How it all started:

"An email arrived inviting med students to join the State of Georgia’s Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). The MRC is an organization of doctors, nurses, PAs, EMTs, and med students who are the first medical boots on the ground for disasters in Georgia. They establish mobile hospitals and provide medical care. With extra time in isolation, I signed up and shortly received a notice for locations at food banks available to students. I requested an assignment, received my orders, and deployed the next day to serve for two weeks."

It goes without saying that COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on our world. One of the most impacted spaces is the medical field. Doctors at hospitals around the world are on the front lines and coping with a situation many hoped they would never see. 

Why Canadian Students Travel South for Medical School

The beginning of medical school is the start of a new adventure for students across the globe.  In Canada an astonishing 81% of med school applicants - many of whom would make phenomenal physicians- found themselves rejected at home. So, a large percentage of those Canadian applicants without a seat look abroad—most of them to the Caribbean. 

Arthur Conan Doyle once wrote, “It is easy to be wise after the event.” This holds especially true for medical school. While in the throes of the first year, many medical students can feel like they are in a whirlwind of exams, clinicals, and classes. However, many graduating medical students look back and see how a few different actions could have made things much easier. 

This edition of our alumni spotlight shines a bright light on Dr. Meghan Pillai. Hailing from the eastern end of Long Island (the North Fork), Pillai has spent plenty of time in the northeast. She attended Boston University, earning a B.S. in Business Management. With a knack for numbers, Meghan wasn't done adding to her higher-level education. She went on to Harvard University, earning a master's in Business Administration. Pillai's innate drive to know more, coupled with her desire to help others, eventually led her to pursue a medical career. Attending both undergraduate and graduate school in the northeast, attending a Caribbean medical offered more than just a beautiful backdrop to study medicine. Dr. Pillai is now in her 3rd year of residency, close to home, in New Jersey.

Here's How to Financially Plan for Medical School

Admissions Advice from Regional Director of Admissions, Sam Mahra

You've realized your calling is to become a medical doctor. In addition to the academic drive, determination, and success, you'll need a way to pay for your medical education. All of these factors, none of which are easy in and of themselves, calls for a plan. More specifically, a financial plan which addresses the cost of your future medical school journey. There are a multitude of variables that will determine the high picture cost of your medical education. Will you attend a U.S. medical school? To sift through the cumbersome processes involved, we've asked one of Trinity's Regional Directors of Admissions, Sam Mahra, to help break down some of the essential parts that play a crucial role in determining your future financial needs to attend medical school.

A (Trinity) Medical Student's Unique Education in a Pandemic

By Mason Bennett and originally posted here 

“We will cease all remaining clerkships. Please thank your preceptors, collect your things, return home, and practice social distancing.”

The email’s words were disappointing, but not surprising. Other medical schools had already pulled their students from hospitals. My school had opted to keep us in as long as possible so we could have the unique learning experience of providing health care during a pandemic. But now, safety and prudence exceeded our learning opportunities, and I was getting pulled during the last week of my surgery rotation. I worried about how this would affect my schoolwork and learning.

In this edition of our alumni spotlight, we are proud to showcase Dr. Allison Laffoon. Dr. Laffoon's desire for medicine was sparked when her younger brother was diagnosed with severe autism when he was just 5-years-old. She recalls the countless doctors' appointments, tests, and other factors that eventually led to her brother's diagnosis. Her interest in medicine stems from these experiences as a young child. Laffoon attended the University of Iowa and received her MD from Trinity in 2018. She is now a general surgery resident at the University of Texas Health - San Antonio.

Trends Capture Urgent Need for Medical Doctors

Year-after-year, reports release information showcasing the significant shortage of medical doctors across the United States. As of June 2020, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) released its latest findings, and the data is of critical concern. By their estimates, the U.S. will need an additional 54,100 to 139,000 physicians by 2033.

There’s no doubt that each medical student has their own story. For Heather Dill, growing up in an unorthodox setting helped mold her ideas and views as a young child. Overcoming obstacles and moving around hurdles, have built an amazing set of character strengths for this future medical doctor.

Heather’s story reflects how Trinity seeks the right fit of diverse and extraordinary medical students to become a part of it’s top accredited medical school.