One of the most frustrating things I came up with is there is not much guidance when applying for residency.  SJSM does a good job in guiding the ECFMG and ERAS process but they stay silent when it comes to licensing questions.  SJSM encourages to research States that will offer residency licenses to their students.

I think the best thing for you is to research which programs Saint James students got residency in in order to increase your chances to get matched there.  Not only that you should also consider programs with students from other Caribbean medical schools who matched there; such schools as Windsor, MUA, AUA, St. Matthews.  Ross, SGU, AUC, and Saba are the big four and they have full accreditation of all 50 states, in addition they have a giant alumni network.

The problem with SJSM is that a lot of students graduate in different years and they do not keep in touch with the Alumni network.  Do to that, they do not care about any graduation ceremony. Fortunately, SJSM's alumni network is growing and I encourage everyone to be part of the network.

If you are a SJSM alumni who matched, then please call SJSM office at their office, and leave your contact information with them so if any recent graduates needs guidance, they can call you.

I encourage all of you from Windsor, MUA, AUA, St. Matthews, and other schools which I don't know of, to guide new graduates from your respected schools.

It's a huge success to SJSM due to the growing number of students who matched for the 2015 residency year.  The list is getting bigger every year as the school is expanding.  As the students are being dispersed to different states the Saint James School of Medicine is started to be familiarized with residency programs.

NOTE: As you can see SJSM always gets a high number of students matching in Illinois so, it's better for you to target to match in Illinois.  It would be nice if SJSM established an official alumni network so, future SJSM students can get tips on what to do and what not to do.  Until then I guess this blog will be the center of guidance.

The number of people who matched is more than this list.  The people from this list gave permission to publish their names online. According to the SJSM website there are more than 45 students.

Camille is starting SJSM in St. Vincent island for the summer semester; she already there and she sent some pictures of the island and SJSM's building.

Hi!

I've safely arrived at Saint Vincent and am astounded at its beauty. The hills are great, a few of the Grenadines are visible, and the people are friendly. The party never stops here!

The first few days has been a mix of excitement and anxiety, but I am almost fully settled in and ready to start the MD program at Saint James. I can't wait to meet the other students and hopefully find a roommate..

Thank you for all of your support during this transition, and we'll keep in touch.

P.S. I've attached some photos for you to enjoy!

Sincerely,

Camille Renee, BSc.

Saint James School of Medicine

www.pinterest.com/medschoolcami

Pictures from St. Vincent and the Grenadines Island

Pictures of the Saint James School of Medicine Building in Construction

I'm sure this post will get a lot of attention because this post will lay out key information to any potential future students who want to attend Saint James School of Medicine.

Pros

• Cheap Tuition
  Even though the tuition for SJSM has been increasing, it's still cheaper than any other medical school in the Caribbean.
• Flexibility
  There are times when random things happen and we cannot stay on track like the traditional crazy medical schools schedule, SJSM will give you a lot of flexibility in terms of studying and curving on the finals. SJSM will also give you flexibility in timing for studying for the USMLE tests.
• Various Elective Spots
  MUA (Medica University of the Americas) students have a very hard time with their school because MUA will not set up any electives for them and they refuse to pay third party companies to set up electives. However, SJSM sets up all the electives for their students and if you want to set up your own electives then you submit the proper papers to them and you are good to go. SJSM has spots in West Virginia, Arizona, and obviously Chicago.
• Friendly Office Staff
  I don't about other students but most of the people I've talked to when I called the SJSM office are friendly and they seem to cooperate with me; may be because I pay on time LOL. Just follow the rules and don't rely on them for all the answers because most of the staff members have not gone to the islands.
• Senior SJSM Students Are Helpful
  The students are willing to help you out. SJSM Students are all over Hyde Park, Chicago, and they will sit down and guide you on what you need to do. If you go on FaceBook you can find their contact information there.
• Three Campuses to Choose From
  You can choose to go to either go to Anguilla, Bonaire, or St. Vincent islands. Each island is different from each other and each island has their own pros and cons. You have to ask senior students how the island is like. I went to Bonaire and I wrote many articles  on this blog regarding my experiences there.
• School is Almost 15 years Old
  After the 15 year mark a Caribbean school's accreditation goes up based on what I read, but correct me if I'm wrong. After 2015, SJSM will be to apply to more states for approval for it's students to conduct residencies; but that's only for the Bonaire/St. Vincent campus students.

Cons

• It's a Caribbean School
  At the end of the day SJSM is a school overseas. Therefore, we (American/Canadian citizens) are second in line after American Medical graduates.
• Limited Core Rotation Spots
  Unfortunately, SJSM has limited core rotation spots. Most of the students do their core rotations at Jackson Park Hospital and other green-book hospitals.
• Extra Weeks of Clinical Rotations
  We are supposed to do 72 weeks of both core and elective rotations and be ECFMG certified. But SJSM requires 80 weeks which which 2 more months of rotations. The time to do these extra 8 weeks of rotations sometimes hinders students from applying for residency for that year.
• Limited Knowledge from the Office Staff
  Some of the office staff have never been on the islands so they are not the best people to ask about where to go once you are on the islands. Also, they cannot tell you which states we are eligible to apply for residencies other than Illinois because they haven't done their research. It's the SJSM students who do most of the work to find out and their spread their information through the word of mouth in rotations.
• Limited States to Get Residency Spots
  Because we don't know which states we are eligible for, students apply to limited number of states for residencies. I've seen students of SJSM getting residencies every year but majority of them get it in Chicago because they don't know where else to go.
• No Federal Loans
  Because SJSM is a foreign medical school and it's not one of the "big three" schools (Ross, AUC, SGU), the students of SJSM are not eligible for Federal loans. Delta loans are available to SJSM students but it's limited amount and it's not guaranteed because it depends on your credit history. Most students either get other private loans, max out their credit card, or try to get money from family and friends.
• AICM is Only in Chicago
  Unfortunately AICM is mandatory for all students. And those who are not Chicago residents have to move to Chicago in order to complete the course.
• No Guidance
  If you ask any SJSM student, they will tell you that there was no official guidance from the SJSM staff. Such guidance of how to study for the USMLE tests. Most of the guidance come from senior SJSM students. As a matter of fact, I created this blog as a foundation of guidance to help SJSM students and I'm glad to find out that it has helped a good number of people.

It doesn't matter which Caribbean school you go to, you will always have some obstacles to go through. So I strongly recommend that you work hard in undergrad and apply to US med schools first, and if it doesn't work then choose the "big three" Caribbean med schools so you don't have to worry about financing as your tuition and personal expense would be covered if you are a US citizen/US green card holder. But if you feel comfortable with the pros and cons of SJSM then go for SJSM; it's what you make out of it.

The following message from AMSA's president was passed on to me.  If you are an AMSA member then I encourage you to go if you have the means and take advantage of what AMSA has to offer.

Hi St. James SOM AMSA Members,

I was looking at the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) convention registration and noticed that there are ZERO students coming from St. James SOM to convention this year. I know that some of you are on the island and can't come, but some of you are in Chicago. (even if you are in Chicago the discount (below) still applies to you!!!!)

We value our international members and so this year we are offering an AMAZING deal: International Members are only $149 (more than $120 discount from the current rate!!!) and international non-members are $215. When registering use code (case sensitive): AMSAINTL

But this only lasts until February 9th, so you have to register ASAP! This year's convention programming is fantastic (and really is complementary your medical education).

I am proud to offer you the following opportunities at Convention:

• Diverse speaker sessions that include world renowned thought leaders.
• 7 educational tracks with over 60 sessions designed specifically for the future physician.
• Small classroom clinical skill sessions with topics such as casting, suturing, airway management, and manual vacuum aspiration.
• Mock one on one interview sessions geared to prepare you for the next step in your training.
• An international community of future physician peers including residents and practicing physician mentors.
• National leadership positions so you can lead the future of medicine.
• Access to the House of Delegates and influence the direction of AMSA as your chapter representative.
• To review all of the current programming or more information, please visit amsa.org/conv

We want to remove all barriers to your school's participation. What do you think is the biggest barrier to your chapter not participating?

Please let me know if there is anything I or the AMSA staff can do to help! We want your representation at convention this year!

Thank you,

--

Nida F. Degesys, MD

National President

American Medical Student Association

45610 Woodland Rd

Suite 300

Sterling, VA 20166

703.665.4650 (direct)

703.620-6600 (office)

703.620-6445 (fax)

pres@amsa.org

Join Us in New Orleans for

AMSA's 2014 Annual Convention!

March 6-9, 2014

www.amsa.org/conv

Some students gave me information that a third campus will be opening on the island of Saint Vincent. It'll be kind of weird, that a school's name "Saint James" will be on the island of Saint Vincent, go figure.

Updated February 5th, 2014
Saint James School of Medicine St. Vincent Announcement Documentation (PDF)

Saint Vincent already has three medical schools there: All Saints University College of Medicine, American University of St. Vincent School of Medicine, and Trinity School of Medicine. Now our school is opening it's third campus there.

One of the negative things about moving a campus is that it looses it's years of operations, which contributes in it's accreditation. The more the years a school runs in the same location the better. By opening a third campus on another island after 14 years of operation, it looks like Saint James is expanding at a rapid pace. I just hope Saint James School of Medicine can get NY and FL since they will still be able to keep the accreditation years from Bonaire.

Here is the article that's published regarding the 3rd campus:

Fourth medical school coming soon to St Vincent
Published on October 19, 2013
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent -- Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has announced that a fourth medical school is expected to begin operations in St Vincent and the Grenadines by next year. The prime minister made the announcement during a news conference. He said that the St James School of Medicine is looking at the possibility of starting operations in the South Leeward area. The prime minister also said that the St James Medical School has indicated that it will start with about sixty students, and this will increase to about two hundred within two to three years. Gonsalves noted that there are now over 400 medical students pursuing studies in St Vincent.

You can confirm it by going to the IMED website and it shows that accreditation years starting from 2000. So it looks like SJSM gets to keep the accreditation years. Also, another student said he will be starting on Summer 2014 so Bonaire campus will remain open but it will be a sub-campus of the 3rd campus; it looks like Bonaire economy is saved. The MPs of Bonaire's parliament was trying to stop Saint James from leaving anyways.

If you have anything to say, then please use the comment box below.

This relates to the recent events of Bonaire campus becoming the subcampus of Anguilla. Saint James School of Medicine Bonaire is scheduled to be completely closed in December 2014 and operations to be continued in Anguilla after December 2014. The question is, should I stick with SJSM or should I transfer out?

You have to consider several things and everyone's situation is different. First think about how far you are in your MD. If you are in basic sciences on the island or in AICM and still haven't registered with the ECFMG then you have the option of transferring out without any problems.

For those who are not familiar with the ECFMG, it is the US medical organization you need to register with in order to take your USMLE tests since you go to a non-US medical school. When you register with the ECFMG, you basically tell them who are and what school you started medical school with. After registering with the ECFMG, they will know everything after you make any changes you make afterwards.

If you are in AICM 5th semester and you didn't pay for the 6th semester or above, and you didn't register with the ECFMG yet, then you have an option to transfer.

However, for us clinical clerkship students, we have to finish what we started because we already paid the majority of the tuition. Also we already took USMLE Step 1 and some of us are already registered for USMLE Step 2 CK or CS or both so, there's no point in transferring. Transferring after all we did will only make things more complicated with the SJSM, ECFMG, and with residency.

Since our transcript will show that we transferred, it will have a minimal impact from what I was told. The reason is we are transferring from one campus to another, yet we are still with the same school. Therefore, we still have one transcript.

So that's my two cents about transferring. So, if you transfer, make sure you look at all your options and angles before doing so.

This question is asked so many times by so many people on ValueMD and everyone has different answers but they all have a common answers with their different answers.  I got an email regarding the question above.

Note: few things are omitted from the original email to respect the sender’s privacy.

I know you went to the Bonaire campus but I'm interested in the Anguilla campus. My advisor, Mr. R, has all of my information (transcripts, letters of rec., etc) and has scheduled my interview for this coming Tuesday. What can I expect to experience in the interview? My undergraduate GPA was 2.8 but I have extensive pre-hospital medical experince. In reading your posts I relate to you very well in that I haven't applied to any other school (I'm from the US) nor did I take the MCAT. Any information regarding the interview process would be greatly appreciated!!

The answer to this is not very complicated. The only pre-condition in getting into SJSM and most of the other Caribbean medical schools is the ability to pay for your tuition; that’s it. There are no loan programs for SJSM and the Delta loan program comes and goes each year, I don’t know why; and when it does come it’s only for Basic Science classes. So you have to be very resourceful in getting the money that’s required for tuition.

Of course there are other things also, like pre-requisite classes but they are lenient regarding it. Usually you have to have all the pre-medicine requirements in order to get into the MD program in SJSM and they are strict about it. However, recently I met someone who did not have the pre-medicine requirements but he had the ability to pay and he got in. Therefore, that issue can be debated. And regarding the GPA, if you have a 2.4 or above and you can pay then you’re in. Somewhere from Bonaire told me that the new MD1 class had over 90 people; that’s crazy unless they are expanding the classroom sizes.

Also note SJSM doesn’t require an MCAT score; not just SJSM, but also IAU and Windsor. Any medical school that doesn’t require MCAT is very lenient on their admissions. However, this could change with time as SJSM is gaining accreditation. I remember in 2003 one of my friend’s brother went to Ross Medical University and he got in without a Bachelor’s degree and without taking the MCAT. Now Ross requires an MCAT because of how big they’ve gotten; and it also plays a role in their accreditation.

So to summarize in your chances of getting into SJSM, ask yourself these questions:

Do you have over 2.4 GPA?

Do you have the pre-medicine pre-requisite class credits?

Can you pay the full tuition and any tuition increase?

If you say yes to all those things then you’re good to go, and don’t be tense about the interview process, because it’s over the phone.

I never imagined this blog would go as far it has gone with its clean content without exhibiting pictures of booty and cleavage. In terms of popularity I heard it got very popular among SJSM students who go to the Bonaire campus, especially those who are prospective students. Apparently this blog answers a lot of questions to students who can’t find the information they’re looking for anywhere else. If you like this blog or if it’s been helpful for you then please spread the word to your buddies who are thinking about coming to the Bonaire campus of SJSM.  I'll have more info on Clinical Clerkships once that time comes around.

I also found out that the Saint James School of Medicine's official blog has linked to this blog.  SJSM not only linked this site from their main site, but they also follow this site on Twitter.

There are other blogs written by SJSM students: Southern Doc: Caribbean Style, Life of a Medical Student, Prostudent4life (Anguilla campus), and MD Odyssey. Benji Ho, another Caribbean medical student who blogs, attends American University of the Caribbean, and it was he who found out about all the SJSM blogs and listed them on his site. To my surprise he recommends my blog to his readers in regards of SJSM; thanks Benji.

What’s the Plan

Follow via Twitter

I plan to register a domain for this blog. Yes, you read it right a “.com” for Medical School Memoirs. I haven’t quite gotten a solid decision on the name yet, but I got my choices of domain names. I want a domain name which is simple and easy to remember and it would be a general name on medical school and/or medicine as a whole. I don’t quite know when to register for it though; may be after I take Step 1 or perhaps sometime before during my break. Let’s see how it goes so far.  It only takes 2 minutes to register a domain and a wait of 48 hours, and another 2 minutes to activate the domain and link it to this blog.

Follow Me on Twitter
Yes you read it right, you can follow this site on Twitter. Twitter is a great tool for updates; whenever, a new blog post goes public the link to the new blog post gets published automatically on the Twitter’s minifeed.

Subscribe to RSS Feed
If you have Google reader or any other RSS Feed reader then subscribe to my feed.

SJSM Blog Added on 06/12/2011
A Piece of Mind (SJSM Anguilla Blog)

There is a rumor that’s circulating in online forums which confused some students and also kind of freaked some students out. The rumor is that tuition is to be fully paid for two semesters all at before the AICM 5th semester is over. Let’s clear this thing out and please take my word for it since I am in the 5th semester now and I already got my tuition bill which is due in 2 weeks.

This is how it works; students plan to take 6 to 8 months off after 5th semester to study for the USMLE Step 1. The reason is for some students the AICM semester is too fast paced and students cannot keep up with the workload. So, what’s the solution? Study for several months to self-prepare for the test. Now Saint James School of Medicine now requires students to pass the NBME with a 650 or above and an the ExamMaster final test with a 75% or above in order to take the test. You cannot just register and take the USMLE Step 1 whenever you feel like it; you must be given permission from a medical institute to the ECFGM/NBME for you to take it.

This is how the billing works, ever since I started Saint James, which is in the year 2009, the billing policy, has been the same; you pay for the tuition a month before the next semester begins. Now let’s look at an example, if you were to finish AICM in the end of Summer semester, you pay tuition for the next semester, which is Fall semester, 30 days before AICM is done. After AICM you would have to sit down and study for 7 months, so that falls in 2 semesters after AICM. And therefore 30 days before each semester you would have to pay for the tuition. There are 3 semesters in a year: Spring, Summer, and Fall, and 30 days before each semester you would have to pay your tuition.

Now you may ask why you would have to pay if you’re not taking classes, I don’t know, it’s Saint James School of Medicine policy, but whatever you pay it counts towards your clinical semesters. Therefore, you’re not paying anything extra, you’re just paying ahead of schedule but it will count towards your clinical semesters.

I hope this helps out.

Look ma, I’m updating my blog. Yeah I know I haven’t updated anything for a while. The reason is I’m finally in the rotation part of AICM and it’s taking so much of my time. Some say it’s a waste of time but you actually see what illness people have and you learn a lot from it. I already got on-call rotation and it’s hectic.

In rotation no one will hold your hand. As in, you can do whatever you want go where ever you want and no one will keep an eye on you. However, you have to have certain papers signed by doctors and residents at the end of the week and turn it in to the administration. We also have topics to write about and present it to our preceptors. On top of rotations we have to do USMLE QBank questions and it’s just so much to do at once.

On my call I did history of a patient with few of my colleagues. We asked questions regarding their health, chief complaint, social history, family history, etc.
Right now, it really does not matter which school you went to. I’m working with students from ROSS University, American University of Antigua Medical School, International American University Medical School, and several more. The greatest part is we’re working with these students from other schools and yet we’re paying for rotations at a cheaper price than them; I guess that’s what makes Saint James School of Medicine stand out.

Also, I’m also lucky to see my old senior students from SJSM. They know me from Bonaire so they help me out; they all passed the USMLE Step 1 so they help me out of what I need to do and where I need to go.

So far, I’m enjoying the clinical setting and this is it. We are finally here minus taking the Step 1 which I will be taking soon. And when I do sit down and study for it hard core then this blog will not be updated for a long period. If you send me any email after April then don’t expect any replies until I’ve taken the Step 1, sorry but I have to do this.

Are you a prospective medical student? Did you ever wonder what it be like to get sneak peak at the medical concepts you will be learning? I have spoken to the new people who are coming to SJSM next year and they are eager to start studying. They asked for the notes so they can have a head start on their studies. Unfortunately, the teachers of SJSM would not like their lecture notes to be passed on like that so I can’t pass it on. Most of the professors who teach the basic science courses in Saint James School of Medicine are PhD researchers in medicine, while some others hold MBBS degrees. Luckily, students of Saint James School of Medicine are very supportive of the new students and they are very resourceful. To the new student don’t get anxious to learn the medical concepts, enjoy yourself in USA/Canada while prepare yourself for the brutal 16 months you will spend in Bonaire or Anguilla. I know living Bonaire is hard if you have a tight budget, I don’t know much about Anguilla though; I heard it’s far more modern than Bonaire but yet expensive.

Surprisingly, I found some Kaplan Medical videos floating around the web. The concepts shown in this video is exactly what you will be learning in Saint James School of Medicine. It’s a short clip but it’s a good sneak peak of the information that you will be exposed to.

Normal Bone Lecture by Dr. Cecil Cone, M.D.

The last 30 days seems to be the most hectic; in 30 days I am leaving Bonaire. I got myself in a position where I have to complete so many tasks in less than 30. All MD4 students are to complete a big research project and present the project. The research project requires using principles of epidemiology. We can work in a group of 4 to 5 people. Epidemiology is not my favorite subject nor is it interesting. The topics covered are very boring and to me yet I have to learn the material; the subject is basically biostatistics.

Other tasks I have to keep up are studying for PDI and Systemic Pathology. Honestly, I am so sick of coming to class every day. I study better while I’m in the comfort of my home. I am far more focused on the subject when I am in my room with no one around me to distract me. However, by Saint James School of Medicine’s attendance policy, all students are required to have 80% attendance per block in order to take the block exams.

Tuition Increased

The SJSM newsletter came out and 52 students have applied to the national match program so, it looks as if SJSM is improved a lot in terms of helping students pass Step 1. Tuition went up $500 from $4,500 to $5,000, if this keeps on going up then SJSM will no longer be the cheapest medical school to go to. Clinical tuition increased also; it’s now $7,500. Before, when I was an MD1, the tuition for clinical clerkship was $6,900; so it went up by$600. I hope they don’t increase it anymore until the school gets federal loans otherwise students will have to take long breaks from months to years in order to pay for school.

As for AICM, many classmates have talked to Chicago office and found a very strict policy for the first clinical semester.

Before anyone can take the USMLE Step 1 exam the following conditions must be met by the student:

- Take AICM Semster

- Pass NMBE Exam

- Pass ExamMaster Exam made by the school

Once the conditions are met, the school will give the green light to take the USMLE Step 1. Don’t think you can take it without the permission of SJSM. No medical student can take the USMLE Step 1 without the permission of a medical institution.

Xavier School of Medical left for the Curaçao island. I’m not certain, but I was told that the Dutch government told that medical school to leave the island due to the lack of accreditation or something, I could be wrong though. And SJSM was also given free land in Bonaire, by the Dutch government, to build a brand new campus as it expands. But instead, we got the new building which where the students of MD1, MD2, and Pre-Med1 are. Xavier is also to be renamed to Avalon School of Medicine since the name “Xavier” with the same logo belongs to another medical school in Aruba.

Anyways moving on with the topic, ever since Xavier Medical School left, there have been minor changes on the island. Chicago office told us that the Dutch government gave them the report that, just the students of Bonaire, makes the island $6 million annually. Now that’s a big amount of money just from students. It’s kind of hard to believe but one of the students told me that he already spent $100,000 for tuition and staying in Bonaire. Plus after every block exams, students hold end of block parties and some spend over $100 in beer so, yeah $6 million from us student to Bonaire is believable. Bonaire does not generate any marginal profit. Holland actually has to put money into the island in order to keep the Bonaire’s economy running. Therefore, it’s in the best interest of the Netherlands to keep Saint James School of Medicine, because it’s over 10 years old and it has a good number of accreditations.

Apartments are Cheaper

Since the Xavier students left, even though they are smaller bunch than us SJSM students, the landlords will take whatever they get. Medical students stay on the island all year around, while tourists come and stay for couple of weeks and leave. Therefore, it’s in the best interest of the landlords to rent to the medical students. I know a three bedroom place, which was about around $2100 lowered to around $1600, after Xavier left. And that price includes all the utilities such as water, electricity, internet, and cable. Real estate companies are getting it hard because they used to charge students like crazy such as a 1 bedroom place, which is very small by the way, with kitchen and bathroom for $915 and that does NOT include the utilities. However, now the landlords took over their places and lowered the prices.

This is a long post and I wrote it when the electricity went out at 1 AM last night. Thank GOD, my laptop had enough juice to keep my busy.  It was pitch black outside when the electricity went out and at 1 AM it’s not a good idea to go out alone in Bonaire.

Pharmacology, in MD3, is the hardest class in Saint James School of Medicine. It’s not hard in terms of understanding concepts but it’s hard due to the amount of information a student has to comprehend and memorize. Students have to study for Pharm and on top of that they have to study for Pathology I class and Microbiology. Each of those three classes requires a good amount of dedication but Pharm requires the most amount of dedication.

Dr. B teaches Pharmacology at 8 AM so, upcoming MD3 students, you better be awake for this class. Dr. B also teaches Embryology class for MD1 students, as mentioned in an earlier post. Pharmacology takes Physiology, Microbiology, and some Pathology concepts and incorporates that with the use of drugs. If you thought Histology was hard in your MD1 class, wait till you take this class, it will boggle your mind.

The block tests for Pharmacology are all clinical based. Dr. B wastes no time in giving out straight forward questions; he gives you clinical scenarios and asks you which drugs are best for the patient to take. Block one test is the easiest test, you will learn the foundation of Pharmacology and which receptors trigger which reaction in the human body. Block one test is easy once you understand the concepts backwards and forwards. Block one exam has to deal with more Physiology so you can figure out the answers on the test if you know the basics. Block 2-4 tests have to do with memorizing drugs, their classifications, their modes of action, their adverse effects, and their uses for whichever diseases.

Dr. B does confuse the class from time to time when he breaks down what we need to study for SJSM’s block tests and what we need to study for USMLE Step 1 exam. Honestly, I could care less about USMLE Step 1 at that time; I’m more concerned about passing Pharmacology than studying for USMLE Step 1. After teaching us a concept he mentions the chances of it being on Step 1 exam in percentage wise; and this confuses us even more with all the volume of information we already have in our hands. However, Dr. B is extremely knowledgeable in his field and he teaches very well. From block 2-4 his teaching is a bit off due to the subject but he will take the time to help you if you don’t understand. If not all I still remember a good amount of Pharmacology taught to me.

When he comes into class he will waste no time waiting for everyone to quiet down. Dr. B will start lecturing over the noisy class. Usually the people in the front rows quiet down and the people in the back are the ones who take time being quiet. He will keep an eye on who on attends class and who conducts well on his tests.

Attendance is a big factor in Dr. B’s class. If you come to class everyday and pay attention or study once you get home then you will pass. If you miss his classes then you may as well pray that you get high scores in his tests. Pharmacology is a difficult subject and most people in the class gets around 70s or above and that’s considered good because it’s a two semester class packed in one. Pharmacology concepts are condensed to be taught in the 16 months curriculum of Basic Sciences. In the last block test I wasn’t that worried about Pharmacology because my good attendance helped me out. I passed all of my previous tests so I wanted to concentrate on other subjects which I was weak on. There are other people who’s grades were very low but since they attended his class, it showed their effort, Dr. B showed them mercy and they passed. If a student has poor attendance and did porly on tests then he/she will have no help if his/her final score is not a passing mark.

Study Tips
Pharmacology is mostly about memorization and, just like histology, repetition is the key. You should get stacks of notebook paper and write and re-write the drugs over and over again until they are stuck to your head. Studying the same material everyday will store the information in your long-term memory. Dr. B’s slides are a bit all over the place because there is so much information on there but he will not test you on all that information and nor will they show up on USMLE Step 1. One way to study well in his class is using Kaplan Pharmacology book as a guide. You should highlight, on the book, what is on Dr. B’s slides so you can easily study for his tests without trouble. Dr. B will also point out the “drugs of choice” for certain diseases; make sure you learn that hardcore because those are easy questions. Most of his questions ask you what is the best choice so more than one drug can be the answer, but when it comes to the drug of choice (“DOC”), then only one drug is the correct answer.

It’s been a killer semester and MD3 is finally over. I can’t believe it went by so fast. Overall this semester is what medical school is all about: sleepless nights, drowsiness, constant studying, 4+ cups of coffee, etc. Did it pay off, well I am and MD4 so yeah. The struggles I went through got me through. Honestly, I didn’t get much time to study, rest, and eat. The volume of information that I have to read, comprehend, and memorize is just overwhelming. MD3 is known to be the toughest semester and the Pharmacology course to be the toughest course. For the upcoming MD3s I am telling you get your gear locked and buy yourself a big long coffee mug because you’re going to use it.

The dean assured me that MD4 is a lot easier except for Pathology II (Systemic Pathology) but it’s only one class and we won’t have sleepless nights studying for it. MD4 is known as the semester of resolution of difficulty. For those who are in my MD4 class, they have plans to throw BBQs, parties, fundraising events, etc. So let’s see how it goes. Everyone says that MD4 is like college all over again. You can actually not study everyday and still get an “A” because you only have one hard class to concentrate on. The other classes we have to take is Epidemiology and the practical and lecture of PDI (Physical Diagnosis Introduction/Introduction to Clinical Medicine). For MD4 we basically have three classes therefore, we’ll have a lot of time on our hands

In a future post I will write about my review of MD3 along with tips and mistakes I have made.

I know I haven’t blogged lately, it’s because I’m very busy and I am very tired. The new semester is coming up and all of you new students should’ve already booked a roundtrip ticket to Bonaire. And I want to emphasize on getting roundtrip ticket because Bonaire’s airport officers will check to see if you have a ticket to go home; it is mandatory to have a return ticket home.

The upcoming MD1, MD2, and the new pre-med students will be taught in a new building further away from the rest of us. I don’t exactly how far but I know that the school is working on arranging shuttle rides for the students. I heard the new building is brand new is so much better than our current building.

We had an election so we have a new SGA. The president of SGA noted that there will be no rides available to pick up the new students due to lack of funds so for those who emailed me I replied back regarding the rides.

The building in a red circle, in the picture below, is the student lounge, which is open 24/7 and so if you want to catch the current students then stop by there. The campus is 7 minutes walk from downtown and couple of minutes walk from Cultimara Supermarket.

There will be a good number of students who are staying in Bonaire for the break. We only have 10 days off till the next semester. Therefore, it’s not economically good to spend $500 on a roundtrip ticket to go home for a short time.

So that’s all for now, I have a lot of things to do and not enough time. I won’t be blogging till this semester is over which is around one and a half weeks. Good luck to the new MD1s and Pre-Med1s.

The new semester is approaching and by now new students should already have turned in all the papers to the Chicago office, no exceptions. If you haven’t turned in all your immigration papers already to the Chicago office, then expect immigration approval delays or other issues on Bonaire. Chicago representatives may tell you that it’s ok after you turn in your papers after their deadline, but we’re students in Bonaire, and we know the hell that our classmates have to go through because they were late.

One of my friends didn’t make any calls or did not contact anyone in Bonaire; he just showed up and he suffered a lot. I have made a check list of all the things you should consider for the first two weeks of Bonaire.

1. Book your airline tickets now, try making it on a Sunday. On Fridays you have limited time to go around because most places are closed in the weekends, especially all the Banks.

2. Book you hotel room. It’s urgent that you reserve your hotel room. Don’t ever expect for a vacant hotel room. Remember you will be coming in the same time as other MD students and tourists so those rooms will go by fast. I personally recommend Divi Flamingo Hotel because I stayed there and I loved it.

3. Most flights from USA/Canada arrive in the weekends so get enough personal items to last for the weekend. For example, small tooth paste, snacks, etc. Eating out, is very expensive so keep that in mind.

4. Get yourself an unlocked quad-band GSM phone, trust me you will need it. A quad-band is like the Motorola RAZR or the Apple iPhone.

5. On Monday morning get a pre-paid Digicel or a Chippi GSM card and load it up on your cell phone.

6. On Monday morning or anytime during the week, come and stop by the student lounge. You will meet current students and new MD students from your class. Trust me, unless you’ve came to Bonaire before, you will not know your way.

7. And about the housing issue, don’t waste your time or money calling landlords from USA/Canada. First come to the island and then call them because they will not take you seriously unless you are on the island.

Updated (8-17-10) : No SGA members will be on the island during the break so no rides will be available.  Also, they didn't get the funding to rent cars and pay for gas.

So what’s going on nowadays with SJSM. The owner of SJSM is in Bonaire at the moment and he had a meeting with the Bonaire’s campus administration and SGA. Some of the SGA members talked to me and told me what was discussed and what to expect.

1. Bonaire Campus will be getting a new building. The school is growing and the number of applicants is increasing. It’s expected the new Fall 2010 MD class will be the largest so they will expand the campus.

2. The school will apply for California, New York, and Florida licensing. No definite date was set because they will first deal with the Dutch approval.

3. The Chicago administration is working on getting Stafford loans for SJSM but that will only be possible with an initial positive response from Netherlands’ education ministry.

Don’t quote me on this but this is what someone said and it was not discussed in the meeting. Someone told me that the Dutch government offered free land to SJSM on Bonaire to build a new campus from ground up but SJSM refused. I guess SJSM is not ready to expand to that level yet.

AICM
The schedule and the outline of the clinical semester was emailed to all of us. It’s not on the SJSM web site yet so I’m not going to post it. I’ll talk about in detail in a future post after they announce it officially but for now I’ll speak briefly about it. The AICM semester was added to increase the passing rate for SJSM students. As you know in SJSM in Bonaire, there are those who will go to a party every weekend (group 1), and there are those who will sit down with the books (group 2). Unfortunately there are more students who belong to the first group and small number of students who belong to the second group. In Chicago each student will be mentored and consulted and a study plan will be drown out for them. The study plan is basically revolved around rotations that will help them understand the medical concepts which they are weak in.

1. You’re the happiest person on the plane when you're leaving Bonaire, and all the tourists think you’re CRAZY!
2. When the electricity goes out, the class is over.
3. Between classes you go to Spankhoek across the street for a BEER.
4. Milk costs more on the island than the COW it came from!
5. The same lame people drive in their lame cars back in forth from Karal’s to city cafe for the entire night, because it’s COOL.
6. Your professors actually party with you!
7. You have to take pictures of your grades when they are posted because they MAGICALLY change at the end of the year.
8. You think that KARALS and CITY CAFE are CLUBS!
9. SERO still talks about himself in 3rd person. (Sero says, " Sero likes fast cars, Sero will fix that, Sero very good handyman."
10. The library is never open! And it’s full of engineering books.
11. You know that all your teachers are brown and so are your CADAVERS!!
12. You think that Della is the nicest local on Bonaire.
13. You call BONAIRE... BONER...
14. You tell everyone you’re going to a Caribbean School and they think you are the luckiest person ever!
15. The prices of the same Subway sandwich changes everyday depending on the mood of the cashier.

I found some of these from FaceBook and few I added myself.