Clinical Rotations at SGU

Hey guys! In this video I talk about what my experience has been like during clinical rotations so far. Although I've only completed two rotations, I've already noticed a few things that stand out. First, it's very different from the basic science years. The lecture material is not as complex but the hours are significantly longer and the responsibility is much higher. I don't mean to scare you guys because it is actually a lot of fun! It's getting to do what you've always wanted to do; be a doctor!
Wish you guys the best of luck!

[@PrPunisher1994]

Im considering caribbean md. Why did u choose it if i may ask? Also are you worried about residency?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

I chose the Caribbean because I didn't have any other option. My GPA was too low and my MCAT scores were just moderate. If you are able, apply to as many US schools as you think you can get into before resorting to the Caribbean. Worried about residency in what capacity? Difficulty? Placement? I have been thinking about residency a lot. I'm confident I will produce a competitive score on step two, but there are a lot of things that I must do to set myself up for residency before that. I'm not worried, I'm overwhelmed by making a life-changing decision. There were things that I once thought I wanted to do but now I have doubts. We'll see how things go!

[@PrPunisher1994]

@@medical_muscle_greg Thanks for the reply! As for my question with residency i was referring to the "stats" that say it is harder for caribbean med students to get residency placement compared to US med students. Also if i may ask, why did you chose SGU over the other big 4 caribbean med schools?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

@@PrPunisher1994 Yes, the stats concern is a real thing. For me, I'm not totally worried because it doesn't change very much: I just need to do as well as I possibly can! I picked SGU because I had a friend ahead of me that was at SGU. She was in the same boat as I was with grades and MCAT scores and she is currently kicking butt! I've heard that SGU is excellent but I honestly don't have a lot of experience with other Caribbean medical schools.

[@lucyalvarez1288]

Also, another question, sorry! Do u think SGU will be ok with accreditation if we graduate after 2024? Thank you sooo much!

[@medical_muscle_greg]

That is another good question! I don't know enough about this particular situation and would not want to give you the wrong advice. I would reach out to SGU

[@ranjansah1672]

Hey Greg .. I m jst worrying about loan bec I heard sgu total charge around 4 hundred thousand dollar and if I didn’t pass and get residency then how will I pay ? Also, my gpa is only 3.3 and my MCAT score is 507 that’s the only reason I m applying to sgu ..please give genuine reply thank you

[@medical_muscle_greg]

Genuine reply: SGU is expensive. My loan is no where near that amount but definitely higher than some US schools (not all, some US schools are quit expensive). Honestly, the fear you have about paying a high price and not matching is a real fear for basically EVERY medical student. As long as you give it your all you will be fine.

[@ranjansah1672]

@@medical_muscle_greg thank you and can you please break the holiday period we get during our 1 st and 2 nd year

[@medical_muscle_greg]

@@ranjansah1672 Things might have changed so I would check out the SGU website but I think it was about 2 weeks off in the winter and a few weeks off before AND after term 3 in the summer

[@ranjansah1672]

@@medical_muscle_greg thank you

[@bhgmsang519]

Hi Greg which hospital are you doing in Nj

[@medical_muscle_greg]

Shoot me a DM on instagram and I could share that!

[@truffle8955]

Hey, I was curious what picking your hospital to rotate at was like. I've read from online forms that Caribbean schools are notorious for making this process difficult. Do you have to go to multiple hospitals, or can you do your core rotations in one spot? Also, will SGU help you find a place to stay when you rotate? Will student loans pay for your room and board?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

Great questions. The process at SGU is actually extremely easy. Few issues: 1. Not a US citizen, there are a few hospitals you cannot rotate 2. students who didn't pass step one, delayed step one or had to retake BSFCR. By having this delay, some hospitals may be full with spots. The friends that I know that this happened to we're still able to get their first choice hospitals so it appears to not be a huge issue. Basically you give your top 3 states (I put the specific hospital for each state too) and give a quick reason why you want to go there (want to do all core rotations at one location, friends or family close by...). You also get the choice of being with specific students. So, the students with the best chances of going where they want is if: 1. You finish BSFCR and Step 1 on time 2. You and your friends all write each others names on the same top pick for a specific hospital. Thats it!

[@medical_muscle_greg]

For core rotations all in one hospital, there are a bunch of options. On the SGU website, there is a list of hospitals are in their network and what electives they cover. That is why I am at the hospital that I am at now. I don't remember what SGU offered for housing, but for the most part, students find their own housing. Loans will pay for room and board depending on how much loan you have taken out. So, it depends haha. For that reason, I highly suggest figuring out a budget before picking a location. If your goal is to live in New York or San Diego, that loan amount will skyrocket.

[@truffle8955]

@@medical_muscle_greg thanks so much for the reply and great information!

[@medical_muscle_greg]

@@truffle8955 No problem, these were great questions

[@smooovtay]

@@medical_muscle_greg can you choose your own hospital? Like one that isn’t affiliated with SGU in any way?

[@anamorales3596]

My Question is My Son is on term 5 ,does he has to do the USMLE out of the university or he has to do it in the university , what about clinical rotation they do it Grenada I know that he to pass tne USMLE in order to do the clinical rotation ? Does they they give you a break to go /w the family and I don’t know if he to be back at the university I’m been lookin all the you tube students and I see don’t have time for nothing , I don’t understand where he has to do the clinical rotation at the university or in usa . I will appreciated your answer thank you 🙏

[@medical_muscle_greg]

Great question! After term 5, he will have about 2 months to study for the USMLE step 1 exam. He can choose to study where ever. I know some students who stayed on the island, I came back to the US to live with my parents for dedicated study time. For the exam, he will take it in the US at a testing facility near where he is living. Same testing place like he did the MCAT. He must pass term 5, the term 5 exiting exam (BSFCR) and Step 1 to be allowed to start clinicals. During term 5, he will have the option to pick the top 3 US states he would like to do clinical rotations. This is the list of clinical rotation sites: www.sgu.edu/academic-programs/school-of-medicine/affiliated-hospitals/

[@Cyberpunk_Radio_PBS]

Do you like.. get a whole new apartment in a different state every rotation? Or are you doing different rotations at the same hospital?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

Usually you would not have to move during the first year. Elective year is a different story. I know people who moved states half way through 4th year. Depends on what specialty you are going for and what your situation is. You can swing it to not move at all if you are in a central location with a lot of hospitals around you.

[@nileshkumaraswamy2711]

Hey Greg, do you get any downtime between rotations? If so how much?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

Great question. We got all the major holidays off (thanksgiving, 4th) and 2 weeks off for winter break. Between rotations, no. You take your shelf on Friday and hopefully start that Monday. Because the timeline for graduation, you want as few gaps as possible. For 4th year, I have one situation were I will have one week between rotations but that is it

[@sravyavaliveti1410]

Hey Greg, I'm potentially interested in NJ rotations and was wondering if I would need access to a car during rotations even if you're doing them all in one place? Im afraid I might not have access to a car. What are some options if I want to avoid having a car in 3/4 years and do you know of other students who have been able to do their rotations without having a car?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

You could definitely make this work. I bought an electric scooter and was able to travel from my house to the hospital fairly easily (about 2 miles). I have other friends that bike to the hospital every day or walk. The only real downside is there was a few outpatient clinic sites that requires you to drive to them. If you are against getting a car, get an Uber for those few sessions, it will be expensive in the short term, but definitely cheaper than buying a car. The major issue is going to come down to when you need to take your shelf exams. Those are at testing centers that were not close to the hospitals and I don’t know how you feel about getting an Uber on the day of an exam I think that’s up to personal opinion but I like to be in control of the situation honestly . But yes, you could definitely get away with not having a car!

[@sravyavaliveti1410]

Thank you, appreciate the info that you shared! To follow-up, which core rotations would you say are more likely to have outpatient clinic sites? Also, for the shelf exams, do you have to take them at a fixed site that SGU decides on or does SGU provide options for you to choose from and typically how far would you say these testing centers were from the hospital?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

@@sravyavaliveti1410 now that I’m thinking, every rotation had an outpatient part! Our hospital has some of the outpatient clinic in the next building over so I did not think about it. IM has the most for sure, 4 weeks for us. Psych, Peds and OBGYN had only a week. Surgury was only 2 days. For the NBMEs, it’s just like picking a testing center for the MCAT or Step 1, you pick the location. For me, the closest one is 15 min away

[@doyourbestleavetherest]

Do you have to do the rotation in the US or can you choose another country like Canada?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

Great question. It looks like you can only do your electives in Canada, not required rotations. Here is the link for clinical sites! www.sgu.edu/academic-programs/school-of-medicine/affiliated-hospitals/

[@lucyalvarez1288]

Hi! Thank you for the video! I will interview with Sgu Monday (I recently passed step 1 & hoping to transfer to sgu). For step 2, does sgu make u take shelf exams? Or do they just let u take step 2 if u passed step 1 already? Thank u in advance 🙏🏼

[@medical_muscle_greg]

That's a great question. What year are you starting at SGU? As a first-year or straight into 3rd year clinical? Either way, I would assume that you would have the same shelf exams that we must complete between Step 1 and Step 2. Hope that helps!

[@lucyalvarez1288]

@Medical Muscle I had to take the subject exams and nbmes before step 1, but wanted to know how does sgu proceed to clear the student for step 2? Thank you again so much!

[@medical_muscle_greg]

​@@lucyalvarez1288 Got it! So for us to take Step 2, we must pass each of the NBME shelf exams for each core rotation (Surgery, Psych, Peds, IM, and OBGYN). Are those the same exams you took prior to step 1? If that is the case, I would not know what the protocol would be.

[@AbdulAli-ku9he]

👍👍👍👍👍👍 keep it up bro. great video.

[@medical_muscle_greg]

Thank you!

[@palamaallen3224]

Where are you now?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

Hey Palama! I'm am at a hospital in NJ

[@SyedHasan-ev9hi]

Hey Greg, appreciate the vids...so I am going in to term 3/4 this Jan. Just a question regarding clinicals, do you recomend to do all of your core rotations at one location or one hospital? I say that because, I like a residency program and will be looking to apply in to that in the future. Does doing all of the clinical rotation within that hospital have an advantage when applying for a residency program in that hospital? LMK man, appreciate it!

[@medical_muscle_greg]

This is actually a good point. Your main goal should be going to a hospital that has both: 1. A residency of your desired specialty 2. Accepted SGU students in THE LAST FEW YEARS! You can check this on freida.ama-assn.org website to see which residencies take IMG students and which do not. I would also look at the SGU Match list to see where SGU students went. Having all the rotations in one location makes life really easy but going to a school with the above criteria is the most important!

[@SyedHasan-ev9hi]

@@medical_muscle_greg Thanks for getting back to me. Agree with your points. Just wondered if most students did all the rotations at a hospital where they wanted to match. Enjoying your channel. About research and extracurriculars, I feel like I didn't really get involved enough ( 1 term being online). What is your advice regarding having research prior to residency applications. Most of the people in my class haven't done any as far as I can tell ( I am entering term 3/4). Hoping there would be oppurtunities in 3rd or 4th year?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

@@SyedHasan-ev9hi Unfortunately, I think most people pick a rotation site more because of where they want to live rather than the residencies that are at the hospital. For extracurriculars, research is a great idea. From talking with our preceptor yesterday, she said many residencies want to accept students who do research because the hospital wants to do more research itself. If you have been a relatively good student (above 85%) and feel like you can take the workload, you can contact professors in the research department at SGU. The best bet is writing your own research paper with a group of hard-working students. All that being said, your grades are the most important and I would worry the most about getting A's over doing things like research.

[@SyedHasan-ev9hi]

@@medical_muscle_greg thanks for the input! would you mind sharing where in NJ the cost of living is the most affordable please? Near which hospital, thanks!

[@medical_muscle_greg]

@@SyedHasan-ev9hi Unfortunately, I have little knowledge in that department so you are on your own haha. I would start by looking at the rotation site hospitals on the SGU website and looking around for apartments to rent. Where I live, I have seen a range of prices from $900 for a shared living space to $2400 for a studio in one of the nicest places. What you can afford (and what amenities you need) is dependent on your budget. Sorry that is not very helpful!

[@smooovtay]

So wait, you have to go back to the island to take exams during third and fourth year?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

NO!!!! haha After the 2 years on the island, you do the rest of your testing (Shelf exams for rotations, step 1, step 2) at testing facilities like when you took the MCAT. Good question though

[@smooovtay]

@@medical_muscle_greg Lol ok good! I was about to say!!!

[@tylerbates2252]

I know you want to be a doctor, and that is very nice, but you have a voice for voice acting

[@medical_muscle_greg]

I appreciate that! Thank you

[@neila6340]

Are those your paintings Greg?

[@medical_muscle_greg]

Yep!

[@neila6340]

@@medical_muscle_greg nice hobby

[@medical_muscle_greg]

@@neila6340 Thank you! I should make a video about outside hobbies