Category: Ross University

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31 Things Only Ross Students Will Understand

The little things we all encounter that remind you that you went to a Caribbean medical school.

1. Dominica- NOT the Dominican Republic

Dominica

Every time someone asks where you go to school you have to open up Google maps and explain that Dominica is not the same thing as the Dominican Republic. Every. Single. Time.

 

2. And getting there is an all around terrible experience

2. Liat

You cringe at the thought of flying with them. They’ve lost your bags multiple times, forgot to send a plane big enough to seat all of their passengers, and may have ran out of fuel mid flight and had to turn back around. LIAT- because your Luggage Is Always Tardy.

3. But we do have some beautiful sunsets

3. Sunset

Possibly one of the few things you’ll miss about the island. And you’re leaving just in time because I think your friends are starting to catch on that all of your Instagram sunsets look awfully similar…

 

4. And waterfalls

4. Waterfalls

Okay, I guess there are a few things we’ll all miss about this island.

5. Lots of them5. Lots of them

 

6. And double rainbows

6. Double rainbows

 

7. And lots of diverse wildlife

7. Lots of wildlife

 

8. Like cows just chilling on the side of the road

8. Cows

 

9. And these little guys

9. Little guys

 

10. And other little guys

10. Others

 

11. And massive bugs

11. Bugs

 

12. And boobs12. Boobs

Like you’ve never referred to Cabrits as that.

13. But definitely not gonna miss these guys

13. Bugs

These primeval creatures have existed for about four-hundred-million years…and some can be highly venomous. And you just saw one in your apartment? No worries. You probably didn’t feel like getting any sleep tonight anyway.

14. Okay, calm your nerves with a refreshing beer

14. Beer

Refreshing is a relative term. But you’re not a stranger to a different variety of beverages when you’re enjoying a night out in Portsmouth. Don’t feel like having a rum punch? How about a bucket of Kubuli and a pizza from Tulip’s? If not, I think I saw someone outside of Big Poppa’s selling ‘coconuts’..

15. De Champs

15. De Champs

Whether you’re enjoying fine dining, playing trivia during taco Tuesdays, having a mimosa-filled boozy brunch, completing the 12-hour challenge, buying the hottest faculty and students at the Ped’s Date Auction, chugging from the flabongo, or just dancing your drunken ass off, we’ve all had amazing times at this place. Probably too much fun. Shit, who did I try and make out with last night? God I hope I didn’t take too many embarrassing selfies..

 

16. Chop my money!

You never heard this song before you came here and you are likely never to hear it again. You know, once you delete it from your iPod.

Let’s also not forget the first time you heard this song. Chocolate codeine? Chuck my mommy? WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY SAYING?! Ohhhh…CHOP my MONEY. Gotcha.

 

17. Machetes & coconuts

17. coconuts

The perfect alternative to the swiss army knife, the machete is the best all around tool for just about anything and everything. Need to open a coconut? Machete. Need to cut the grass? Machete. Machete? Machete!

*Honorable mention goes to the weedwacker- the noisiest but seemingly most common gardening tool on this island

 

18. The New & Improved Tomato’s

18. Tomatoes

If you recognize this picture then you’ve been on the island long enough to remember when Scrappy was homeless. The servers at Tomato’s still yell out orders incomprehensibly and they seem to always forget that you ordered extra ranch with your buffalo chicken wrap. But at least we don’t have to huddle under the umbrellas anymore when it starts to rain!

19. And It Rains Here…A Lot

20. Did I Mention How Much It Rains Here?

21. Seriously?! It Didn’t Even Rain That Hard Today! Guess I’m Not Showering.

21. Not showering

This is the product of using gravity as a filtration system. And you’re about as surprised by dirty water coming out your faucet as you are when subway runs out of…well, everything.

 

22. Speaking of Subway..

22. Subway

You’ve eaten Subway more often since being on the island than you ever have your entire life. You’ve eaten there even after they ran out of lettuce. And meat. And bread. Just never expect extra toppings without an attitude- its like you’re stealing from their personal stash of banana peppers and ranch dressing!

23. But Seriously, Its Always Hot and/or Raining

https://youtu.be/wTay1NOGWaw

Did you you just come from the gym? Nope, but I did just walk here from my apartment!

 

24. There Are Dogs Everywhere

https://youtu.be/3OU1UY6So5w

25. That Silly Jingle The Electricity Meter Makes

The best part of getting more electricity? Air conditioning was a good guess but we all know you secretly love that catchy jingle the electricity meter makes when you top up.

26. Hot Commodities

26. Chairs

When it comes to studying in comfort, you aren’t a stranger to getting up at the crack of dawn just to secure one of these bad boys. Just don’t sit in my cube. Or in the cube next to my cube. Seriously, I don’t know you. Even if I did, I wouldn’t want you to be this close to me. And you smell a little. Go away.

27. The truth

27. Truth

Your friends and family stopped asking ‘what you’re up to lately’ because you always seem to be studying and yet they still seem surprised when you don’t come home tan. Or ‘freckly’ for the melanin challenged.

 

28. Boiling lake

28. Boiling lake

But you always manage to find some time to explore the island

29. Scotts Head

29. Scotts Head

Where the Caribbean meats the Atlantic

 

30. Morne Diablotin

30. Morne

Or climb the tallest mountain on the island

 

31. But mostly we just can’t wait to go home

31. Home

 

Not everyone’s experience in Dominica is the same. What do you miss about the island?

 

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This post was originally published on BuzzFeed

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How to Prepare for the Comp

Here is how I approached the comp and used it to help prepare me to succeed on step 1 of the USMLE.

 

It’s just a practice test

At the end of the day the comp exam is a practice step 1 exam and nothing more. I took five practice exams when I studied for step 1 and step 2 respectively. These were NBME practice tests and were just like the comp because the comp is a practice exam that is meant to show you were you stand. Sure, it will suck if you have to retake the comp but your end goal is to crush step 1! So don’t worry about passing or failing the comp. In the long run it doesn’t matter if you pass or fail. If you fail, it means that you aren’t ready to take step 1. And hey, I passed the comp on my first try but I certainly wouldn’t say I was ready for step 1. I still required two more months of studying in order to get my scores up.

 

Pass the comp but focus on step 1

Back in my day we had 4 weeks to study for the comp after our fourth semester final. I understand that times have changed but my study strategy should still ring true. My strategy was simple: I wanted to pass the comp so I didn’t have to worry about it after I left the island. However, at the end of the day the comp doesn’t really matter. All that matters is crushing step 1. No residency program will know if you passed or failed your comp exam but they will certainly know what you got on step one.

 

Don’t try and study everything

It doesn’t pay off to try and study everything before you take the comp because there simply isn’t enough time. During my third and fourth semester I was using the Kaplan step one question bank to study for the NBME final exams so I chose to use a Kaplan diagnostic test to see where I stood. Turns out I sucked at everything but there were certain subjects I was particularly bad at. As I suspected, my best subjects were ones that I had just studied for my fourth semester final. Strategically, I chose not to study these subjects and hoped that I would remember them when I took the comp. Instead, I focused on a few organ systems that I was particularly bad at, specifically pulmonology, nephrology, and gastroenterology. I also chose to focus on cardiology because it is the single organ system that takes up the largest composition of questions on step one.

 

Start studying for step one when you start studying for the comp

When I left the island I had already studied four organ systems (the three I sucked at plus cardio). It wasn’t sufficient enough to allow me to skip them during my two months of preparation for step one but it gave me one hell of a head start. Again, it doesn’t matter if you pass the comp or not. Sure it will suck if you have to take it again but you have to keep the long-term goal in mind of not just passing step one but crushing it. Passing step one might get you a residency but killing step one will get you an amazing residency.

 

And do practice questions. Lots of practice questions.

The more practice questions you do the higher you will score. There is simply not way around it. By the time I took step 1 I had completed half of the Kaplan qbank once, all of UWorld, and all of the questions I answered incorrectly in UWorld once which comes to a grand total of 3,000 questions or so. Some people did all of Kaplan, UWorld, and one or two other qbanks but I personally felt like that’s overkill but everyone is different. UWorld should be the minimum though.

Practice questions will not replace your studying but instead should supplement and guide you in which topics you need to study. Practice questions show you your weaknesses and give you topics to go back and study. I suggest one full question set which should take you one hour followed by three hours to review those questions. Then study for four hours in the afternoon after an hour break. Then eat, sleep, repeat!

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Where in Dominica Should I Live?

A new semester is starting at Ross University and that means a whole lot of first semester students need to find somewhere to live. I’m certain that there are other students out there who will tell you differently but I will share with you my advice on where to live in Dominica.

First off you should know that a family friend of mine told me where I should live first semester and I ended up staying there for all four semesters on the island. I lived at Old Avies Ville because it was cheap and was in a good location. Rent is relatively cheap at around $500/month. Other places can run you close to a grand. I personally didn’t want to waste a lot of money on rent in Dominica because I knew I wanted to come back and waste a lot of money on rent in New York. I will admit though that a few of my friends paid around $800 to $1,000 in rent per month but they got what they paid for. One apartment complex right next to The Barn provides you a Caribbean view and really is a much nicer apartment than I lived in. Other places were much closer to campus and the only gym on the island. Again, I would choose to live somewhere cheaper the first semester and then figure it out once you are actually living on the island for the following semester.

As for location, Old Avies is situated down the road from my favorite grocery store Picard Grocery. There is another grocery store, IGA, that is down the road and is closer to what you might picture when you think of a grocery store but when you have to walk your groceries all the way back to your apartment it only takes one sweaty stroll with heavy grocery bags to appreciate the  convenience of Picard Grocery. As one of my favorite blogs, From Louisiana to Dominica, about life in Dominica explains ‘you will get to know the stores quickly and figure out which places sell which goods’. So in my humble opinion it was nice having Picard Grocery up the road from me.

Besides a grocery store, Old Avies is also down the hill from ‘The Barn’, my favorite study spot. It’s also down the hill from Tomato’s restaurant/bar, Tulip’s bar, and the main campus. All of those locations are within a ten minute walk from Banana Trail where Old Avies is situated. Old Avies Ville also provides cleaning services on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so I would normally cook my weekly meals on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Old Avies also has drop off laundry services on the premises, and a small pool that one or two residents would use to swim laps in the morning.

It’s newer cousin, New Avies Ville, is up the hill and is a little bit more expensive. When I visited friends who lived in the New apartment complex I found that it was a little bit prettier and maybe a little bit bigger but not worth the couple hundred dollar price tag increase. So live in Old Avies Ville your first semester and then go see your friends apartments and figure out what your priorities are. Lastly, I never had any trouble with payments or with safety while living there. Just lock your door when you leave your apartment and don’t walk down that sketchy, poorly lit part of town late at night.

Here are some links that might help:

My next post will go over what you should bring in your barrel to the island! Good luck on your upcoming semester and congrats on starting your first semester of medical school!! And as always, happy studying.

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Away Rotations

A third year medical student asked me, “should I have all my away rotations done before ERAS opens or nah? I’m concerned with whether I did aways before Sept 15th [when ERAS opens] or if they went into late Sept or October too. Is prior to Sept better?”.

Short answer: Depends if you want a letter of recommendation or not. If you do, then ideally you should be done with your elective before ERAS opens. If you are not looking for a letter then you should still rotate through any away hospital before hospitals are required to submit their rank list in January. I highly suggest reading, or at least skimming through, “The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match“. It talks about all of this in much greater detail.

Long answer: Away rotations are perfect ‘extended interviews’. They let programs see who you really are and, anecdotally, can help or conversely hurt your chances at matching at a specific program. In my mind, if you are a third year who is already planning out your fourth year electives then you likely have a good head on your shoulders. When you go to your away rotation just work hard and take care of your patients. Everything else will fall into place.

There are a few caveats pertaining to when you should perform away rotations. First off, are you trying to secure a strong letter of recommendation? If so, then you likely want to start an away rotation in July or August to ensure you get your letters in on time. You can still get letters from rotations during September and October but these should not be your first letters. Programs can filter you out if your application is not complete so you ideally want to have your letters in by September to ensure you have all of the appropriate documents ready to go.

Okay so I submitted my residency application- what now? Away rotations are even more valuable than ever. Hopefully you’re rotating somewhere that you applied because you basically just got a month long interview (congrats!). Away rotations are a golden opportunity to show a program who you are and also a great way to see if you like the hospital. Is this somewhere you can see yourself working for the next three years? Anecdotally, a lot of students get interviews at places they rotate through and even match there too. Be careful though because as much as an away rotation can help it can also hurt you.

This should go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: don’t forget to work hard and take care of your patients! If nothing else, my very expensive medical education has taught me that common sense isn’t so common. Showing up isn’t enough. Take care of your patients, show interest in what you’re doing, and freaking learn something! You’re still paying them to be there so you might as well get your money’s worth. Okay, done ranting. Hope that answers your question!

tl; dr: Rotate through hospitals early, ideally with the elective ending before September 15th if you want to secure letters of recommendation. Away rotations are also valuable ‘extended interviews’ that can strengthen or weaken a program’s interest in you, and visa-versa.

*Image taken from The Happy Hospitalist

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How To Pass The Comprehensive Shelf Exam

“I am a third semester student and I would like to ask you for some advice. I am deeply worried about the comprehensive shelf exam pass rate (~ 50%). I do not wish to have to retake it in the US. My goal is to focus on step 1 during that time. I have heard of a few people failing out of Ross because they did not pass COMP the 3 or 4 chances given. I plan on coming back a week early before school starts to start studying for COMP. In addition, is your study habits the same in which you applied for the step exam as well? They make the comp sound impossible…but it has to be possible.”

Short answer: the fact that you are already thinking about your study strategies for the comp exam and step 1 shows me that you will pass.

Long answer: Let’s get down to the dirty details now that I’ve delivered my mandatory inspirational quote for the day. First off, if you haven’t already check out my original post where I describe some general advice on how to pass your comprehensive shelf exam. That post is meant for fourth semester students who just took their final and now have one remaining month to study for the COMP. I know the curriculum has changed at Ross since I left the island and I’m not sure if they still give you one month for the COMP but the basic philosophy I describe should still be applicable.

I don’t know what the COMP passing rate is but even if I had those statistics I would be willing to bet that they would include quite a few confounding variables. Frankly, if you put in the time and effort you should be able to pass the COMP on your first try. The few people I know who failed the COMP failed because they didn’t put in enough effort. They treated the month before the COMP as a mini vacation more than a dedicated study period (see previous blog post above).

When I was on the island I also heard those alleged rumors of students failing the COMP on multiple attempts. They are just rumors. Even if they are true then those students are likely the outliers on the standard bell curve. They are the exception, not the rule. From here on out your mindset is not whether you pass or not. Your new mindset is how well you will do when you pass.

Now everyone is different and every student has his or her own study habits. Personally, when I left the island in between each semester I did zero studying. I may have organized and reprinted some notes but I certainly didn’t study. Let alone come back early to study. So for the sake of sanity do not go back early. That being said, everyone is different and you know yourself better than I do. So if you want to go back early to study then do it! I am simply concerned that you will burn out. Especially since during my fourth semester we had those dreaded eight hour days of lecture three days a week. I don’t know if that has changed or not but an entire semester of medical school is enough of a reason for me not to go back to the island early to study. So, again, if you are the type of person who alleviates their anxiety by studying then by all means go ahead but before you make any rash decisions check out my original post. Specifically the part about recharging your batteries.

Lastly, the study strategies that I employed for the COMP were identical to what I did for step one. A morning question set took me one hour to take and three hours to review. Then a one hour break followed by a four hour block of videos in the afternoon. That was followed up by an evening run on the beach, pick up game of basketball, or lifting session at the gym. Followed by a calm review session of everything I looked over that day after dinner. Then sleep, eat, study, repeat. Sleep, eat, study, repeat.

In the end, your step one score = (how smart you are) x (how hard you work). There is always someone out there who is smarter than you but there is no excuse for there being someone who works harder than you.

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How To Study In Med School

One of the toughest parts of starting medical school for me was figuring out how to study. Here are some of the best pieces of advice that I have discovered along the way.

 

 

Find your own study method.

Everyone does something different. Some students love the library while others are more productive at home. I like loud music while others need absolute silence. Find a method and routine that works for you and stick to it. And let me save you the time and trouble and let you know that study groups only work if everyone has studied on their own individually already.

 

 

Study for long-term retention

There is no way around it. You have to work hard every single day. However, studying in medical school is different than studying in undergrad. There is no more study and purge. You need to learn for long-term retention. This material is going to come back on the final. And the USMLE Step 1. And then again on Step 2 CK. Oh and also Step 3. It might even be important during residency when you treat actual patients. Just remember that if you understand it now then you won’t have to study it again later.

 

 

Work smarter, not harder

Medical school is like trying to drink water from a fire-hose. There is always more material to study and never enough time to study it. So you have to be succinct when it comes to taking notes and making study products. I liked to combine the two. Fold a piece of paper in half and write a question or topic on one side and the answer or explanation on the other. This way you can take notes while creating a study product at the same time. Then later on you can use your notes to quiz yourself. Cover one side and try to regurgitate as much as you can. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

 

Actively study

When you are studying your lecture material you must remember to actively study. By actively studying, you challenge yourself to summarize and regurgitate the material in your own words. Don’t just read the same sentences several times. Ask yourself questions about the topic at hand and different questions about the same subject. What artery supplies the muscle? What action does this muscle have? What nerve supplies this muscle? The nerve that supplies this muscle also supplies what other muscle? If you’re lucky, you might even accidentally guess an exam question.

 

 

Stay ahead of the game

Let’s compare your lectures to a pancake breakfast. Each day you have to eat ten pancakes. It’s manageable. However, if you slack off and don’t eat all of your pancakes, then the next day you will have to eat you ten from today and the remainder from the day before. That’s a lot of pancakes (and a lot of carbs…). This will continue until you’re looking at a mountain of flapjacks with no end in sight. Likewise, don’t fall behind in school- you can’t afford to. Stay ahead and always finish your day’s work. Find whatever works for you and stick to it.

 

 

See one, do one, teach one

The old phrase of ‘see one, do one, teach one’ carries weight in medical school and residency. After being taught something and studying it, test yourself by applying your knowledge. Practice questions are the simplest way to illuminate gaps in your knowledge and are an excellent way to apply what you’ve learned. This point is worth repeating- do practice questions! Eventually though, to test if you truly understand a topic try teaching it to a friend. You’d be surprised how much you think you know until you try to teach it to someone else.

 

 

In the end, only you stand in the way of your success.

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How To Pass Your First Semester At Ross University

A fourth semester student made me realize that I will be giving the same advice to first semester students again next semester. And again after that. Instead of repeating myself, I’ll simply share how to pass your first semester of medical school at Ross University as well as study skill advice.

 

Beware of who you take advice from (except me of course)

I distinctively remember being told by an upper semester ‘not to bother focusing on lymphatic drainage’. Low and behold, at least three questions on lymphatic drainage popped up on my first exam. Similarly, last semester was the exordium of Ross teaching first semester students immunology. It just goes to show you that each semester is unique. Be aware that Ross is continually adapting to improve our educational experience and professors and material change- no two semesters are identical thus far. So, listen to your upper semester peers. They are smart and have gone through everything you are about to experience. Just take everything with a grain of salt.

 

Surround yourself with positivity.

You are going to have enough on your plate this semester without having negative-Nancy bothering you. It might seem discourteous, but avoid negative people who bring you down at all costs. Find a good group of friends who exude positivity and stick with them. I don’t know how I would have been able to make it through my first semester without the support of my friends down here in Dominica.

 

Work hard, play hard.

Find ways to reward yourself for all of the hard work you put in. It can be going for a swim in the Caribbean, playing basketball or soccer in the evening, or simply enjoying a good novel. Whatever it is that helps you unwind and relax- do it. You can’t study non-stop every single day or else you will simply burn out. Med school is a marathon, not a race (and no, you don’t sprint marathons).

 

Remind yourself why you are here.

Every once in a while I found myself down and out. It was a long and hectic week with not nearly enough sleep. I needed to find motivation to keep going. I went home, showered, relaxed, and reminded myself of all the years of hard work and dedication I invested in myself in order to simply gain acceptance into medical school. I thought about how proud both my parents and I will be when I graduate. I thought about how much I look forward to treating my first patient. Just like that, my smile returned to my face and motivation to my mind. Keep your long-term goals in the back of your mind and don’t forget why you are here.

 

Don’t compare yourself to the valedictorian.

There are going to be other students with master’s degrees in biochemistry and other students who have previously been anatomy TA’s. Don’t stress about what other people know. Focus on what is in your control instead of lamenting over the fact that someone else might know a certain subject in more detail that you do. There is a fine line between recognizing that you might want to look over the anatomy of the arm once more after your friend displayed such an amazing mastery of the limb and freaking out because you feel like you don’t know anything.

 

Although it should go without saying, don’t forget to study.