trip that same day, and something about one of the classes having an exam, so there was not enough interest to make the event worth while. After two successful semeseters in a row of Olympics, its okay to take one off :)
-Food Trucks: For all of you new students, you are welcome. It was a project we have been working on for the last 2 semestes. Students wanted an alternative to the regular calf food, so after working with administraiton in SK and with President Ross, we aquired three food venders that now operate on Campus. The three are Rituals Coffee (Essentlly island Starbucks), Shawarma king, and Spice of Inida. All the most popular places student like to eat. It was great having some choice with regards to food, and not being forced to eat Chicken Parm on Wednesday and Fried chicken on Friday for once..
-Ross Vet Collaberation: Another goal of ours this semester was to connect with our neighbours. We are all students living on this island for a good while, why not branch out and meet new people. We met with the exec board of the One health club at Ross earlier in the semester, and ended p having a BBQ with them a few weeks ago. It was lots of fun. We had a good turn out from both sides, and got to meet some great people. We also opened the doors for many more events in the following semesters. Already we have a planned debate night where we will have a faculty lead debate on varous medicine topics that span both human and veterinary medicine, such as Lyme disease etc. Im am sad I wont be a part of this..
-Video Shoot: As part of the SGA and ambassdor programe, I got to take part in a video shoot that was being conducted for new schol advertising. I got to make a few appearances in there, so keep an eye for those videos to pop up on the UMHS website at some point in the future ;)
Those are the more excitng things to do with SGA. Everything else is just the regular old stuff.
Ambassador Program
There is not much to report here. Talked to a bunch of people, got hung up on a few times, tried my best to help people out etc. The one intersting piece of news is the possibility to extend the program to Maine. A few of us who are leaving this semester were asked if we would like to continue our roles as ambassadors while in Maine. This is a paid position (Deduction from tuition) so I am all for it. I dont know all the specifics yet, just that it will happen! Ill keep you posted on that. This is another great opertunity for you new students to get involved!
Hospital rotations
This is where I left off last post. I was just about ready to start hospital rotations. Well those finished quite a while ago, but I am happy to share the experience. First off, it was great. I think looking back, it will be amazing to know that you were able to gain experience in a hospital setting such as SK. We are expected to do 5 rotations at the hospital. Those are Internal medicine x2, Surgery, OBGYN, and Peadiatrics. The day will go as follows. Arrive at hospital, head to your ward, meet the Doc who will be in charge, you are assigned a patient in groups of about 3, will have about 40 minutes to take a history and conduct any physical examinations you wish, and then attend a seminar presented by one of the hospital docs. This takes about an hour. After that, you return to the ward and discuss all the cases with the Doctor. Each one has a different approach, but it will consist of you giving your full report and him asking you a bunch of questions. It was great experience and we got to test out practical knowldge quite a bit. I took a lot from the experiecne and hope that everyone does as well.
The only downside to it all is the working condiritons. There is no AC in the hsopital. This means you will be stading up for 5 hours in dress cloths and a lab coat in the heat of SK. Not the most fun at at times. You get used to this by the end. The hospital is a very neat component of your last semester, and it is really the first practical hospital expericne you get on this journey. Try to make the best of it.
Maine Housing
The one thing I will say here is get a head start. The school provides you with little help in finding housing, so dont waste time assuming they will give you a big master list of houses to choose from. There are a few suggested places on the UMHS website, but they are quite expensive. At least more then what I am used to paying in SK. Feel free to check them out if you choose. Sometime after block three, you will also get a list of housing from staff in Maine. There are some decent houses there, but the problem is that lots of them are already taken by then time the list comes out. Most of those houses are also listed on craiglist which is where most students will find their houses. Obviously, be carefull with this i.e. dont be sending money to people unless you know it is legit.
In terms of places to live, depends on what you like. Old orchard beach is popular, but a bit farther way from school. Its up to personal preference. Most people will have a car in Maine, so just mapquest stuff and see what you are comfortable with.
SCC
SCC or Student Clinician Ceremony is a ceremnony that final semester people attend. Other semesters are welcome to go as well, but they have to pay for their seats. Most of the time it is held at either the Marriott or Carambola. This semester it was at Carambola. It was a nice venue, but because it is an open concept design, it was very hot and there was quite a few mosquites. It was still a very nice ceremony and one of the last times you have to dress up while on the island ;) There will be some pictures at the bottom, and some of them will be of SCC.
ICM
ICM finishes about a week and a half befor exams start. This is really nice. When you are in your last semester, having only two exams to study for will be so nice. Especially if you are in MED and used to 4 exams a semester. All in all, this course was great. As descussed earlier, there is a lab component as well as a written. You will have a block exam each block, two practical exams, final presentation, and SOAP notes. These are written summaries essentially of the patients that you have seen in the hospital. You have to hand in two off these by the end of the semester. They are a bit tedious, but get used to them becuase its what we do for the next two years while we do clinical rotations. The block exams for ICM are not bad. Certinaly devote most of your time to Path and Pharm, but dont let ICM slip either. With only 40 question exams, its pretty easy to go from an A to a C if you are not carefull. You will get a good guage after block 1. Practical exmas are pretty fun. They are just like PD, except you are expected to know more, and the questions are a bit tougher. For your final practical, aside from the 3 ICM proffs there are also 3 hospital doctors who come to evaluate. You will either get 2 hospital docs and 1 ICM proff, or 2 ICM proffs and 1 Hospital doc. Its all luck of the draw. The hospital docs are pretty good. They are the ones we work with when we do our hospital rotations, so we know them already. This course is fun. Enjoy it, dont let it stress you out.
Pharmocology
Another fun class. There is nothing too difficult about the class conceptually, what makes it difficult is the fact that there is so much material that you are expected to know. To me, it was very interesting though. Real medicine, real application. You get a taste of pharmcology with others courses, but with Pharm it puts it all together. There is lots to know, so make sure you spend the time. There were not any real good questions to practice from except for Uworld. I find it hard to do questions for a class when you have to search far and wide for them. If you stick with the material provided, you will be fine for the course. Obiously our goal is to do as many questions as possible befor Step, but after the course, when you have gone over everything, you can better and more efficiently answer questions. Just stick with this course. Dont let other people psych you out and dont get scared becuase of its name. Is a fun course, enjoy it.
Pahology II
Like all the other last semester courses, this is another great one. One of the main reasons for this is the professor. He makes class very interesting and is one of the best proffs at the school. For those of you who are thinking about coming to UMHS, I hope he is still teaching when you get there because you are all in for a treat. The key to success in this course is to study. The material is plentifull, and the tests are hard. Gone are the days of choice A B C D. Get used to reading a paragraph long questions of lab vlaues and patient presentation only to look at the answer choices and see choice A though J. No joke. You know it or you dont. One way to succeed is to do questions. There are quite a few good resources for practice Q's, but those will be made aware to you when you take the class. Uworld is always the best, and you might see very similar questions on his tests. I wont tell you the other sources now, because I guarantee you wont remember what I say by the time you get to your last semester. All the sources will be given to you by the time your get there, or at least will be super easy to find. You will feel pretty impressed with yourself when you finish this course.
Prepping for Maine
I know when I first started the basic science portion of the program in SK, Maine was a fairly distant stage that I didnt worry too much about at the time. As you start to progress through the program, you obvisouly learn more about life past SK. At this point, I will give you a quick overview of the things you need to think about as you get ready to leave the island.
First off, which I have already mentioned is the vaccinations. This is the first thing you should start to think about as you enter into your last semester, or on the break right befor you start your last semester. This is a very important step, and it is best to meet with the school nurse well in advance so you know what you need to get done for both Maine and Rotations. If you do things right, you can be ready for even the clinical program after Maine. Next is working on housing, which I have already mentioned aswell. After those two, most of your preparation is done. Actually, one other important thing might be trying to decide what you want to do for transportation while in Maine. Ive been told that it is failry essential to have access to a car, so you might want to do a bit of research. I live close enought to Maine that I can drive, so I will be taking a car myself. Other people will often rent a car in Maine (proabably a bit expensive), but I have also been told that there is a market to purchase cars as well. I havent done much research here becuase I am bringin my own. A lot of students will trade off cars with students who are finished their semester in Maine. So there are options for you, just be sure you think about it and maybe budget in a few extra dollars. If you are rooming with someone who has a car, there is a chance that you could carpool. It is not a guarantee, but Carol in Maine does a great job at making sure roomates who carpool have similar schedules. This means you will both have to be in the same group A/B (so get vaccinations in early!), as well having the same preceptor while in Maine. Most of the clinicals or hospitals that we will rotate with are a fair distance from school. Definitally not walking distance, and the bus system is not very established so Im told. The staff in Maine are great to deal with, so be sure to ask them any questions you may have as you get closer.
Another thing to think about when going to Maine would be the ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) course that we all must take befor rotating in hospitals. You are able to get this course on your own if you choose, but they also offer is as an optional course in Maine. The cost is just under 400US and you need to have that money for the first day. It is not included in tuition. This means that one weekend will be used for the ACLS course. You could probably find it for a bit cheaper on your own, but if you do it in Maine, you will be doing the course with all your classmates which will add to the experience no doubt. The onther thing you might be able to do ahead of Maine would be a CPR HCP course. Not sure if you nead SFA, but definitelly the first two. This is quite a chore if you have never gotten these courses befor, as you cant take them at the same time usually. HCP is like the "next step" course. If you dont get it on your own, you can take it in Maine as well, similar to ACLS. I dont think there is a cost to it. If you already have them, then you are exempt. Just something to think about,
The rest of Maine prep is pretty tailored to your own preferences. Some people study befor Maine for the entrance exam, some dont. Up to you. It is designed to be a diagnostic to see where you sit after SK, but some people will brush up on some previous material. It is not meant to be an exam where you study hard for, it meant to be a dignostic. So do whatever you are comfortable with I suppose.
My preceptor
Befor you leave the island, you will fill out a survey which outlines your previous experience and interests for purpose of pairing you with a preceptor. I am interested in EM, but this was not an option unfortunatelly. A few days ago we were sent our preceptor assigments and I have been assigned to a Surgeon at the Central Maine Medical Centre! This is pretty cool. I called his office the other day and I am in surgery day one! We will be spending one day a week with our preceptors and I think this will be a good experience. I will be sure to keep you guys informed.
This is about it for now. There obviously was a lot that happened during the two months that I didnt write any blog posts, but that is what happens when you dont do this regularily. You talk about the big stuff and leave out the small stuff. I will be better in Maine and will try to update this more frequently. I like being able to look back and remember all these experiences, but you forget a lot, or things get blended together and its hard to put in down on paper after the fact.
Things Ive learned (Last SK edition!!)
- Flying to Puerto Rico with Liat this semeseter has been an absoute nightmare for people. People were stranded all over the place and had to resort to chartering flight to get them home.
- I remember I have a housing deposit in St Kitts that I have to try to get back.
- SK is changing so much! They are building everywhere and I am excited to be able to see what the island is transformed into over the next few years. I just hope that the rugged nature aspect of the island is maintinaed as best as possible.
- While I spent about a year and a half on the island, I still never really got used to the heat and craved the cold weather. I certinaly built up a toerance to it, but it is just too unnatural for a Candian :P very nice at times, but also way to hot at other times.
- I never for to snorkel the shipwreck. I really wanted to do that..
- I left SK happy that I actually experienced the island. So many people will go through 2 years on the island, and many have never actually experienced it. They go form home to School and thats it. They have never gone on a hike, never drove around the island, never went to Nevis, never went to any landmarks like Brimestone or anything!! I dont unerstand it. All I ask is that you guys get out and explore if at all possible. It is a beutiful island and I want you guys to enjoy your time there. Its a wonderful experience.
- Cows can run fast
- I will miss SK and the people there dearly.
As I finsih this part of my medical edcuation, I look back with nothing but happy memories. Of course there were times that you got upset, that you were stressed out, got very little sleep, but in all honesty the happy moment massivly outshined the negatives. I was able to make the best of my time there and I really hope that everytone else can figure out a way to do that same. Looking back a few years down the road, St. Kitts should be a distant memory of an amazing life advanture. I know it will be for me. And to all those still on the island, I wish you the best of luck and cant wait to meet you guys down the road in the halls of a hospital somewhere. Only we will know what it took to get there, and that will be a connection we will share forever!
To finish, I want to include something that a fellow classmate named Adrianna wrote that I think sums up many peopls feeling of the island so well..
You're never really prepared for the biggest parts of your life. I was not prepared to hate island life, to be a patient when I was studying to be a doctor, to fail, to succeed. I was never prepared to feel so lonely, isolated, determined, or mentally and emotionally fatigued. I was not prepared to miss so much time with family and friends. I was never prepared to meet strangers who became family. I was never prepared for any exam or 8am lecture. I ended up not prepared to leave the island home that has stolen a piece of our hearts and minds and didn't bring tissues when I cried on the plane- again, not prepared. Despite all of this, and mostly because of this, I am prepared for a lifetime of serving others in medicine and I feel prepared for every challenge life will throw at me. Ready for the next adventure! #SKN
Cheers,
Mike