Buyer Beware

The semester ended last week on Tuesday after my Histology & Physiology comprehensive final exam, unfortunately I will not be returning to SUSOM in the May semester due to the drastic last minute curriculum changes. Up until education transitioned to online everything was great then administration decided to completely change our testing from USMLE style multiple choice answer to essay-answer testing. Everyone was livid when we learned of this change. What's more frustrating, to attend medical school that modified it's curriculum without informing you post-acceptance or modifying the testing methodology halfway through the semester. Additionally I am so very disappointed with the administrations reactive decision making during this COVID-19 pandemic situation. The lack of communication and unprofessionalism exhibited by the assistant dean via email communication was less than what I expected from an AAMC credentialed MD program. My Caribbean medical school experience has been so much less than what I expected and not at all what I signed up or paid for.

If you are a future SUSOM student please be aware that you are just a number to the school. They profit off you and do not have your back, they'll make last minute curriculum and policy changes that at the end of the day won't benefit students or boost USMLE scores. Buyer beware.

I am sorry to say I will not be going back to Saba University School of Medicine to finish my MD degree. I feel my time was partly wasted but more than anything I feel taken advantage of.

Currently back in middle Tennessee I am working to get back on my feet, the past 4 months feel wasted though I learned so much about myself, how to learn, and developed persistence and resilience. I am still seeking out a career in healthcare in the administrative-revenue cycle side of healthcare, at the moment I have a bad taste in my mouth as it relates to medical school. I haven't entirely ruled out medical school in my future, but for now it is my greatest pursuit to strike up a work-life balance, I crave consistency and desire more control of my life. The past 4 months on Saba felt like my independence was stripped from me with all the restrictions and rules SUSOM required of me. I'm thankful to be home and do not hope to travel to the Dutch Caribbean for a long while.

Part of me wants to blame COVID-19 for this situation and outcome but at the end of the day SUSOM administration had everything to do with my decision not to return.