Sheer Power

Today after lab I was walking towards the bus stop when a thunderous roar filled the sky. An American F-18 fighter jet was taking off from the Airstrip right next to our school. My ears rang as I watched the flames stream out of it's engines. It flew really low at first, then quickly shot straight up like an arrow. It swooped backwards, then upside down, followed by a roll right-side up. Within seconds it was thousands of feet in the air and headed north. President Barrack Obama visited Trinidad and Tobago this past week for a conference. We have had about 4-5 fighter planes stationed right here in Grenada as part of security. Two or three times a day you could hear one roar overhead, followed soon after by his buddy. I believe today was their last day since they were headed north. They normally streak across the southern sky towards Trinidad. I just had to sit in awe at the impressive power these things had. My science nerdiness came out and I thought of all the physics involved. It really is cool to see a heavy hunk of metal zip through the sky so effortlessly. Now I know what it's like to live in Ogden, Utah near Hill Air Force Base! I need a Jet fighter to fly us home to Salt Lake in June. We would be home in a couple hours but we probably couldn't pack our luggage.

Cheaters Prosper?

You are going to love this one. In my last entry I talked about how difficult our exams were. Turns out a quarter of the class failed the Microbiology exam. Normally only about 20 kids fail any given exam but this time a whopping 117 students failed! Thank goodness I was not among them! I do not know what our grades for Pathology were though. Apparently, some students felt that with all that we have to do this term along with the enormous workload they weren't going to pass the Pathology exam, who knows what they were thinking.

There are meetings after an exam where professors talk about each question and their answers and validate the question as to whether or not it should be kept in the exam or thrown out. There was a recording made in a previous term of this meeting and a number of students in my class got their hands on it. In the tape the head of the department specifically says do not record this session. This is a private sequestered exam. I don't know what was going through some of the students heads, perhaps desperation, hopelessness. Yet, anyone should know better that this sort of audio recording would be considered cheating.

Long story short, a few students in my class used this recording and got high marks on the exam as a large number of the questions discussed were put into our exam as well. A student came forward and let the department know of this recording and an investigation is ensuing. Problem is, the department is probably going to have to cancel the scores for this exam and re-examine us some how. I have no idea where they will find the time to do it, but one way or another it looks like us honest students are screwed.

I was very disappointed in my classmates, but I can't say that I was surprised. I think my school is a good school and I have learned a lot of great things here to help me be an excellent physician someday. I have been impressed by the number of sharp kids in our class who came from very reputable undergraduate schools. Having said that, I kind of feel like there are some students here that shouldn't be here. My school is great in that it gives kids like me a second chance as its entrance requirements are a little bit more lax but I think with that some students can come to medical school who shouldn't. Whether it is academically, or personality, or their motives observing the behavior of some of my colleagues has made me shutter. It is bad enough that the world is going to look down on us because we came from foreign schools but now to have cheaters ruin it for us is pretty sad. I must say though, US schools probably let a few kids in as well that shouldn't be there. Let us be honest, haven't we all seen cheaters in any school we have been in? I have been to a lot of different schools and I have seen cheating in every one of them. I know that it happens in US medical schools too. I am sure there are kids in US schools who are in this for themselves and not for others as well.

I think for the most part people get the grades they deserve and most of the students turn out to be great doctors who really care about people. I apologize for the negative tone of my blog. Normally I like to make them positive or give food for thought. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I am not afraid to express my feelings so I hope you can forgive me. I was just sad today to be reminded that there are those who cheat their way into a degree and worse don't care about anyone but themselves.

St. Georges Punch Out

I wrote about Soda Popinski a few blogs ago. I mentioned that I could beat him up any time of the week. I failed to mention though, that I have never actually beaten Mike Tyson who is champion of the game. I have only gotten to Iron Mike a couple of times in my life. Granted I played the game when I was a boy, but still, Mike has eluded me. I would like to compare my pre-med years to my med years. Pre-med was a challenge no doubt, but it was something that you could conquer with enough practice. Medical school is a little different. The punches come faster, stronger, and with little warning. You have to be alert, nimble, and confident. With as alert and nimble as I have been I have had to count on a little bit of luck also to get through the harder times. This week we had exams in Pathology and Microbiology. I have learned so much this semester so far and have enjoyed it, yet I have learned there are still more things I need to be doing in order to be confident come exam time. I believe I have passed my exams and will live to fight another day, but these courses have proven to be a formidible opponent in black shorts with a missing tooth.