The HeartBeat vol 1 issue 1

JAMAICA MEDICAL STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION

The HeartBeat Volume 1, Issue 1

January 2014

JAMSA General Updates Dear fellow students: Special points of interest:

 GPA System Changes  Student facilities - May Pen - FMS Complex  Faculty Bus  CRH Lounge

Let me begin by wishing everyone a happy new year. On behalf of the JAMSA Council, I wish you all the best in your academic pursuits and happiness in all spheres of your lives for this year.

As we enter a promising 2014, I will give an update on the progress that we have made thus far as a Council in addressing the concerns of our fellow students. I will also give an update on what will be done in the future.

The following report is based on recent discussions with Professor Fletcher, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences and other faculty members.

Sachalee Campbell JAMSA President 2013– 2014

We thank you for your support over the past year and as we enter into a new year, we encourage you to contact Council members if you have concerns. Also, do participate in the various activities, whether standing committee activities or general JAMSA projects.

Inside this issue:

Presidential address

1

You may contact us at askjamsa@yahoo.com and, you may access the contact information of individual council members and other information on our website: http://ifmsajamsa.org/

JAMSA Updates

2

Yours Sincerely, Sachalee Campbell JAMSA President (2013-2014)

Photos from IFMSA General Assembly JAMSA Updates - CRH Students’ Lounge

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Other updates

4

Connect with JAMSA

5

March Meeting Baltimore/ Washington DC, USA

From left:(Front row) Jason Knight, Adrian Coore (Back row) Anna-Lee Clarke, Sachalee Campbell, Errol Williamson, Annya Gordon-Whyte, Brandon Dixon & Auvarhenne Howell

August Meeting Santiago, Chile

Auvarhenne Howell & Sachalee Campbell

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The HeartBeat

GPA System Changes (2014-2015) —MBBS Programme Students have expressed concern about the changes that have been proposed to the current GPA system, whether or not these changes apply to MBBS students and if they do, how the changes will affect us.

From discussions with Professor Fletcher, it was confirmed that the changes will affect students in the MBBS Programme. He noted that a representative from the Board of Undergraduate Studies of the Mona Campus is expected to meet with us to provide more information on what should be expected. He was unable to say when this would happen.

Clinical students listening attentively at ‘Internship & Beyond’ forum

Accommodation Facilities in May Pen- Hotel Versailles “After years of lobbying on behalf of our fellow students ...a sixty seater bus has been identified. “

After presenting the complaints of students to Professor Fletcher and presenting our proposed solutions, we are happy to say that there have been promised improvements to the accommodation facilities in May Pen. Originally no kitchen facilities were available for students; however, there will be renovations to the facility to create a space for a kitchen. We have also been promised a larger refrigerator. In addition to this, a library and a classroom that can be used as study areas are available at the hotel. The opening hours for the library are from 8 a.m.4 p.m. and the classroom will be opened at students' request. Regarding internet access, the Faculty has plans to ensure that Wi-Fi is available in central locations; however, it may not be accessed from all rooms.

MBBS Students’ Lounge at the FMS Teaching and Research Complex JAMSA requested that a lounge be made available at the new teaching and research complex in order to ensure that students, may be able to have a comfortable location to rest and study outside of class time. This request was not granted, however, areas have been identified that can be used by students. These include the seating areas on the ground floor- for which we have suggested having more chairs available to accommodate the large number of students that use the facility daily. Professor Fletcher also suggested that the Museum on the Ground Floor would also be transformed so that it can accommodate students wishing to have quiet study. We have been warned however, that if any is damage is done in the museum, this offer would be ceased.

Faculty Bus After years of lobbying on behalf of our fellow students for an additional faculty bus, we have now been informed that a sixty seater bus has been identified. The bus should be here within a few months, however a specific deadline was not given.

Class of 2018, the largest medical class in the history of UWI. (~400)

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Volume 1, Issue 1

MBBS Students’ Lounge at the Cornwall Regional Hospital This has been one of the victories of the JAMSA Council and we are quite grateful to the Faculty for making the Lounge at CRH a reality. There have been a few recommendations that we have made to make the Lounge even more student friendly. We are happy to say that work has been started by the Deputy Dean for Western Jamaica Campus and his Office in addressing these issues.

Entrance to Students'’ lounge 2nd

These include: floor CRH hospital Code lock for the door: A request has been submitted to the Western Jamaica Campus Administrators by the FMS Deputy Dean’s Office for the installation of a secured passcode entry door locking system.

“We will In the interim, students are able to use the key for the Lounge throughout the days (from 8:30 am to 5pm) and on arrival at CRH, they will be informed of the possibility of having continue to the Lounge open outside of office hours. lobby for Regarding concerns about lighting in the area at nights, currently construction is being done in that area and as such, lighting will be available in the nights. extended

opening hours We requested lockers with a system similar to the one in use in the Medical Students for the medical Lounge at the UHWI. We have been promised 25 lockers; however, we will try to get more. The lockers will be rented to students for their time at CRH and the funds will con- library during tribute to the work of JAMSA. the summer Computers in the library are sometimes all occupied when MBBS students have breaks during the days; hence we requested that a desktop computer be made available in the Lounge. Professor Fletcher said that he would try to determine if this is absolutely necessary and there were concerns regarding security of a computer in the lounge.

periods”

The lack of Wi-Fi access in the Lounge was a concern of students and this was also addressed by the Deputy Dean’s Office at Western Jamaica Campus, however, there was no proposed deadline for when this would be made available.

Other matters that we will continue to work on this semester include: 

Extended opening hours for the Medical Library during the summer periods.



Follow up on communication from the University on how changes to the GPA system will affect students in the MBBS programme.

O’Danielle O’Sullivan (Facilities & Resource Manager) by the JAMSA booth at the FMS 22nd annual Research Conference

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JAMSA receives award from UWIDEF

The Jamaica Medical Students’ Association on behalf of the MBBS Class of 2014 makes a donation to the Kevin Wilson Memorial Bursary and Lia Lashley Scholarship fund.

Photo on left : Auvarhenne Howell ( VP for Internal Affairs ) submitting donations to UWIDEF.

New addition to the council Monique Brown Class of 2015 VP for External Affairs

The HeartBeat

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LOOK OUT FOR !!! 

JAMSA General Assembly

March 17— 21, 2014 (tentatively)

This is will be a week long assembly of activities. Activities will include Training sessions, Standing Committee sessions, Career Day and other activities. Volunteers are being asked to join the

organizing committee. Send your emails to oraywill16@gmail.com

 Jamaica Medical Students’ Association University Hospital of the West Indies Mona,

Med-Law Social

TBA

Stay connected with us !!! We are now on :

Our facebook page :

E-mail:

www.facebook.com/JAMSA.UWI

Follow: ifmsaJAMSA

askjamsa@yahoo.com

Website: http://ifmsajamsa.org/ Remember to like the Facebook page of one of our sponsors for our recent Internship and Beyond Session.

Like Tertiary Books Express on FB and follow them on twitter @ TertiarybooksEX The Class of 2017 launches their Smoker 2014 campaign.

Like on FB Smoker 2014

Instagram: @med_dent2k17 Twitter: @Med2k17

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JAMSA would like to invite applicants to be a part of our “Media & Communications Team”. This Committee falls under the External affairs committee. We are asking for volunteers to join the team who have any form of experience in:  publications  photography  videography  journalism  social media  basic web/blog design All interested persons are asked to email jamsapublications@gmail.com

If you have any suggestions for further publications, feel free to email us at: jamsapublications@gmail.com

Channel: ifmsaJAMSA

J.A.M.S.A

@JAMSA_UWI

PUBLICATION OF THE JAMAICA MEDICAL STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION