At its recently held White Coat Ceremony, medical students at the American University of St Vincent School of Medicine (AUS) were reminded of the need to give selflessly and to care for others.

In keeping with this pledge, some students from the institution, in collaboration with organizers of the Roman Catholics’ Soup Kitchen, paid for and distributed 1,000 lunches to persons in Kingstown.{{more}} Primarily, the homeless and other less fortunate individuals were recipient of these lunches.

The donations were well received and both the donors and recipients were quite content with the manner in which this affair, held on Sunday, September 25, was executed. It truly was a feeling of satisfaction for these aspiring physicians from AUS who deem it necessary to interact more with the Vincentian public. A vow was made to continue providing for the needy in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) on a regular basis. For the recipients of the meal, it was not merely receiving food that appealed to them, but knowing that persons care, thought of, and subsequently gave to them, though they themselves have little, made the gesture even more sentimental and special. Gratitude was expressed by the recipients of these lunches and the success of the event has the medical students looking forward to the next donation date, which is scheduled for the end of October, 2016.

Medicine is an art and a science. The scientific aspect can be easily learnt through textbooks. However, that social component is best learnt through one’s interaction with the people. Amidst the giving, the medical students also had a lesson on communication skills and some components of the social aspect of medicine. It was powerful and memorable and will likely mould these individuals into becoming better physicians.

First established in 2012, the American University of St Vincent School of Medicine is a medical school, located at New Montrose, St Vincent and the Grenadines. It is locally recognized by the National Accreditation Board of St Vincent and the Grenadines and is recognized by the World Health Organization.

(Contributed by Dr Shakel Henson, Dean of Student Affairs, Assistant Professor at the American University of St Vincent School of Medicine).