An Overview of Grenada

Contents: Interesting Facts,What Grenada Is Known For, Climate, Language, Airlines, Banks, Money, Bus Fares, Credit Cards, Emergency Phone Numbers, Driver’s License, Electricity, Entertainment, Night Clubs, Pets, Restaurants, Roads, Tax, Taxis, Cultural Norms, Hilarious Grenadian Experiences

*Click HERE for a map of Grenada
*Click HERE for a map of St. George's
*Click HERE for my entry on where to go for everything (food, services, items + general advice).

Interesting Facts:

• The state of Grenada is comprised of three islands: Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique
• Grenada is also known as "The Isle of Spice"
• Grenada produces 1/3 of the world's nutmeg supply
• Grenada was first sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1498 (although during orientation, locals joked around about the land being first discovered by the natives that were already living there before Columbus came around hahaha)
• Grenada achieved its independence from Britain on Feburary 7, 1974
• wearing camouflage (army's uniform) and swearing at an officer is considered a crime
• the state of Grenada is 133 square miles. Grenada is 21 miles long by 12 miles wide. Carriacou is 13sq. miles, and Petite Martinique is 468 acres
• the capital of Grenada is Saint George's
• population-approximately 102,000 of African, East Indian and European descent

What Grenada is known for:

• spices- they are otherwise known as the Isle of Spice.  There are more spices per square mile than any other place on the planet. The most popular ones are nutmeg, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.
• picturesque beaches- Grenada has 45 white sand beaches and 9 black sand beaches with turquoise waters containing amazing wildlife such as morays, sea-horses, and angelfish and must see reef formations.
• tropical vegetation and waterfalls
• culture and dance. each year July-August, Grenada hosts a big celebration, Carnival, where many events take place- bands compete against one another, costume contests, cultural dances, beauty pageants, and so much more.
• their hospitality- they love to greet others they come across and love striking up conversations with others
• tourism- tourism in Grenada is becoming more and more popular as the years pass by.  Although most hotels are locally owned, there are major plans to expand in the near future. 

Climate:
The lowest temperatures occur between November and February. The climate varies according to altitude. Driest season is January to May.  Rainy season is June to December (even then, it never rains for more than a hour at a time and not every day). Average Grenada temperature year round- 85degrees F. It's almost always windy when it rains so you can expect to get splashed on from all directions.  Bring a poncho or an umbrella you can depend on (unless you want to entertain locals with your inverted umbrella).

Airlines: 

• Air Canada offers one weekly direct flight from Toronto during December-April
• American Airlines offers 3 flights weekly from Miami, Florida
• American Eagle offers flights via Puerto Rico
• British Airways, Monarch Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways offer direct flights weekly from london
• Delta Airlines offers weekly direct flights from JFK, New York
• LIAT the Star of the Caribbean offers daily flights from 26 destinations in the Caribbean
• Condor offers one flight weekly direct from Germany
• SVG offers daily flights between Grenada and Carriacou with connections to Union Island
• Conviasa offers flights twice daily to Grenada from Magarita

Language: 
English is the official language.

Banks:

• Hours are generally Monday-Thursdays 8am to 2pm. Fridays 8am-4pm.
• bank in Grenada- First International Caribbean Bank, Grenada co-operative bank, RBTT Bank, Republic Bank, Scotia bank. (Scotia bank is a sister bank of Ban of America. If you have a bank account with B of A, make sure you sign up for an ATM card to use on the Island. You may withdraw from Scotia Bank's 24hr ATM machine without being charged a fee)

Money:

• The Eastern Caribbean (EC) dollar is linked to the US dollar at 2.7169. Click here for a currency converter. 
• to convert from EC to USD, take the amount of EC and divide by 2.7169. For example. I want to know how much 80EC is in US dollar---> 80/2.7169 = 29.57usd
• to convert from USD to EC, take amount of USD and multiply by 2.7169. For example, I want to know how much 80USD is---> 80x2.1769 = 217.352ec
• most places in Grand Anse accepts USD since there are a lot of foreign students in the area. Buses also accept USD

Bus Fares in Grenada:
from Grenada to:

• Annandale-2.50ec
• Concorde- 3.50ec
• Grand Ase- 2.50ec
• Grand Etang-5.00ec
• Grenville-6.00ec
• Gouyave-3.50ec
• La Sagesse-3.50ec
• Sauteurs-6.50ec
• Victoria-5.00ec
• Westerhall-5.00ec

*Carriacou: Within one mile 1.50ec - over one mile 2.50ec
*buses are numbered according to a certain route
*bus fares are subject to change. usually during major events, drivers will charge more

Please visit Saint George's University's website for more details on the bus system. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page.

 Business Hours:
*shops- generally Monday-friday 8am-4pm. Saturday 8am-1pm
*government offices- Monday-Friday 8am-4pm but payments must be taken by 3pm

Religions:
Roman Catholics 64%
Angelican 22%
Methodist 3%
Seventh Day Adventists 3%


Clothing:
Lightweight summer clothing. Conservative in public-no bikinis or short shorts, unless at the beach.  Nude/topless bathing is not permitted. Semi-formal when visiting banks and government buildings.  Hiking shoes will come in handy for hikers.

Credit Cards:
Major credit cards accepted by most hotels. For students, credit cards are accepted at the grocery and hardware store.  Double check with your credit card company's international charges fees.

Emergency Phone Numbers:
*Police and Fire- 911
*Ambulance
-St George's 434
-St Andrews 724
-Carriacou 774
*Coast Guard- 399

Drivers License:
You must present a legit License to the local traffic department at the Central Police Station on the Carenage. Cost is 30ec.  Most car rental firms issue temporary local permits. Most students take this route to avoid the hassle of applying for a license.  Please visit Saint George's University's website for rules, procedures, regulations, and fine details.

Electricity:
220-240Volts- 50 cycles. for more details, please visit my entry on electrical plug/outlet and voltage information.

Entertainment:
Most hotels provide entertainment. Steel band music, crab racing, music and dancing. Grenadian performers include folk music, drama, and cultural performances.
*Karaoke- Creole Shack, The Carenage (saint george's), Bananas (true blue, saint george's), flamboyant hotel
*Movies- Reno Cinema (lagoon road, saint george's) tel: 473-440-5368
Movie Palace, Grand Anse tel: 473-440-1500, www.moviepalacegrenada.com
Deluxe Cinema , Grenville, Saint Andrew, tel: 473-442-7636

Night Clubs:
Fantazia 2001
Bananas, True Blue, Saint George's
Karma, The Carenage, Saint George's

Pets:
Veterinary services are available for your pets at the GSPCA, Lowthers Lane, Saint George's. Tel: 473-440-4874

Restaurants:
A guide to prices-
A three course meal, per person varies from 30ec in local restaurants to 120ec in 4/5 star hotels.

Roads:
there is a network of about 650 miles of paved roads.

Tax:
There is a %10 Government tax on hotel accomodation and 15% VAT on restaurant dining.

Taxis:
Rates vary depending on the length of your journey and where you want to go, but travelers can anticipate some fees based on set rates for popular routes and tourist destinations. Traveling from the airport to Grand Anse, L'Anse aux Epines, and St. George's will cost approximately $10(USD) to $12(USD) per person, and if you travel within a one-mile radius of the airport, your trip will only cost $2.75(USD). There is a surcharge on cab rides between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. as well as for trips outside of St. George's.

Some companies offer 24-hour cab service, so whenever you need a ride, all you have to do is pick up the phone. Private taxis can be arranged at a higher rate, or you can split the cost with another group if possible.

I highly suggest Phillip:  he the nicest, most professional, most punctual, 24/7 taxi driver (he has a bus). He lives in Mont Toute close to Food Fair.
1+ (473) 416 2546

Elmus is also a nice driver, but his rates are more than Phillips. He also owns a bus and is located around Foodfair.
1+ (473) 418 8295

First Term Class Information and Advice

COURSE BREAKDOWN (Anatomy, Histology, Biochemistry, Bioethics)

ANATOMY (8 units)

-Anatomy is comprised of Anatomy lab and Anatomy lecture (lecture is broken up into 3 Parts: Wet lab, dry lab, and small group discussion)

-you will have anatomy lab 1/week from 7:45-12pm

-The section you start out at will depend on which group you are in

-Need to wear scrubs for lab. Bring 1-2 sets. No open toed shoes allowed.  You can wear your white coat on top of regular clothes if want.  Brian did not because he told me it's difficult to wash off the smell of cadavers.

ANATOMY LAB

Wet Lab Section

-Cadavers and body parts are laid out at different stations.

-Each lab there will be a couple of professors floating around just in case you need help.

-There are about 7 stations and you will have 7 minute per station with your group.

-When you ask a professors to help out, keep in mind that they may only cover a fraction of the “list” (what you’re expected to learn) in the given time frame.  You’d have to come back on your own time to learn what was missed during class.   

-Best way to study is to watch online videos posted on Sakai.  Video will cover all structures you need to know.  In addition, use Netter’s Anatomy book (supplied).

-Before going to wet lab, make sure you know the general area in which muscles, nerves, and blood vessels are located and where they go.  This helps facilitate the learning process and allows you to get the most out of class lecture.

-For spring term 2012, SGU may get new equipment that will help project labeled cadaver parts on overhead screens.  For past Fall 2011 term, students only had 5-7 professors (for ~60 students) to help with confirmation. 

-For some stations, you’ll have radiographs (MRI- T1/T2 weighted) CT scan, plain x-rays, angiograms and skeletal pieces to help with visualization.  You will need to point out structures. During the wet lab practical you won’t be tested on identifying any bones (they only show you bones in lab just to give you an idea of where things are located).  For the final, they will give questions in regards to radiographs.

*You’ll be put into groups of 4 and rotate around 7 different cadavers/prosections.

Most important book for wet lab- Mcminn’s Clinical Atlas of Human Anatomy (book is included in tuition).  Use the book a lot because it has pictures of real life cadavers (the virtual portion of the midterm and final examinations will take pictures directly from this book).  But first, use Netters Anatomy book (pictures are drawn out) to get a general visual understanding of all the structures.

Dry Lab Section

-For all labs (Bioethics, Anatomy, Biochemistry), you’ll be divided up according to your last name .  However in histology, groups are based on where you decide sit.  You will be with this group until the end of the term.  Quite a few students dropped or decelled in Brian's histology lab session, so his group was separated towards the end.  

-3 sets of questions are given out to each group.  You will spend the whole time answering questions on your own.  There are only a few professors to go around helping confirm the answers.

-You will be placed in groups of ~8

-Spent time implementing ultrasound, but didn’t get tested on it because it’s a trial run.  Next term may get tested on it.

Small Group Discussion Section

- 4 sections

1. First 5 min you spend taking a quiz. Each is worth 2  points. 1^st point is for showing up and ½pt. for each question right.  Every point counts right? So don’t take these quizzes lightly.  

(*Grading system not based on grades and instead, based on percentages. )

2. ~5 clinical cases will be given with follow up questions posted online a week prior for you to prepare before they are discussed in class.

Format- Each group will have one clinical tutor. He/she will start at one end and work his/her way around asking questions to everyone.  Advice- Don’t just memorize the answers when doing prep work. Understand the whole process as the professor may ask you for it in group discussion. They may even ask you to draw!

3.  You will need to read a journal article that will be discussed in lab.  Same format as above in regards to group discussion.

4. Conduct physical exams on local patients. Go over physical exams (included in lab manual) before lab. Sakai also has instructional videos on how to conduct physical exams.

Side Note: Anatomy wet lab open 8am-12pm.  No appt. necessary with visiting professors.  Appointment necessary to be with in-house professors.  You have to be in  groups of 3 and can make a total of two appointments, up to 2 weeks ahead of time. 2 times for midterms and 2 times for finals allowed.  You can also walk in and stand with other groups, except you’re not permitted to talk because it’s not your appointment (don't be rude and take away the learning experience from your fellow peers).  Don’t wait until the last minute to go to lab (at this time, the crowds will be too big and you will have a more difficult time seeing and hearing the professors).  If you’ve been going to open lab from the beginning, you might be more prepared and decide to review on your own with some friends.  Go to available body parts and make sure you can identify the muscles/nerves/plexus/ganglion/neurons/blood vessels provided in your prosection manual.  If you can do this, you should be fine for the practical.

ANATOMY LECTURE

*Format- You start learning the upper limb, thorax, and abdomen (covered for midterm). For final- pelvis, peritoneum, lower limb, head, and neck.
*Brachial plexus seems daunting at first...but it gets easier with time.  Same can be said with the blood vessels in abdomen...and with everything in the head and neck.   Repetition is key...but so is doing practice questions in Grays Anatomy Review by Dr. Loukas.  Questions won't be the same, but the wording is similar.  The questions will make you apply your knowledge in a clinical manner.   Not all questions in the review book is testable material.  All information in lecture note packets and what professors SAY during lecture IS testable material. 

*With lecture, they will start off every new region pointing out muscles on the screen (most of them supplied on notes). Brian feels like he really can’t learn this way because there are too many structures being identified in such little time.  Instead, he used Netters Anatomy book to learn himself.  He still watched lectures at home at 1.4-1.8 times the regular speed since professors sometimes say important points in between identifying structures.

*You’ll be going over embryology- you don’t need to know all the steps involved.  Instead, you need to know what could go wrong in the process and the clinical outcomes.
*Understand the function of all the nerves and what can result if there is a lesion in a specific area. 

*Before midterm and final, the school posts pictures of slides online that they will test you on.  Use these slides to study.

*Exam- ~2.5-3hrs for written and 25 minutes for web-lab. First ~30 minutes are slides- mostly identification.  Next, multiple choice.  Lastly, wet lab. You will be sequestered until everyone is finished with their exam. Expect to sit there for 3 hours after the midterm wet lab exam if your last name begins with an A. Things switch around for finals. If your last name begins with a Z, you will be sequestered for 3 hours.  See if you can leave notes in the room to study.

HISTOLOGY (4 units)

*you meet 1/week in small groups for lab potion. 8am-12pm. Lab slides given a week before. Structures are identified during lecture. Don't forget to notate what professors are saying on your packet. Need to know for lab.

*lab- each person must present a specific number of slides in front of your group (~6 people in Brian's group). Clinical tutor in every group. Advice- make sure that you look over slides before lab and read lab  manual given so you can get the most out of lab. Learn during lab, not lecture because you get everything clarified.  Brian suggest printing out the slides and bringing it to lab for filling in and identifying unknown structures.

*clicker questions at the end of every lab session reflects the degree of difficulty for the exams. After midterms, ¾ of your time in presenting slides and ¼ physical exams on patients.  2-3 weeks before exam, slides posted on Sakai.  You are only tested on these slides for the virtual portion of the exam.

*exam- 150 questions. 60 slides/1 minute per slide. 2nd part is multiple-choice.
*Final exam had many questions regarding the specific epithelium. Know them well! 

BIOCHEMISTRY (5 units)

*Up until midterm, you don’t learn too many pathways. For the final, there’s a lot of pathways to know.  They will ease up with material about 3 weeks before finals.  No more new pathways, just tying in most of the information you already learned into a clinical situation such as diabetes, hypertension, alcohol intoxication, fasting...etc.  All lectures a week before midterms and finals do not cover any new material (biochem, anatomy, histo).  For midterm not as much information was given compared to finals, but the midterm examination felt tougher than the final exam for Brian.  

*Go over questions they post a few days before small group discussions at home.  There will be a clinical tutor in each lab group.  They go around your group asking questions for you to answer out loud in front of everyone.

*Everything is fair game unless otherwise instructed. Meaning you need to know the big picture and all of the little details in between. 

*You must know pathways/enzymes/co-enzymes/co-factors down COLD (unless they specifically state you don't need to know x..y..z..).
*Make flashcards of the drugs after lecture so you won't waste time during studying to look for them. 
*Brian only used the biochemistry book provided for clarification and to view diagrams.

BIOETHICS (1 unit)

-Class ends one week before midterms (total of 6 weeks).

-A visiting professor taught 90% of class.

-You’ll only be tested on what’s given to you in the supplied note packet.  You will need to know all of it, except the cases where you role play during lab. Don't forget to read articles found in the end of the lab manual.

-You will meet once a week in a small group.  There will be a clinical tutor in each group that will go around your table asking questions.

-At times, you will role play with given scenarios in front of your group.

-This class was not difficult for Brian.  He studied the day before the final exam. He got an A.

OSPE Exam Information for Saint George's University School of Medicine

An Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) is a modern type of examination often used in health sciences to test practical skill performance outside of the clinical setting. The OSPEs within this program will test your knowledge of image evaluation from technical and quality perspectives.  There are two OSPEs that will be given during your academic career at SGU.

-1^st term, it is taken one week before finals

-They started implementing this test at an earlier time just recently due to a lot of students failing it in the past.

-To prepare for the exam- read through all of your histology clinical lectures and biochemistry/anatomy diseases.  Also, be sure to know all the physical exams given in your lab manual.

-Brian thought the exam was fair. This is not new info.  You should already know everything pretty well. He studied the day before the exam to prepare.  Brian got 20 out of 20 correct.

-Practice questions Composed of physical and clinical diagnosis.

1. Auscultate (listen to) heart valves - either aortic, pulmonary, mitral, or tricuspid. Lung lobes - Right (this one has three) and left lobes - know the outline from sternum/ribs to vertebrae level.

2. Locate and palpate pulses - radial, ulnar, carotid, dorsalis pedis, or posterior tibial

3. Testing extraocular eye muscles - superior oblique, inferior oblique, medial, lateral, superior, and inferior rectus. Know which nerves control specified muscle.

4. Muscle test for cranial nerves III, IV, V, VI, VII, IX, XI, XII.
5. Testing for direct/indirect pupillary light reflexes. Know the efferent/afferent limbs of the reflex in both eyes. 

6. Percuss or palpate liver or spleen

7. Testing knee ligaments or meniscus- medal and lateral collateral ligaments, medial and lateral meniscus, ACL or PCL

8. Clinical case- Patient has high glucose, overweight, and lab findings indicating patient is diabetic (you will need to come to that conclusion based on knowledge of lab findings).  Picture provided of physical findings ie diabetic ulcers, swollen interphalangeal joints, muscle atrophy....choose the picture that correlates for the given lab values.

9. Scenario given- patient has inadequate nutrition, deficiency in a certain vitamin. Picture shows legs bowed, bleeding gums, skin blotches, bruising....you must diagnose based on given clinical information.
-Link to another student's opinion of the OSPE

-Below I included some details about the exam.

Clinical skills objectives included in course syllabus for each Term 1 Basic Science courses.
20 times stations with students rotating.
OSPE scores contribute 11% to the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in year 2. 
OSPE is mandatory.

20 multiple choice questions - 9 anatomy, 3 histology, 7 biochemistry, 1 bioethics
7 out of 20 questions requires performing clinical skills on patient. 
Examiner at each station to evaluate your skill. Will inform you of specific letter to bubble on scantron.
Don't talk with the examiner. 
75 seconds per question.
No extra time given to students with special accomodations. 

You are required to take the exam next term if you missed the current one. 

OSPE scores will be released along with your final grades for Anatomy.

Dress professionally.

Females must wear close toed shoes.