How I Went to Medical School in the Caribbean
Hello
My name is Hesham Hassan, but most people I know call me Sham. I am a medical student at Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM). I completed my first four semesters in Dominica, took STEP 1 in Texas, completed the internal medicine foundation elective in Miami, Florida, and now I am in Atlanta.
I wanted to start this blog as I am completing my second core rotation for MS3 and realizing that I have a lot I want to reflect on, and stories I would like to share with others who are interested in medicine. There was a time when I gave up on the idea of medicine because my wife was pregnant with our first child and I didn't think I could pursue medicine while providing for a family. There came a time when my oldest son was around three, and my wife was pregnant with our second child, that I decided I was done trying to avoid how much I wanted to go to medical school, as being a doctor was a childhood passion that I could not escape. Sure, my family made me happy with my home life but there was something about medicine that was so luring that I could not see myself not being anything other than a doctor.
Medical school does take up a majority of my time and so does my family, but I strongly believe in working hard while I am able to, and if I want something badly enough, then I need to give as much as possible to achieve it.
Family
YOU DON'T GIVE UP FAMILY BECAUSE YOU GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL. Talk about a misconception...wow. I honestly thought you could not have a marriage or children and still go to medical school. Are there times where I don't see them as often as I want? Sure, there are times where I am at a clinic from 7 to 5, do an overnight call shift, get home early in the morning, and change clothes to go back to clinic. This is not the regular routine, and every schedule is different depending on the rotation you are in and the preceptor over your rotation. Lack of regular routine is a blessing and a curse honestly...it's the reason I get to have spontaneous family time but it probably makes my wife think I'm unreliable when it comes to planning things regularly.
My wife is an amazing support person (and this isn't just an obligated husband post) because she puts up with the erratic schedule. We both find ways to support the other person with the responsibilities we have with our kids, schoolwork, and housework. My wife is currently working on her second Masters in Library and Information Science, is working full-time as an analyst, and is making pregnancy look easy. Depending on the rotation, either I do more around the house or she does, but the key for us has been communication. Our relationship is amazing but it is not without the occasional bump in the road. Want to know if it will last? Dominica was probably the ultimate test in our relationship. We had already experienced death, the stress of having children (I mean, who argues about the way Christmas traditions should be...), loosing jobs, struggling financially, and all the fun stuff that comes with marriage. So, let's definitely push our relationship by immigrating to a developing country.... well, we didn't foresee the strain it could cause but we made it. I am not sure if our problems were unique to medical school or going to school in the Caribbean, but it caused us to step back and analyze our relationship and talk about our priorities and needs. Long story short: medical school has made us stronger and improved our communication. My wife and I have known each other since the first year of undergrad, and I could think of no one else whose life I would want to be a firsthand witness.
My children are still very young. I have
one who will be starting elementary school this year and the other one has mastered the terrible twos. I love my kids very much and they make me want to be a great example of being a good human. Our family is expecting a little girl around the beginning of January, and we are excited to be adding her to the family. My wife and I previously discussed when the right time to have children during medical school was and we agreed that planning the time is not easy with the schedule. Plus, no time seems good when you're always studying for the next exam. I personally wanted to make sure that medical school doesn't become this hyper-focused part of my life where I neglect my family so the focus is balance. Family tends to be more forgiving than medicine which is an advantage when prioritizing what must be done now versus later, but I always make sure that I am
doing family-specific things regularly because I do not want my wife to feel taken advantage of, or my children to think their dad is never around.
Actually, Ethan my youngest is sitting on my lap while I am typing this post.
Why Ross?
So, why Ross University School of Medicine? Well, my wife is to blame. It was the best decision of my life, but it was by chance that we discovered RUSM. My wife was the recipient of an RUSM advertisement email, and she brought up the idea of going to medical school in the Caribbean. I asked her if she had been watching too much HGTV and shows about living in the Caribbean. She brought up some valid points regarding going to RUSM that made the idea very intriguing. This conversation happened in March 2015, a month after our second son was born. Firstly, she thought starting in the same year was better because if this was going to happen then we could do it while the kids were young, and I couldn't have agreed with her more. Secondly, we have both always wanted to travel and this was a great reason to live in another country and experience a new culture. Thirdly, the campus in Dominica offered an on-site childcare center that was convenient and sounded perfect for our children. Lastly, the numbers published regarding match rates were very appealing because I already knew I would have the wherewithal to succeed regardless of how much work I needed to put into learning.
With our family's approval of following my dreams and exploring new cultures, I applied to RUSM and was accepted to start May 2015. I requested to defer until September so we could appropriately plan a move of that proportion and ensure all visa paperwork and vaccines could be done for me and the family. I loved the experience and there are probably many other blog posts that could be derived from the island.
Before medical school, I was an investigator for the Texas Child Protective Services after I finished a Master of Science in Biology. Before that I was an ophthalmic technician for a couple years, a manager at Whataburger, a work-study student at Disability Services for couple years during undergrad, and some other odd-ball experiences. My experiences definitely helped me be prepared for medical school, and more specifically for the clinical years because of my ability to work well with people and understand changing social dynamics.
I thought about going to a U.S. medical school, but did not want to wait for the next application cycle although I had somewhat competitive scores. I am thankful that I did not wait because I am now halfway through the program, and will hopefully match into residency in March 2019. My wife and I do have family goals, such as buying a house and taking family vacations, but we knew medical school and residency would require relocation(s) so we wanted to do that while our children were as young as possible to minimize the toll it would take on their development. Honestly, there are no regrets about the decision to go to Ross.
If anyone is considering going to medical school, going to medical school at Ross, or have any other pre-med questions then don't hesitate to ask questions. I enjoy helping others and I am known to be as frank about the truth as I know it to be.