‘Medicine is a calling; be sure you’re ready before going into it’

How and when exactly did your fascination with medicine begin, and what was your staying power despite the intellectual rigour demanded by that field of study?     

My fascination for Medicine began when I was in secondary school. It was basically ignited by the fact that I had always been a brilliant student right from primary school. I was also quite endeared to the nobility of the medical profession. My staying power despite the intellectual rigour was the need to do well and not let myself down. For me, there was no going back. I had to look for means at every point in time to overcome every of the challenges I encountered.

Most people, especially women, who would have loved to pursue careers in Medicine have been scared off for fear of the sight of blood. Here you are; you are not only into Medicine, but actually excelled in Surgery. How did you, as a lady, manage to cope with haemophobia and, especially, morbid anatomy?

I never gave that a thought before I got admission into Medicine. I know some people talk about it a lot, but for me, that was not an issue. As a medical student, your exposure to blood starts in your clinical years, and by that time people who have such phobias are forced to enter the theatre and watch procedures more often; they get used to it. As for the cadavers, of course, the sight of such should scare a normal human being, but as we frequently went for our dissections, the phobia was gone.

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Tells us some of your experiences in the course of your study through the university as a medical student, and the lesson(s) you learnt through them.

Well, I guess my experience as a medical student was full of ups and downs because as much as graduating with distinctions looks attractive, keeping up with the status quo was not that easy. Consistency is the heart of success; and that, on my part, required a lot of effort and prayers. My medical school experience ranged from waking up very early to go to classes to sleeping late at nights because I had to read my voluminous textbooks. I also had to create some time to get myself involved in other activities aside studying Medicine, like going for medical outreaches. I learnt that the result of hard work is more work, and that everybody is important on your path to success. As much as an individual is hungry for success, help others on your way up so that you can all meet at the top.

With 12 distinctions in Medicine, it appears you found the secret to academic success in this often-dreaded field of study. You made it look so ordinary. What tips can you share?

I give the glory of 12 distinctions to God. My advice to aspiring students is to put God first, be consistent, have a good circle of friends. Attitude is everything. Attitude rates more than your ability. Be diligent with your studies and know your priorities. It is not enough to pass; also, strive to know. Planning and strategizing are also keys to success, just like the adage says: ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail’.

You were once quoted as saying that medical school is not for just anybody. What exactly would that mean? What are the demands, the experiences? What should an aspiring medical student prepare for?

Medical school is not just for anybody in the sense that it is demanding physically, spiritually, mentally, financially and emotionally. For an aspiring medical student, I would say you should count the cost; meet medical doctors who are close to you and ask them what their experiences were. A lot of people just enter the medical school not knowing what it truly entails or if they are specifically equipped for the rigours of medical school. Medical school is demanding in the sense that there are a lot of big books to be read within a limited space of time. You’ve got a lot of tests and exams to write which sometimes may be frequent, coupled with the nature of exams and marking system.

In addition, you may not have a lot of time to spare for extra-curricular activities and go on trips like your other colleagues studying a four-year course. Secondary school leavers should not just end up studying Medicine because they are brilliant. Now that I am practising, I have come to realise that Medicine on its own is a calling to life and humanity, so you really have to be sure if you are up for that.

You excelled in practically all the aspects of Medicine; so, it’s in order to ask: what particular area holds special fascination for you?

Well, I would reserve my comments on that, but I am working on it.