AMSA Chapters Provide Essential Hands-On Experience for Saint James Students

The American Medical Student Association, a student-governed, national organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training, is all about ensuring success for its student members. AMSA hosts multiple events all over campus contributing to that goal, including seminars, clinics and health fairs. Here's a recap of all the recent AMSA happenings on both SJSM campuses. AMSA Organizes Hands-On Suture Clinic at St. Vincent By: Dr. Crasta AMSA organized interactive skill workshops on June 12th and 15th at the St. Vincent campus to enable students to develop various types of suturing skills. The students used pigs feet to get hands-on experience and learned to use specific sutures and how to apply them. The clinic had 80 enthusiastic participants. The first day of the session was dedicated to learning the basic skills like the one-handed and two-handed knots. On the second day, they learned the surgeon's knot and how to hold the needle driver, make an incision, safety tips, and techniques while handling sutures. Dr. Shenil Jain was the resource person and Thornia Hunt, an MD3 student provided leadership in organizing this event. AMSA "Life After the Island" Webinar By: Amy Winczura AMSA hosted an hour-long webinar with a former SJSM student, Smit. A video chat on the classroom screens and students were able to ask questions they had about what life is like after the island. Topics included: studying for the USMLE, what the exam is like, how to best prepare, what study materials he found most helpful, what clinical rotations are like, residencies, etc. This was a great opportunity for students to hear first-hand what it is like after completing Basic Sciences on the island. Thank you Smit for all your help! SJSM Annual Health Fair By: Amy Winczura Each year, SJSM partners with AMSA, SJSM Red Cross, and Anguilla Red Cross to host a huge health fair. This health fair is much larger than the monthly health fairs and offers an opportunity for members of the community to get a full check-up and a chance to speak with licensed physicians on the island, free of charge! SJSM medical students are trained to take blood pressure, blood glucose levels, body mass index, visual acuity testing, electrocardiogram, cholesterol screening, neurological examinations, and much, much more! This is a great learning opportunity and a hands-on experience essential for our future physicians. This year’s fair will be hosted on Saturday July 9 from 9:00-3:00pm.