The Ministry of Education in St. Vincent and the Grenadines recently collaborated with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Medical Association to host the 11th Annual College and Career Exhibition. Trinity School of Medicine not only attended but showcased its opportunities to students and other visitors to the event about all the medical school has to offer the Caribbean.
The exhibition, staged in Kingstown on Wednesday, 14th and Thursday, 15th October, 2015 emphasized that “the depth of your investment is the height of your career success.” An official from the Ministry of Education, stated that with career guidance in education a priority, the stakeholders were brought together to focus visitors’ attention on longer term career development and up front planning.
Student attendees were open to a wealth of information from a number of exhibitors. Trinity’s involvement focused on two levels over the course of the event. Clinical lecturer Dr. Bernadette Scott and pre-med chemistry lecturer, Dr. Eric Audain, interacted with visitors individually and in small groups to provide information on the institution’s programs, making sure to highlight the “Trinity Advantage” to the island’s next generation of professionals.
Trinity School of Medicine, through student driven activities and administrative campaigns, has steadily increased its interactions with the Vincentian community in an effort to both establish itself as a part of St. Vincent and to create new opportunities for economic mobility for the local population. These are done through outreaches with other stakeholders in the field of medicine like the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Medical Association, the World Pediatric Project, the Rotary Village Doctor programs and many others. As a result, the school has been enjoying increased recognition among the Vincentian public. Understandably therefore, chief among the inquiries at the Career and College Exhibition was the issue of school entry requirements. In answer to these, both doctors took the time to explain the pre-medical and medical programs offered at Trinity and to engage the enthusiastic visitors in the full spirit of the event: early planning for long term career goals.
On the second day of the exhibition, Trinity’s Dr. Scott presented to an at-capacity hall. She actively engaged the crowd, with a pariticipatory lecture/discussion, diving into the interactions between reasons for wanting to become a doctor and the advantages of following the inclination for themselves, their community, etc.
She pointed out Trinity’s measures in accommodating students with these steps beginning with their pre-medical program. “Here at Trinity, we offer all the sciences in the undergrad,” she explained, “You can then move on your way to becoming a doctor in our medical program.”
Additionally, she explained that Vincentian students are given discounts on tuition and have access to scholarships from the local government. It was at this point that she zeroed in on what sets Trinity apart: the small class size that allows for more interactive and individualized teaching; the accessibility of easy follow-ups outside of classroom setting from tutors who make themselves available to students; a very high USMLE pass rate; and a choice of start time in either January, May or September.
By most accounts, the young crowd lived up to the theme of the event, demonstrating their transition from curious students to a crop of pre-professionals taking stock of their future opportunities and developing plans to make their goals a reality. Plans for a follow up event are already in place.
