RECAP: UNIVERSITY-WIDE MEETING

Valuable, interesting info shared – take advantage of recording

A great deal of important information was crammed into 1 hour and 12 minutes during the 30/31 January University-Wide Meeting, the first of 2019.

In her welcoming statement, Taffy Gould, OUM’s Founder and Chairman, urged students to take advantage of the help and resources available, citing their role in student success. Her message was followed by Vice Chancellor Dr. Viali Lameko who shared on-campus updates in Samoa and encouragement drawn from personal experience.

“As a student, it’s a real struggle. I was a student myself. Particularly, I had my two children when I was still in medical school, when my wife and I were living in Fiji, while I was struggling to become a doctor,” he said. “So, I do understand your challenges. Your leadership, faculty, and staff all understand, and I want to assure you that we are all here to support and help you to realize your dream to become doctors.”

University updates were provided by Dr. Randell Brown, Deputy Vice Chancellor, by the Regional Deans for Australia (Dr. Meshach Kirubakaran), Asia-Pacific/New Zealand (Dr. C.S. Benjamin), and North America (Dr. Sarmad Ghazi), as well as by Dr. Paula Diamante, Director of Faculty Affairs. Highlights included:

  • Return of the totally revamped FCE – great success rate is anticipated
  • Invitation to present research projects at upcoming ANZ Conference – oral or poster – contact Dr. Brown or Dr. Camera
  • Evaluation of exam/quiz windows
  • Welcome to cohorts who joined OUM during recent New Student Orientations
  • Negotiation of rotation and internship opportunities in Tonga
  • Indian Medical Council approval of OUM, paving the way for enrollment of more Indian students
  • Help coming for Australian students to complete Radiology and/or Oncology rotations in NZ
  • Student success on IHE and USMLE

Dr. Meshach presented a comprehensive explanation of the guidelines for compiling the five Clinical Rotation Case Studies required at the close of each clerkship. He welcomed Dr. Lata Mantha, OUM’s new Associate Dean for Australia who will oversee case study review and provide feedback. For assistance with this requirement, sample case studies available by emailing Dr. Meshach or Dr. Mantha.

Dr. Diamante’s message was quite direct: Students are encouraged to fully utilize the assistance of their academic and/or clinical advisors to help with course questions, contacting instructors, arranging peer contact, and much more. Helping students with any question, problem, or clarification is their responsibility. She also reminded students who may not be “clicking” with their advisors to contact her for a reassignment, and for those who may need direction beyond their advisors, Dr. Diamante is able to put students in touch with an experienced life coach associated with the medical school to help with issues that reach outside academics.

Upcoming administrative initiatives were presented by Chris Dudley, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administration & Student Affairs, with emphasis on Academic Board activities and upcoming preparation for OUM’s next re-accreditation visit in 2020.

Following Chris was an interesting report on enrollment demographics as of 31 December 2018 from Joy Braun, Associate Director for Administration, Registrar & Bursar which profiled OUM as the “United Nations of medical education” with its

  • 219 students,
  • residing in nine countries,
  • from 44 countries of origin,
  • speaking 27 native languages,
  • coming from 27 different professions.

Joy also reported that OUM currently has 117 graduates, with another large group graduating in March. (See New Student story for additional statistics.)

Sharing a report on OUM’s “world of tech” was Greg Beber, Chief Information Officer, highlighting the recent rollouts of the Zoom and Clinical Key Medical Education platforms. A round-up of OUMSA news was presented by second-year student and Student Association Sargeant-at-Arms, Emma Broughton, who welcomed new students, announced the upcoming election, and encouraged students to look further into the benefits of membership by contacting one of the current officers.

Those unable to attend the live event are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the recorded meeting found here.