Lottery

When I graduated from Boston College last May, there were many things I was sad to leave behind--friends, BC sports, feelings of camraderie and tradition--and one thing I was happy to say goodbye to: the housing lottery.

Well, things in medical school aren't very different. At SGU, you choose a group of students you want to live with and enter the lottery. The Housing Office sends out an e-mail announcing the lottery and within the week you must find this group of students. Only 60% will be granted on-campus housing, the rest may test their fate with the waiting list or choose from a variety of lovely off-campus options.

I'm one of the lucky ones. Although involved in a housing mix-up at first, I was placed in a suite with upper-term students and living with them has been amazing. It's a nice escape to come back to my dorm and not have to constantly talk about what just happened in lecture. We will be entering the lottery together, so keep your fingers crossed--there aren't any extra points for seniority!

To Match or Not to Match?

Today, fourth year medical students all across the country opened envelopes, placed phone calls, and checked their e-mail to see where they would be spending the next three to seven years of their lives.

It's Match Day.

Match Day has become the pinnacle of a medical student's education. During the fourth year, the academic load lightens as you once again put on your "applicant" hat and travel across the country to interview at different residency programs. The MS4 (fourth-year medical student) will rank their top residency programs while at the same time residency programs are ranking their top choices for newbie doctors. The preferences of all the applicants and all the residency programs are then entered into a giant computer. On Monday of Match Week, you find out if you placed into a program. On Thursday at noon, you find out where, traditionally at an elaborate ceremony in front of your entire class and extended family.

According to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) over 24,000 students were placed into residency training programs. However, close to 30,000 students sought residency positions through the NRMP this year--what happens to the other 6,000 doctors? They enter a process known as "the Scramble," a no-rules race to fill one of the few open residency positions left. And it all has to be done before they serve the punch and cut the cake at the Match Day ceremony. Some pinnacle.

As an international medical student, I will be at a slight disadvantage heading into the Match. I will have to study longer to keep my GPA up, score higher on the USMLE, and work harder to impress my clinical teachers during rotations.

Although...I can sleep better at night knowing that I'm attending the "Harvard of the Caribbean."

Here's a link to SGU's 2009 Match results. Make sure to check out the 2010 results, as many students will spend one year in General Medicine or Internal Medicine before moving on to a specialty like Diagnostic Radiology or Neurology. Look closely and you'll also notice that two students matched in my hometown of Milton, VT for Family Practice residencies and two others matched in Burlington, VT for Neurology and Pediatrics!

https://baysgu35.sgu.edu/ERD/2009/ResidPost.nsf/BYPGY?OpenView&RestrictToCategory=PGY1&Count=-1

Post-Midterm Itch

I have this itch. I'm not sure what it is or where it is, but it's definitely there and it's definitely itchy.

Midterms finished last week, meaning this past weekend was free of studying, reviewing lecture notes, writing flashcards, meeting with study groups, and "Gray's Anatomy." It was weird.

I went out to clubs. I ordered margaritas and Carib instead of water and diet coke.

I went to St. Georges. I chatted with the Reggae bus conductor about places to eat in town instead of reviewing lecture notes.

I went to the beach. I left my Netter's flashcards in my dorm room and brought my iPod with me. I bought a Jodi Picoult paperback from IGA to read on the beach.

I slept in. I had time to peruse the James Bond book my friend had sent me for my birthday.

Now, the weekend is over and the slate has been wiped clean. Time to prove yourself again. Classes start in an hour, labs resume next week.

How can I get rid of this itch to skip class and go to the beach?

Island Fever

It's been a while since I've written and for the few of you out there who read my blog I apologize. Studying for midterms was like having two full-time jobs: medical student and cheerleader to keep the medical student from giving up. Sure, you have family and friends that offer their endless love and support--and for that, I am so thankful--but at 3am when it's just you, your Netter's textbook, and your last can of DC, there isn't anyone to reach out to but yourself for motivation.

Thank goodness for that last can of DC. I survived midterms.

I felt absolutely exhilarated leaving Bell Hall after finishing the Biochemistry midterm. While some were dragging themselves back to their dorms to nap before Bananas, I was doing bell-kicks and cartwheels in the soccer field. It felt wonderful to be done with midterms--a true achievement! I was half-way through my first semester of medical school, I simply couldn't believe I had come this far.

I flew back to my room and grabbed my wristlet (we're only allowed to bring pencils and our SGU ID to examinations) ready to go out and celebrate. The only problem was, I couldn't find anyone. No one was answering their phones. Skype chatrooms were empty. Where were all the first-termers?

Disappointed by the fact that my class was so lame, I decided to go grocery shopping. It was on my "to-do" list for the weekend, although it was further down on the list after 1)partying 2)sleeping in and 3)BEACH. Either way, it was a must, especially after two weeks of eating cereal (with milk from a BOX!) granola bars and Kraft's macaroni and cheese.

I caught the bus headed for IGA and happened to sit next to Zach, a fellow Vermonter. He was off to Grand Anse beach, where it turned out the rest of our class was celebrating the end of midterms. Thrilled to discover where everyone was, I ditched my logical afternoon agenda and had drinks with Zach and his friends on the beach.

The boxed milk will just have to wait...

Comfort Food

One of the few things I miss living here in Grenada is American comfort food. Cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, turkey and mashed potatoes, apple pie, spaghetti and meatballs, Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream...

Mmm, my parotid, sublingual, and submandibular salivary glands are getting a work-out just thinking about it.

Filling your cart at the supermarket is another kind of challenge. Each week, I take the bus to IGA and walk up and down the aisles searching for brands that sound familiar or even for food items that sound familiar. For example, who on this planet would buy "cock soup?"

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to take a break from slaving over the hotplate in my kitchen to sample some of Grenada's finest cuisine. My new friends and I made a reservation (yes, we had to plan in advance!) at Patrick's Local Homestyle Cooking. Owner, chef, waiter, and entertainer, Patrick Levine treated us to a feast of local dishes--20 total! It was delicious and all served with a spicy nutmeg rum punch.

Here's a rundown of the 20 courses: ginger pork, ocean crab salad, fresh fish steaks, eggplant in beer batter, cod fish fritters, rice and peas in coconut creme, stir-fried rabbit, callaloo, pumpkin, beef casserole curried mutton, lobster salad, chicken in white wine sauce, fried plantain, cray fish broth, potato salad, lamb, sea urchin, coo coo, and several other dishes that were simply fabulous, but I had no idea what I was eating.

Overall, the experience was wonderful and I will be sure to visit Patrick again. Sure beats cock soup.