Hometown: St.Kitts, W.I
Name of Undergraduate Institution: Florida International University
Major(s)/Minor(s) in College: B.S. in Biology, Minor in Chemistry
Name of Medical School: Howard University College Of Medicine
Favorite Quote: “Life is a conundrum of esoterica.” “You will either suffer or enjoy the consequences of your actions.”
Contact Info: I’m terrible with emails so you can DM me on social media if you’d like to contact me.
Additional Links:
Twitter: @jayson_e3
IG: @saint.jay
Where are you currently at in your career path and why did you decide to pursue this career path?
I am currently a MS2 at Howard University College of Medicine. I ultimately chose to pursue a career in Medicine as Medicine is the greatest act of service that you can do for mankind. As a physician, caring for someone’s life is the most humanitarian profession that exists and as someone who wants to make a positive impact in the life of others, I felt that Medicine was the best path for me to do so. In addition to this, I was a huge Biology & Chemistry nerd in high school so it seemed like the natural thing to do 😝
If you could go back and have a chat with your naïve college freshman self, what would you tell him?
“Get involved! There’s so many more lessons to be learned outside the classroom in college!”
As a freshman, I was not very involved in extracurricular activities as college was a huge adjustment for me. My grades were fine, but I was not doing much other than going to class. I got involved extracurricularly my sophomore year so I was able to finish with a solid amount of involvement, but I still lacked in some areas of my applications, especially with regards to research experience. Research experience (publications specifically) are becoming almost a necessity for accepted medical students and I wish I had gotten involved in some projects earlier in my academic career. As a graduating senior trying to get involved in projects, it was difficult as I was constantly told that professors prefer to work with freshmen and sophomores as they have sufficient time to train them and use them in the lab for multiple years rather than to invest in someone who graduates in a few months.
What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a similar path as yours?
As someone who grew up in the Caribbean with the majority of your family there, your resources may be limited, especially if you are in the American system. With that being said, it’s important to utilize whatever limited resources you have to their maximum potential. Take advantage of services such as pre-health advising if it exists at your school from an early stage so that they can get to know you and build a reputation with you. The same goes for your professors. It all pays off in the end as academics usually tend to know other academics who can point you in the right direction if they can’t. Networking and mentorship is crucial in this field and having someone to speak to who has already achieved what you are trying to achieve is priceless.
Did you take some time off before medical school? If so, what did you do during that time?
I graduated undergrad in 2015 and took 2 years off before I was finally accepted into medical school. I worked as a Medical Scribe in pediatric and adult ERs for a year and a few months before I enrolled in a post-bacc at the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, which was one of the best decisions of my life.
What were some of your involvements in college? Have those involvements helped you in any way in medical school?
I was heavily involved in event planning with the Student Programming Council (SPC) and Caribbean Students Association (CSA), and I am also a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Being involved in all of these organizations taught me the importance of time management and how essential it is to utilize all of the 24 hours in your day.
What is your favorite thing about your medical school?
I love the family environment of HUCM. All of my classmates and upperclassmen are always willing to give advice and provide resources, and the faculty are very understanding and considerate. They truly embody what an academic family is supposed to be. We all struggle together but we all succeed together.
Thanks a ton for sharing your perspective with us Jayson, we really appreciate you! Your wise advice will be very helpful to those who read this feature and I'm sure that the vast majority of them would agree with your statement about how incredible it is to be able to care for someone's life! Best of luck to you as you continue your studies!
Health Career Spotlights Home Page
Posted on December 21st, 2018