fossildoc
06-28-2008, 02:20 PM
I applaud the new owners of Xavier for finally revamping the school's web site, about which I had hounded the previous administration from even before I got here.
What is missing is a departure from the entrenched habit of all Caribbean schools to fill their web sites with lies and deceptions. They just don't seem to "get it"; as many times as I've 'splained it to them, they cannot comprehend the idea that being honest with current and prospective students will garner greater loyalty and more enrollment applications than they can achieve with devious tactics.
Let's have some examples, shall we?
Example #1: deceptive picture caption. Go to The Xavier University School of Medicine at Aruba - Programs and Curriculum (http://edu.xusom.nl/?page=programs&sub=stepprep) and you'll see a picture of a young man in a white coat holding a clipboard, seated at the bedside of a pediatric patient. The picture is captioned "Xavier Basic Sciences Students". The caption is actually a link to an ExamMaster login page, which is of no use to prospective students. Well, maybe it's a convenient place for computer-illiterate current students who don't know how to bookmark a link to the ExamMaster page. But what are we led to believe from the picture? Why, that Xavier Basic Science students have patient contact. But that is not true; there is absolutely no instance of ever having even a glimpse of a real patient during Basic Sciences. Since the caption is a link to another page, it could be argued that the picture is just there for decoration, and that the picture and caption are not related. After all, it doesn't actually say that the person in the picture is an Xavier Basic Sciences student. But wait! That's what a deception is: a truth told in such a way as to lead the reader into believing something that is not true. If I hadn't explained it to you, wouldn't you believe that Basic Science students have patient access?
Example #2: another deception. Go to the main page at The Xavier University School of Medicine at Aruba (http://edu.xusom.nl/) and read: "All US rotations are ACGME approved and follow Greenbook standards". What do you believe after reading this? Yes, you believe that all rotations arranged by Xavier for its students are green. Absolutely not true. Students have the option of doing all non-green rotations.
Example #3: yet another deception. Go to The Xavier University School of Medicine at Aruba - About Xavier University (http://edu.xusom.nl/?page=about&sub=accredit) and read the last paragraph in bold: "XUSOM at Aruba is chartered and recognized by the Island Government of Aruba. Graduates of at XUSOM Aruba are eligible to apply for medical licensure and practice medicine in Aruba upon meeting all standard medical licensure criteria and requirement." That statement is actually true, but truth is the first requirement of a deception. The second requirement is that you believe something untrue after reading the statement. You can take the second sentence and substitute "China" or "Afghanistan" -- or any other country -- for "Aruba", and the statement will be just as true. The simple fact is that to practice in Aruba, you must graduate from a school recognized by the Dutch government, not the Aruban government, and Xavier is not recognized by the Dutch government. The so-called "charter" under which Xavier, and all other Carib schools operate, is the same document you'd need to operate a beauty salon or ice cream parlor. It is a business license, and carries with it no intimation of recognition as a medical establishment (or ice cream parlor). I asked several faculty members for an explanation of this statement and got nothing but doublespeak and evasion. If you want to practice in Aruba, go to med school in Holland. Learn Dutch first.
Eons ago in dog years I commented in another forum that the appearance of a school's web site says a lot about the attitude of the administration towards the students and towards the school itself. Since the school's web site is the primary interface between prospective students and the school, you'd think maximum attention would be paid to correct spelling and grammar; a sloppy web site reflects a lack of attention to detail by the owners, which trickles down to the classroom level. I can attest to that by personal experience. I'll leave this as an "excercise for the student" to find the spelling and grammar errors all throughout this site. Even worse, they have an incorrect email address on the Contacts page. See if you can find it and post it in this forum.
Oh! All right! I'll give you two from the main page: "immigration being processing locally", "practicing on the United States". There are more on other pages; see if you can find them. (Hint: one is contained in a quoted deception above.)
I will stay on top of any and all misrepresentations on the school web site and will post them in this thread.
Lest there be any misunderstanding of my intentions, I want Xavier to become the best medical school outside the United States. I will carry their reputation with me during my years of practice, and I don't want to be embarrassed by their missteps and ill-advised policies. I'm disappointed that more students don't frequent this bulletin board and post their concerns as well, just as I am disappointed by the slow response of the new owners to urgent issues.
What is missing is a departure from the entrenched habit of all Caribbean schools to fill their web sites with lies and deceptions. They just don't seem to "get it"; as many times as I've 'splained it to them, they cannot comprehend the idea that being honest with current and prospective students will garner greater loyalty and more enrollment applications than they can achieve with devious tactics.
Let's have some examples, shall we?
Example #1: deceptive picture caption. Go to The Xavier University School of Medicine at Aruba - Programs and Curriculum (http://edu.xusom.nl/?page=programs&sub=stepprep) and you'll see a picture of a young man in a white coat holding a clipboard, seated at the bedside of a pediatric patient. The picture is captioned "Xavier Basic Sciences Students". The caption is actually a link to an ExamMaster login page, which is of no use to prospective students. Well, maybe it's a convenient place for computer-illiterate current students who don't know how to bookmark a link to the ExamMaster page. But what are we led to believe from the picture? Why, that Xavier Basic Science students have patient contact. But that is not true; there is absolutely no instance of ever having even a glimpse of a real patient during Basic Sciences. Since the caption is a link to another page, it could be argued that the picture is just there for decoration, and that the picture and caption are not related. After all, it doesn't actually say that the person in the picture is an Xavier Basic Sciences student. But wait! That's what a deception is: a truth told in such a way as to lead the reader into believing something that is not true. If I hadn't explained it to you, wouldn't you believe that Basic Science students have patient access?
Example #2: another deception. Go to the main page at The Xavier University School of Medicine at Aruba (http://edu.xusom.nl/) and read: "All US rotations are ACGME approved and follow Greenbook standards". What do you believe after reading this? Yes, you believe that all rotations arranged by Xavier for its students are green. Absolutely not true. Students have the option of doing all non-green rotations.
Example #3: yet another deception. Go to The Xavier University School of Medicine at Aruba - About Xavier University (http://edu.xusom.nl/?page=about&sub=accredit) and read the last paragraph in bold: "XUSOM at Aruba is chartered and recognized by the Island Government of Aruba. Graduates of at XUSOM Aruba are eligible to apply for medical licensure and practice medicine in Aruba upon meeting all standard medical licensure criteria and requirement." That statement is actually true, but truth is the first requirement of a deception. The second requirement is that you believe something untrue after reading the statement. You can take the second sentence and substitute "China" or "Afghanistan" -- or any other country -- for "Aruba", and the statement will be just as true. The simple fact is that to practice in Aruba, you must graduate from a school recognized by the Dutch government, not the Aruban government, and Xavier is not recognized by the Dutch government. The so-called "charter" under which Xavier, and all other Carib schools operate, is the same document you'd need to operate a beauty salon or ice cream parlor. It is a business license, and carries with it no intimation of recognition as a medical establishment (or ice cream parlor). I asked several faculty members for an explanation of this statement and got nothing but doublespeak and evasion. If you want to practice in Aruba, go to med school in Holland. Learn Dutch first.
Eons ago in dog years I commented in another forum that the appearance of a school's web site says a lot about the attitude of the administration towards the students and towards the school itself. Since the school's web site is the primary interface between prospective students and the school, you'd think maximum attention would be paid to correct spelling and grammar; a sloppy web site reflects a lack of attention to detail by the owners, which trickles down to the classroom level. I can attest to that by personal experience. I'll leave this as an "excercise for the student" to find the spelling and grammar errors all throughout this site. Even worse, they have an incorrect email address on the Contacts page. See if you can find it and post it in this forum.
Oh! All right! I'll give you two from the main page: "immigration being processing locally", "practicing on the United States". There are more on other pages; see if you can find them. (Hint: one is contained in a quoted deception above.)
I will stay on top of any and all misrepresentations on the school web site and will post them in this thread.
Lest there be any misunderstanding of my intentions, I want Xavier to become the best medical school outside the United States. I will carry their reputation with me during my years of practice, and I don't want to be embarrassed by their missteps and ill-advised policies. I'm disappointed that more students don't frequent this bulletin board and post their concerns as well, just as I am disappointed by the slow response of the new owners to urgent issues.