Skip to main content
Home

Main Navigation

  • Admissions
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • AIM Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers
  • MD Program
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information
  • Student Life
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security
  • About
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Community Impact
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students

Utility Navigation

  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

Secondary Navigation

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students
    • Current Students
Search
Cancel Search
Home Home

RUSM Main navigation

  • Admissions

    Explore Admissions

    Are you a strong candidate?

    Take an Admissions Assessment
    Take the Admissions Assessment
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • AIM Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers

    Information For...

    Admitted Students

    Parents

    Premed Advisors

    MERP

  • MD Program

    Explore MD Program

    Do you have a question?

    student asking question
    Speak to Admissions
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information

    Related Links...

    MCAT Information

    Why Ross Med?

    Match Day

  • Student Life

    Student Life

    img for new Mega Menu
    Overview
    new Mega menu Square 5
    Housing
    New Mega Menu Image 6
    Campus Tour
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security

    Related Links...

    Merchandise Store

    Community Impact

    Mission & History

  • About

    About RUSM

    Start Your Road to Residency

    medical students
    Request More Information
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Community Impact
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials

    Related Links...

    Contact Us

    Campus Location

  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. About
  3. News
  4. 2019 Alumnus Gains Credentials and Confidence
Residency Match

2019 Alumnus Gains Credentials – and Confidence – at Ross

Tue, 14 May 2019

Get Started Today

You'll submit your completed Ross Med application online in our application portal.

Apply Now
“Amazing.” “Crazy.” “Wow.” Those are the words Timothy Sobukonla, MD ’19, used to describe how he feels about graduating from Ross University School of Medicine (Ross) and getting to be called “doctor” for the very first time.

“It still hasn’t sunk in all the way, mostly because I just finished my clinicals this past week, so it still feels surreal,” Sobukonla said. “You go to the island not knowing how everything is going to pan out, and then one day you realize, oh, I’m done. That’s the craziest thing.”

Sobukonla has always wanted to be a doctor. His interest was compounded as a teenager, however, after his mother suffered a serious accident. Like many other Ross students, he applied to U.S. medical schools after graduating from college, but wasn’t accepted. Not wanting to be idle, he decided to join the US Army, Automated Logistical Specialist, and upon his completion of service decided to give medical school anther go. He noted that Ross’s admission cycle was just what he was looking for, since he did not want to wait any longer to follow his dream.

When asked what his experience at Ross was like, Sobukonla explained, “It was fun. I did the accelerated track, which was kind of like medicine on steroids, but you always knew what you had to do to get to the next step. It really prepared me to be able to deal with anything and do whatever it took to get things done. That kind of helps you down the line.”

While at Ross, Sobukonla was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities involving patient care, which strengthened his residency applications and helped him secure a spot within Morehouse School of Medicine’s Internal Medicine (IM) Residency Program – his first choice.

“The MATCH℠ [National Resident Matching Program®] was a great experience. Once you get your interview, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Caribbean or American medical grad [because] you’re all on equal footing and it becomes your personality and what you bring to a program,” he said, adding, “And being a well-rounded applicant helps.”

Sobukonla’s interest in Internal Medicine stems from the fact that it is, as he put it, the “bridge” to all other aspects of medicine.

“You cannot deal with any other aspect of medicine without knowing the basics of IM,” he said. “The fact that it’s so broad and deals with so many things, and the fact that you can specialize, made me want to go into it.”

As he looks toward the future, he noted that he would like to perhaps specialize in pulmonology/critical care, but is keeping his options open. He would also like to travel to his home country of Nigeria and open a clinic as a way of “giving back.”

At the moment, however, Sobukonla is looking forward to beginning residency and immersing himself in his specialty of choice for the next three years.

“I look at residency right now and I’m like three years, wow, that’s a long time,” he said. “But then I remember that’s what I said when I first got to the island, so it goes by fast.”

He is also taking with him a greater sense of confidence in himself, which is something he is grateful to Ross for.

“You get more confidence because you realize you’ve put in all the work and gotten everything you need to become successful,” he said. “One thing about [being a] Rossie is that you have to keep pushing and learning daily, and it creates in you [a] need to keep improving and adapting because you want to keep being informed and keep being a better person, and a better doctor as well.”

Share This Article

  • facebook
  • tiktok
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email

The information and material contained in this article and on this website are for informational purposes only and should not be considered, or used in place of, professional medical advice. Please speak with a licensed medical provider for specific questions or concerns. Ross Med is not responsible for the information maintained or provided on third-party websites or external links.

Related News

hana-malik
Alumni
Match Day 2025: A Childhood Dream is Fulfilled
raymond-ho
Alumni
CaRMS Match: Classroom Incident Inspires Teacher to Become Physician
residency-match
Alumni
High School Volunteerism Sparks Interest in Medical Career — and Results in Match in Neurology
Ross University School of Medicine
Apply Now
Contact Admissions

Campus Address:

Two Mile Hill St. Michael
BB11093
Barbados

 

Admissions Address:

10315 USA Today Way,
Miramar, Florida, 33025
Phone: +1 754.707.5547
Email: Admissions@Rossu.edu

RUSM Footer Sub menu

  • Information For
    • Admitted Students
    • Career Seekers
    • Current Students
  • Navigate
    • About RUSM
    • MD Program
    • Admissions
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Student Life
    • Contact Us
  • News & Events
    • Blog
    • News & Press
    • Events & Webinars
    • On-demand Webinars
    • Academic Calendar
Branded Element

© 2025 Ross University School of Medicine. All rights reserved.

Hands-on From the Start®

Academic Catalog | Student Handbook | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility Statement | Office of Nondiscrimination and Access | Cost of Attendance | Privacy Policy

 

Policy on Non-discrimination

Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) is committed to providing an education conducive to the personal and professional development of each individual and to maintaining an academic environment free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, ancestry, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or parental status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law in the admission to, access to, or treatment, or employment in any of its programs or activities. RUSM will not tolerate, condone, or allow discrimination or harassment, whether engaged in by fellow students, faculty members or non-faculty colleagues.

Connect with Ross Medical School

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Ross University School of Medicine is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP, www.caam-hp.org).

 

CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programs of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM.

Accreditation by CAAM-HP is a rigorous, peer review process which examines all aspects of a medical program. The CAAM-HP board, an independent and autonomous body of professionals, only certifies medical schools which are operating at the highest levels of industry standards.

Through this accreditation, the CAAM-HP provides assurance to medical students, graduates, the medical profession, healthcare institutions, and the public that programs leading to qualifications in medicine meet appropriate national and international standards for educational quality, and that the graduates have a sufficiently complete and valid educational experience.

CAAM-HP logo - transparent