Jose Verduzco
Anticipated Graduation date: May 2023
I finished basic science in Grenada in December of 2019 and flew back to the U.S. to attend a USMLE STEP 1 prep course in January 2020. After the prep course ended, I considered returning to Grenada to study with a classmate in term 5. This was the same time all the students in Grenada were being told to depart the island for home due to the coming COVID-19 lockdowns.
I continued to try and study on my own at home during the lockdowns but wasn’t having much success. I reached out to Dr. Clunes for advice, and she recommended going to the U.K. to start 3d year clinical rotations. It was great advice and I completed medicine and surgery rotations at Norfolk/Norwich University Hospital. I then moved to Basingstoke Hospital to finish my 3rd year rotations and have continued my 4th year electives as well. All the junior doctors as well as the registrars and consultants have been very helpful. If you make the staff aware of any specific skills you want to learn such as blood draw, cannulas, or suturing they will figure out a time to teach you. If you show interest and the desire to learn you will enjoy your time in the hospital.
Outside of the basic requirements for each rotation you have a lot of freedom in terms of what you want to see and do in the hospital. If you are interested in seeing procedures, such as PCI or ERCP, the staff is more than willing you let you observe if you give them a little bit of a notice. The option to observe procedures such as PCI, ERCP, hysterectomy, colonoscopy, endoscopy, and echocardiograms has helped increase my understanding of the material required for the shelf exams.
The ability to observe the delivery of socialized medicine has also broadened my perspective when compared to the private health care model used in the U.S. Being in the U.K. has also allowed me to travel during some of the long weekends and bank holidays during the year.
Being in hospital accommodations has also been convenient; I can literally walk to the hospital. Not having a car means I don’t have to worry about traffic, the price of gas, parking or paying for car insurance, and the bus system allows me to get around town when I need to. The hospital accommodations are very nice, and the price includes internet and utilities, something that you would have to pay extra for in the U.S.
Overall, it was a great decision to come to the U.K. during COVID because it got me into the hospital, which helped with my studying and overall learning and allowed me to be close to and interact with my classmates, something I was missing trying to study on my own back home. I would highly recommend completing some of your 3d year rotations in the U.K. It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and one you will not regret.
“If you show interest and the desire to learn you will enjoy your time in the hospital.”