jenniferhawke.com

i don’t use IE and just noticed that the photos here seem to screw up the layout. big time.

this is where you get to suggest how i fix it and i thank you deeply from the bottom of my heart because i really don’t want to do the legwork for you IE users right now. :)

also, i have added a fancy “calendar” page (link above) so that anyone stalking me will have an easier time keeping track of my whereabouts, exams, and deadlines.

i’ve never been so happy to see a ginormous envelope. it arrived this morning and my mom literally squealed with delight. which – in turn – brought tears to my eyes as she hugged me. it’s really really happening.

my brain has been spinning since i received the news last week and the only thing that helps me get to sleep at night are lists. lots and lots of lists.

here is the stuff i have to get done in the next month…

US money order for deposit and tuition: $500 deposit has to reach them by feb 22nd to secure my seat. i will be sending the first semester tuition ASAP as well, in case i am offered a seat in may.

immunizations: there is a variety of stuff on this form, including HIV test results and hep B vaccine. it sucks that my family doctor is in vancouver. the PG travel clinic doesn’t even have an appointment open until march 13th.

police clearance: a certificate issued by my local police department stating that i have no outstanding arrests or warrants that prevent me from leaving the country.

dorm preference form: i prefer to live alone. but i don’t think that decision is entirely up to me. i have a feeling i will be sharing a room due to the high first term enrollment rate.

student loans: still researching, but it looks like the majority of funding available to me is via private institutions that charge ridiculous amounts of interest while i’m in school.

books, books, books: i have a list of “recommended” books and am comparing MUA’s course materials to a list supplied by a friend at UBC. i’ll need class material to do well in the classes and supplementary books to do well on the USMLEs. i’ll buy what i can locally and order the rest online.

final transcripts from UNBC: to prove i finished and passed organic chemistry once and for all! and with flying colours!

miscellaneous equipment: extra/special gear that i want to bring include a universal power supply, small electric frying pan and rice cooker, water filter, more RAM for my laptop, battery-powered alarm clock, GSM-compatible unlocked cell phone, MUCH smaller printer, short lab coat, and two sets of scrubs (for gross anatomy lab).

plane ticket: students entering nevis for the first time must have a round-trip ticket. once you have your student visa, you can enter on a one-way ticket for up to 6 months. i will probably book my first ticket so that i’m there for 2 or 3 semesters in a row without coming home. right now it looks like it’ll be about $1200CDN return from vancouver.

i’m hoping this list sounds ridiculously over-prepared. the only thing not “in progress” is the plane ticket – i have to wait for my acceptance dates before booking. jonathan laughs at me, but i figure the more stuff i get out of the way now, the more time that leaves for “last minutes” later.

oh, i want the last laugh alright! :)

this post is in response to the few private emails and personal comments i have had in the last week…

thanks to everyone who (even halfway around the world) claimed they would love to take her in. maddy gets to keep her current routine with my mom and chiclett. she gets to keep her job as dentist, romps in the snow, blueberries and comfy house. if we end up in vancouver this summer, she’ll even get a few months of seagulls and swimming and digging again.

i will naturally miss her tons. but i’m sure she’ll be glad to be rid of the overall internet humiliation. i’ll be back to visit her (and the rest of my family, of course!) as often as possible and she will relocate with me when i finally land a residency back in canada.

i brought maddy home with me from saskatchewan the summer i quit my job and returned back to school. she was only 7 weeks old and i had raised her from before her eyes were open.

i had always assumed i’d stay in british columbia for the entirety of my academic training. i had no idea i’d be planning for the day we’d be separated…

maybe it’s hard to “get” if you’re not a dog person. and even if you are, it’s hard for me to convey how she has been my roommate, laugh-provoker, tear-dryer, and best friend for almost 4 years. i will really miss her a lot.

kendra over at island med student has a couple of good articles on the (somewhat incorrect) stigma of caribbean schools as a poorer quality “last resort” and whether or not students who can’t get into US med schools will actually succeed if given a “second chance” at a caribbean school.

Why I’m Attending a Caribbean Medical School

My goal is not to dazzle my colleagues or patients with a framed degree on my wall from a famous or prestigious medical school. While I value the importance of research, I’m not compelled to have my name published in a prominent medical journal. I simply want to be a doctor who treats her patients skillfully, humanely, and compassionately.

To decide whether attending a Caribbean medical school was the right choice for me, I merely had to answer one important question: Could I acquire a well-rounded medical education, which would equip me with the skills to be an excellent doctor? All signs pointed to “yes.”

Although my basic science education is on the island of Dominica, I will be doing my clinical rotations at U.S. hospitals. I also have the option of potentially doing my fifth semester on the island at the local hospital here in Dominica. This seemed like the perfect combination to me. I get to live on a beautiful tropical island for eighteen months while I learn the basic sciences, and I have the option of beginning my clinical education at the local hospital. When I get back to the States, I will have the opportunity to learn at many different hospitals all over the U.S.

Does Everyone Deserve a Shot at Medical School?

Caribbean medical schools seem to fall along a broad spectrum in terms of the quality of the education they provide, especially when compared to U.S. medical schools. But regardless of which school a student ends up attending, that student still has to pass a series of USMLE exams, and jump through many other hoops before they are allowed to practice as a physician in the U.S. So, the argument can be made that if you make it through the system, even if your medical education was from an unaccredited institution, you have still proven that you can pass the same standards required of every physician in the U.S. This is obviously a flawed argument, as many people would rightfully argue that the USMLE exams are not perfectly designed to guarantee competency, but I’ll save that issue for a later rant.

Over the past few decades, the proportion of IMGs entering the U.S. system has been steadily rising. Currently, one in four new U.S. physicians is an international medical graduate. That’s a pretty astounding number.

it’s true that MUA is not my first choice in the whole wide world, but i agree with many of her statements and am actually looking forward to the path less favoured. my mom said i was always the type of person to do things the “non-traditional” way, especially when international travel is involved.

so here i am. it’s definitely going to be an adventure.

i am thankful to have my brain back.

the stress isn’t gone – not like i ever expected to fully rid myself of that monkey – but it is focused. like snow, i don’t really think stress has a purpose other than to keep us on our toes and remind us to enjoy the times without it. my acceptance letter has become a tool to deal with it. instead of slogging through huge drifts and needing 4-wheel drive, i can pile it up in banks and walk slightly clear (but icy!) paths through my mind.

even better, some energy and attention has been freed up for me to focus on non-academic things i will always love. like photography!

i have decided to accept a seat with the Medical University of the Americas (MUA) on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean.

Nevis (pronounced “Neee-vis”) is the sister island of St. Kitts, a popular stop for cruise ships. it is a tiny (36 square miles) volcano island and has only about 10,000 inhabitants. even though the name comes from christopher columbus and means “our lady of the snows” (nuestra senora de las nieves), i have a feeling i won’t need my snowshoes or sorels there…

MUA is on the east side of the island and the dormitories are a 5 minute walk from white sand beaches. even better, the classes are small and over 80% of students passed their USMLE step 1 and 2s on the first try. MUA is also recognized by the World Health Organization, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, and United States Medical Licensing Examination. the school is affiliated with many hospitals in the US, but clinical rotations and residencies are available in Canada as well.

after four years of preparation and hard work, i’ve realized it’s only just begun. i’m going to medical school.

so, why MUA?

when i first went back to school to complete my pre-requisites for medicine, i believed that i would re-apply to UBC/UNBC as many times as it took to get in. i thought i would be willing to wait 8, 9, 10 years because i wanted to be in british columbia so badly. last year, as i was entering my second application cycle, i realized that was no longer true. i also had a gut feeling i wouldn’t get an interview and needed to start thinking about “plan B”s…

on january 16th, i found out i was not offered an interview this year with UBC/UNBC. that door has firmly closed for me. i am more interested in getting my M.D. career on the road, than pursuing the life of a professional student in order to stay in british columbia.

on january 22nd, i had a light and personal 40 minute phone interview with the admissions director for MUA. on january 24th, he sent me word via email so i wouldn’t have to wait for the snail mail. other than the weather and the fact that they actually want me, confirmation of the class sizes, success statistics, cost of tuition/living, and reading up on personal opinions from students in online forums further clinched my decision.

unfortunately, there are obviously a few cons i have to be willing to overcome…

maddy can’t join me. because it’s an island, there is a 6 month quarantine system for pets. i just can’t justify putting her through that when i’m only going to be there for 18 months. plus, i’m sure she would hate the warm weather.

clinical rotations are spread out across the US and may mean increased cost due to travel. to me, the travel bit is a plus because i think the varied experiences will be immensely valuable in the long-term.

landing a residency in the US or Canada will be more competitive. first round and popular specialties will go to non-foreign medical student. still, not impossible. just more competitive.

and last (but certainly not! least), the boyfriend can’t join me. there is no quaratine system for spouses and families (and i’m sure he would agree with the weather), but he has a mortgage and a new car and a fantastic job. i just hope some of my clinical rotations are in cities with NBA teams. that way he has even more reason to visit.

i am currently waitlisted for entrance in may 2007, but will otherwise start in september. this means i can be done my 5 semesters of basic sciences by may 2009 and finish my clinical rotations in another 72 weeks (september 2010). pending a successful match, i could be starting my residency as early as fall 2010.

way back when i quit my job and re-entered student life, friends and former co-workers would always ask me when i was going to be a doctor. i would reply that i’d finish right about the time the olympics got to vancouver. even with all that’s happened in the last four years, i’m actually not that far off. back then, the olympics still seemed like a VERY long way away. now, CTV counts down the days on their evening news.

i am working to get all my paperwork and finances in order by mid-march in the event that a seat for may 2007 opens up. naturally, i have a million and one things to do. i’ll keep you all posted on the process – especially if there are any other Canadians out there frustrated with our short number of medical seats and considering other options.

PS: i expect a TON of postcards from you guys while i’m down there!

back sooner than you think. maybe even before the thaw. *gasp*