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AWARD-WINNING junior doctor Ameer Adnan Alarayedh is urging young Bahrainis to follow their dreams and consider seeking out a career in medicine.
The 23-year-old from Manama, who recently graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Medical University of Bahrain, was judged to be one of the top trainee doctors in the kingdom and received a prestigious award for his prowess.
He is now gaining more practical experience conducting a two-year foundation training internship on the island of Malta. He is thankful to his mother Naseema, a recently retired public relations officer at the College of Health Sciences, for encouraging him to step into the world of medicine.
Dr Alarayedh said: “Honestly speaking, I wanted to become an architectural engineer. I was so focused on that specialty that I did not even second-guess it, nor did I explore the fascinating world of medicine.
“If not for the blessed words of my dear mother I would have never explored the boundaries of medicine as she talked me into placing RCSI on my list. When I got the scholarship I was very hesitant to take it and decided to try it out for one year. Boy, I didn’t know how bright and interesting this field was and eventually made my mind up and was committed to medicine.
“Whether you have dreamed all your life of being a doctor or if it came on by coincidence, you would not truly know if medicine is your passion, your career path, until you get a taste of it.
“Until you take those long hours of study and work those everlasting duties, only then, will you make up your mind.
“Many people succumb to the change, however, the unfortunate thing is that if you have never tried it then you will never know how beautiful and draining the practice of medicine can be.”
During his five-year stint at RCSI, Dr Alarayedh underwent a full-time medical programme which, according to the college, is open to school leavers and those that have undertaken an undergraduate degree in another discipline but now wish to pursue a career in medicine.
The programme is designed to ensure that students develop a balanced perspective of domiciliary, community and hospital care as well as acquire a sound knowledge of the principles of both the science and the art of medicine.
Students are also provided with comprehensive training through exposure to a variety of specialities, thus, enhancing career opportunities at home and abroad.
Dr Alarayedh’s hard work and relentless drive to succeed paid off, not only placing him among the top 10 most outstanding graduates but also securing him the inaugural James Finucane Prize in Medicine.
Adrian Lydon, RCSI Bahrain head of communications, said: “RCSI Bahrain is very proud of Ameer and what he has achieved so far. Ameer was consistently a good student throughout his undergraduate years and was in the Top 10 in his year consisting of over 90 students.”
Professor Joe McMenamin, head of the school of medicine, added: “Ameer performed exceptionally throughout his undergraduate training and is a deserving winner of this prestigious prize”.
This prize, named after retired RCSI Bahrain Professors James Finucane for all his accomplishments over the years with the university, is awarded to the graduating student who has obtained the highest overall aggregate marks in medicine in Senior Cycle.
In 2008 Professor Finucane, now back in his native Ireland, was invited to set up the department of medicine in RCSI Bahrain and was appointed to the Foundation Chair of Medicine.
His teaching skills have long been recognised by students who have graduated from RCSI Bahrain over the past four years and he was recently listed in a regional business magazine’s top 100 leaders list for his contribution to education here in the kingdom.
This was the first year that the annual award named after him was given out. Professor Finucane was ‘happy’ that it went to ‘a most deserving student’ and Alarayedh in return said he was honoured to have won an accolade named after his mentor.
Alarayedh revealed: “I never knew I was getting an award. To get this Excellence in Medicine Award with the title of our prestigious Professor James Finucane is an absolute honour. He is a professor worth every admiration and unfortunately left RCSI this year. I am more than privileged to get this recognition.”
After the young physician completes his training in Malta’s Mater Dei Hospital, he aims to return to Bahrain for his residency training.
He said: “I want to train in a structured surgical residency programme and to eventually get a decent job in my beloved country Bahrain where I could serve the Bahraini population and improve the quality of healthcare we are offering.
“There are a lot of promising young Bahraini physicians who are unfortunately not recognised enough. Many new doctors are hindered from pursuing their specialised training due to managerial issues. I believe that these brilliant potentials could be simply cultivated and properly used to serve the nation as well as the profession which could boost the industry and initialise Bahrain as a leader in the industry.”
Alarayedh is thankful to his family for their love and support. He said: “All my family, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and people from the Alarayedh ancestry were proud and happy of my achievement. I am very pleased to have my supportive and loving family by my side. Special endless thanks and love I send to my mother for everything.”
*Those interested in pursuing a career in medicine should start registering for RCSI Bahrain September courses now as availability is limited. For more information, contact 17351450.
