Xavier Times e-Newsletter Vol 4 No 2 APR

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X avier U niversit y ’ s official news publication
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xavier university school of medicine
Provisionally accredited by CAAM-HP
Vo l 4 - I s s u e N o 2 - S p r i n g 2 0 1 4
what’s
inside
Nursing program MOU with
Western Kentucky University
Xavier University School of Medicine (XUSOM) is proud to announce
that it has recently partnered with Western Kentucky University (WKU)
in Bowling Green, Kentucky. This partnership will allow nursing students
to spend the first two years within our nursing program at XUSOM and
then visit the US for the remaining two semesters in a US institution.
On January 27, 2014, Dean John Bonaguro and Dean Mary Bennett
of WKU joined President Ravi Bhooplapur and faculty on campus to
celebrate this collaboration for our BSN program and its students.
MOU Nursing Program
Family Health Visits
Health Fair
Information Resources
Small Group Learning
Health Fair @ ISA
My Experience at XUSOM
Boosting Exam Performance
Prof. Dr Nayak
1 person, 6 languages
Hospital Externship at HOH
The “Limbo” Semester
Aruba’s Sixtieth Carneval!
Nauman’s Restaurant Review
Pharmacology Practical
Affiliation agreement with University of Western Kentucky
Upon achievement of our program outcomes, our students will
achieve the BSN degree and Commission for Graduates of Foreign
Nursing Schools (CGFNS) review will permit our students to apply
for NCLEX licensure in the US. XUSOM and Western Kentucky University will share mutual opportunities for the benefit of students.
Baccalaureate of Nursing at XUSOM
Unique to XUSOM, students will gain an inter-professional experience. Nursing students will have the opportunity to learn alongside medical students, therefore acquiring experience in working
with future colleagues.
Family Health Visits
The family is considered as an integral
part of all societies. Family health visit
(FHV) is an important public health initiative of XUSOM providing an excellent
opportunity to the medical students to
interact with the local families. The
purpose of the family visit is to explore
and assess the health status of the
families in the community.
Students will be able to learn in different healthcare settings with
populations involving diversity, encouraging them to step out of
their comfort zone and think critically in a variety of settings.
Students will take part in a Standardized Patient Program. The
community and the Ministry of Health in Aruba is looking forward
to the arrival of the BSN nursing students, who will be able to
interact and assist the community through health related events. At XUSOM, class sizes are small, allowing for all students to receive an individualized learning experience, therefore promoting
constructive interaction with instructors.
The faculty of Xavier University are very excited to share this new
program with our students from Aruba, the US, Brazil and students
from other international settings. There are many colleges or universities that you can choose from that will educate you to practice
as a registered nurse. The place you choose for your nursing education should prepare you for professional nursing practice in today’s
healthcare environment. It should also prepare you to make a difference in the world. Xavier University’s School of Nursing’s mission is
to prepare you for that difference.
FHV is especially meant for MD1 and
MD2 students. During the visit students
gather information about maternal and
child health, vaccination, socioeconomic
status, communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Families from different cultures do not
speak English and still students were able
to cross this barrier accentuating their
communication skills complemented with
gestures, facial expressions and added
body language to make themselves
understood as much as they could.
Signing affiliation agreement between XUSOM and University of Western Kentucky
Dr Suzette Scheuermann, PhD MSN RN
Dean - School of Nursing
Health Fair
The XUSOM Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) and Student Government Association (SGA) as well as Faculty members, participated in
a health fair held on March 29, 2014 from 10am-3pm at International
School of Aruba (ISA). The fair received a great response.
Family health visits make the students
aware of community health needs and
their health concerns and enhances their
social skill and medical performance.
Dr Rishi Bharti,
Assoc. Prof. of Epidemiology
Information resources
for medical students
at Xavier University
School of Medicine
We offered free check-ups at the open house to ISA students, their
parents, and members of the general public. XUSOM students from
PM4 to MD4 semesters participated in screening tests involving vision & color-blindness, body-mass index, hearing, and blood pressure for both children and adults. The testing was followed by a consultation session with MD4 and MD5 students supervised by faculty
members. Approximately, 105 people were checked at the fair.
Overall, the health fair received a wonderful response on our effort
to uplift the community’s quality of health through free screenings
and education on how to maintain good health, raise awareness on
the importance of check-ups, and prevention goals.
Students in all disciplines have the responsibility of learning and developing
skills that can be used in their occupations and to accumulate knowledge
that can be used to enrich society. For
students of medicine, this acquisition
of knowledge is critically important,
as their abilities and understanding of
medical facts will be used to benefit
many people. Medical students have
many resources available to help them
master the immense amount of information that exists about medicine and
health and to help them succeed in their
coursework. These resources include
textbooks, study and review guides,
medical books, medical journals, and
online databases. The Xavier University
School of Medicine Library is instrumental in providing access to many of these
information resources for its students.
Physical copies of every required textbook for each medical and premedical course at XUSOM are kept at the
library. These textbooks are available to
students for use in completing assignments and for exam study and review.
In addition, the library collection includes many study guides and review
manuals for the USMLE from prominent
exam-review publishers such as Kaplan,
Elsevier, McGraw-Hill, and Wolters-Kluwer. The library collection also includes
many current and significant book titles
from all areas of medicine, from anatomy and physiology to pharmacology
and radiology, providing a well-rounded assortment of books and guides for
in-depth medical research.
Current and past issues of several medical journals are also available for use to
medical students. These journals include
the New England Journal of Medicine
and the American Journal of Medicine.
Both of these titles are available to students 24 hours a day, either online or in
paper format at the library.
Both, the International School of Aruba and XUSOM enjoyed the event,
and look forward to future endeavors together.
Gil C. Apacible II, DDM, Associate Dean of Student Affairs
Small group learning at XUSOM
During the last two decades teaching-learning methods and the curriculum in medical schools has undergone tremendous changes. Medicine
like most other fields of activity is coping with an information explosion.
Doctors will have to make sense of increasing amounts of complex
information during their careers and should develop the ability to learn
and understand new information. Lifelong learning and the ability to
continue to learn even after finishing medical school is a vital component of the education of future doctors. With the increasingly complexity of modern healthcare the ability to work in teams is also gaining
importance. Considering all these challenges, small group activity-based
learning is becoming increasingly common in medical schools. 1 2
Students can access articles dating back
to 1812 in the New England Journal
of Medicine and the past five years of
articles published by the American Journal of Medicine are also available. These
journals contain the most recent advances and findings in clinical research
being conducted by the world’s leading medical professionals and provide
an invaluable source of information for
student research.
One of the library’s greatest sources
of information is the many online databases that are available to students
24 hours a day via the library website.
These databases collect information
and articles from peer-reviewed and
evidence-based medical journals,
health agency websites, and government publications and are managed
by well-known database vendors, such
as Ebsco. The information is arranged
in a way that makes student researching by topic, author, date range, etc.
quick and intuitive.
Some of the library’s well-known and
frequently used databases include
PubMed and Medline Plus. In addition
to databases with scholarly information,
the library has several databases, such
as A.D.A.M.
Problem-based learning (PBL) as an educational philosophy had its
origins in McMaster University in Canada and Maastricht University in
the Netherlands in the 1960s. PBL has become a common educational
methodology in medical schools in the ensuing five decades. 3 4
Medical schools use PBL either in combination with other teachinglearning methodologies (predominantly lectures) or as the predominant learning strategy. 3 4 We started PBL sessions at XUSOM from
the summer 2013 semester in May. Sessions are conducted once a week
for a particular group of students. Each problem runs over a two week
period with the first session being devoted to studying the problem,
identifying gaps in knowledge and formulating learning objectives. During the second session students as a group present their learning objectives and the facilitator mentions areas which may require further study,
assesses the group dynamics and provides feedback.
Medical humanities (MH) has been mentioned as using subjects traditionally known as the humanities like literature, philosophy and drama
among others for specific purposes in medical education. 5 MH programs are common in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia
and Canada among others. In the Caribbean MH programs are not
common. I was involved in initiating MH programs in the Himalayan
country of Nepal. 6 After I joined XUSOM in January 2013, Dr Dubey
was keen that students at XUSOM should be exposed to MH and I started a module for MD1 students during the Spring 13 semester. Since
them a MH module is conducted for all first semester students. About
seven or eight sessions are conducted during a module. The activitybased, small group sessions are conducted every Monday afternoon.
Anatomy Practice and Blue Penguin, that
assist with exam preparation and review.
They provide sample exam questions,
topic summaries, anatomical illustrations,
images, and radiographs.
All of the library materials and resources available from the library at Xavier
University School of Medicine, from the
hardbound books and journals to the
electronic databases, serve as sources
of valuable information to both students and faculty as they research various fields of medicine.
Ms. Gera Roberts, Librarian
Health Fair at the
International School
of Aruba
On Saturday, March 29, 2014, students
from MD 1 though MD 4 were invited
to participate in a health fair at the
International School of Aruba, an institution hidden on a serene campus in
Wayaca . It was a unique opportunity
for XUSOM students to learn how to
treat pediatric patients.
FMIG helped coordinate much of the
health fair. They set up blood pressure
readings, BMI charts, hearing tests and
vision tests. MD 4 students in conjunction with XUSOM’s professors helped
consult patients. Consultation included
letting patients know what the results
of their various tests meant and how
they could improve their lifestyle.
There has been recent emphasis on improving prescribing skills
among medical students. Medical students should be able to prescribe rationally based on objective criteria and sessions on rational
prescribing are being conducted in many medical schools. 7 8 The
WHO Guide to good prescribing and the Ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion have been widely used. We started conducting
a few sessions on personal (P) drug selection, and critical analysis of
drug advertisements and promotional materials from the Spring 13
semester. Students also carry out simple experiments in autonomic
pharmacology using a computer aided learning (CAL) module.
Small group learning and students working in groups are also utilized
during case presentations, Clinicopathological correlations (CPCs), and
student seminars. The desks in XUSOM class rooms can be easily rearranged to enable small group work. The institution has invested in a new
facility for small group learning in the annexe equipped with comfortable
seating, work tables, flip boards, white boards and a LCD projector.
The exuberance of the young students
along with the eagerness of the medical
students made for an entertaining and
educational day for everyone. XUSOM
students checked nearly 100 people
throughout the day to tremendous
applause. The success of this health
fair hopefully will ensure that XUSOM’s
excellence will continue and that more
health fairs are to come.
Mr. Lokesh Bhatt,
MD4 student, Student Editor
My experience
at XUSOM
Student feedback about PBL and the small group sessions has been
positive. We had recently studied student perceptions about small
group effectiveness during PBL sessions. 9 Student feedback
about small group effectiveness was positive. Students are also using
small group learning on their own during evenings and holidays to
learn various topics. The process of explaining to other students
significantly improves your own knowledge about a topic.
In forthcoming semesters we plan to further strengthen and enlarge
small group learning in the institution! 3
R efere n ces
1 Burgess AW, McGregor DM, Mellis CM. Applying Established
Guidelines to Team-Based Learning Programs in Medical Schools:
A Systematic Review. Acad Med. 2014 Feb 19. [Epub ahead of print]
2 Meo SA. Basic steps in establishing effective small group teaching
sessions in medical schools. Pak J Med Sci. 2013 Jul;29(4):1071-1076.
3 Neville AJ. Problem-based learning and medical education forty
years on. A review of its effects on knowledge and clinical performance.
Med Princ Pract. 2009;18(1):1-9.
4 Onyon C. Problem-based learning: a review of the educational and
psychological theory. Clin Teach. 2012 Feb;9(1):22-6.
I began my journey of becoming a doctor at Xavier University School of Medicine. It was daunting at first but as days
went on it became easier to grasp what
needed to be done to be successful.
My first semester of medical school in
Aruba, whose motto is “One Happy
Island.” Am I actually happy?
As I packed my bags to head out to
Xavier University School of Medicine, I
was very nervous. I really did not know
what to expect from the school or the
island itself. Upon arrival, Mr. George,
an employee at XUSOM was waiting at
the arrival department to drive me to
my apartment. During the drive, I was
very anxious. I remember looking out
the window and thinking to myself,
wow I’m actually very far from home,
all alone, hopefully everything goes
well. I arrived in Aruba one week before school started; during this time I
frequently visited the campus. The staff
was very comforting and helpful. Ms. Lisa
Koolman, the new student coordinator,
was exceptionally accommodating.
Before classes started, I had the opportunity to have a short meeting with
the Dean of Basic Sciences Dr. Dubey.
He definitely made me feel very comfortable with my decision of choosing
Xavier University School of Medicine.
Overall, the faculty did a tremendous
job of making sure all the incoming
students felt at ease at the new school.
Once classes started, the upperclassmen were very helpful. The first day of
classes, I felt overwhelmed by the helpful gestures from the upperclassmen.
5 Shankar PR. (2011). Medical Humanities. In R Biswas. & CM Martin (Eds.), User-driven healthcare and narrative medicine: utilizing collaborative social networks and technologies. Hershey, PA:
Medical Information Science Reference.
6 Shankar PR. Developing and sustaining a medical humanities program at KIST Medical College, Nepal. Indian J Med Ethics. 2013:10:51-53.
7 Gibson KR, Qureshi ZU, Ross MT, Maxwell SR. Junior doctor-led
‘near-peer’ prescribing education for medical students. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;77:122-9.
8 Ross S, Loke YK. Do educational interventions improve prescribing by medical students and junior doctors? A systematic review. Br J
Clin Pharmacol. 2009;67:662-70.
9 Shankar PR, Nandy A, Balasubramanium R, Chakravarty S. Small
group effectiveness during PBL sessions in a Caribbean medical school.
J Educ Eval Health Prof 2014, 11:4 • http://dx.doi.org/10.3352/
jeehp.2014.11.4
Dr P. Ravi Shankar, Faculty Editor, Chair, Curriculum Committee
Although I have been at XUSOM for just
a couple of months, the students and
faculty have made me feel like we are
one big family. There have been days
when studying for exams got very overwhelming, it was nice to have my fellow
classmates help each other get through
those periods. Academically speaking, the newly adapted curriculum was
very challenging at first. I found myself
struggling during my first integrated
quiz. I remember thinking to myself;
how am I supposed to study for seven
subjects all at once? It has definitely
been a learning experience for me.
After the first half of the semester, I
can say the new curriculum is actually
very efficient. I really like the fact that
all our classes somehow connect with
one another. Like any medical school
student, I had moments when I was just
freaking out about certain classes or
exams. I feel very blessed to have classmates and professors that helped me
through those moments.
Finally, back to answering my question.
Yes, this island is indeed a happy island.
I can proudly say I am very content attending medical school at Xavier University School of Medicine.
OFFICIAL MATCH RESULT 2014
1. Hassan Mahdi Al-khalisy
Pinnacle Health Hosps-PA; Internal Medicine
2. Gabriel Anzueto
Cook County-Stroger Hospital-IL; Pediatrics
3.
Amreen Sajjad Aziz
West Virginia University SOM; Family Medicine
4.
Sameer Baig
Griffin Hospital-CT; Internal Medicine
5.
Amany Bashir
St Elizabeth Med Ctr-NY; Family Medicine
6.
Hafsa Aziz Bhatti
Med Ctr of Columbus-GA; Family Medicine
7.
David Brual
MacNeal Hospital-IL; Internal Medicine
8.
Frances Denu
Harlem Hospital Ctr-NY; Internal Medicine
9.
Ramona Grewal
Louisville SOM-KY; Psychiatry
10. Michelle Lim
MidMichigan Med Center-MI; Family Medicine
Ms. Manpreet Kaur, MD 1 student
“Bonbini a Aruba!”
Back to school…again. I’m 29 years old
but I still felt like a freshman, the same
nervous butterflies in my stomach and
a voice in my head constantly doubting
my decision to accept a seat in medical
school. My whole scholastic and professional career had led me up to this
moment, I should be prepared right?
In a few short months, I had packed up
my life, said goodbye to my California
home, and moved to a country where I
would be completely alone for the next
two years. Fortunately, I was wrong.
Barry and Dr. Reddy were the first friendly
faces to greet me outside the airport
upon my arrival and the first words I
heard were “umm...I’m not sure we can fit
five suitcases and a guitar in this van.” I
was immediately put at ease as we piled
into the gold Xavier van and I listened to
the chatter of what I should and shouldn’t
do during my stay. It seemed similar
to my parents’ advice reminding me to
behave and not do anything overly idiotic.
11. Gargi Patel
Creedmoor Psych Ctr-NY; Psychiatry
12. Vipin Philip
Geisinger Health System-PA; Pediatrics
13. Ashvin Kumar Punnyamurthi
Concord Hospital-NH; Family Medicine
14. Sumeet Singh
Howard Univ Hosp-DC; Psychiatry
15. Janelle Yee
Mount Sinai; Internal Medicine
16. Lee Berman
Delaware Health and Social Services; Psychiatry
17. Chinmay Dalal
University British Columbia, Vancouver; Family Medicine
18.
David Ibrahim
Southern Illinois University (Decatur); Family Medicine
Boosting Exam Performance
– last minute preparations
It is that time of the semester again when even the most sluggish and
easygoing students pick up their study material and start camping at
the library. With the exams looming ahead, everyone turns their utmost attention towards their all-too-soon arrival and starts devoting
sincere attention towards preparation; usually for the first time all semester long. While the atmosphere of revision, and first time learning
for some, has started to gain ground, perhaps some study pointers
and tips need to be highlighted so that the students can efficiently
utilize their time and make the most of their efforts. Among numerous ways through which studying can be maximally optimized, I will
discuss three extremely important ones which cannot be neglected
and provide a good boost to scores when time is limited.
First and foremost, the biggest mistake students make, as they sit
down to review, is start taking extensive notes of everything they
come across. Whether textbooks or PowerPoint presentations,
the time for detailed note-taking is long past and with little time left
this exercise does not facilitate retention; only slight familiarization.
Detailed note-taking is a tool which is best exercised on a daily basis
as the classes progress in earlier stages of the semester; at this late
however, only very high yield notes such as tables and concept maps
should be focused on provided they were not compiled earlier in the
semester. The best method would be to revise the PowerPoint presentations over and over again until you are intimately familiar with them.
Print them out perhaps and write additional keywords on the side as
reminders of key concepts associated with the subject material. Thus,
the first study tip is: do not make any detailed notes last minute before the exams as they eat up a lot of time and retention is very poor
with regards to the amount of time spent on the endeavor.
So, while taking detailed notes is discouraged as much as charting
concept maps and review tables encouraged, perhaps the most guaranteed method of excelling in any subject is to do as many multiple
choice questions, MCQs, as possible. There are numerous benefits
associated with this habit. They help understand which aspects of each
topic are clinically relevant and thus most often tested. One thing is
understood: there are only so many concepts which can be tested and
further, only so many ways these key concepts can be tested in. Tests
and exams assess these concepts in numerous ways and doing MCQs
exposes students to a vast majority, if not all, of the possible ways a
concept can be tested. This is what elevates and decides between top
students vying each other for scholarships or the sheer pride of finishing first in their batch. In addition, MCQs also serve as excellent learning objectives. The wrong answers need not necessarily be skipped
over while practicing; rather, they can be used as means of revising
other concepts not tested in the question.
Lastly, these MCQs can be even more useful if solved during a group
study session. Group study, admittedly, is akin to playing with fire; if
not given utmost attention and care, the handlers will end up burning
themselves. However, optimization through modifications is very easy
to achieve. Every member present should have gained individual mastery of the topics of discussion prior to convening for discussion with
others. Otherwise, they turn into tutoring sessions which are not as
efficient use of the time; especially close to the exams. This one simple
modification is usually enough to resolve problems associated with
group study matters. As for the benefits of doing questions in groups,
solving MCQs in groups can be the most effective way of solidifying
concepts as this exercise includes the positives of practicing MCQs as
well as studying in a group setting. The benefits associated with MCQs
are already highlighted and their effect is greatly increased in group
settings because in case of someone getting answers wrong, those
who correctly answered the question can explain the concepts associated with the answer; thus revising themselves while resolving any
knowledge gaps in other group members.
Conclusively, these three methods are excellent ways of providing late
semester boosts to scores and performance. Best of luck to everyone
on their exams!
Mr. Junaid Sargana, MD 4 student
One Person, Six Languages
an interview with Mrs. Emma J. Carlton
Mrs. Emma J. Carlton, the new English as second
language (ESL) program teacher at Xavier University, is a UK native with the ability of speaking four different languages, including: English,
Spanish, German and French. Mrs. Emma has
been living in Aruba since July, 2013 and has
been teaching at Xavier since January 2014.
Previously, Mrs. Emma visited the island on four
different occasions, during which she fell in love with it. Her first
visit was when she was 22 years old. Not too long after, she decided
to move to Aruba because of personal reasons as well as the “One
happy island” feeling that stayed with her from her past visits.
Interestingly, medicine has been one of Mrs. Emma’s passions since
she was a kid. She volunteered in the Red Cross, worked in different
hospitals and was involved in the health world for a few years. She
even worked in India for six months at a Tuberculosis and Leprosy
hospital. Simultaneously, Mrs. Emma dedicated her spare time towards
doing workshops and fundraising in order to raise awareness about
such diseases. In the middle of her travels around the globe working
in the health field, she had a realization and she became passionate
about languages. Since that moment, she decided to go to school to
learn French and Spanish.
Mrs. Emma graduated from Lancaster University in the UK. Her first
teaching experience did not start after the diploma though, Mrs. Emma
taught French for seven months as part of an internship to complete
her degree. Then, she taught in different places including Argentina,
where she taught English to young children for about two years.
The ESL program at Xavier University consists of two classes at the moment, the beginner class consisting of 12 students and the advanced
class, consisting of 17 students. Most of the students are from different
nationalities including Colombia, Venezuela, and natives from Aruba.
The classes usually take place in the evenings throughout the week.
In short, Mrs. Emma is a great addition to the Xavier family, and she
reinforces it by loving the environment in which she is working in at
Xavier; and who knows, soon she might be speaking Papiamento and
Dutch as well, adding to a total of 6 different languages...”Talking about
a well-developed Broca’s and Wernicke’s area”
Mr. Roberto J. Rivero, MD 2 student
Webinars as a method of faculty
development at XUSOM
Orientation day arrived and walking
down the halls of Xavier University for
the first time was the most daunting
moment I’ve had since arriving to this
One Happy Island. The lost and insecure
“high school” sensation left me immediately as I was greeted warmly by the
admin girls Liza and Daphne and given
step-by-step instructions on how to
survive the next couple of days.
I settled into my routine, or so I thought.
Day after day the workload piled up and
all I could think about was what did I get
myself into, medical school is impossible
and I should get out now. But the overwhelming support and unity from the
upperclassmen and my fellow classmates
gave me a sense of family that helped
counteract the constant pressure and
stress put upon us. It was impressive the
amount of unsolicited friendly encouragement the veteran students of Xavier
offered with the unspoken message of “I
know what you’re going through.”
A semester is almost over and looking
back at it, I’m surprised I’ve come this
far without drowning in the constant
bombardment of medical information.
It has been a unique experience that only
Xavier could have offered and thanks to
the familial environment provided by the
faculty and students, I have no regrets
regarding my decision to pursue medicine in Aruba.
Ms. Andrea Hernandez,
MD 1 student
Dr. Niranjan Nayak,
M.B.B.S, M.D.
Professor of Microbiology
and Immunology
Dr. Niranjan Nayak
is the newest addition TO Xavier
University. The
native from India
is a professor of
microbiology and
immunology with
a long history in the world of teaching.
Dr. Nayak got his medical degree from
India as well as his residency in “clinical
microbiology”. He practiced for 6 years
in his country of origin and has been
teaching for more than 26 years. Dr.
Nayak has visited the United States on
multiple occasions for conferences. As
a researcher, Dr. Nayak has published
over 80 articles including one of his
favorite tittles: “Staphylococcus epidermidis in devices and related infections”
Dr. Nayak decided to come to Xavier
because he was aware of the transformation going on with the integrated
curriculum. He thinks the integrated curriculum is a great way of teaching, if not
the best. Also, he thinks that the integrated curriculum facilitates the learning
process through repetition, allowing the
student to go home with a clear idea of
what’s happening in the classroom.
Dr. Nayak recommends students to
use the textbook more often; he thinks
students nowadays focus on slides too
much and put the textbook aside. The
textbook is the “home teacher”; the
slides given in class are just the guidance. When students use only slides,
they are not learning the mechanism
through which a body response takes
place, they only learn the final result
of that response, while when using the
book, the whole explanation is given,
facilitating the understanding.
In short, Dr. Nayak is a great addition
for the Xavier team by adding experience and knowledge to the program.
Mr. Roberto Rivero, MD 2 student
Hospital
Externship at HOH
This semester several students from the
MD 3 and 4 classes were able to participate in a hospital externship at Dr.
Horacio E. Oduber Hospital. The chance
to apply the skills, bestowed upon us
by our professors, in a clinical setting
was an opportunity each student was
eager to seize.
Students were assigned to either the surgical or oncology wards of the hospital.
Working alongside the doctors, nurses,
and hospital staff taught students about
the lifestyle, work ethic, and demands of
a typical day at a hospital.
The students’ days started with a patient
debriefing. The nursing staff would go
over the charts from earlier in the day to
update the new shift. This was followed
by rounds with the attending doctor
and nursing staff. Students were able
to read patient’s charts, see the various ailments, and further get to see the
type of treatment available. The natural
curiosity of the students, who sought to
seek out more and more information,
truly impressed the hospital staff.
Many facets that are brought up in
courses like ICMPD, pathology, and
pharmacology were needed in working with patients. Several students said
it was “cathartic and invigorating to
utilize lectures that are taught in OSCE
lab” in a real life situation.
The success of this program cannot be
overstated. The excitement and curiosity
of the upperclassmen students at XUSOM will guarantee that this externship
will be continued and only get better.
Mr. Lokesh Bhatt,
MD 4 student, Student editor
MD5 - The “Limbo”
Semester
Aruba’s sixtieth carneval!
The heat was beginning to get to us! It was after four in the afternoon
and we had been sitting on the hard wooden benches right from ten in
the morning. I never realized sitting still could be so difficult and was
beginning to empathize with students everywhere who endure long
hours of sitting and relative immobility. The costumes were colorful
and the dancers young and picturesque. We (I, Dr Bala, Isu (Bala’s wife),
Dr Danish and Ayesha (Danish’s wife)) were in a covered pavilion near
the Cricket Club watching Aruba’s sixtieth Carnival celebrations.
The massive procession reached our location around eleven thirty
and then it was a feast to the eyes and the senses and often a direct
frontal assault on the ear drums. Alcohol was flowing faster and more
freely than the ‘soft’ water from Aruba’s desalination plant (the world’s
second largest) and everyone was having a good time. The truck floats
were magnificent and the dancers are riotous kaleidoscope of color as
they twisted and twirled in the bright sunshine. People were dancing
on both sides of the road and were waving to revelers in the carnival
parade. We were feeling a bit lost as we knew very few revelers. Dr Bala
had been in ‘one happy island’ the longest and his ‘young’, dapper and
handsome landlord ‘Chichi’ (Hector Peres) was keeping us company.
Then we saw Jairo, our office assistant driving one of the trucks and
shouted to draw his attention. Jairo (may be) as surprised to see us as
we were to see him, waved wildly. The music trucks shook the ground
and other structures as they slowly moved towards Palm Beach.
I was thinking about what I had read about Aruba’s carnival in ‘Island
temptations’. Today Aruba’s carnival is one of the best known in the
Caribbean and a major attraction for tourists and residents. In the
1920s small clubs and organizations started having carnival parties. The
idea was to finish off the rich food and drink before the period of abstinence during Lent. In the 1940s the Lago refinery was started in San
Nicholas, the Sun City. Many of the workers were from Trinidad, British
Guyana and Jamaica, countries with a rich carnival tradition. Aruba’s
carnival is said to borrow heavily from Trinidad. In 1955 the first official
Carnival in the modern sense of the term was held by the Tivoli club in
both Oranjestad and San Nicolas.
Old photographs show simple floats decorated with palm fronds. The
carnival underscores the traditional rivalry between San Nicolas and
Oranjestad. Oranjestad is credited with initiating the first floats while
San Nicolas started the first foot parades. The story of the Carnival
Queens was also fascinating. Certain families seem to have a monopoly
on queens with mothers, daughters and nieces all being crowned
through the years.
Around two weeks earlier we had watched the fascinating display of
lights during Aruba’s Tivoli lighting parade. The lighting parade was
absolutely wonderful. I was captivated by the shimmering glasses
from which the participants were partaking refreshments. There were
a few street vendors walking up and down with their carts selling
various trinkets. Chichi told me they were from Haiti, the poorest
nation in the Caribbean. Danish and Ayesha had purchased a shimmering light saber and in the darkness Danish seemed like Luke
Skywalker (of Star wars fame) battling with the dark side of the force.
The parade was a kaleidoscope of colors ranging from cool whites,
and greens to warmer yellows and orange. The monster trucks with
their bands belting out powerful rhythms had searchlights which
sliced through the darkness. The night was cool and we were sitting on the top rows enjoying the refreshing trade winds. Right at
the end the carnival became a community affair when anyone who
wanted could dance his/her way all the way towards Palm Beach or
till whatever distances their steady (or unsteady) legs could carry
them! The truck from Dienst Openbare Werken (DOW) brought up
the rear and the DOW guys were removing the barriers from both
sides of the road and carrying them away on their trucks.
The carnival was well organized. Refreshment trucks were present and
regular intervals and also rest room trucks and trucks allowing revelers
to sit down and stretch their legs when the dancing and the drinking
became too much to bear! Chichi was telling us how it is getting increasingly expensive to participate in the parade. There is an entrance
fee and participants have to pay for their costumes which can often
cost four to five thousand florins or more.
The semester wherein, you are technically neither student nor intern. I’ve had
more questions regarding the workings and purpose of this semester than
any other part of the marathon that is
medical school. So, what is MD5? Well,
as I said, it’s limbo; it is the semester
that Xavier gives student to be part of
the school body, but also apart from
the school body, as we study for what
may be the exam that determines our
lives. It is a semester that I think many
go in taking for granted. But friend of
mine, in other medical schools, both in
the Carribbean and back home in the
States, do not have the luxury of this
semester, or the Kaplan course that
goes along with it. They completely
on their own, having to juggle classes
and study time, and in having to find a
program or routine that they can only
hope works. Xavier has given us the gift
of Kaplan, and its years of experience.
As a side note, I think its worth saying
that, with only a month left in my Kaplan
course, I have yet to encounter any new,
and therefore panic-inducing, information. So yay, for the last four semesters
worth of knowledge! MD5 gives student
a chance to spread their wings, and
learn more about themselves as students, on their own. Instead of a rigid
8am onwards schedule, full of classes in
an order the school deems best, MD5
gives us the beauty of waking up (much)
later, and planning our days to our own
needs. I will say this: making a schedule,
and sticking to it, no matter what pops
up, is absolutely the most important skill
you can have going in, and keeping all
the way through MD5.
Many, most especially my family and
friends back home, have asked why,
if the whole academic aspect of the
semester is online, can I not have done
it at home. My answer to this is usually
two-fold. One: its really really reallllly
cold in New York City this time of year,
and well, Aruba is not. Two: being away
at school is a form of focus for me
personally. Now, I’m sure that there
are people who would be able to focus
completely and totally on their studies at home; I, unfortunately, am not
one of those people. Being away from
the responsibilities and distractions
of home and family, have kept me in
the “school” bubble, where the only
thing that I really have to worry about
are what chapter should I get through
tonight, and how many questions have
I gone through today.
In honesty, I’ve loved this semester.
Kaplan goes through every subject
thoroughly, and there are assessment
tests at the end of each, which obviously helps keep you on track, but also
has a thorough review and explanations
so you can realy learn from your mistakes. The qbank has like 2000 questions, which I’ve developed a love/hate
relationship; I love that it’s really USLME
style questions, hate that that means
the can get really bloody complicated.
But it’s a learning experience. As I said
earlier, scheduling is key, 7 hours of selfstudy, however is best for you—reading
or questions or videos—then four hours
of class, try to at least do the chapter in
review thingy at the end, and then usually full night’s sleep, which is possibly
the most amazing experience ever.
Ms. Natasha Dyal, MD 5 student
Nauman’s
Restaurant
Review
In this month’s issue of
the Xavier Times I will be covering Five Burgers, a place to grab some
burgers or even breakfast in the morning. Next on the list is Madame Janette,
which is a great dinnertime choice and
for those who enjoy pizza you could
check out Pizza Bob’s.
=
=
=
=
Not Recommended
Average
Would Return
Island Favorite
$ = $8 per person
$$ = $12 per person
$$$ = $18 per person
$$$$= $25 per person
If you haven’t already tried Five Burgers
yet you might want to check it out. It’s
the closest thing you can get that tastes
like it was made back home in the US.
They have burgers, chicken sandwiches, and fries. They even have a bean
burger for vegetarians. I recommend
the Western Burger and sweet potato
fries. Current PM4 Raza Syed describes
the Western Burger as “straight cash
homie” so I would consider trying it if
you haven’t already. Five burgers also
offers a student discount, just show up
with your Xavier I.D and your set.
Verdict:
Cost: $ $
Hours: 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Address: J. E. Irausquin Blvd. 53000
Phone Number: 586-3904
Madame Janette is an excellent
restaurant, which offers fine dining in
a casual atmosphere. There are many
tasteful, creative dishes on their vast
menu. They have a lot of selections and
whatever your bound to order is going
to be delicious. I recommend the bang
bang shrimp and the burger loin. Their
combined worldwide experience gives
their dishes an original flavor with a
touch of Caribbean in it. I highly recommend this place; it’d be worth going to.
Verdict:
Cost: $ $ $
Address: Cunucu Abou 37, Aruba
Phone Number: 587-0184
Aruba’s carnival is a burst of fun, spontaneity, color and good will under warm, blue tropical skies. I have now enjoyed two Aruban carnivals
and look forward expectantly to the sixty-first version in 2015!
If you’re tired of getting Dominos and
Pizza Hut all the time and want to try
something new, you should check out
Pizza Bob’s. They have some pretty
good chicken BBQ pizza and vegetarian pizza. They do take more than 20
minutes though. Check out it out if
you’re ever with some friends. Dr P. Ravi Shankar, Faculty Editor
Pharmacology Practical
MD 3 and 4 students partake in a pharmacology practical course. In
this class students learn the process in which to prescribe medication to a patient. Although this seems like a simple way to define the
course, the skills learned in the class go above and beyond what is
typically done in a normal lecture.
Students are given caes with varying scenarios in which they must
come up with a preferred drug of choice, how to write a prescription,
and to demonstrate how to use that medication (with the help of a
standardized patient).
Verdict:
Cost: $ $
Hours: 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Address: J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 59
Phone Number: 588-9040 ext. 790
Mr. Nauman Ali,
MD 1 Student
There are nine steps to counseling a patient:
1
The student must describe the disease in simple terms.
2
The student must let the patient know what non-pharmacological measures they should take to improve their condition.
For example, if a patient has diabetes, let them know that
must reduce their weight, avoid simple sugars, increase their
fiber intake, and exercise.
3
Find out if the patient is on any medication or has allergies to
anything. This is in case there are any contraindications to the
prescribed medication.
4
Students must choose the correct medication and the proper
dosage.
5
Students must demonstrate how to properly use the medication. For example, if the patient is an asthmatic, then the student should show the proper techniques for using an inhaler.
Xavier
Times
team
Faculty editor:
Dr. P Ravi Shankar
Student Editor:
Mr. Lokesh Bhatt
Faculty advisors:
7
As a physician, one must follow up with the patient. Appointments should be made at appropriate times.
Dr. A Nandy
Dr. R Balasubramanium
Ms. Gera Roberts
8
Allow the patient some time to ask any questions or express
any concerns.
Student members:
9
Have the patient repeat all of the instructions. This is to ensure
that they have properly learned how and when to use their
medication.
6
The patient should be informed of any adverse side effects.
Students will be able to use these skills and knowledge learned in the
pharmacology practical course in a clinical setting. These steps are the
keys for a successful appointment with a patient.
Mr. Lokesh Bhatt, MD 4 student
Ms. Natasha Dyal
Mr. Umar Siddiqui
Ms. Pinky Ali
Mr. Roopak Sekhon
Mr. Roberto Rivero
Mr. Nauman Ali
Ms. Manpreet Kaur