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

This article has been updated to provide the greatest relevance & timeliness for our readers. It was originally published August 2017.

As prospective medical students consider their options for where to go to med school, many wonder how much their choice will actually impact their future as a doctor. 

Each year, the National Residency Match Program (NRMP) residency director survey demonstrates that the school a candidate attended is a remarkably low priority in their decision making process. In the most recent report findings, a candidate's medical school didn't even make the top 20 factors when considering an applicant for an interview invitation! 

On its surface, the NRMP survey implies that whatever medical school you choose to attend is irrelevant; as long as you absorb the material and can perform when evaluated on exams, in front of preceptors, etc., that's all that matters.

However, it's crucial to consider that while, on the surface, it may look like your medical school doesn't matter, the learning environment cultivated by that school, and how it has specifically prepared you for a career in medicine, can be the single biggest factor in your success. 

Medical students don't thrive in a vacuum. They need a curriculum, faculty, support structure, living environment, extra-curricular opportunity, even a student body, that is shaped to help them succeed. A school doesn't just provide information, it should help students develop on a personal level into the sort of physician a residency director wants on their team and, ultimately, caring for their community.

In this post, we'll examine factors that the NRMP does consider to be important factors in a residency candidate and how the medical school you attend can help to cultivate and improve your results across each metric. 

Without a doubt, one of the most exciting days in the lives of medical students, (and medical school administrations) is Match Day, and 2020 was no exception. Once again, Trinity graduates carry on our strong history of success in residency placement. Our graduates continue to represent our school in placements at top healthcare institutions across North America, and we are so proud as they take the next step on the way to their careers in medicine.

Fire Destroys Lady of Guadeloupe Home for Girls

St. Vincent -- The Lady of Guadeloupe Home for Girls is a non-profit organization that is dear to Trinity School of Medicine and our students. The home provides a safe place to live and a caring environment for at risk girls ages 12-18. We were devastated to learn of the fire that broke out engulfing the building and destroying the entire facility.

A group of exceptional students of Trinity School of Medicine recently applied their classroom knowledge and assisted a group of visiting surgeons in the diagnosis, treatment, and recovery
phases of pediatric patients this past June. As a partner school of the World Pediatric
Project, our selected cohort worked alongside an esteemed team of physicians in an East Caribbean double mission that focused on neurosurgery and scoliosis.

We are pleased to announce residency match results for 2019! Once again, Trinity graduates continue to represent our school in placements at top healthcare institutions across the U.S., as a wide range of states are covered in this year's match.

Last month, the World Pediatric Project returned to St. Vincent to provide cardiology services to the Eastern Caribbean pediatric patient population. As is always the case, Trinity students were with them, lending a hand and gaining invaluable experience. 

Earlier this month, Kid Companions visited their young friends at the St. Benedict Children's Home on St. Vincent. Each trip has a theme, with carnivals, arts and crafts, and field day games being popular choices among students and residents alike. Today's introduced a new and exciting variable for the kids: a well stocked and adaptability-inclusive water balloon fight. 

For the past decade and a half, The World Pediatric Project (WPP), has been conducting general and specialized surgical missions to St. Vincent.  For the very first time, there was a visit explicitly to perform craniofacial procedures for Eastern Caribbean pediatric patients in need.

The new team was lead by pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgeon Dr. Jennifer Rhodes of the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU.  She was supported by anesthesiologist Dr. Seamus Dore, plastic surgeon Dr. Franklin Lew, and OR nurse Molly McCabe.  The team’s focus was to evaluate and provide care for children with complex head and facial anomalies, and to follow up cases of children seen by previous surgical teams.  Joining them in triage, prep, OR, and recovery, were Trinity 5th term students.

Earlier this month, Trinity School of Medicine held its white coat ceremony for the January 2019 starting class.  Along with the new matriculants, parents, relatives, friends, and other well-wishers gathered to celebrate the day on Trinity's campus in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Presiding over the event was Trinity dean Dr. Linda Adkison with guest speakers Vincentian government minister, Hon. Luke Browne, and keynote Dr. Sherian Slater of Milton Cato Memorial Hospital.

Earlier this month, the World Pediatric Project (WPP) held its first mission for 2019 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  Its focus was on general pediatric surgery with Dr. Jeffrey Lukish, pediatric surgeon from Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC as team leader. 

For the unaware, the WPP offers surgical and diagnostic care to children in the Eastern Caribbean and has been actively working in St. Vincent and the Grenadines since 2002. Trinity School of Medicine students are frequently in the mix with them in a volunteer/learning capacity. This mission was no different, with Trinity students taking part, re-dedicating the school to clinical education and community service.  The busy visit was a productive one. On consultation day alone, forty-one local children, and an additional fifteen from neighboring islands, were seen by Trinity students and the visiting team of surgeons.