Meet Dr. Ethan Lazare

After a big exam, many students like to take some time to do something fun - but not many get to do what community member Ethan Lazare got to do after each of his medical school examinations at the American University of the Caribbean (ACU).

“Me and one of my close friends would always go to the other side of the island and go surfing,” Lazare said. “Even though I’d say 95 per cent of my life was spent in the classroom, we did get to enjoy island life a little bit.”

ACU is located in the Caribbean, on the constituent country Sint Maarten - the other half of the island is known as Saint Martin.

Though going through school on a Caribbean island and hitting the waves after class might seem like a dream experience, Lazare didn’t let the beauty of what was around him get in the way of his long-term goal: emergency medicine.

Each day he studied between eight and 14 hours per day, never giving up as he embarked on a series of rotations, trying out different types of medical practice.

“The hours you have to do while in med school are just kind of unreal to most other students,” Lazare said. “I had friends who were in med school before I started, and I never really fully understood how much time it was taking them. You really need to have your study habits down going into it.”

But despite 14-hour study days being a nightmare for most people, Lazare soaked up every second of his medical school experience, making him surer than ever that he’s pursuing the right field.

“It takes a lot of effort and time and you’re studying outrageous hours, but for me, it’s what I really want to do. It was also the easiest studying I’ve ever done at the same time as it was hard,” he said. “Almost every class that you take has a real-world application in your actual practice, everything you learn isn’t a question of if you’re going to use it, it’s how often you’re going to use it.”

Developing good study habits was key for Lazare, who said he had to change the way he studied throughout the years, after sometimes struggling to find the best ways to learn during his studies at Vanier College and Concordia University before medical school.

“I got through things, but it was always a bit more difficult, because my study habits weren’t built well,” he said.

“The main thing I recommend is just trying to do your best as soon as possible, and understand that you’re going to have to study a lot, a lot more than you’d ever think was possible. Each step is going to make you feel like you need to study more than the last part.”

Lazare spent half of his degree at the university in Sint Maarten, and the other half completing rotations at hospitals and clinics in Miami.

In Miami, he got to experience rotations in internal medicine, surgery, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, and family medicine.

He also completed two elective rotations in emergency medicine, ultimately deciding that he would be pursuing a residency in emergency medicine in the United States.

He’ll be completing the next step in his medical career with a residency in Gainesville at the University of Central Florida.

Lazare said that once those final three years are completed, he’ll be considering his long-term plan for future work. “The intention is to come back to town, but as an emergency medicine doctor, I’m not sure what extent that will be,” he said. “But I think I’ll try and find a way to come back.”

He said he’s proud to join the ranks of more community members pursuing careers in the medical field.

“I think it’s a really positive thing to have all these people soon to be doctors, and hopefully a few of us will be able to come back and work here,” he said.

As he walked across the stage to mark his degree, Lazare knew his family were in the audience cheering him on - and his supporters in Kahnawake were celebrating from afar, too.

“I feel encouraged, and to see the reaction in town and people sharing posts and congratulating me, it’s just really nice to see,” he said. “The support town gives me overall is a lot more than I’d ever expect, and it feels really good. It’s been a great experience.”

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