USMLE (2)

For UWI Med-School Students:

For the USMLE Step-1 exams, you cannot just merely pass the exam......you must pass well!  A regular pass mark in Step-1 will always be part of your record, and should you seek residency and this is not an impressive indicator of your talent. So our planned Kaplan Step-1 prep is structured around the need to push you to do well and better than the rest of other candidates. It will require some discipline and organization of your studies to attain high-performance and do well on your 1st attempt. We are here to help.

What is a test-prep course? Since top US hospitals want star performers, our Step-1 course is designed around giving you much more than the standard Kaplan program -:

1. You have to practice a lot of questions to get to know the style of the examiner and what is required from you.
2. You have to continually assess your performance on the key areas which means you have to begin from early to work with the entire syllabus since that is what will be tested and keep a record of your performance.
3. You retain concepts more effectively when you get a question wrong, and the sting of getting the question wrong makes you intently look at the answer and study the answer and see how the question dovetail into the answer.

Reading, reading and reading alone will not be effective. The exams are multiple-choice and not essay questions. So we combine Kaplan lecture videos, with Kaplan video study manuals, online Q&A questions and our live exam-drills.....17 live drill sessions featuring unseen questions for each topical area.

Join us on September 1st for our OPEN DAY @ 5pm and sign up for our October 2012 start of an exciting new tuition journey that will open new medical career opportunities for you. Kaplan Study materials are now in stock and you can take the July 2013 exams. See attached.

We will be hosting a live Sept-1st OPEN-HOUSE session that will showcase why our Q&A Exam Drills & Study-Performance Monitoring services will greatly assist you in getting a high score for the 2013 Step-1 exams. This function is free of charge and is open to all of your colleagues as well who RSVP.

Please note our OPEN-HOUSE will be at 5pm. You are also invited to participate in Kaplan's live Patho online lecture on August 29th @ 7pm. You need to register for that function at the website provided on the flier we provided and let all your other friends know about this as it gives you a chance to see why the Kaplan US lecturers are the best in the business. These video lectures are part of our local course.

See attached doc of some medical employment and study details that we will interest you at our Open-House; September 1st @ 5pm. Of course you can come on in to our office now and start to collect your Kaplan materials and start your study quest! We highly recommend this step.

Paula Barrett 977-3570
Jamaica's USMLE exam-review coordinator for Kaplan Test-Prep
3 out of 4 doctors in a recent study who did the USMLE exams, prepared using Kaplan materials

B&B University College Ltd, 15 Carlton Crescent, beside LIME HQ

USMLE

For UWI Med-School Students

Before you embark upon your USMLE Step-1 journey, we would like all medical candidates to learn 3 important principles behind taking any professional exams; this you must understand fully. These are the 3 factors that should drive your actions and underlie our Step-1 course -:

1. Unprepared candidates will always fail professional licensing exams - Don't go into an exam unprepared. You must commit to an organized method of study that incorporates all the help that you can get. That is why we want to hold USMLE classes; to get you PREPARED. You will be studying with a group of your peers who also share the same goal of success and will set the pace for you to keep up with.  We also use the Kaplan Study Performance monitor to compare your study progress with all the other worldwide Kaplan students.

2. Prepared candidates can still fail these exams if they do not "operationalize their studies". They read the manuals, understand the diagrams, make notes and can "talk the material". They however do not practice exam questions, or do very little tests. From my 17 years of tutoring UWI students, they always want to read and understand the full text before doing questions. The main purpose of our tutorial sessions; to get you exam ready by testing and re-testing your performance on the core exam topics. You will be pulling and pushing you into exam-ready mode. Remember US candidates already sit the SAT & MCAT exams already; most UWI candidates do not experience these high level of exam-prep testing before the USMLE.

3. Prepared candidates can still fail if they do not master exam time management. The USMLE requires approximately 72 seconds per question and the test is 8 hours long. We have designed our Step-1 review course around 2 principles to attack this issue. You need to not only understand the material but also (i) how to do questions under heavy time pressure, and (ii) still a huge majority of these questions right. This is how you pass exams...getting questions right!

Tell your medical colleagues about this revolutionary exam review that we are forming and attend our FREE Information Session on Saturday September 1st @ 5pm.  We have available the 2012 world renowned Kaplan USMLE Step-1 products. Over 75% of US candidates prepare for the exams using Kaplan.....you should too, but we add more features to have a live review course. More news later........spread this news to all your other colleagues..

Paula Barrett 977-3570
Jamaica's USMLE Study coordinator
B&B University-College - 15 Carlton Crescent, beside LIME HQ

JUNIOR SURGERY ROTATION (Received at 13:25, Posted at 13:34)

TO: Class 2k15
FROM: Prof. N. Duncan
Head of Department
DATE: August 20, 2012

RE: Junior Surgery Rotation

Students are to be posted in rotations at Cornwall, KPH and UHWI by the Department of Surgery. 

Students should check the Department’s Notice Board during the first week of September. 

Departmental postings are final. 

One to one exchange requests will only be considered if both students communicate in writing.

Junior Clerkships

Dear Students

Please see the attached  schedule for the Junior Clerkships and the listings of the groups to  which students are assigned.

Group B students who are scheduled to do Junior Surgery from September 24 to November 16, 2012 please sign up with the Surgery Department  next week with respect to your training site.  You  will not be allowed to sign up for anybody except yourself so ensure that you sign up before you leave the island. We will not be accepting any excuses for you signing up for anyone else.

Students were supposed to select their training sites via OURVLE but the system was down for the week of Aug. 6, 2012 and therefore has caused some uncertainty as to that possibility.  Therefore group B are asked do same via the department.   We will communicate with the other two groups (Groups A&C) who are scheduled to do the surgery clerkship during the next two 8 week blocks respectively as to how they will select their training sites.

Students who are scheduled to do Junior Medicine and Aspects of Family Medicine as soon as we get confirmation as to what you should do we will communicate with you.

Thanks for your cooperation

Please view groups and timetable here >>>>> Click me

Undergraduate Clerkships At The Cornwall Regional Hospital

About CRH

Cornwall Regional Hospital is the largest hospital in Western Jamaica and the only Type A hospital outside of the Corporate Area. The following clinical services are offered:
Internal medicine, as well as the medical specialties of Nephrology, Neurology, Medical Oncology, Cardiology and Dermatology; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Child health; General surgery, as well as the surgical specialties of Orthopedics, Urology, Pediatric surgery, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology and Plastic surgery; Radiotherapy; Radiology ; Anesthesia and Intensive Care; Accident and Emergency Medicine; Psychiatry; Anatomical & Histopathology and Cytology.
Support services include Laboratory, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy departments.
Tours of the hospital and directories will be available from the secretary of the Deputy Dean

Accommodation

Accommodation for undergraduate students is available at the UWI-Western Jamaica Campus Hall of Residence, where you may be required to share a room. Rooms at CRH previously utilized by UWI students in Community Health and Surgery will now be used as on-call rooms for senior students in all of the 4 major, clinical disciplines (Surgery, O&G, Child Health and Internal Medicine). Students on-call who cannot be accommodated at CRH will
be collected by the UWI bus at 10.30pm every night and returned to the Hall of Residence.
Students are also allowed to stay with family or family friends in Montego Bay, in which case personal arrangements must be made for transportation to and from the hospital. All we ask is that the address and telephone number of your host be provided to the office of the Deputy Dean at CRH.
The Hall of Residence is well appointed. There is a dining room/kitchen (including new cooking and laundry equipment). Rooms boast internet access and cable television. There is a communal lounge which currently houses 3 computers (at least 2 more are to be added) and wireless internet. Security is provided.

Dining

There are a number of food outlets in close proximity to CRH, all of which will deliver food at very reasonable cost.
Following is a list of these establishments:
(1) Easy corner – 971-0198
(2) P&O – 979-7619
(3) B&D – 940-7801
(4) Gibb’s – 979-7861
(5) Dragon Bay Court (Chinese) – 952-6494; 940-3708
(6) Andrew’s – 290-5611; 851-7998
Snacks (patties, small meals, drinks) may also be purchased from 2 shops on the 3rd floor of the hospital.

Transportation

There is a shuttle bus which will take medical students to CRH by 8.00am. The bus will return to CRH at 2.00pm(upon request, though the Office of the Deputy Dean), 5.00pm and again at 10.30pm to collect students for return to the Hall of Residence.
Recreation
The FMS plans to construct a students’ lounge at CRH, adjacent to the residents’ lounge. In the interim, the residents have agreed to allow students to use their lounge. The combination for the entrance lock may be accessed from the Deputy Dean’s secretary. The residents’ lounge has a TV and computer with internet access and wireless router is to be added soon.

Health Care

Arrangements have been made for you to receive primary health care at the well appointed, multi-specialty Montego Bay Hospital and Urology Center, which is located next door to CRH.
UWI Faculty and Administration
The hub of the UWI’s FMS administration will be the offices of the Deputy Dean and secretary on the 4th floor of CRH.
Your main tutors will be Associate Lecturers of the UWI, who are consultants at CRH, but you are encouraged to interact with residents and interns as they go about their daily chores. Such interaction is an important part of your education.

Teaching Facility

There is one main lecture room and several tutorial rooms at CRH.
A meeting room dedicated to video-conferencing, which will enable real-time interaction with UWI, is being prepared.
The curriculum will be exactly that of the UWI’s Faculty of Medical Sciences. Delivery of the curriculum will be, as it is at UHWI, by a combination of classroom lectures and tutorials, ward rounds, bedside teaching, outpatient clinics and demonstration of procedures on wards and in the operating theatres. The program at CRH has been carefully worked out between the Heads of Departments at UWI and their counterparts at CRH but there are some uniquely local inputs which we hope will enhance your experience.
You are required to provide (and launder) your own scrubs when you come to the operating theatres, as is required at UHWI.

Library

Our library is located on the 3rd floor and is administered by librarian Mrs. Marsha Stewart. The library has 5 computers, connected to the internet, and a 6th will be provided soon. Wireless internet is also available. You have access to the online facilities of the medical library at the UWI through the CRH library. Only a very limited collection of reference texts will be available at this time.
The library is open from 8.30am to 5.00pm, Mondays to Thursdays, and 8:30am to 4.00pm on Fridays. The UWI has promised to consider funding extended opening hours if demand indicates a need for it.
On arrival at CRH
Report to the secretary of the Deputy Dean on the 4th floor. You will be given a short questionnaire requesting predominantly demographic data which will be held on a secure database in the Deputy Dean’s office. You will then be given a tour of the facility (and a map, if you wish) and finally escorted to the appropriate lecturer in charge of your clerkship. If any problems arise, please feel free to call Dr. East through CRH’s exchange at 952-5100.


Prepared by:
Jeffrey East, MB.BS(Hons), DM(Surg), FRCSEd, FACS, MSc(Epi)(Lond), DLSHTM
Chief of Surgery (CRH), Associate lecturer (UWI) and Deputy Dean (FMS, UWI Western).

EXEMPTION REQUESTS

Dear Students

Please see the attached update re exemption from Understanding Research.

 The following students who made late request for exemption are also advised to sit the exam for this and the other courses you made the request for.

1. 620034349

2. 620030632

3. 78099100

4. 06001669

5. 620034809

Requests for Exemptions from Understanding Research (MDSC3200) – 2012

Partial Exemption

1.        06005279   -  student must participate in continuous assessment and if achieving acceptable grade will be exempt from final examination

2.       05-041282 –student must participate in continuous assessment and if achieving acceptable grade will be exempt from final examination

3.       06005323-student must participate in continuous assessment and if achieving acceptable grade will be exempt from final examination

No Exemption Granted - Students are advised to do the examination.

1.       06009163

2.       02079314

3.       90-442450

4.       05-042963

5.       620025633

HSM Exam Topics

Dear All:

Kindly see attached list of topics in preparation for the upcoming examination.  We again apologize for the difficulties you are experiencing with OURVLE.

Thank for you cooperation.  

Exam Topics

HE31A August 2012

Morale and Motivation

Health Management skills, roles and functions

Management Principles

Leadership and Change

Communicating as a leader

Health Care Financing

Accounting Principles

Emotional Intelligence

Email from Prof. McCaw-Binns

Dear Class,

I’ve posted the grades for quizzes 1-9 on the website.  Students are being advised to check the message on the forum, review their grades and inform either Ms Willie or myself if the grades we have do not reflect their experience.  We’ve included any revised grades for queries we received and the grades for persons who sat the paper administered tests.

We will only be available next week to address these queries as most of us will be taking some sort of leave.

Please advise your classmates accordingly.

It has been a pleasure teaching the group as they have really risen to the occasion and were very creative in how they approached the presentations.  The variety of methodologies was the most diverse we have seen to date.

Sincerely,

On behalf of the teaching team

Affette McCaw-Binns, MPH, PhD

Professor of Reproductive Health & Epidemiology

Department of Community Health & Psychiatry

University of the West Indies

3 Gibraltar Camp Way

Mona, Kingston 7

affette.mccawbinns@uwimona.edu.jm

Clarification "Validity vs Reliability"

Dear Professor McCaw- Binns,

I am one of the WJC students- Understanding Research
I have a ques about validity and reliability. In the Mock exam from 2010 there is a question about 'if a test is valid' how it relates to reliability. I had though that based on the reliability/validity diagrams, then once a test is valid- that is all the dots towards the centre of the diagram- then all the results have to be reliable (and for tests that are reliable, they might be but may not be valid)... but I realize that there could be another view that this is not so. Could you explain which would be correct (might be reliable vs must be reliable) please.

"Student" 

Dear "Student"

Review the slide below and see if this makes it any clearer.  Feel free to share with others.

Cheers,

Affette McCaw-Binns, MPH, PhD

Professor of Reproductive Health & Epidemiology

Department of Community Health & Psychiatry

University of the West Indies

3 Gibraltar Camp Way

Mona, Kingston 7

(876) 970-6623

Books Available (With Descriptions)

	List of Books for Medical Students Available for Print
	Title	Price (JA$)
1	Roop Gynaecology	1800
2	Roop Obstetrics	2000
3	Roop Obstetrics + Bassaw Review	2300
4	OnG question book	1700
	MBBS 2008 - 2011
5	Medicine Questions	2900
6	Surgery Questions	2300
7	MBBS Compilation 90s – 2007	3800
8	Get Through Medical School	700
9	Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine	2400
10	Notes in Paediatrics	700
11	Notes in Surgery	500
12	Aids to Undergraduate Medicine	500
13	Cases in Chemical Pathology	1500

Contact: Dr. Daniel Thomas #352-1885 or dajtas88@gmail.com

Summary and recommendations:

For your 3^rd Year clerkships the followings books are recommended:

1.       Aids in Undergraduate Medicine (a handy companion for medical clerkship especially for the OSCE, a definite must for any medical student entering their clinical years)

2.       Notes in Paediatrics (foundation topics and principles for the Paediatric rotation)

3.       Notes in Surgery (foundation topics and principles for the Surgery rotation)

4.       Get Through Medical School (1000 Questions to carry you through your 4 chief rotations, namely Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics, and Obs & Gyn. A priceless tool in the preparation for end of clerkship exams as well as final MBBS.)

Also you may want to consider getting one or all of the following:

1.       MBBS compilation 90s to 2007

2.       Medicine Questions (Includes: MBBS 2008 – 11; End of clerkship exams)

3.       Surgery Questions (Includes: MBBS 2008- 11; 100 Cases in surgery: put your clinical acumen to the test with these cases and reinforce your surgical knowledge)

For your 4^th Year clerkships:

1.       Roopnarinesingh Obstetrics Text +/- Dr. Bassaw’s Essentials of Obstetrics. (Dr. Bassaw is a Trinidadian OnG consultant, one of the examiners and also sets the MBBS OnG paper when Trinidad is assigned.)

2.       Obstetrics and Gynaecology Question book (Includes: MBBS question 2008 – 11; Roop MCQs; and more)

3.       Cases in Chemical Pathology (4^th year Pathology and Microbiology rotation)

In final year you commence Gynaecology and would then require the Roopnarinesingh Gynaecology text.

Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine: Board Review is recommended for those who want further questions to practice for MBBS also for USMLEs. Divided into questions based on medical subspecialties, it will definitely prove to be a useful study tool.

ORDER HERE:   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE5lUXVaUGkxRkg1czFnVEVnc0dKNHc6MQ

Feel free to contact me 

Dr. Daniel Thomas

352-1885

dajtas88@gmail.com

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