July/Aug 2024 - Vol 3 Issue 1

Dear Future Doctors,

Welcome M1s! Welcome back M2s! M3s and M4s we know you are already off and running. Here is the first newsletter of the academic year. The goal of the newsletter is to keep you informed, motivated, and connected by bringing you important updates and valuable resources to help you navigate your medical school experience. Expect to find key information, helpful tips, and maybe even a few surprises along the way.

M3 and M4s, now that you have been doing this for a bit, now is a good time to take a few minutes and reflect on how things are going. Do you need to make any adjustments in your study strategies? Do you need to tweak how you are organizing your to-do list and calendar? It is easy to forget as you are on wards or away rotations that we are here to help as you discover areas that you are struggling. We are literally an email or teams message away.

M1s and M2s, as you get settled, please remember that we have quiet study space reserved every day for you to use in MDD [for M1s that is our building downtown]. Look on the hubs by the elevators to see which rooms are reserved for quiet study. 

We’re here to support you every step of the way, so never hesitate to reach out if you need assistance or just a bit of encouragement.

Here’s to a fantastic year ahead!

Warmly,



Dr. D and Dr. Z

Kira Zwygart MD, FAAFP

Associate Dean, Student Affairs

Deborah DeWaay MD, FACP

Associate Dean, UME

Important Dates for Fall

• Aug 2 - Tuition Term 1 due - c/o 2027 and c/o 2028
• Aug 2 - Peer Support Network office hours via Teams -
• Aug 5 - Roots & Resilience at Tampa Bay History Center - 5pm-7pm
• Aug 6 - SCP Orientation - 1pm-3pm, MDD 230
• Sept 3 - SCP Round Robin - 10am-12pm - MDD 542 & 533
• Sept 6 - White Coat
• Sept 11 - MCOM Student Org Fair
• Sept 15 - Deadline for MCOM MD Foundation Scholarships
• Sept 22 - SCP Focus Selection due by 11:59pm (via qualtrics)
• Oct 13-19 - Homecoming
• Oct 14 - Gallery of Specialties

Tuition - Term 1 - Due Aug 2nd

You may view your tuition charges via the same website where you view your financial aid award. Log in to https://my.usf.edu, click “My Resources” then “OASIS Student.” Once in OASIS, click the middle “Student” tab then the “Tuition & Fees” link. Finally, click “View Account Summary and Pay My Bill.” If you do not see any charges, there may be a hold on your account preventing your registration. Please email mlcook2@usf.edu if you find yourself in this situation.

Click here for more information and FAQs.

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MCOM Welcomes c/o 2028 - POH News Article

“Uncomfortable and risky situations should always be seen as opportunities to learn. You’re very well qualified. You can do this. We know you have the brains, talent, drive, and persistence to do this. Good luck to all of you.” - Dr. Lockwood

Here's the news article from POH.

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White Coat Ceremony - Sept. 6th - Save the Date

There will be a required rehearsal in advance of White Coat. More details will be sent in the coming weeks.

Wed, Aug 21 - 12-1pm - Cost of Attendance Overview

Join the USF Health Office of Financial Aid for an overview of the cost of attendance allowable adjustments in year 4. There will be a presentation and then plenty of time for questions. AMS Teams invite has been placed on year 3 & 4 student calendars, if you are not able to attend it will be recorded for your review at a later time.

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Ybor Youth Clinic Volunteers - Aug 15th - 5-8pm

The Ybor Youth Clinic is looking for volunteers for our upcoming clinic on Thursday, August 15. The clinic will run from 5-8 p.m. 

The YYC is a great way to get involved in the community if you are interested in adolescent/young adult health, LGBTQ+ health, and/or improving access to HIV/STI testing. Your role will involve shadowing HIV testers and providing STI testing to patients ages 13-24. 

The clinic is easily accessible via the trolley, closest to Station 4 (Cadrecha Plaza), and is located at 1315 E 7th Ave STE 104, Tampa, FL 33605. Please fill out this form if you are interested, and you will be emailed by Friday, August 9, if you are selected!

MCOM MD Foundation Scholarships are now Available!

The application for MCOM MD Foundation scholarships is now available! You may submit the application only once. Here is a PDF of the full scholarship application for you to utilize as you prepare your responses, as well as the complete list of over 100 scholarships available!

The scholarship application will close on Sunday, September 15 at 11:59 PM.

Peer Student Network - Confidential Mentorship by MS4s

PSN is a group of MS4 volunteers available for confidential professional and personal mentorship. We are not licensed healthcare providers, but we are here to listen and help you with the challenges of being a med student, both personal and academic.

In the past, students have reached out to talk about study strategies, family problems, how to approach Step Prep, finding research, choosing a specialty, places to hang out in Tampa/Allentown, studying for shelf exams, transitioning to Pennsylvania, relationship problems during clerkships, asking for letters of recommendation, performing well on AIs, putting together an ERAS application, residency interviews, and factors to consider when making a match list.

We're here to listen to you and support you however we can.

If you want to be matched with a specific peer mentor, you can reach out in any of the following ways:

Email: MCOMPeers@gmail.com

You will receive an automatic response with emergency resources and our confidentiality disclaimer (confidentiality will be broken only to ensure the safety of the student and others. No faculty has access to the account). I’ll then reach out to you in 72 hours to connect you with a peer. You can work with them to meet up over Teams, FaceTime, phone, text, mail—whatever means you both would prefer!

Office Hours – Mondays from 7- 8 PM EST

• Teams invites will be sent out weekly for office hours, with some information about the peer that will be in the meeting.
• This is informal and could be a one-on-one or group meeting depending on the turnout.
• Come hang out at our first office hours this Friday, 8/2 at 7pm on Teams! An outlook invite will be shared with everyone.

Qualtrics Survey

• Same turnaround of 72 hours but takes you through some additional questions.
• https://usf.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bjPED2z5vimWQXX

Here's bios of the Peer Support Network mentors, which include advice for MS1s and the topics each mentor can talk with you about..

A Gentle Reminder for Tampa Students Using MDD

Furniture

Please don’t move the furniture from one room to another. Please do not move tables at all. Because the tables are wired together, you can break the table if you do. If you move chairs around in a room, please put them back in their original position when you leave.

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Microsoft Hubs

After you use the Microsoft Hubs, please put them back in their original locations and plug them into a power outlet.

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Taneja College of Pharmacy Floors 11 & 12

Floors 11 and 12 are the TCOP (Taneja College of Pharmacy). While you have access to those floors, there is still significant construction taking place and it's not yet safe for visitors to walk around on those floors. Please wait to explore those floors and to meet your Pharmacy colleagues there until you hear from us that it's safe.

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Printing at MDD

Students are given an allotment of $3 per day for free printing. Any amount over $3 daily can be printed using Bull Buck$. There is a printing room on floor 2M that has poster printers (located behind the MultiTaction Wall), and there are printers in MDD 404 and MDD 504. Students are able to print via email from their personal devices directly to a USF printer. (limited file types). From your USF email address send attachment to:

• BWPrint@usf.edu for Black and White prints
• ColorPrint@usf.edu for Color prints

Go to any Pharos printer, swipe your USF ID card to release the print. *Printing via email requires something in the subject line. More information on printing on campus can be found here.

Building Access

You must have a working badge to get into the building after hours and on weekends. STRONGLY encourage second year students to check and make sure the badge is working during their first week in case you have to go to main campus to get a new badge

Quiet Study Rooms

Each week the available study spaces will be publicized on Hubs placed throughout the building, and on the TV monitors. These are reserved in advance for you by Dr. Puckett. Check those to see where you can study each week! 

CAMLS / Student Health

CAMLS SHS location

Room 323

 Mon & Fri - 8am-11:20am

Tues & Thurs - 1pm-4:20pm

You can schedule an appointment by calling (813) 974-2331 (option 2).

Library Services at MDD

The USF Health Libraries Downtown Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange 2M may not have shelves of physical books, but we do have 27 reserve textbooks you can check out and a small collection of health topic graphic novels. We also provide many digital resources including 4,600 e-books, with access to thousands of journals - all available through our library website. Research assistance services are provided from your very own MCOM Librarian.

Class of 2028

9/4      Course 1 Test 1

9/16    Course 1 Test 2

Class of 2027 – Core/SELECT

8/19    Course 5 Test 1

9/9     Course 5 Test 2

Class of 2026 – Core

8/1      Obstetrics NBME Exam    

8/2      Primary Care NBME Exam

8/2       Medicine NBME Exam

8/2       Pediatrics NBME Exam

8/29    Neurology NBME Exam

8/30     Surgical NBME Exam

8/30     Psychiatry NBME Exam

8/30     Surgical GYN ExamSoft Exam

Class of 2026 – SELECT

8/29    LVHN Psychiatry NBME Exam

8/29    LVHN Obstetrics NBME Exam

8/30    LVHN Medicine NBME Exam

8/30    LVHN Surgical NBME Exam

8/30    LVHN Neurology NBME Exam

8/30    LVHN Pediatrics NBME Exam

Academic Support Center

Academic Support Center (known by some as the ASC office), is excited to support new medical students! No matter how prepared you feel about your road to residency, if you want to discuss learning strategy, complete an exam review, or have a conversation about life, adulting, and becoming more efficient in your study routines, we are here for you. Remember...drinking from a water hose is possible... with strategy! 

Dr. Pamela O’Callaghan (center), Dr. Chantae Ciceron (left), and Emily Pernas (right), are excited to support you all on this journey. If you have questions, just #ASC. 

ASC Podcast - New Episode 

On episode 8 of the Real ASC Podcast, Dr. Ciceron is joined by Shelby, a class of 2025 medical student who shares her experience successfully preparing and passing STEP, and entering the world of rotations! Check it out now in the Podcast (or Panapto cloud) section of your ASC canvas shell. If you are interested (or willing) to record a podcast episode, or have a suggested topic, please contact Dr. Ciceron.

Collegia Office Hours - Friday Aug 9th - 11am-1pm

• Paracelsus - Dr. Mateja - MDD 416
• Debakey - Dr. Narayanan – MDD 414
• Koch - Dr. Kumar - MDD 316

Collegia Reveal

Collegia Reveal took place on Friday, July 26. This year Collegia leadership opted to stay in theme with the 2024 Olympics as the opening ceremony took place on the same day as Collegia Reveal.

Monthly Collegia Cleaning

To ensure proper cleanliness of the Collegia rooms, there will be monthly cleanouts of the spaces.

The cleaning will include:

• Emptying out fridges and freezers
• Removing loose paper items off of tables, counters, etc.
• Removing personal items left out on tables, couches, counters, cubbies, etc.
• This can and will include clothing and books

If you have any personal items currently in the Collegia rooms, you need to remove or secure them before the indicated cleaning day. Please reach out to ltyler@usf.edu for any questions or clarifications.

All rooms will be unavailable for the duration of the day for this cleaning.

Neither OSA nor MDD facilities will be held responsible for items left out or disposed of during the cleaning process. Please share this information with your peers if you know they are not checking their email.

You will be given at least a 48-hour notice, via the MDD Microsoft Teams, flyers, Discord, and/or emails.

August Career Advising Events

Thank you for submitting your Notable Characteristics which were due July 14th.

First-year Career Advisor Overview will be held on Friday, August 2nd.

Introductory meetings with advisors will be as follows:

• Aug 2: Bourne, Debakey, Farmer, Koch, Osler, and Paracelsus
• Aug 9: Galen and Hippocrates Collegia
• Aug 16: Lower Collegia

Save the Date - Gallery of Specialties - Oct 14 - 5-8pm

Study: (MCC #23218/IRB #Pro00078564) To be or not to be a radiologist: What matters to medical students

Principal Investigator: Dr. Dana Ataya, Associate Faculty Member, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Moffitt Cancer Center

Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Joshua Wright, Breast Imaging Fellow, Moffitt Cancer Center

Time to Complete: less than 10 minutes.

Identifying perceptions, factors, and barriers contributing to the lower proportion of diverse radiology residency applicants is key in increasing representation in the field. This is an anonymous research survey about medical students’ views on radiology and factors which may impact their consideration of radiology as their future specialty.  

Participation is completely voluntary. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Ataya: Dana.Ataya@moffitt.org and Dr. Wright: joshua.v.wright@moffitt.org

Click here to complete the consent form and survey: https://redcap.aws.moffitt.org/surveys/?s=CXDRNMEAHE3X4XP3

If you would like to post your survey, please email the details to RISE@usf.edu.

All past issues can now be found at the bottom of the Helpful Links page (that is on you QR Code cards)!