One of the best kept secrets in Caribbean Medical Schools | Trinity School of Medicine

Last week, president Daniel Khashchuk and vice president Brian Coffey of the Christian Medical Dental Association (CMDA) visited three institutions around St. Vincent, each concerned with the care and welfare of the island nation's most vulnerable citizens, delivering material donated by a jointed effort between the CMDA and the Canadian Medical Student Association (CaMSA). 

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross Society was first stop.  Ms. Julia Simmons, speaking on behalf of the SVG Red Cross, lauded the effort of the Trinity student organizations.  “This is great and these students are true humanitarians. These donations [ed. linen, toiletries, food, water, medical supplies] are tools of survival that are often on the wrong end of necessary compromise for the people we serve.”  She said that items like water are given to preschools and daycare centers, as her organization strives fulfill its mandate of serving the most vulnerable first.

Last week, first term student Eric Pierce was named Trinity School of Medicine's Chancellor’s Scholarship recipient for the September 2017 class.

For some context, the Chancellor's Scholarship is a merit based award open to select recipients of Trinity's Physician, Dean, and President awards. Candidates meeting the academic criteria are invited to write on a topic selected by the faculty. The winner's award ($2,000, $2,500, or $3,000 per term, depending on their initial scholarship), is increased to $5,000 per term. In total, this one scholarship covers nearly 40% of of Trinity's total tuition for the recipient.

We spoke with Eric and Dr. Skelton to discuss the selection process, the sense of responsibility that comes with winning, and what that means for Trinity students and faculty alike.

Trinity School of Medicine has always prided itself on the strength and ambition of its students. So many future physicians come our way looking for something new; whether that's a unique learning environment built on support and a strong relationship with the faculty, a curriculum with an emphasis on clinical skills and service to patients, or just a true opportunity to live up to their potential. 

In this next special edition of our alumni spotlight, meet Dr. Lynndsey Klenk and Dr. James Parker, both Trinity graduates and residents in Macon, GA. Drs. Klenk and Parker are engaged, and actually participated in the NRMP's Couples Match program. 

In light of what has already been a difficult hurricane season for the Caribbean, the faculty, staff, and administration of Trinity School of Medicine would like to first make sure that the families and friends of our students know that we are safe and sound here in St. Vincent.

The island of St. Vincent lies between Grenada and Barbados, outside of Hurricane Alley, so while we do have tropical storms (including Harvey, which passed by in its relative “infancy,” as is typically the case), hurricanes typically do not “mature” in our neighborhood of the Caribbean.

That said, the devastation suffered by neighboring islands to the north is going to be long lasting. And as a medical school with a strong culture of outreach, we do want to offer some short term assistance. We are a small school, and there are limits to our available space, but we are opening our available housing to medical students in those impacted areas. For those of you who have transferred from affected schools and therefore have close friends in difficult situations, please contact the administration. While transportation may prove complex, we are opening available student housing for short-to-medium term shelter for affected students, irrespective of where they attend school. We also encourage our student groups to reach out to our communications staff, which can provide a signal and resource boost on any fundraising and outreach efforts they independently undertake.

The human cost of storms like Irma and Harvey are why many of us became, or are becoming, doctors in the first place. We are safe here, but there are others in need and we will continue to offer what aid we can, when we can.

This Saturday, September 2nd, Trinity's largest class to date formally became a part of the student body of Trinity School of Medicine at a ceremony held at the nearby Faith Temple Church. 

Trinity School of Medicine's fall interview schedule opens the door to students that sought matriculation in September of 2017 and didn't find the right school. It gives them the opportunity to thrive not just in our small (25 student) January class, but also launches those interested directly into May or even the subsequent September start dates. This is a critical time saver for students who wish to start their medical journey sooner rather than later, and don't want to roll the dice on an additional admission cycle in the US after waiting another year. Today, we're going to get into the whys and wherefores about how Trinity's process works, and why we might be the opportunity you've been looking for.