RUSVM is AVMA accredited!!!

Ross University has just been accredited by the AVMA!  For those of you who do not know what this means, AVMA accreditation is a very important accomplishment signifying that Ross University complies with the same standards as the veterinary schools in the US.  It also means that, for all intents and purposes, graduating from RUSVM is equivalent to graduation from a US school.  Here is the e-mail sent out by the Dean with the good news!

Faculty, Staff and Students:

I am pleased to inform you that the AVMA Council on Education has voted to grant full accreditation to Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine with the next site visit to occur in 2018.

I would like to thank all of you for your commitment to the quality of our program and for your unwavering support of our students. Every member of our faculty, staff and student body are to be commended for their commitment and contributions to the achievement of this celebrated goal. This is truly a time for us all to reflect on the significance of this achievement and what it means for our campus community.

Compliance with the eleven standards for AVMA-accreditation  further affirms our faculty and university's commitment to quality education and to our students. AVMA-accreditation status carries some very immediate benefits for our students. 

• RUSVM complies with the same standards as the 28 US, 5 Canadian and 8 foreign schools or colleges of veterinary medicine that currently hold AVMA-accreditation status. This means, at a minimum, the RUSVM program embodies these standards and works to provide our students with an education that is comparable to peer AVMA-accredited institutions.
• Students enrolled in and completing the professional program in an AVMA-accredited foreign veterinary college will be considered graduates of an accredited college if they graduate after the date of the site visit (January 20, 2011) which resulted in accreditation status. 
• All students enrolled in RUSVM on January 20, 2011 (no matter your semester), will be graduates from an AVMA-accredited program. This includes the September 2010 10th Semesters students who graduated January 31, 2011.
• Those eligible students will no longer be required to take a foreign licensure exam to practice in the United States or Canada.
• Certain scholarships, awards, internships, on-line programs, certification programs, and debt forgiveness programs require that applicants attend or graduate from an AVMA-accredited veterinary school to apply for and receive benefits. This means, RUSVM students now have more opportunity in these areas.

Congratulations to all.

DJ DeYoung  David J. DeYoung, DVM, Diplomate, ACVS, ACVA
Dean

Romney Manor, Brimstone Hill, Black Rock

 Here are a few pictures from the island tour we took during our first week here.

 This picture is from historic Romney Manor where they make Caribelle Batik, a special kind of dyed fabric.  This tree is called a lipstick tree because if you open up one of those red thingies it has a bright red substance inside that acts as a lipstick when you put it on.

 This is the main little garden area at the manor.

 Another tree at Romney Manor.  This is my favorite palm tree, a Traveler's Palm.  It's called this because the stems hold rain water which can be used as drinking water for travelers. 

 Another view of the Traveler's Palm.

 An old bell tower.

 A porch at Romney Manor.

 This picture and the next one show how they make the Batik paintings.  They start by drawing a picture with pencil on a canvas and then they cover the areas of the painting with wax where they do not want the dye to appear, and then they dip the canvas into the dye of their choice.  Then they boil off the first layer of wax and apply another layer in different areas, and then redye it with a different color.  They repeat this process over and over, creating a picture.  The palm tree pictures above the window here show the sequential process of making the painting.  The next picture shows the second half of the process.

 Here is the same palm tree picture shown in stages of completion.  The one on the far right is the finished product made with black, yellow, orange, and red dyes.

 Another view of the manor.

 A view from a wooden deck on the side of the mountain where the manor is located.

 Another view from the manor deck of Brimstone Hill, the fort located at the western end of the island.

 The garden as seen from inside the bell tower.

 This is the view from Brimstone Hill.  The island that is farthest away in the background is Saba, a special municipality of the Netherlands, and the closer island is St. Eustatia.  The town below is Charles Fort if I remember correctly.

 Another view of Charles Fort and St. Eustatia.

 A lower section of Brimstone Hill.

 Another part of the fort.

 And another.

This is Black Rock.  The rocks are hardened lava formations.  St. Kitts is a volcanic island.  A really pretty view.










Mom and dad enjoying the view.

White Coat Ceremony

Monday, January 10, 2011

"The White Coat Ceremony celebrates the incoming class of students as they begin their journey in veterinary medicine. The ceremony symbolizes the importance of professionalism and ethical values as key elements in becoming a veterinarian." --Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine

Here are some pictures from my White Coat Ceremony.

 Dr. Guy St. Jean - Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Surgery

 Just after reciting the Veterinary Student Oath.

 Woo! Future Vets!  This was most of our orientation group....aka Mallory's Monkeys!

 My roommate Brittany and I, looking like doctors already.... :-)

My official White Coat Ceremony photo.

Tommy Bahama!

Brittany (my roommate) and I are "fostering" a puppy!  Actually he has kind of become a more permanent roommate due to the fact that we love him to death and are not ready to adopt him out!  So we are keeping him together and he will probably end up earning his U.S. citizenship via one of us! :-)  His name is Tommy Bahama...

Tommy B, getting his first bath with us because he peed all over himself.  He also peed on my bed and on me in the first few days he was at our house!  Nothing like a wet bed to make you fall in love with a puppy....

He discovered my "Guide to the Dissection of the Dog" book....











And then sat down and stared at me as if to say, "I hope this isn't a guide for the dissection of me!"

 Ain't he a cute little stinker?  We just love him to death!

Welcome!

Here is where you can find out about everything I'm doing in St. Kitts!  I'll be posting updates and photos for both vet school and all the fun things I'm doing on the island so check back regularly!  You can also find my island contact information and class schedule on here.  Also, each week I'll post a little something about my favorite thing I learned that week!  I thought this would be a fun way to share this experience with family and friends, so feel free to let others know about it!

Marlana