Health Science Reviews

by Ramses Peigou Wonkam

I am one of the Medical students doing intercalated honours this year and I’m doing my degree in Human Genetics. Coming into Medicine in 2020, I was apprehensive. I wasn’t absolutely sure that studying medicine was for me and had considered other career paths. To me, Medicine seemed like an endless cycle of information assimilation and regurgitation. These doubts continued throughout my first year which I spent at home as a result of covid.

In second year, through a myriad of experiences, conversations and reflections I had decided to remain in medicine. One of the many reasons for this was the intercalated track that UCT offered allowing certain medical students to take on a year in medical science. Some of the omnipresent and overarching themes in my life include a rich variety of interest, a dislike for monotony and longing for a sense of wonder. In my mind, a career as a clinician-scientist would provide this variety; ward off monotony and maybe…just maybe provide this sense of wonder I’ve longed for.

In third year, as required by the intercalated program, we took on an extra course: Molecular Medicine. Having lectures run in the evening after a full day of medical lectures and tuts was hard. It was a balancing act that I found challenging at the start of the year but got better at as I got through the year. I will always give credit to the wonderful friends I have and the support they forever provide. At the end of the year, I was admitted to Human Genetics and seemingly took my first step towards this illusive career as a clinician-scientist.

I found the first half of the year interesting. Though many topics were familiar, it was nice to get the refresher course and I was glad to meet new people in my class and beyond. In fact, that was my favourite part. Getting to know people from diverse backgrounds with different life philosophies to mine is something I treasure profoundly. Perhaps it is, once again, the variety that results with coming face to face with the difference in thought and experience of people that makes it enjoyable for me. Modules, assessments and exams came and went, and after a semester full of fun, laughter, conversations and a few last-minute tasks, I was through to the second semester.

The second semester of this year has been a checkpoint for reflection. Coming into the part of the degree that most closely resembles the life in academic research I’ve been faced with thoughts about whether or not this is what I expected or enjoy at all. From the work in the lab to the academic writing (trudging through this literature review), is this really the promise land I promised to land myself in?

Moreover, questions around the place of clinician-scientists in this world of academia have been on mind lately. The rationale for clinician-scientists, as we have been told, is that of an individual acting as a bridge between the clinical and scientific world. However, I’m beginning to wonder if such a hybrid bridge is truly indispensable. Perhaps the chasm they bridge could be more effectively spanned through straightforward collaboration and open communication. The clinician-scientist might be akin to a chimera, stranded in the divide between clinical bedside and scientific bench, belonging fully to neither domain. And maybe… all of this really ain’t that deep.

Coming back to the question of whether or not this is what I expected or enjoy at all, the answer is convoluted. While it hasn’t met all my initial expectations, the surprises haven’t been entirely unwelcome. Though not every facet appeals to me, very few truly displease me. With regards to the other questions, they remain seated somewhere in my head. I’ve thought and conversed about them all widely. I don’t quite have answers to them and I’m fine with that. These questions, as daunting as they may be, haven’t stifled me and I continue to not let them do so. As I’ve always done and will continue to do, I’m letting my interests and curiosities shepherd me through the uncertainty.