Curious about what you see on the way to SGU? Here's a video we took, check it out:
Understanding the Curriculum
The 4 year MD program at SGU has two parts: the preclinical component, consisting of the first two years of medical school, and the clinical clerkship, which is done during years 3 and 4. The first of three medical board exams (USMLE Step 1) is taken after completion of year 2. The second board exam (USMLE Step 2) is taken after year 4. Finally, your third board exam, USMLE Step 3, is taken after your intern year, also known as post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1).
The preclinical curriculum at SGU is fairly straightforward and taught in a traditional systems-based format.
Preclinical Year 1
Term 1 (17 cr):
The preclinical curriculum at SGU is fairly straightforward and taught in a traditional systems-based format.
Preclinical Year 1
Term 1 (17 cr):
- Human Gross and Developmental Anatomy (8 cr)
- Medical Biochemistry (5 cr)
- Histology and Cell Biology (4 cr)
- Objective Structured Clinical Examination (0 cr)
Term 2 (17 cr)
- Medical Genetics and Genomics (2 cr)
- Bioethics and the Professional: Medicine in Society I (1 cr)
- Immunology (2 cr)
- Neuroscience (5 cr)
- Physiology (6 cr)
- Topics in Community and Preventative Medicine: Medicine in Society II (1 cr)
Preclinical Year 2
Term 3 (6 cr)
- Behavioral Sciences in Medicine (6 cr)
Term 4 (23 cr)
- Communication and Physical Diagnosis (3 cr)
- Microbiology (5 cr)
- Parasitology (1 cr)
- Pathology (13 cr)
- Medical Nutrition (1 cr)
Term 5 (23 cr)
- Introduction to Clinical Medicine (3 cr)
- Pathophysiology (12 cr)
- Basic Science Foundation for Clinical Reasoning (2 cr)
- Pharmacology (6 cr)
It's worth noting that these credit designations are not in line with emphasis on the USMLE. For example, the most important class from term 1 is biochemistry, although anatomy is given more emphasis on SGU's grading scale. By reputation, anatomy and pathology are the two most difficult academic courses at SGU.
Clinical Clerkships Years 3 and 4
The clerkships are comprised of 80 weeks of in-hospital medical training. These years are designed to acclimatize students with the rigors of working as physicians, as well as ingraining a sense of responsibility in treating patients. Every student is graded by their attending physician on clinical rotations. Students need to perform well in rotations that they are interested in specializing into, in order to gain letters of recommendations from their supervising physicians.
Each MD student must complete 42 weeks of core rotations, which include:
- Pediatrics (6 wks)
- Surgery (12 wks)
- Obstetrics and Gynecology (6 wks)
- Psychiatry (6 wks)
- Internal Medicine (12 wks)
After core rotations, students complete rotations in:
- Family Medicine (4 wks)
- Medicine Sub-internship (4 wks)
- Medicine Elective (4 wks)
- Pediatric Sub-internship or elective (4 wks)
To complete the remaining weeks of clinical requirements, students must complete elective rotations, at a minimum of 22 weeks. Most students do elective rotations after core rotations. The availability of electives vary with each hospital, and are also dependent on your personal preference of location. The order in which you complete each rotation is also dependent on each hospital.
Grocery Shopping at SGU
One of my biggest concerns when I first came to SGU was the grocery shopping situation. Where is it? How do I get there? Is it expensive? Do they take credit cards? Is it safe?
First of all, let me make a distinction between the grocery store and the pharmacy. Although the grocery store (called IGA) does have some cosmetics like soap, shampoo, common medications etc, it can be much more bare than the grocery stores in the US or Canada. In order to get the medications you need, or to have a wider selection of cosmetic items, you'll have to go to the local pharmacy. It'a a 10 minute walk from campus and even less via any campus bus.
To get to IGA, simply hop on the Grand Anse bus. In about 15 minutes, the shuttle passes by a local mall area (mall, by Grenadian standards). It's located near Grand Anse beach. Simply push the red button to tell the driver you want to get off at the stop, and exit on the left side of the road when it stops. In the mall, simply make a left and keep walking until you reach IGA, which is in the mall itself.
Some items at IGA are, admittedly, expensive. However, a few items are as cheap if not cheaper than the US. I would suggest creating a list of "food staple" items which you usually don't get tired of eating, and buy those items regularly. This has the added benefit of helping you track your own expenses. Milk is shipped into the island from Chicago, and arrives every Thursday. Milk is usually hard to get by Sunday.
IGA does take credit cards (bring your ID).
The area in the mall is safe. However, there was a situation one day when it wasn't as safe as I had hoped. I had gone to IGA in the evening one day and was waiting at the bus stop. A small boy came up to me and persistently asked me for money. He said he would starve if I didn't give him any money. He even went as far as trying to dig into my bag in order to find any cookies. The kid was the child of a woman who owned the fruit stand which is next to the bus stop. Even though I didn't feel threatened or anything, it's an uncomfortable situation to be in. There are many ways to avoid it: go to the grocery store with a group of people, shop in the mornings or daytime and never in the evenings. Also, you can simply wait inside the mall until the bus comes (you can see it through the windows of the mall exit).
First of all, let me make a distinction between the grocery store and the pharmacy. Although the grocery store (called IGA) does have some cosmetics like soap, shampoo, common medications etc, it can be much more bare than the grocery stores in the US or Canada. In order to get the medications you need, or to have a wider selection of cosmetic items, you'll have to go to the local pharmacy. It'a a 10 minute walk from campus and even less via any campus bus.
To get to IGA, simply hop on the Grand Anse bus. In about 15 minutes, the shuttle passes by a local mall area (mall, by Grenadian standards). It's located near Grand Anse beach. Simply push the red button to tell the driver you want to get off at the stop, and exit on the left side of the road when it stops. In the mall, simply make a left and keep walking until you reach IGA, which is in the mall itself.
Some items at IGA are, admittedly, expensive. However, a few items are as cheap if not cheaper than the US. I would suggest creating a list of "food staple" items which you usually don't get tired of eating, and buy those items regularly. This has the added benefit of helping you track your own expenses. Milk is shipped into the island from Chicago, and arrives every Thursday. Milk is usually hard to get by Sunday.
IGA does take credit cards (bring your ID).
The area in the mall is safe. However, there was a situation one day when it wasn't as safe as I had hoped. I had gone to IGA in the evening one day and was waiting at the bus stop. A small boy came up to me and persistently asked me for money. He said he would starve if I didn't give him any money. He even went as far as trying to dig into my bag in order to find any cookies. The kid was the child of a woman who owned the fruit stand which is next to the bus stop. Even though I didn't feel threatened or anything, it's an uncomfortable situation to be in. There are many ways to avoid it: go to the grocery store with a group of people, shop in the mornings or daytime and never in the evenings. Also, you can simply wait inside the mall until the bus comes (you can see it through the windows of the mall exit).
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