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Bahrainis led the charge at the recent Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) graduation, scooping three out of four top awards.
Mohamed Ahmed Maki Ebrahim, Hiba Omar Abduljawad and Nazia Mohammed Bin Ali Al Amri each received impressive accolades in their respective fields and are all keen to put their skills to good use in the kingdom.
Mohamed 24, from Saar, was named valedictorian and was also awarded the James Finucane Prize in Medicine, which is given to those with the highest scores in internal medicine.
He said: “Getting the James Finucane prize has a special meaning to me since internal medicine is what I want to specialise in. Being able to obtain it has definitely boosted both my confidence and resolve in joining this department.
“Since I was a child I was surrounded by doctors in my family and I really admired their kindness, compassion and intellect. And as I grew up these thoughts grew more and more.
“I learnt how amazing, satisfying and fulfilling the feeling was of helping someone in need which drew me more towards this professional choice. I also thought in such a profession one can never get bored, every day you get a new mystery to unravel and every patient is a new person to meet and be privileged to be part of their story.”
Meanwhile, Hiba, 22, from West Riffa, was awarded the Niall O’Higgins Prize in Surgery, an award made all the more special by the fact she was one of Professor O’Higgins students before he retired.
She said: “It feels extremely wonderful to receive such an accolade. He is a great doctor, teacher and person.”
Her desire to become a doctor was driven by her family. She said: “I originally wanted to be a doctor to help unfortunate people. However, the reason changed over time. Two of my uncles died of cancer and that really touched me. It was then that I became determined to get into medical school. Now I can’t imagine doing something different.”
Rounding off the talented trio was Nazia who clinched the Rufaida Al-Aslamia Prize in Nursing.
Meanwhile, the John Murphy Prize in Obstetrics and Gynaecology was awarded to Nida Fatima Sakrani from Pakistan.
Nida, 23, said: “It was a pleasant surprise to win this prize in obstetrics and gynaecology and a great honour. I was honestly shocked to realise that I had excelled at something because medical school has been such a gruelling and challenging experience. It was completely unexpected!”
The next step for the graduates will be their internships, bringing them a step closer to being doctors.
Mohamed aims to complete his one year in the Internship programme at the Salmaniya Medical Complex before venturing abroad for postgraduate studies. After acquiring the best teaching experience possible, he will return to Bahrain to offer the best medical care to the country he holds dear to him.
Hiba will start hers this month at the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital and hopes to complete her training in the US to get a PhD and build a charity hospital in an under-developed area.
Nida is looking for a training programme to narrow down her specialty. She is interested in paediatrics and family medicine but may change her preference to obstetrics and gynaecology.
Mohamed says that aspiring doctors should be aware the job is a ‘profession of learning’.
He said: “Being a doctor doesn’t end by graduating med school, you will have to study, in one way or another, for the rest of your life. You’ll be trusted, respected and you’ll save lives and if you are fortunate enough you’ll be somebody’s hero. So the best advice I can give is, let this be your choice, as medicine is not simply a job but a life commitment that will be extremely rewarding for those who are eager to learn and help people.”
The ceremony saw 81 candidates of 15 different nationalities presented with degrees in medicine, 135 received degrees in nursing and 26 were awarded with Masters degrees.
