Student Experience Survey: The AUC Spring 2018 Student Experience Survey closes at midnight on Sunday, April 1. If you haven't already, please take 5 minutes to share feedback on AUC's academic programs and student offerings. You can find the survey link in an email sent on Monday, March 26.
Easter Holiday: In observance of the Easter holidays, several Sint Maarten campus services and facilities will operate under limited hours, including:
- Library: Closed on Friday, March 30 and Monday, April 2. The Library will be open on Sunday, April 1 from 8am-11pm and the 24/7 room will be available the entire weekend.
- Cafeteria: Open on Friday, March 30 from 8am-12pm; closed on Monday, April 2.
- Security Office: Non-Emergency Medical Transports will be unavailable on Friday, March 30 and Monday, April 2. The evening courtesy shuttle will be available.
- Business Services: Closed on Friday, March 30 and Monday, April 2.
- Testing Center:Closed on Friday, March 30 and Monday, April 2.
Community Action Day (Preston): AUC's Preston Community Action Day has been rescheduled for Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14. Students can participate by volunteering with Emmaus homeless charity, Creativity Works, or Foxton Centre. For more information and to sign up for an activity, visit Blackboard.
Mela Health Fair(Preston): AUC students are invited to join Health Mela, a fair that exposes young health professionals to various aspects of public health. Volunteers will come together on help promote health education and health checks on Saturday, April 14 and Saturday, May 5. For details, including required training, visit Blackboard.
Project HELP(SXM): Project HELP invites students to screen community members for hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and vision problems at a free health fair on Saturday, May 12. There will be a morning and afternoon shift and transportation will be provided. For more information, visit Blackboard.
VOSH International (SXM): Join a group of 20 doctors from Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) as they test the eyes of thousands of primary school children. Up to 10 students and/or spouses are needed on a daily basis between from Monday, May 14 to Friday, May 18. Tests will be held at the Belair Community Center in Cay Hill. For more information, visit Blackboard.
Lions Club (SXM): The Lions Club is in need of student volunteers for their annual health fair on Saturday, May 26. This is one of the largest health fairs in Sint Maarten and will include opportunities to work with the Ministry of Public Health, AIDS Foundation, Diabetes Foundation, Sickle Cell Foundation and others. For more details, visit Blackboard.
Movies in Medicine (Sint Maarten): Our Movies in Medicine series continues on Thursday, March 29 with the film Milk. Join AUC Wellness Counselor Jerry Ciffone to watch and review the film at 7pm in LH2.
Orientation to Clinicals (Preston):The Office of Clinical Student Services will host an orientation to clinicals for all 5th-semester students on Thursday, April 5 from 10 am-12 pm in UCLan's Greenbank Lecture Theatre. This is a required meeting to introduce 5th-semester students to AUC’s clinical program and review information about our hospital sites, the process to request and schedule rotations and electives, the Transition to Clinical Medicine virtual mentoring program, and steps to report USMLE Step scores. Following the presentation, students will be able to video conference or meet in-person with clinical advisors in Eden Hall.
UK Hospital Fair (Preston):All students and family members are invited to learn more about AUC's UK clinical sites during our UK Hospital Fair on Saturday, April 7 from 1-4 pm in UCLan's Greenbank Lecture Theatre. Join UK Clinical Dean, Dr. Stephen Ash, and representatives from all seven of our affiliated UK hospitals to discuss the UK clinical experience, available rotations and extracurricular activities, and 2018 schedules. Following the fair, students can reserve a conditional clinical spot for July and August 2018. Sign-ups will begin at 11:00 am on Sunday, April 8 in the Greenbank Lecture Hall.
Workshops:The Director of Academic Support in collaboration with the Counseling Center, will be conducting a series of workshops to introduce students to study skills and test-taking strategies, that can help to reduce stress and improve test and quiz scores. Upcoming sessions include:
Boost Your Exam Performance and Reduce Stress: Thursday, April 5 from 3:45-4:30pm in LH2.
Time Management and Scheduling:Time management is critical, since time is the most valuable resource you have as a medical student. Build a schedule of all your tasks and use a planner to stay organized. Planning daily and weekly tasks allows you to set aside time for fixed academic activities such as lectures, quizzes and tests. Setting regular study blocks is the best way to ensure that you are spending enough time on your studies every day. Prioritize study material content based on yield by using this schedule planner, or an online app on your tablet, computer or phone.
Do not be afraid to revise your schedule- it is there to help you develop good study habits that work for you in medical school. Once you have developed them, schedule building becomes easier. Get rid of distractions such as social media, and put your cellphone on silent before you begin. You will now be able to study more efficiently, and finish up faster – thus you avoid the guilt and use these activities as breaks and rewards!
Course Group Tutoring: Course group tutoring sessions are available in LH2 for 1st and 2nd semester courses. No prior sign-up is required but attendees should plan to bring pertinent books, notes, slides, and questions.
Mondays
- 5pm: Histology
- 7pm: Immunology
Tuesdays
- 5pm: MCB II
- 7pm: MCB I
Wednesdays
- 5pm: Anatomy
- 7pm: Physiology I
Thursdays
- 5pm: MCB II
- 7pm: MCB I
Fridays
- 7pm: Physiology I
Peer-to-Peer Tutoring: Individual peer-to-peer tutoring is available for certain subjects taught in semesters 1 and 2. Interested? Please contact Academic Support at AcademicSupport@aucmed.edu.
Academic Coaching:To maximize your learning and exam strategies as you prepare for your quizzes and exams, the Medical Education Department provides individual study strategies consultations. Sint Maarten campus students can make an individual appointment, by emailing AcademicSupport@aucmed.edu.
Preston Academic Support: For Preston campus students, if interested in making an individual appointment, or obtaining more information about tutoring, and other available academic support resources please contact our representative Ms. Sue Keenan at SJKeenan@uclan.ac.uk.
Carib Swim Team: The Sint Maarten Carib Swim Team is looking for students, spouses, and other community members to teach swim lessons at their Cole Bay location. The team needs qualified swim coaches who can help teach a growing waitlist of eager students. If interested, please contact the team at caribswimofficemanager@gmail.com or by calling 1-721-581-7637.
Step 2 Resources: AUC students have access to valuable USMLE Step 2 study resources like DynaMed and UpToDate through the AUC Library Portal.
DynaMed: Written and designed by a team of specialized physicians, DynaMed is a clinical reference tool that provides fast and easy access to the latest evidence-based information. Students can visit and download DynaMed to a mobile device through the AUC Library Portal. Simply enter www.aucmed.libguides.com/library in your browser, search for "DynaMed" under the e-resources tab, authenticate with your Student ID and your Blackboard password, click "help" in the upper right corner, and follow the instructions under "DynaMed on Mobile Devices."
UpToDate: A clinical point-of-care database, UpToDate presents a comprehensive synthesis of evidence followed by recommendations that can be acted on at the point of care. To access and download UpToDate, simply enter www.aucmed.libguides.com/library your browser, search for "UpToDate" under the e-resources tab, authenticate with your Student ID and your Blackboard password, click "log-in" or "register" in the upper right corner, and provide the necessary information to download UpToDate to your mobile device.
If you have any issues accessing these resources, please contact Bette Bissonnette, Director of Library Services, at bbissonnette@aucmed.edu or by phone at 978-701-1314.
New 24/7 Study Space: We are excited to announce that the new 24/7 Quiet Study Space in the library is now open! The room can be accessed from the library reception area during the day and from the corridor by the Dean’s Suite after 11:00 pm. This bright, comfortable room has study tables, chairs that can be used as rocking chairs when you need that extra comfort, and several couches when you need a little break. Computers and wifi are also available.
Now that the 24/7 space is open, the main library will no longer be open until 2:00 am the night before exams. Print services and reserve books will not be available after 11:00 pm. Reserve books must be returned by closing time.
Consent:Consent is an important part of intimate relationships. Consent is a mutual agreement between partners about what they want to experience. When it comes to consent, the phrase “no means no” doesn’t really provide a complete picture because it puts the responsibility on one person to resist or accept. Also, there are so many different ways people communicate that they’re not comfortable with something (like freezing up or simply pulling away). The saying “yes means yes” can be empowering and useful in thinking about what consent really means: consent is a safe, open and ongoing conversation about what both people are comfortable with and actively want to experience together.
1. CONSENT NEEDS TO HAPPEN EVERY TIME.
Consent means both people feel safe letting their partner know if they’re not comfortable with something, every time. Consent can be thought of as a process, something that has to be established on an ongoing basis. Just because you’ve consented to an activity in the past does not mean that you consent to that activity from now on. In a healthy relationship, you always have the right to set and adjust your own boundaries based on what feels right to you in the moment.
2. YOUR RELATIONSHIP STATUS DOES NOT MAKE CONSENT AUTOMATIC.
Whether it’s the first time or the hundredth time, a hook-up, a committed relationship or marriage, nobody is ever obligated to give consent, even if they have done so in the past. You are the only one who ever has ownership of your body.
3. CONSENT IS NOT A FREE PASS.
Saying yes to one act doesn’t mean you have any obligation to consent to other acts. Every act of physical intimacy requires its own consent. If you’re in the midst of something and feeling uncomfortable, or if things are going further than what feels right to you at that moment, you always have the right to stop, even if you agreed to it earlier.
4. THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS IMPLIED CONSENT.
Flirting with someone, talking, showing interest or any other actions do not equal consent. Consent only happens when both people voluntarily, explicitly and enthusiastically agree to engage in what’s happening. The absence of ‘no’ is not consent.
5. IT’S NOT CONSENT IF, FOR ANY REASON, YOU’RE AFRAID OR UNABLE TO SAY NO.
It’s not consenting if you’re being manipulated, pressured, or threatened to say yes. It’s also not consenting if you or a partner is unable to legitimately give consent, which includes being asleep, unconscious or under the influence of conscious-altering substances like alcohol, some prescription medications and other drugs.
6. NONCONSENT MEANS STOP.
If anyone involved isn’t consenting, then what is happening is or could be rape, sexual assault or abuse.
Major Depression and the Characteristics of those who Seem Relatively Happy: Symptoms of a major depressive disorder can develop without any explanation or they can develop after a major loss or disappointment. However, there are positive attitudes and coping behaviors that may help to minimize the chances of depression from developing. Interested in learning more? Click here.