the pulse - july 2013

The Pulse AAIMS Newsletter

Volume II Issue 9

As the hurricane season

gains momentum, AAIMS

First Aid and Medical

Emergency (F.A.M.E.) club

launched a timely session on

disaster preparedness.

This is the club’s first event

after their inauguration and

was facilitated by the Office

of Disaster & Emergency

Management (ODPEM)

parish representative,

Claudine Forbes.

During the session Ms Forbes highlighted the historical value of

Black River and the rich heritage of the once Invercauld Hotel

turned AAIMS campus.

According to Ms. Forbes, this hurricane season is forecasted to be

very active, with a projection of eighteen storms. She shared that

the first plan of action in preparing for the hurricane period which

extends from June 1st to the end of September, is to establish

disaster committee to mitigate threats and general damage.

“This committee will create roles and functions and develop a

hurricane response plan. They should make plans for security,

focus on securing documents, perform longevity assessments, and

plan drills”, she said.

Additional functions of this committee Ms. Forbes indicated were

to assess damage after a disaster and initiate clean-up as well as to

establish staff activities before and after the hurricane.

The audience was also informed of terms often used during

disasters such as a hurricane. From the presentation, many learnt

of the distinction between hurricane watch and warning, where

with the hurricane watch the hurricane is not sure to hit the

county, however with the warning there is a higher level of cer-

tainty that it will hit the country.

The audience was also reminded of the do’s and don’t during and

after a hurricane, highlighted below are a few pertinent points:

During the hurricane:

Stay indoors

Do not open windows or doors

Listen to the radio

After the hurricane:

Seek medical help if necessary

Do not touch power lines

Report broken sewers

Boil drinking water

According to Ms. Forbes, for better functioning of the disaster

committee, a sub committee could be formed known as the safety

committee.“ This committee would look at the hazards, and what

would likely affect your location”, she shared.

Other responsibilities of the safety committee Ms. Forbes indi-

cated were, creating a response plan- looking at what to do in light

of an imminent hurricane and performing summation exercises.

Ms. Forbes also recommended that the students become familiar

with the known hurricane centres, should relocation become nec-

essary.

While the title of the session was disaster preparedness, in honor

of the season, hurricane took centre stage.

July 31, 2013

June 24, 2013. In answer to a call

from The National Blood

Transfusion Service for more

blood, All American Institute of

Medical Sciences (AAIMS)

hosted its ‘Each One, Reach One’

blood drive.

This meant mobilizing students,

staff and the public to support a

cause that would, according to a

recent announcement from Dr.

Angella Scott, Director of the

Transfusion Service, boost the

depleted supplies at the island’s

blood bank.

A mobile unit from the blood bank made its way to the campus on

Monday- steered by a dedicated team of nurse, medical technicians and

blood donor organizer who were kept busy registering, screening and

conducting the phlebotomy process.

According to Blood Donor Organizer for the National Transfusion

Service, Odean Black – The drive came at a time that precedes a period

characterized by a decline in donations. According to Mr. Black,

summer comparatively yields a small number of donors. “The supply can never be too much, and while at the moment the blood

bank’s need isn’t critical, that status may change at any time. Further-

more we are entering a period that usually has a critical demand,” Mr.

Black shared.

Volunteers from the National Com-

mercial Bank (NCB) and the

Intown Supersave Supermarket

appeared comfortable with the

process. The NCB Manager, Black

River branch, Mrs. Maxine Brown

Cowan expressed her joy at being

involved in this worthwhile event,

which for future she has promised

to return with her staff. “This is a great initiative and I

certainly hope to see more of this

happening,” Mrs. Brown Cowen

said.

The drive was held at the school’s

Medical Centre, scheduled for open-

ing next month. The centre will be

the only centre to provide treatment

for dermatological related illnesses

and sexual dysfunctions within the

Black River locality.

Spearheading this project is Dr.

Stanhope Maxwell, Dermatologist

and Senior Lecturer at AAIMS.

According to Dr. Maxwell, the

medical team slated to work at the

centre is a rich blend of medical experts. “We have a great team, for General Surgery there is Senior Medical

Officer (SMO) of the Black River Hospital Dr. Norman Glen Day, for

General Practice Dr. Tonia Dawkins Medical Officer of Health (MOH)

-Black River Hospital, also for General Practice is Dean Dr. Owen

James and I’ll be providing services for dermatological related condi-

tions and sexual dysfunction,” he said. After hosting what turned out to

be successful drive, the school plans on making blood drives scheduled

calendar events. Like us on FB Follow us on twitter

AAIMS initiates Blood Drive

in Black River

AAIMS FAME Club hosts

Natural Disaster Session

Blood Donor—Shauna Kay Falconer,

Pre Med student

Blood Bank Representative (L), Alyson

Williams, Pre Med student

Donor, Manager at NCB—Maxine Cowan

ODPEM Parish Representative,

Ms. Forbes (L) & company

66 High St, Black River, St. Elizabeth Tel: 876- 634- 4068 www.AAIMS.edu.jm

July 31, 2013 Volume II, Issue 9

July 19, 2013. In fulfillment of a

mission to educate students on

simple tips on safety, the FAME

club held a session on the admin-

istering of blood pressure checks. The interactive session was well

attended and had an overwhelm-

ing turnout of Pre- med students.

A very enthusiastic host

Nyameche Solomon, who also

currently serves as the club’s

president, shared the objective of

the session.“ The session really is

to educate for some and for others

it’s a reminder of how to perform

blood pressure checks. This will

be good knowledge for us as aspiring doctors and it may become prac-

tical sooner for some of us who have relatives with hypertension.” The session in essence was a crash course on ‘how to administer a

blood pressure check’- short and highly descriptive. It followed a pat-

tern of an informative presentation interspersed with demonstrations

using eager volunteers. Known also as high or

raised blood pressure,

hypertension remains a

global public health issue. It

contributes to the burden of

heart disease, stroke and

kidney failure, premature

mortality and disability,

and accounts for approxi-

mately 17 million deaths a

year, nearly one third of

the total. According to the

2013 report on Hyperten-

sion from the World

Health Organization

(WHO), hypertension accounts for 9.4 million deaths worldwide every

year, is responsible for at least 45% of deaths due to heart disease and

51% of deaths due to stroke.

On April 7 of this year the WHO recognized World Health Day, with a

focus on hypertension. AAIMS joined the world in advocating the im-

portance of being keen on having blood pressure checks at intervals,

by way of a providing free blood pressure check and referrals to the

public from a booth that was set up at the In-town supermarket.

The team consisted of MD students who functioned exceptionally well

under Dr. Maxwell’s supervision. The club plans on having a session

next Wednesday in classroom one but will pause activities as the

members prepare for the approaching period of exams.

A group of students and

professors from the New

York based Corning

Community College,

visited All American

Institute of Medical

Sciences (AAIMS) on

Friday July 19, to briefly

experience what it’s like

to be studying medicine

in Jamaica.

The group had a blend

of nursing, sociology

and anthropology

students all first timers

to the Island. The very

enthused group had

many questions about

Jamaica’s first off-shore medical school, and was pleased with our

mission to the extent that they expressed an interest in having a

relationship with us. The AAIMS Student Guild

was represented well by

President Anthony Ogini

and VP Joanna Pascal, who

demonstrated great hospi-

tality, remaining with the

group until their departure.

The distinguished Director

of Student Services Dr.

Randolph Watson kept the

group in ‘excellent

condition’ throughout their

visit, furnishing them with

information not only about

AAIMS, but also of the amenities that accompany studying in

Black River.

Much to their satisfaction is the

picturesque view of the campus that

is enhanced by the Caribbean Sea

that frames the campus, Professor

Walker shared her thought ,

“I can’t imagine waking up to this

every day, this is beautiful.”


How much do you know about your

blood pressure?

New York based Corning Community

College Visits AAIMS

Dr. Maxwell (AAIMS senior lecturer)

assisting students at F.A.M.E’s

session on administering pressure

checks

AAIMS student, Aurora Bravar ,performing

a blood pressure check on fellow student,

Arlando Gentles

Group from Corning Community College along-

side Student Services Director, Dr. Randolph

Watson, Guild President, Anthony Ogini and

Guild VP, Joanna Pascal

Nursing students from Corning

Community College and Anthony Ogini

(fourth from left)

Dr. Watson ( C ) and professors

from Corning Community College

Anthony was born and raised in the city of Toronto, Canada. He attended

Jarvis High school where he received many awards for his achievements

in Track & Field, Basketball and Volleyball. At the University of Western

Ontario Anthony excelled in athletics and has received many awards for

his accomplishments in track and field. His passion for healthcare lead

him to obtain an honors degree in Nursing.

Ever the go getter, Anthony continued to take his career to new heights by

enrolling at the All American Institute of Medical Sciences, where he

plans on obtaining his MD designation and specializing in Internal

Medicine. Anthony devotes his spare time to learning about health and

exercise. He has also participated in many community health initiatives,

and will serve as AAIMS Student Guild President, for the 2013 - 2014

regime. Anthony Ogini - President, AAIMS Student Guild



Campus Snippet

The Dean & Registrar in dialogue

with Montego Bay Credit Union’s

representative Ms. Lorna Clarke



Accounts Department:

Students are being reminded that the cafeteria caters to you and not

the general public; therefore its viability depends on your full sup-

port. Resident students are required to participate in a meal plan.

Registry:

Reminder to all STUDENTS whose outstanding documents are

pending to submit to Registry before Mid Term Examination.

Please contact the Registry of you have any questions or concerns.

We will be pleased to hear from you.

Library:

STUDENTS are being asked to return library books that have been

found missing from the library.

FYI for your Information

Retake Exam Fees

MD Program $300 per subject

Pre-Med Program $200 per subject

Retake Course Fees

MD Program $250 per credit

Pre-Med Program $187 per credit

Other Fees

Late Registration $300

ID/Access control Card $30

Graduation Fee $650

Transcript Request $10 (per request)

Late Tuition fee payment $150 (applied when past due date)

Loan Processing fee $100 (per application)

Status letter $ 5

Library Deposit $200 (refundable)

All appointments to see the Dean, the Associate Dean,

the Registrar and Director of Student Services should be

made through Ms Shelley McIntyre or

Ms. Tiffany Gillespie at the Front Desk.

Students, please make appointments during

your break-times.

Office Of The Registrar

STATUS LETTERS

During your studies, you may be asked to provide information to

confirm your student status. A Status Letter can be requested

from the Office of the Registrar which will confirm your enroll-

ment status. Status letters are prepared for a wide variety of pur-

poses, including:

• work permits • visa applications • health insurance • financial / lending institutions · and much more.

Students who wish to request a Status Letter should complete the

Status Letter Request Form

available from the Registry. The Form includes detailed instruc-

tions on completing and submitting the request.

There is a Processing Fee of US$5.00, which should be paid in ad-

vance to the Bursary. Letters are usually processed and ready for

collection (or mailing) within five (5) business days.

Please contact the Office of the Registrar for further information.

INFORMATION CORNER – OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR

"It is ironic that in the same year we celebrate the

50th anniversary of the discovery of DNA, some

would have us ban certain forms of DNA medical

research. Restricting medical research has very real

human consequences, measured in loss of life and

tremendous suffering for patients and their families."

Michael J. Fox

A n n o u n c e m e n t s