Student Voices
When I knew I was prepared
Christopher Buelvas, College of Medicine
January 30, 2012
I still remember it vividly. A few friends of mine from college were visiting Manhattan, and we met by the World Trade Center site for lunch and sightseeing. We were going to see St. Paul’s Chapel when we saw a small crowd and two police officers on the sidewalk. As we got closer, we saw a woman on the ground gasping for air, her head resting on her husband’s lap. Her daughter, who was about my age, was crying and screaming for help. I knelt next to the woman and asked her if she...
Atlanta!
Melanie Chan, College of Medicine
December 27, 2011
I have spent the last two weeks at Atlanta Medical Center shadowing Dr. Jean Philippe at his Internal
Medicine clinic. The experience really made me realize just what a day in the life of an internal medicine
doctor is like. I really liked the laid-back environment of the clinic. The slow-paced and relatively stress-
free days are definitely an upside of the field.
It was great to have such close one-on-one interactions with the patients. Dr. Philippe encourages us
to do many of the...
An Experience Less Ordinary
Elena Zamora, College of Medicine
December 12, 2011
Upon my arrival to Antigua, my father and I headed straight to visit the location where I would be spending my days in classes and anatomy lab, better known as West Campus. With only a few classrooms and a few benches around, I remember thinking, this place was strictly business. Luggage in hand, my father and I spoke to the security guard and I learned the correct pronunciation for Antigua according to the locals. Following my first lesson in Antigua, we searched out a hotel to spend the...
The Mayo Clinic Experience
Jasmine Riviere Marcelin, College of Medicine
October 19, 2011
Four months into residency, I am still alive. I survived the Emergency Department, Inpatient Oncology, Outpatient Primary Care, Inpatient Cardiology, several overnight shifts, and I am definitely getting used to this doctor thing. It still feels weird introducing myself as “Doctor Marcelin”, but every day I am more confident doing so. I’m still learning the computer systems, but getting faster. I dislike dictation, but a little less, every time I do it. I’m more...
Being a TA
Melanie Chan, College of Medicine
September 17, 2011
Having been a teaching assistant in both med and premed, I would highly recommend other students give it a shot. It really helps you consolidate the information you learn in class. It is also one of the only ways to make money in Antigua as a student.
Teaching makes you think about the things you learned in class in a different way and to pick apart the information more thoroughly. Something about saying the words out loud helps you remember the information in the long run.
I taught...
Studying for STEP 1
Melanie Chan, College of Medicine
September 16, 2011
Classes for the fifth semester review program are coming to an end. That means that our six weeks of self-study are approaching and I will have to start some intensive studying. The thought of studying for STEP 1 is so ominous that it makes it difficult to figure out whether the resources I am using are the “right” ones. I spent a lot of time yesterday on valuemd.com looking at other students’ experiences studying for the STEP and their resultant scores. There is a lot of...
Fifth Semester Review Program
Melanie Chan, College of Medicine
September 16, 2011
I am one month into the review course of fifth semester, also known as Falcon. The professors are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. It is great to learn these subjects from a different perspective than we had during our basic sciences. The downside, however, is that the days are quite long and I find it difficult to pay attention to one subject for such an extended amount of time. We are in class everyday with about one day a week off.
After class, I listen to Doctors In...
White Coat Ceremony
Melanie Chan, College of Medicine
September 16, 2011
Not too long ago, AUA hosted our class’ white coat ceremony! It felt great to have a celebration commemorating the time we spent working so hard to finish our basic sciences. It was especially nice for some students to be able to celebrate it with their loved ones in the audience.
Our class’ white coat committee really outdid itself this year with their attention to the decorum. The flex room was completely transformed! The entire ceremony went off without a hitch. As...
