Dear fellow students:

Let me begin by wishing everyone a happy new year. On behalf of the JAMSA Council, I wish you all the best in your academic pursuits and

happiness in all spheres of your lives for this year.

As we enter a promising 2014, I will give an update on the progress that we have made thus far as a Council in addressing the concerns of our

fellow students. I will also give an update on what will be done in the

future.

The following report is based on recent discussions with Professor Fletcher, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences and other faculty

members.

We thank you for your support over the past year and as we enter into a new year, we encourage you to contact Council members if you have

concerns. Also, do participate in the various activities, whether standing

committee activities or general JAMSA projects.

You may contact us at askjamsa@yahoo.com and, you may access the contact information of individual council members and other infor-

mation on our website: http://ifmsajamsa.org/

Yours Sincerely,

Sachalee Campbell

JAMSA President (2013-2014)

JAMSA General Updates

Photos from IFMSA General Assembly

JAMAICA

MEDICAL

STUDENTS'

ASSOCIATION January 2014 Volume 1, Issue 1

The HeartBeat

Special points of interest:

GPA System Changes

Student facilities

- May Pen

- FMS Complex

Faculty Bus

CRH Lounge

Inside this issue:

Presidential

address

1

JAMSA Updates 2

JAMSA Updates

- CRH Students’

Lounge

3

Other updates 4

Connect with

JAMSA

5

Sachalee Campbell

JAMSA President

2013– 2014

March Meeting

Baltimore/ Washington DC, USA

August Meeting

Santiago, Chile

From left:(Front row) Jason Knight, Adrian Coore

(Back row) Anna-Lee Clarke, Sachalee Campbell, Errol Williamson, Annya Gordon-Whyte, Brandon

Dixon & Auvarhenne Howell

Auvarhenne Howell & Sachalee Campbell

Students have expressed concern about the changes that have been proposed

to the current GPA system, whether or not these changes apply to MBBS stu-

dents and if they do, how the changes will affect us.

From discussions with Professor Fletcher, it was confirmed that the changes

will affect students in the MBBS Programme. He noted that a repre-

sentative from the Board of Undergraduate Studies of the Mona Campus is ex-

pected to meet with us to provide more information on what should be ex-

pected. He was unable to say when this would happen.

JAMSA requested that a lounge be made available at the new teaching and re-

search complex in order to ensure that students, may be able to have a comforta-

ble location to rest and study outside of class time. This request was not granted,

however, areas have been identified that can be used by students. These

include the seating areas on the ground floor- for which we have suggested having

more chairs available to accommodate the large number of students that use the

facility daily. Professor Fletcher also suggested that the Museum on the Ground

Floor would also be transformed so that it can accommodate students wishing to

have quiet study. We have been warned however, that if any is damage is done in

the museum, this offer would be ceased.

GPA System Changes (2014-2015) —MBBS Programme

MBBS Students’ Lounge at the FMS Teaching and Research Complex

Accommodation Facilities in May Pen- Hotel Versailles

After presenting the complaints of students to Professor Fletcher and presenting

our proposed solutions, we are happy to say that there have been promised

improvements to the accommodation facilities in May Pen. Originally no

kitchen facilities were available for students; however, there will be renovations to

the facility to create a space for a kitchen. We have also been promised a larger

refrigerator. In addition to this, a library and a classroom that can be used as study

areas are available at the hotel. The opening hours for the library are from 8 a.m.-

4 p.m. and the classroom will be opened at students' request. Regarding internet

access, the Faculty has plans to ensure that Wi-Fi is available in central locations;

however, it may not be accessed from all rooms.

“After years of

lobbying on behalf

of our fellow

students ...a sixty

seater bus has been

identified. “

Page 2 The HeartBeat

Faculty Bus

After years of lobbying on behalf of our fellow students for an additional

faculty bus, we have now been informed that a sixty seater bus has been

identified. The bus should be here within a few months, however a spe-

cific deadline was not given.

Clinical students listening

attentively at ‘Internship &

Beyond’ forum

Class of 2018, the largest medical

class in the history of UWI. (~400)

This has been one of the victories of the JAMSA Council and we are quite grate-

ful to the Faculty for making the Lounge at CRH a reality. There have been a few

recommendations that we have made to make the Lounge even more student

friendly. We are happy to say that work has been started by the Deputy Dean

for Western Jamaica Campus and his Office in addressing these issues.

These include:

Code lock for the door: A request has been submitted to the Western Jamaica Campus Administrators by the FMS

Deputy Dean’s Office for the installation of a secured passcode entry door locking system. In the interim, students are able to use the key for the Lounge throughout the days (from

8:30 am to 5pm) and on arrival at CRH, they will be informed of the possibility of having

the Lounge open outside of office hours. Regarding concerns about lighting in the area at nights, currently construction is being

done in that area and as such, lighting will be available in the nights.

We requested lockers with a system similar to the one in use in the Medical Students

Lounge at the UHWI. We have been promised 25 lockers; however, we will try to get

more. The lockers will be rented to students for their time at CRH and the funds will con-

tribute to the work of JAMSA.

Computers in the library are sometimes all occupied when MBBS students have breaks

during the days; hence we requested that a desktop computer be made available in the

Lounge. Professor Fletcher said that he would try to determine if this is absolutely neces-

sary and there were concerns regarding security of a computer in the lounge.

The lack of Wi-Fi access in the Lounge was a concern of students and this was also ad-

dressed by the Deputy Dean’s Office at Western Jamaica Campus, however, there was no

proposed deadline for when this would be made available.

Extended opening hours for the Medical Library during the

summer periods.

Follow up on communication from the University on how

changes to the GPA system will affect students in the MBBS

programme.

MBBS Students’ Lounge at the Cornwall Regional Hospital

Other matters that we will continue to work on this semester include:

“We will

continue to

lobby for

extended

opening hours

for the medical

library during

the summer

periods”

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 1

Entrance to Students'’ lounge 2nd

floor CRH hospital

O’Danielle O’Sullivan (Facilities & Resource

Manager) by the JAMSA booth at the FMS

22nd annual Research Conference

New addition to the council Monique Brown

Class of 2015

VP for External Affairs

JAMSA receives award from UWIDEF

Page 4 The HeartBeat

The Jamaica Medical Students’ Association on behalf of the MBBS Class of 2014 makes a donation to the

Kevin Wilson Memorial Bursary and Lia Lashley Scholarship fund.

Photo on left : Auvarhenne Howell ( VP for Internal Affairs ) submitting donations to UWIDEF.

Jamaica Medical

Students’ Association

University Hospital of the

West Indies

Mona,

E-mail: askjamsa@yahoo.com

Website:

http://ifmsajamsa.org/

LOOK OUT FOR !!!

JAMSA General Assembly March 17— 21, 2014 (tentatively)

This is will be a week long assembly of activities. Activities will include Training sessions, Standing Com-

mittee sessions, Career Day and other activities. Volunteers are being asked to join the

organizing committee. Send your emails to oraywill16@gmail.com

Med-Law Social TBA

Scan this barcode

Our facebook page :

www.facebook.com/JAMSA.UWI

@JAMSA_UWI

PUBLICATION OF THE JAMAICA MEDICAL STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Channel: ifmsaJAMSA J.A.M.S.A

Follow: ifmsaJAMSA

Stay connected with us !!! We are now on :

JAMSA would like to invite applicants to be a part of our “Media & Com-

munications Team”. This Committee falls under the External affairs com-

mittee. We are asking for volunteers to join the team who have any form

of experience in:

publications

photography

videography

journalism

social media

basic web/blog design

All interested persons are asked to email jamsapublications@gmail.com

Remember to like the Face-

book page of one of our spon-

sors for our recent Internship

and Beyond Session. Like Tertiary Books Express

on FB and follow them on twit-

ter @ TertiarybooksEX

Page 5 The HeartBeat

The Class of 2017 launches

their Smoker 2014 campaign.

Like on FB Smoker 2014

Instagram: @med_dent2k17

Twitter: @Med2k17

If you have any suggestions for

further publications, feel free to

email us at:

jamsapublications@gmail.com