Skip to main content

Learn More About AUC's COVID-19 Response

AUC Med Logo

Mobile Main Nav

  • About AUC
    • About AUC
    • Residency Placements
    • Accreditations & Approvals
    • St. Maarten Campus
    • UK Track
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Facts & Figures
    • Events
    • News & Publications
    • Blog
    • Caribbean Center for Disaster Medicine
    • Leadership
    • Community Affairs
  • Admissions
    • Admissions
    • Admissions Requirements
    • How to Apply
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Scholarships
    • MCAT Information
    • Canadian Student Applicants
    • Non-US Applicants
    • Transferring to AUC
    • Career Changers
    • Admissions Assessment
    • Request More Information
    • On-demand Webinars
    • Events
  • MD Program
    • MD Program
    • Medical Sciences Curriculum
    • Clinical Sciences
    • UK Track
    • Medical Education Readiness Program
    • Hospital Teaching Sites
    • Medical School Guides and Resources
    • USMLE Preparation
    • Meet Our Faculty & Staff
    • Student Forms
  • Student Life
    • Student Life
    • About St. Maarten
    • Virtual Tour
    • Safety & Security
    • Health & Wellness
    • Clubs and Organizations
    • Spouses Organization and Families
    • Housing
    • OFFICE OF CAREER ADVISEMENT
    • Class Profiles
    • Alumni Class Notes Form
  • Discover AUC
    • Discover AUC
    • Virtual Tour
    • Blog
    • Medical Specialties
    • News & Publications
    • Viewbook & Factsheets
    • Alumni News
    • Photo Gallery
  • Apply
    • Start Your Application
    • Submit Your AMCAS Application
    • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
    • Submit Your TMDSAS Application
    • Continue Your Application
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Call
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers

Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin

Utility Navigation

  • REQUEST INFO
AUC Med Logo
  • About AUC
    • ABOUT AUC

      Our medical school offers a collaborative learning environment that features a multitude of student organizations, small class sizes, international training opportunities, and a team-based learning culture.

      VIEWBOOK & FACTSHEETS

      • About AUC
      • Residency Placements
      • Accreditations & Approvals
      • St. Maarten Campus
      • UK Track
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Facts & Figures
      • Events
      • News & Publications
      • Blog
      • Caribbean Center for Disaster Medicine
      • Leadership
      • Community Affairs
  • Admissions
    • ADMISSIONS

      Our medical school admissions team is eager to assist you as you embark on your journey to become a physician. Our goal is to provide you with all of the information and guidance you need to explore AUC as a medical school option.

      Take the Admissions Assessment

      • Admissions
      • Admissions Requirements
      • How to Apply
      • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Scholarships
      • MCAT Information
      • Canadian Student Applicants
      • Non-US Applicants
      • Transferring to AUC
      • Career Changers
      • Admissions Assessment
      • Request More Information
      • On-demand Webinars
      • Events
  • MD Program
    • MD PROGRAM

      A US-modeled curriculum designed to prepare you for practice in the US, Canada, and beyond.

      Learn More

      • MD Program
      • Medical Sciences Curriculum
      • Clinical Sciences
      • UK Track
      • Medical Education Readiness Program
      • Hospital Teaching Sites
      • Medical School Guides and Resources
      • USMLE Preparation
      • Meet Our Faculty & Staff
      • Student Forms
  • Student Life
    • STUDENT LIFE

      Learn what it's like to be a student at AUC, including living in St. Maarten, opportunities for community involvement, and clubs and organizations.

      TAKE THE VIRTUAL TOUR

      • Student Life
      • About St. Maarten
      • Virtual Tour
      • Safety & Security
      • Health & Wellness
      • Clubs and Organizations
      • Spouses Organization and Families
      • Housing
      • OFFICE OF CAREER ADVISEMENT
      • Class Profiles
      • Alumni Class Notes Form
  • Discover AUC
    • DISCOVER AUC

      From our alumni news, to informative blogs, and virtual tour, discover all that AUC offers.

      Learn More
      • Discover AUC
      • Virtual Tour
      • Blog
      • Medical Specialties
      • News & Publications
      • Viewbook & Factsheets
      • Alumni News
      • Photo Gallery
  • Apply
      • Start Your Application
      • Submit Your AMCAS Application
      • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
      • Submit Your TMDSAS Application
      • Continue Your Application
  • Apply Now
      • Start Your Application
      • Submit Your AMCAS Application
      • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
      • Submit your TMDSAS Application
      • Continue Your Application
Pattern Two
Thursday, October 08, 2015
Career Changers

Share

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email

Breadcrumb

  1. About Us
  2. News & Publications
  3. Designer Changes Careers to Pursue Surgery

Designer Changes Careers to Pursue Surgery

Ashley Jordan, MD ‘15, of Norwell, Massachusetts, came to AUC with a fervent desire to make a difference.

She discovered that medicine was her mission while caring for her mother who underwent surgery for breast and lung cancer. Jordan was enjoying her job as a women’s clothing catalog designer at the time, but her experience helping her mother caused her to reevaluate her career choice. “I knew that returning to life as a full-time student would be difficult,” she says, “But, venturing into the field of medicine was something I simply had to do.”

Jordan attended an AUC open house in Boston and applied for admission. She was not only accepted, but was also awarded a scholarship for her outstanding undergraduate academic achievement. This vote of confidence, she says, affirmed her belief that “everything happens for a reason. I knew that attending AUC was the next step in my journey towards becoming a physician.”

Fast forward a few years and Jordan now has a MD degree and is completing a General Surgery residency at St. Luke’s-Bethlehem-PA.

Commitment to Community Engagement, Volunteerism and Leadership  

While taking courses on St. Maarten, Jordan found that AUC’s emphasis on community engagement and social accountability provided many opportunities to get involved. She participated in the school’s student-led Community Action Days held every semester, working alongside community members to refurbish a local foster home, distribute fliers and pamphlets for an organization committed to ending family violence, and provide free Alzheimer’s disease screening tests. “Allocating time to give back to the community allowed me to focus on my primary reason for pursing a career in medicine, which is to help others,” Jordan says.

Jordan also became a student leader, joining the AUC gym committee and serving as President of Phi Chi, a Co-Ed Medical Fraternity. She believes that her role as president in particular contributed to making her a better physician by helping her to “feel competent in leading discussions during rounds as well as give presentations during clinical rotations.”

While fulfilling her clinical rotations, Jordan also participated in conducting retrospective research analysis for a manuscript entitled, “Falls in the Elderly: Risk Factors Associated with Mortality in a Regional Trauma Center,” which has been submitted for publication.

Student Support Services Foster Success 

Jordan says that what impressed her most about AUC is its dedicated faculty. “The instructors go out of their way to make themselves available during office hours, providing additional help on difficult topics,” says Jordan. “I felt well prepared and competent in my breadth of medical knowledge before beginning my clinical rotations.”

Jordan also emphasizes her appreciation for the AUC’s Physician Match Advisory Program and the assistance she received with her personal statement. 

Once Jordan completes her residency, she intends to pursue a fellowship in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Ultimately, she hopes to work for an organization such as the Wounded Warrior Project, which raises awareness and provides programs to injured service members. She also plans on traveling overseas providing cleft lip and cleft palate surgery to young children.

Related Blogs

Blog
A man smiling
From Engineer to Endocrinologist
How a hospital experience inspired Mike Lemay, MD '00 to change careers and discover his true calling as a physician specializing in endocrinology
Blog
Bradley Reed outside of AUC campus
Why This Award-Winning News Anchor Enrolled at AUC

By the time he reached his 30s, Bradley Reed was by all accounts on the right track. He was working as a primetime news anchor in his home state of Arkansas. He won two Emmy Awards. He was engaged to be married.

But something was missing.

Blog
Dr. Rebecca Filbrandt headshot
From All-Star Babysitter to Socially Conscious Pediatrician
Looking back, it’s hardly a surprise that Rebecca Filbrandt, MD ’17 found her calling in pediatrics.
Top
AUC Med Logo

Footer Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Careers
  • Student Email
  • Colleague Email
  • Contact
  • Sitemap

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

880 SW 145TH AVENUE • SUITE 202
PEMBROKE PINES, FL 33027
PHONE: 305-446-0600

TOLL-FREE: 866-DR2B-AUC
(866-372-2282)
FAX: 305-444-6791

ST. MAARTEN CAMPUS

1 UNIVERSITY DRIVE AT JORDAN ROAD, CUPECOY, ST. MAARTEN

PHONE: +1 721-545-2298

FAX: +1 721-545-2440

PRESTON, UK PROGRAM SITE

VERNON BUILDING ROOM 64, SIZER STREET PRESTON, LANCHASHIRE PR1 1JQ

PHONE: +1 721-545-2298

FAX: +305-444-2440

American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM, www.accredmed.org), which is the accreditor used by the country of St. Maarten.

 

© 2022 American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. All rights reserved.   
Privacy Policy | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility | Catalog and Student Handbook

 

  • Call
  • Chat
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers
  • "Chat Now"