Career Pathway Manual | By MedSIN-KMSA SCOME by KMSA Local Team

Career Pathway Manual

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That is why We ordained for the Children of Israel that whoever takes a life—unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land—it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity.1 ˹Although˺ Our messengers already came to them with clear proofs, many of them still transgressed afterwards through the land. - Surah Al Ma'idah Verse 32

Hope you are doing well wherever you are, this manual is made for you with all the love, so take a deep look! Then go further with your interest. I would like to say, do not forget yourself while trying to be a good doctor, go with everything in your power, take your dreams and likes, your childish personality and everything about you with you, and enjoy this journey! -Eithar Abdallah

A wise man once said “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” When we take our eyes off of our goals, anxiety, worry, and doubt immediately begin to take over. Stay focused on what matters most at all times. Picture yourself achieving your goals and what that feels like instead of the obstacles that you will experience along the way.

- Nihal Almobarak

I hope that this manual will help you in answering your questions, in order to move towards your plans and what you aspire to be. Do not forget to arm yourself with stability and continuity. As Les Brown said "The action to make progress is progress."

-Maab Ahmed “Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.” Marc Anthony. This manual is especially personal to me, I've poured my heart into every page of it. I've never been a person that aspires to be a clinician, so the typical path of clinical medicine did not satisfy me. And for everyone else like me, I want to tell you that this manual will bring us all satisfaction. And for my other fellow medical students who want to pursue the clinical path you are in the right place as well. All the good luck and may all your wishes come true.

-Esraa Habib

Mohammed Seifuldin Ali I wrote a funny anecdote here ;however, the esteemed manual SWG coordinator advised against it. "This won't please 30 years old you," she said. Well, I have something to tell 30 years old me: Yes, you were this trivial when you were young. That is why nobody likes you. You are probably even still single. - Manual Designer - KMSA LOME Publication Assistant 2020/2021 - KMSA LOME 2021/2022 -Shima Abdelfatah Ahmed It is an absolute pleasure to be in any position in which one can serve the general assembly members. The journey of assembling this manual was satisfactory and memorable, to say the least. I dedicate the countless hours spent reviewing and editing the manual to my younger sister, Reem, for the countless times she’s asked me, and I quote, “you’re seriously NOT getting paid for this?”. - Career Pathway Manual SWG Coordinator - Manual Reviewer & Editor - KMSA LOME 2020/2021

Preface & Acknowledgements Deciding on medicine as a career path is easy, choosing a specialty, on the other hand, is burdensome. With over 30 specialties and over 100 subspecialties, the decision is no easy task. Over the past terms, medical students at the University of Khartoum have held many events to showcase the different medical specialties, featuring graduates that pursued various tracks, clinical and nonclinical. They encountered hardships coordinating the event and contacted doctors present only in Sudan. A maximum of a couple of hundred students would be able to attend and hence comes the need for such a manual. This manual was created to give medical students a simple introduction to the well-known medical specialties, and some insights and advice from specialists who pursued these fields as their passion and career. Despite the numerous doctors contacted for each specialty, and our attempts to include all specialties and tracks whether clinical or non-clinical, we can say we only succeeded in including the majority. We extend our sincerest appreciation and gratitude to all doctors who gave us the chance to hold an interview with them or filled out the interview questions themselves, sharing their personal experience without hesitance, in spite of their tight, busy working schedules. Sincere thanks to our general assembly members for their recommendations as to what they would like to be included in this manual and appreciation to Baraa Mamoun, Abrar Abdelmohaimin, Abrar Ismat, Mustafa Mahmood, Mohammed Seifuldin, Azahir Ibrahim and Ayah Suliman for their indispensable contributions to this manual and to Dr. Hind Abdulsalam for linking us with most doctors in this manual. Sincere gratitude to Razan Mohamed, without whose guidance this manual would not have been. We hope everyone who stumbles across this manual reaps the benefits of 11 months of work… enjoy the read! Give us your feedback here.

Table of Contents IFMSA & SCOME ............................................................................ 5 Clinical Medicine Housemanship ..............................................................................10 Residency .........................................................................................11 Fellowship .......................................................................................12 Factors affecting Your Choice of Specialty......................13 Pediatrics .........................................................................................18 Oncology .........................................................................................28 Radiology ........................................................................................30 Emergency Medicine .................................................................42 Clinical Pathology ........................................................................51 Internal Medicine 1. Neurology ........................................................................................56 2. Nephrology......................................................................................61 3. Pulmonary Medicine ..................................................................68 4. Infectious Disease &Tropical Medicine .............................73 Obstetrics & Gynecology .........................................................77 Psychiatry ........................................................................................81 Dermatology ................................................................................101 Opthalmology .............................................................................111 Surgery ...........................................................................................120 Community Medicine ...............................................................125 Orthopedics ..................................................................................131 Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation ..................................139 Non-Clinical Medical Careers Medical Education ....................................................................142 Public Health ...............................................................................149 GOs & NGOs ..................................................................................152 Exams ..............................................................................................161 References ....................................................................................171

IFMSA & SCOME The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations was one of the numerous international student organizations set up directly after the end of the Second World War, making it one of the world’s oldest and largest. The first meeting that saw the establishment of the Federation was held in Copenhagen, Denmark in May 1951. - The IFMSA envisions a world in which all medical students unite for global health and are equipped with the resources, skills, and knowledge to take on health leadership roles locally and globally, so that they can shape a healthy and sustainable future. It achieves this by bringing them together from all over the world, to work on improving their environment, bringing about sustainable change in healthcare, and empowering one another. - Training and capacity building play a large role in the Federation’s work. Numerous projects, campaigns, conferences, and workshops are organized across member countries in the fields of public health, sexual and reproductive health, medical education, and human rights and peace. The Federation also runs preclinical, clinical, and research exchanges annually for students to explore innovations in medicine and healthcare systems and delivery in other settings. The IFMSA also provides medical students with an optimal platform to actively engage in advocacy, policy-making, and external representation to influence decisions taken on all levels. IFMSA connects more than 1.3 million medical students from around the world and functions through its six standing committees that are concerned with different areas of work:

The Standing Committee on Medical Education

The Standing Committee on Human rights & Peace

The Standing Committee on Research Exchange

The Standing Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights including HIV and AIDS

The Standing Committee on Public Health

The Standing Committee on Professional Exchange

Do you want to learn more about SCOME? IFMSA? Click or scan this QR Code to reach another monumental publication made in the 2020/2021 Term: MedSIN-KMSA SCOME Manual

IFMSA SCOME The Standing Committee On Medical Education was one of IFMSAs first standing committees. It represents a platform in which all medical students with an interest in medical education can share and exchange their knowledge and experiences on various aspects of medical education issues. Through this knowledge, they are empowered to advocate in becoming a part of the decision-making chain as important stakeholders in their medical education systems.

SCOME's Vision Medical students attain optimal professional and personal development to reach their full potential as future doctors for better healthcare worldwide.

SCOME's Mission To be the frame in which medical students worldwide contribute to the development of medical education. Students convene in SCOME to share and learn about medical education in order to improve it as well as benefit the most from it on a personal and professional basis.

Career Support A Focus Area

IFMSA Programs are centralized streams of activities, which are organized by IFMSA National Member Organizations (NMOs) and IFMSA internationally. IFMSA Programs address problems within a specific field that we as medical students and global health advocates stand up for while connecting local, national, and international activities and opportunities that contribute to the final outcome. The Medical Education Systems program is one of SCOME’s programs and includes many focus areas such as career support, activities related to showcasing different specialties, and discussing specialty access can be affiliated (or enrolled) under it.

Upon graduating from medical school, the career of a doctor begins. Every medical graduate pursuing clinical medicine will now endure years of exams, restless nights on call, and challenging clinical rotations. Despite these challenges, most medical students agree that the most difficult task of all is deciding on a medical specialty. In this part of the manual, we shall explore the steps taken from graduation to fellowship.

Clinical Medicine Clinical medicine is a field of medicine that focuses on the practice and study of medicine based on a patient's direct examination. In contrast, other science fields place a greater emphasis on the theoretical and fundamentals of medical science. Medical practitioners assess patients in clinical medicine to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness. The following comprise the stages of post-graduate training:

A B

Housemanship/internship, which involves joining a training program to become a General Practitioner (GP).

Residency, which involves joining a residency program to become a specialist. .

Fellowship, which involves joining a fellowship program to become a consultant..

Step1: Housemanship What is the Housemanship? Housemanship in Sudan is a year-long training encompassing a 3-month rotation in the 4 major specialties (Obs and Gyn, Surgery, Medicine & Pediatrics). It is also known as PostGraduate Year 1 (PGY1) in the USA, or foundation training (foundation year 1 & year 2) in the UK. The permanent exam is taken thereafter to become a General Practitioner (GP). Who is a house officer? A house officer (otherwise referred to as a medical intern or a first-year resident) is a physician in training who has completed medical school and has a medical degree but does not yet have a license to practice medicine unsupervised. Duration: Twelve (12) months of clinical training, (3) months in each rotation The title given after completion: General Practitioner

Responsible Board: Sudanese Medical Council (SMC) Programs: Various programs in different Sudanese Hospitals Rotations: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology What do house officers do? 1. Learn different techniques, procedures and acquire knowledge from their senior residents. 2. Perform many of the same duties as practicing doctors, including: • Rotate around different departments. • Monitoring patients • Taking patients’ history • Performing physical examinations • Meeting co-patients • Assisting in major procedures & surgeries • Performing minor procedures What do you gain from the housemanship? A. Skills such as communication skills (whether through business emails, phone calls, or face-to-face meetings), networking skills, problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, multitasking/prioritizing skills, etc.

B. Practical medical knowledge and techniques related to different specialties. C. Choosing a specialty for those who still haven’t decided on a specialty they are going to pursue, the internship period eases the decision-making as a result of exposure to a number of specialties. D. Application of knowledge of etiology, pathology, clinical mortality, and prognosis. E. Recognizing and assessing patients who are deteriorating and require prompt care. F. Work experience with coworkers, learning and working effectively within the hospital team.

Step2: Residency What is Residency? Residency or PGY-2 and above, is the training period spent by a Resident which provides him/her with indepth training in a specific branch of medicine to become a Specialist. After successfully completing the specialization program, the doctor obtains a license to practice the chosen specialty What is Residency? A medical resident is a physician who has finished medical school and housemanship and is receiving training in a specialized area What is the Residency's duration? Residency's duration varies according to the chosen specialty, however, it ranges between 3 to 7 years, depending on the complexity and need for training in the specialty. For example, it is a 3 years program in Family Medicine, a 4 years program in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Emergency medicine but a 7 years program in Neurosurgery.

Step3: Fellowship What is Fellowship? Fellowship is the period of advanced medical training that a Fellow receives in a subspecialty of his/her specialty to become a consultant. During fellowship training, a physician follows a consultant closely to train in a subspecialty after which he or she can practice without supervision Who is a Fellow? A medical fellow is a physician who has finished medical school, housemanship, and residency and is receiving training in a subspecialized area. Who is a house officer? How long is a Medical Fellowship?

p1: semanship

Its length, like residency, varies according to the subspecialty, although it normally lasts one to three years. Note: • The fellowship stage is optional and has nothing to do with the practice of medicine. Duration: Twelve (12) months of clinical training, • After completing the fellowship, a physician is then (3) months in each rotation allowed to practice medicine without direct supervision by physicians in this subspecialty. • Fellows can choose to do a fellowship in more than one subspecialty.

Career Pathway Factors Affecting Your Choice Of Specialty. Deciding on a field in medicine is often described as matching oneself with the characteristics of a particular specialty, such as lifestyle, intellectual challenge, technological focus, and research potential. Because of the numerous specialties (and subspecialties), each physician practices a markedly different type of medicine. Even among doctors in the same specialty, no two are similar. This diversity makes the choice of committing to one specialty very hard. Regardless of how each medical student goes about choosing a speciality, a large number of factors must be considered. According to "Factors influencing subspecialty choice among medical students": a systematic review and meta-analysis, with data extracted from 75 studies (882,209 individuals), the most important factors influencing a medical student’s choice are

Academic Interests 75.29%

Competencies 55.15%

Controllable lifestyles or flexible work schedules 53.00%

Medical teachers or mentors 49.93%

Career Opportunities 44.00%

Workload or Working hours 37.99%

Length of Training 32.30%

Prestige 31.17%

Patient service orientation 53.00%

Income 34.70%

Another study entitled "Swiss residents' speciality choices--impact of gender, personality traits, career motivation and life goals", concluded that gender had the most profound notable influence on choosing a specialty, followed by career motivation, personality traits, and life goals. Females are more likely to pursue obstetrics and gynecology, paediatrics, and anesthesia, while males are more likely to pursue surgical specialties. In the next page, we will talk about some of these factor separately.

Gender When it comes to choosing a medical specialization, there are substantial gender differences. For female medical students, having a manageable lifestyle remains essential. According to studies of medical students in the United Kingdom and the United States, women students anticipated family obligations to hinder their career aspirations, but male students were less impacted by such worries. Another study showed that many women residents worried that pregnancy may jeopardize their professions. General practice, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychology were substantially preferred by women while surgery and orthopedics were more popular among males.

Type of Personality Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a test that allows people to explore and understand their own personalities including their likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, compatibility with other people, and possible career preferences. Some evidence shows that there are certain personality types that can work more effectively in certain medical specialties. ccording to the theory that underpins the MBTI, each person fits into one of 16 different personality types. These personality types are generated from the MBTI's four primary indices, and as part of one's total personality, this judgment drives behavioral choices in any circumstance where other people are present, such as with coworkers or patients

The four dimensions measured by the MBTI are: • Extroversion (E) versus Introversion (I) • Sensing (S) versus Intuition (N) • Thinking (T) versus Feeling (F) Duration: • Judgment (J) versus Perception (P) The title given after completion: Scan or Click this code To Know What Personality are you before moving to the next page.

Extroverted–Sensing– Feeling– Judging (ESFJ) • Pediatrics • Orthopedic surgery • Otolaryngology • General practice • Internal medicine

• Psychiatry • Pathology • Neurology • Internal medicine • Anesthesiology

Extroverted-IntuitiveThinking-Judging (ENTJ) • Neurology • Cardiology • Urology • Thoracic Surgery • Internal Medicine

Extroverted-IntuitiveFeeling-Judging (ENFJ) • Thoracic Surgery • Dermatology • Psychiatry • Ophthalmology • Radiology

Extroverted-SensingThinking- Judging (ESTJ) • Obstetrics-Gynecology • General Practice Academic Interests Competencies • General Surgery 75.29% 55.15% • Orthopedic Surgery • Pediatrics

Extroverted-IntuitiveMedical teachers or Career Thinking-Perceptive mentors (ENTP) Opportunities 49.93% 44.00% • Otolaryngology • Psychiatry • Radiology • Pediatrics • Pathology Length of Training 32.30% Introverted-IntuitiveFeeling-Perceptive (INFP) • Psychiatry • Cardiology • Neurology • Dermatology • Pathology

Introverted–Intuitive– Thinking– Judging (INTJ)

Extroverted-IntuitiveFeelingPerceptive (ENFP) • Psychiatry • Dermatology Controllable lifestyles Patient service •orOtolaryngology flexible work orientation • Pediatrics schedules 53.00% 53.00%

Extroverted-SensingWorkload orThinkingPerceptive Working Income hours 34.70% (ESTP) 37.99% • Orthopedic Surgery • Dermatology • Family Practice • Radiology • General Surgery

Introverted-SensingThinking-Judging (ISTJ) • Dermatology • Obstetrics-Gynecology • Family Practice • Urology • Orthopedic Surgery

Introverted-SensingThinking-Perceptive (ISTP) • Otolaryngology • Anesthesiology • Radiology • Ophthalmology • General Practice

Introverted-SensingFeeling-Perceptive (ISFP) • Anesthesiology • Urology • Family Practice • Thoracic Surgery • General Practice

Introverted–Intuitive– Thinking– Perceptive (INTP) • Neurology Academic Interests • Pathology 75.29% • Psychiatry • Cardiology • Thoracic surgery

Competencies 55.15%

Introverted-SensingFeeling-Judging (ISFJ) • Psychiatry • Pathology • Neurology • Internal medicine • Anesthesiology

Introverted-IntuitiveFeeling-Judging (INFJ) • Psychiatry • Internal Medicine • Thoracic Surgery • General Surgery

Extroverted–Sensing– Feeling– Perceptive (ESFP) • Ophthalmology • Thoracic surgery Controllable lifestyles Patient service • Obstetrics-gynecology or flexible work orientation • Orthopedic surgery schedules 53.00% • General surgery 53.00%

Intellectual Content

Extroverted-IntuitiveMedical teachers or Career Workload or Working Income Thinking-Perceptive mentors hours 34.70% (ENTP) Opportunities Medical like their specialty's intellectual 49.93%students should 44.00% 37.99% content. Students who • are Otolaryngology truly intrigued by the underlying clinical content and basic science of a specialty • Psychiatry study its textbooks voraciously, eager to learn more about the specialty's • will Radiology • diagnostic Pediatrics challenges. Read the current literature for one week to get a sense of • how Pathology appealing clinical problems in a specialty are. When a career is aligned with Length of Training one’s32.30% interest, they may be more motivated to work and develop their relevant knowledge and skills, set higher career-related goals, and take actions to achieve those goals. All of these behaviors can help individuals improve their performance at work, enhance their career potential and improve healthcare. • Psychiatry • Cardiology • Neurology • Dermatology • Pathology

Specialties with no patient contact

Specialties with long patient contact

• Radiology • Pathology

• Internal Medicine • Family Medicine

• Emergency Medicine • Anesthesiology Specialties with short patient contact

Patient Contact Medicine is a noble profession, chosen by medical students as a career because they want to treat and care for the sick, making a difference in their lives. However, medical students have no concept of what this experience is like until they spend hours with Controllable Academic patients inInterests the hospital Competencies during clinical rotations. Somelifestyles doctors like conversing with or flexible work 75.29% 55.15% patients, building connections with them, and evaluating schedulesthem for illness symptoms. 53.00% Others, on the other hand, discover that connecting with sick individuals is not as enticing as they had hoped. Luckily, there is a place for everyone in medicine.

Types of Patients Encountered

Medical teachers or Career Workload or Working Income Determining the kind of patients and outcomes you are most comfortable with is an mentors Opportunities hours 34.70% often49.93% overlooked but crucial44.00% element. Consider if 37.99% you might flourish in that sort of doctor-patient connection. For example, emergency medicine doctors are frequently dealing with a large number of irate patients who have been kept waiting for hours. In addition to ill babies and children, pediatricians must deal with demanding, anxious parents.ofOncologists surgical, and radiation) see patients with fatal illnesses Length Training (medical, Prestige who, 32.30% despite vigorous therapy, have dismal results. 31.17%

Lifestyle Considerations Medicine is known to be one of the most demanding professions with its long hours, many calls at night, and tiresome schedules. Many doctors prefer a specialty that would allow for room for other interests and time with loved ones, seeking to strike a better balance between work and life.

Many are even prepared to forego financial security and professional ambitions in exchange for a better personal life and more leisure time. The focus is increasingly • Otolaryngology to specialties with more manageable lives and greater earnings in relation to •turning Anesthesiology time. Internal medicine, obstetrics-gynecology and general surgery are •training Radiology •specialties Ophthalmology with an exhausting lifestyle whereas radiology, dermatology, • General Practice anesthesiology, ophthalmology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation all allow you to manage the amount of time you spend on your practice.

Length of Residency Training • Anesthesiology in mind that some specializations have longer residency years than others. •Bear Urology care fields such as internal medicine, pediatrics, and family practice have •Primary Family Practice •the Thoracic Surgery shortest programs (3 years). Surgical specializations, on the other hand, need a • General Practice substantially longer training period (5 to 8 years). For pathology, dermatology, and anesthesiology, 4 to 5 years of resident training are required. Add further years of training in a fellowship if you wish to become a subspecialist.

Competitiveness of matching Competitive specialties are correlated strongly with high salaries and limited Academic Interests Competencies Controllable lifestyles Patient service position availability. In the ideal world, the students should be guided by their 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work orientation interests, and possibly by their qualifications. However, students are challenging the schedules 53.00% realities of the world and entering the track of53.00% competitions created by the residency matching system. Make an honest judgment of your academic competitiveness before selecting any specialty. Compare how tough it is to get a Extroverted-Intuitivetraining teachers post in that to your odds ofWorkload matching or into it. If the field you Income choose Medical or specialty Career Working Thinking-Perceptive Opportunities 34.70% is justmentors outside your academic grasp, you may requirehours a backup specialty (second or (ENTP) 49.93% 44.00% 37.99% third preference option). • Otolaryngology • Psychiatry • Radiology • Pediatrics • Pathology Length of focus Training Students on salaries when choosing a specialty what is worth mentioning is 32.30% that you will be practicing this specialty for the rest of your life, so keep in mind that someday this income will not compensate or make up for the stress or the discomfort that comes with the practice of an undesired specialty.

Income and Earning Potential

• Psychiatry • Cardiology • Neurology • Dermatology • Pathology

Clinical Medicine In this section, a brief overview will be given about each specialty along with an interview with a specialist.

Pediatrics Pediatrics Pediatricians diagnose and treat physical and mental diseases of children and provide extensive care from birth continuing through the adolescent years. Adulthood diseases first present in childhood with vague symptoms and hence, pediatricians have to be aware of the wide differential diagnosis. It is your responsibility to ensure that the child develops normally, meets all milestones, and is generally healthy. Interview with a pediatrician: Dr. Haifa Dr. Haifaa Osman Mohammed Alhassan Assistant professor Pediatrics Pulmonology University of Khartoum Graduate Personal Questions What is your journey from graduation till now? At our time, getting married during medicalControllable school was very unusual, unlike now. I Competencies lifestyles or flexible got married in 5th year, and55.15% I had my first child in 6thwork year, and it was really schedules challenging for me but praise be to Allah, I persevered and graduated. 53.00% Then I completed the two-year-long fellowship, and after finishing it, I became interested in pediatrics, which is one of the benefits of the housemanship, since you Career Workload or Working Income get to experience a variety of specializations and you can see what type of Opportunities hours 34.70% specialty you want to pursue44.00% in life. I began working37.99% as a medical officer then as a registrar in pediatrics fields (general, emergency, and neonate pediatrics). I then started to consider ways in which I can enhance and strengthen my path in pediatrics, and about taking exams, and traveling outside Sudan to gain the experience of studying and working Length of Training Prestigeout there. 32.30% 31.17% I began studying for my membership exam, traveled to Ireland, and spent a long time there. Praise be to Allah, I received my membership in 2007 and was able to strike a balance between my medical profession and my family. I had the complete support of my husband and family during medical school, and after graduation, I was more reliant on myself. I used to take things a little more slowly in my medical career so that I could spend more time with my family.

reliant on myself. I used to take things a little more slowly in my medical career so that I could spend more time with my family

Pediatrics . What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? The advantages are that I obtained greater knowledge in the practice of pediatric subspecialties as awith result of the experience I gained from traveling abroad and Specialties long working in patient differentcontact teams. One of the disadvantages is that this specialty may require more time away from your personal and family life (in the cases of subspecialties that require more work in the hospital, such as neurology) but you can always balance and pick the subspecialty that better suits you. When did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize which specialty fits us most? When I finished my housemanship. I believe that your postgraduate success is also contingent on your performance in medical school. Not simply on your desire to score high marks in a certain subject, but also on your devotion and the clear vision you develop while in medical school. We strove to be the best at what we did, putting all of our efforts into whatCompetencies we were learningControllable in medical school, and we as physicians lifestyles 55.15% You should or flexible work should not lose that after graduation. begin planning for your career as schedules soon as possible in order to reach your target early on and successfully. Plan for your 53.00% future as soon as you graduate, or even as early as your 6th or 5th year. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? What makes your field/specialty stand out? Workload or Working Income I chose this specialization toCareer help children; currently, there is a wide range of Opportunities hours 34.70% subspecialties; initially, while abroad, pediatrics as a subspecialty; 44.00% I chose emergency 37.99% the outcome was very pleasant and I absolutely loved it. When I returned to Sudan, I established an emergency pediatrics unit that followed international guidelines and was quite exquisite, but it was in a private hospital. Then I realized that in pediatrics, Length of Training Prestigethere is a lack in the respiratory system subspecialization, for example, are unaware of asthma, which is a very 32.30% and many parents, 31.17% prevalent ailment. So I thought, why not move to a subspecialty where I am most needed, so I shifted to pediatric pulmonology, specifically asthma, and started a clinic for children's respiratory diseases in my unit at Suba hospital - University of Khartoum.It was, I believe, Sudan's second pediatric pulmonology clinic. And it has served admirably over the past five years.

Pediatrics What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this specialty/ wish you had done differently? Nothing in particular, although I wish that specialization and sub-specialization were introduced earlier on. As a piece of advise, attempt to experience things in your Specialties with long career that you want to do as soon as feasible. patient contact Were the salaries during your residency satisfying? We worked without pay for most of our housemanship, and when we did get paid, it is only enough for transportation and food. Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? Personally, I don't know since I didn't go through it—praise be to Allah—but I do know that if you want to apply for a teaching post at the University of Khartoum, your grades are taken into consideration. If you take a supplemental exam, I believe it will affect your chances of being hired. That is, in terms of your academic career; but, I do not believe it will have an impact on your medical career provided that you work hard and follow a clear strategy. Competencies Controllable lifestyles 55.15%activities atorthe flexible work How important are extracurricular undergraduate level? schedules They are particularly crucial because they teach you how to interact/deal with 53.00% people. Joining any committee or organization as a pre-graduate student provides you with a great set of skills, such as communication skills. What can we do right now as (pre)clinical students do to learn more about your Career Workload or Working Income specialty/field? Opportunities hours 34.70% Read about pediatrics and related better understanding of it and its 44.00%topics to have a 37.99% various facets, for example, read about the incidence of asthma in Sudan. If you become interested in a certain patient population, you may approach a consultant, for example, and conduct research with them. An acquaintance with someone in the field can be really beneficial. Length of Training Prestige Which32.30% subjects do students need 31.17%to master if they want to pursue this specialty? Nothing in particular; the things you worked hard on in medical school or were passionate about aren't always the things you choose to pursue after graduation; your interests shift. Have a goal in mind, make a plan to get there, and stick to it. Dedication, hard work and consistency are crucial. How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? I believe that dealing with coworkers inside Sudan is easier than dealing with coworkers outside of Sudan; nonetheless, patients should be treated equally.

coworkers outside of Sudan; nonetheless, patients should be treated equally.

Pediatrics Abroad, I've learned so much from working in teams and everyone understands what their duty is, how to communicate professionally with others, and how to calm oneself during stressful times. Put the patients at ease, try to calm them, and give Specialties them your time. with long patient What is your plancontact for the future in terms of your medical career? I hope that our pediatric pulmonology clinics expand, and that additional clinics are established in all regions of Sudan, that as many doctors as possible are trained in this field, and that medications for respiratory system diseases, particularly asthma, are made available cheaply and even freely. Training to pass on the knowledge and expertise accumulated during our medical careers to the future generations of physicians to guide them - this is why I like teaching. Finally, was the journey worth it? Yes, definitely worth it 100%. Specialty Questions Competencies Controllable lifestyles Describe the overall process to register for the residency? 55.15% or flexible work In Ireland, you must complete your housemanship (internship) and get permanent schedules registration in Sudan. You can begin registering for53.00% the Ireland Medical Council once you have received your permanent and graduation certificates. The entire procedure is now done electronically; but, in our time, the online procedure was not available, so we had to send our certificates by post, which took a long time. Your credentials will Career Workload or Working Income be examined and processed by the council, whichhours will then contact the Sudanese Opportunities 34.70% 44.00% 37.99% Medical Specialties Council to check their legitimacy. If they choose you, the next stage is to take examinations, one of which is an English exam (IELTS or OET), followed by assignment exams in various specializations, comprised of two parts, multiple-choice questions and stations. Length of Training The entire procedure takes 6Prestige to 8 months. After that, you'll be approved and assigned 32.30% 31.17% a registration number. After paying specific fees, you are registered as a doctor within the Medical Council of Ireland. Following that, you may begin looking for a job on websites such as HLC. In general, career opportunities in Ireland open in January or July and their duration is usually for six months or a year. You usually begin as a senior house officer. After you've completed your registration, you may pick which field you wish to pursue (medicine or pediatrics for example) and apply for available positions.

Pediatrics In Ireland, you first work as a general doctor in different specialties, then once you’ve developed an interest in a specific specialty, you can apply for rotations in this specialty. In Ireland, completing this stage to finish your specialization is difficult. The longtheir careers in the United Kingdom or the United States. majoritySpecialties of doctors with continue How manypatient hours contact a day do you work? About 32 hours per week, the day starts from 8 till 4 frequently. How many on calls do you get per month? Approximately two every week, although it may be more depending on the number of doctors in your unit. Abroad , there is a weekend duty every two weeks but that is contingent on the manpower. How is the competition for this specialty? Are there many opportunities? The competition is fierce, yet you can succeed; becoming a doctor in Sudan is rather easy. However, the sub-specialties have yet to be properly established in Sudan. Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? Pediatrics cardiology Competencies Controllable lifestyles Pediatrics pulmonology 55.15% or flexible work Pediatrics endocrinology schedules 53.00% Pediatrics renal Pediatrics neurology Community pediatrics medicine. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t findorthemselves Career Workload Working in the specialty, Income Opportunities hours 34.70% what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? 44.00% 37.99% It is better to change tracks immediately. National Liscensing Exams Questions Which National Licensing Exam have you taken? Registration for Ireland Medical Council Exam. Length of your Training Describe journey withPrestige the exam/ when did you start? Why did you choose 32.30% 31.17% this exam in particular? I was working as a medical officer when I decided to prepare for the examinations. In 2007, I completed Parts 1 and 2 of the Royal College of Physicians membership exam. As a clinical fellowship, I completed a 6-month subspecialty in pediatrics in Singapore. I recommend not taking an exam without first taking thorough preparations for it. Try to do your best to prepare for this exam. I would have had to undertake four years of rotations if I had done the Sudanese exam, which would have been tough with my family, so I chose the Ireland exam as an alternative.

undertake four years of rotations if I had done the Sudanese exam, which would have been tough with my family, so I chose the Ireland exam as an alternative.

Pediatrics In your opinion, when is the ideal time to take the exam (in terms of pre or postgraduate years)? with long As soonSpecialties as you graduate. patient contact What opportunities does taking this exam provide you with? It opened two doors for me, working in Ireland and simultaneously preparing for my membership exams (I took many courses that helped me in these exams) What do we need to do in our college life to help us have a better chance to pass the national exams? Clear vision and good planning, you can take the English exam during this period. How to pass the exam while still studying in medical school and is it even possible? This exam is for registration, you need to graduate, but you can prepare for it and you can do the English exam as we said during medical school. Studying tips? Studying for your membership exams is different than studying for your pre-graduate Controllable lifestyles exams; you must be moreCompetencies focused; you do not need to read the entire textbook; what 55.15% or flexible work is most important is that you go over past examinations; if you don't know the answer schedules 53.00% to a specific question, you can refer to your textbook. This is in reference to the paper part. In terms of the clinical component of the exam, you should practice as much as possible. You will be able to pass the examinations as early as possible if you practice, remain committed, consistant hard. or Working Career and work Workload Income What are the consequences of failing the exam/scoring Opportunities hoursa bad mark? 34.70% 44.00% 37.99% Preparing properly for the test because the consequences of failing or receiving poor grades can be quite depressing, although I believe this is natural at the post-graduate level, but if you prepare well, the chances of receiving a poor grade are reduced. Any other advice or tips? Length Training Prestige Being aofdoctor is not an easy job, being a good doctor is even more difficult. Be 32.30% 31.17% humane before anything else, accept the patient and his relatives, and give your patients the utmost care, and do what youcan and the rest is up to our god.

Pediatrics Road to the UK/paediatrics training with a Pediatrician: Dr. Habab Easa ST5 trainee Specialties with long Oxford University patient Hospital contact OBJECTIVES : Qualifications for GMC registration. Jobs hunting. Outlines of paediatric training in the UK.

GMC registration: Types of registration 1/ Provisional registration: Provisional registration withlifestyles a license to practice Competencies Controllable 55.15%UK Foundation or flexible workIt cannot be used allows doctors to work in approved Year 1 post. schedules for any other purpose. 53.00% 2/ Full registration: Doctors need full registration with a license to practice to work in unsupervised medical practice or in an approved Foundation Year 2 programme. Career Working 3/ Specialist register: doctors taking up Workload consultantorposts in a medicalIncome or Opportunities hours 34.70% surgical specialty in any of the UK health services 37.99% should hold full specialist 44.00% registration and a license to practice. 4/ GP registration: all doctors working as a GP in the UK health service. Provisional registration Length of Training Prestige Who can apply for provisional registration? 32.30% 31.17% •UK medical graduates who have completed their medical degree at a UK university •Doctors who graduated outside the UK who have an acceptable primary medical qualification and who have passed the PLAB test but who have not completed an internship •Doctors who qualified in the following European countries but do not hold the accompanying certificate required to complete their relevant European qualification

What do you need to do before taking the

Pediatrics PLAB journey: Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board Specialties with long PLAB part 1 patient contact PLAB 1 is a written exam made up of 180 multiple choice questions which you must answer within three hours. Each starts with a short scenario followed by a question. You need to choose the right answer out of the five possible answers given. You can sit part 1 in a number of countries, as well as in the UK. Have a look at the available locations and dates when you log in to GMC Online. PLAB part 2 PLAB 2 is an objective structured clinical exam. It's made up of 18 scenarios, each lasting eight minutes and aims to reflect real life settings including a mock consultation or an acute ward. Part 2 tests run throughout the year at the clinical assessment centre. Competencies Controllable lifestyles What do you need to do before taking the PLAB tests? work 55.15% or flexible Before you can take the PLAB test, you’ll need toschedules set up a GMC Online account and 53.00% show that your medical qualification and knowledge of English are acceptable.Once you’ve done that, you can book your place on part 1 of the PLAB test. Full registration Career Workload or Working Income hours 34.70% What is full registration?Opportunities Who is eligible for full registration? 44.00% 37.99% To be eligible for full registration, a doctor must be able to meet one of the three options below. 1. Completed the first year of the Foundation Programme (F1) in the UK. 2. Be a graduate with an acceptable primary medical qualification from a country Length Prestige outsideofofTraining Switzerland or the UK. And be able to prove that you have enough clinical 32.30% 31.17% experience to practise medicine in the UK. You can do this in one of five ways. •A pass in the PLAB test. •Sponsorship by a GMC approved sponsor. •An acceptable postgraduate qualification. •Relevant European Qualification. •Eligibility for entry onto the Specialist or GP register.

3/All the details about the job , will be clearly detailed there. 4/Direct communication between the 2 parties. 5/ Some of the highly reputable trusts deals only with the NHS website.

Pediatrics Acceptable PGQ: •UK awarding bodies (Royal college exams ). •Overseas PGQ from certain awarding bodies in selected countries : •(USA ,Canada , Australia/New Zealand, Malyasia , Singapore , Bangladesh , South Africa) Sri Lanka , West india NHS website Vs recruitment Agencies Advantages and disadvantages of NHS website: Pros 1/ Huge number of vacancies hosted under one website. 2/Straightforward process(create account , fill your application and apply wherever you like ). 3/All the details about the job , will be clearly detailed there. 4/Direct communication between the 2 parties. 5/ Some of the highly reputable trusts deals only with the NHS website Cons 1/ Huge number of applications per vacancy. 2/Lengthy process (closing dates). 3/You have to negotiate by yourself (salary , relocation packages). 4/ You have to deal yourself with the all of the details (might be overwhelming). Subspeciality training •All paediatricians start their training in general paediatrics. Some choose to apply for one of the paediatrics sub-specialties (also known as 'Grid'). Changes to training structure from 2023 •7 years instead of 8. •2 levels instead of 3 levels .

Pediatrics

Oncology Oncology is the study of cancer, the field of oncology has three major areas: medical, surgical, and radiation. It is a subspecialty of internal medicine concerned with diagnosing and treating benign and malignant tumors and Specialties with long other forms of cancer. Oncologists generally work with patient contact general internists and other physicians to identify those at risk for cancer and investigate clinical signs and syndromes that suggest cancer. Oncology is typically incorporated with hematology training in a fellowship program, this dual training equips an internist to diagnose, treat, and manage a variety of diseases.

Interview with an oncologist: Dr. Alseddig Mohamed

Brief Highlight of Your CV • Dr. Alseddig Mohamed Ameen • University of AlZaeem Al Azhari graduate of 2008 • Master's Degree in Physiology Academic Interests Competencies Controllable lifestyles • Housemanship in many hospitals in Khartoum, Madani and Sinar 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work • Oncologist from Sudanese Medical Specialties Council – started working in schedules 53.00% oncology in Medani January of 2011 till he began training in oncology in June 2016. • Worked at the National Cancer Institute, which is affiliated with the University of Gezira in Medani • Currently works at (since September 2021) Medical teachers or ElFasher Oncology Career Center Workload or Working Income mentors Opportunities hours 34.70% Specialty Questions 49.93% 44.00% 37.99% Generally, Oncology is divided into three subspecialties: medical oncology, which deals with chemotherapy and chemotherapeutic drugs and medications, radiation oncology, which deals with radiotherapy, and clinical oncology, its training includes chemotherapeutic control, biological agents, hormonal treatments, Length of Trainingand symptom Prestige 32.30% radiation training among other31.17% things. Clinical oncology, which includes radiation and medical training, is the one option offered in Sudan. Describe the overall process to register for the residency? You can join the specialty training by a selection exam that is done by Sudan Medical Specialization Board, frequently every 6 months or as needed. The training starts after passing the selection exam and it takes about 4 years, divided into 12 shifts, every shift is about 3 months

Oncology Part one of the test consists of lectures on radiobiology (the study of how the human body reacts to radiation and how radiotherapy produces cell damage) and medical physics (the study of how the human body reacts to radiation and how radiotherapy causes cell damage). Physics covers the sources of radiotherapy production, its tools, Specialties long safety, all of which are relevant to radiotherapy. radiation types, andwith radiation patient contact Part one of the test includes, in addition to radiobiology and physics, anatomy and pathology, and is taken primarily after the first year and a half of training. *You must pass this exam to be eligible for the part 2 exam; if you do not pass, you may continue your rotations, but you must retake the exam to be eligible for the part 2 exam. This training is provided at two large facilities: Al Zahra Hospital in Khartoum and Medani. Other centers, such as Elgadarif Center and Port Sudan, may be added in the future. Radiotherapy is given in Khartoum and Medani, while chemotherapy and supportive treatment are provided in the other centers. After the cc test, you can sit for part 2 exam "conducting research in your specialty" at the completion of the training. What are the qualifications that the specialty needs? Academic Competencies Controllable As with theInterests other specializations, a medical school degreelifestyles is required. 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work There is no obvious material or books for the selection exam, and it typically contains schedules basic anatomy, physiology, pathology, and oncology53.00% (general knowledge). What is the duration of residency? 4 years divided into 12 shifts in Sudan. How many hours a day do you work? Career Workload or Working Income Opportunities hours A maximum of 5 days a week depending on the number of doctors in the unit.34.70% 44.00% 37.99% During the rotation, there is a day for new cases, a day for follow-up, and a day for radiotherapy, and you must follow up on patients in the wards on a daily basis, on manpower, all of which depend on the number of registrars and house officers. How many on-calls do you get per month? Frequently from 8 to 10, and Prestige can be less depending on the manpower. 31.17% How is the competition for this specialty? Are there many opportunities? It depends on the numbers of the registrars and the hospitals’ needs Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? GIT, head and neck, neuron, bone and soft tissues oncology. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? Go back and find their area of interest and give themselves the courage to proceed in this area since this specialty affects their life's fate, and they can give more in this area.

Radiology

Dr. Kawther Bashir The specialty of radiology was born with the invention of the x-ray. It has swiftly evolved into a sophisticated, highly intellectual field spanning a wide range of high-tech imaging modalities. If you want to be at the vanguard of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, choose a career in radiology. A diagnostic radiologist is the eye of medicine, helping the primary care physician diagnose and treat diseases Personal questions What is your journey from graduation till now? I am Dr. Kawther Bashir Mohamed Alhassan, radiology specialist and currently working in the UAE. The journey was very difficult, I graduated in 2009, and now we are at the end of 2021. I mean, it has been 12 years and truly, they were of the most difficult years in my life, and I hope the next years are easier but it has been very difficult.

What in your opinion are (advantages/disadvantages), (pros/cons) of the specialty?

the the

In general, I don't believe there are any downsides to a doctor specializing. Being a general practitioner is tough, especially as the world moves toward subspecialization. Being a general practitioner is fine, but shouldn't last more than a year. You must narrow your focus. There are various advantages. You are propelling yourself to a better academic position because you train, gain knowledge, and are tested. The knowledge gained through specialization, whether inside or outside of Sudan, is enormous, valuable, and beneficial. There's a huge difference between being a specialist and being a general practitioner in terms of your career. Being a specialist opens up a lot of opportunities for you and you become more financially stable. When did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize which specialty fits us most? I believe that this is too personal; in other words, everyone is unique. For example, I know surgeons who are well-versed in their fields. They practiced surgery from an early age, since medical school, so they have always known how to operate with their hands and have found themselves in this environment..

Radiology For me, stumbling across radiology was by chance. For the first time, I felt that this is a really intriguing field to discover things and attempt to solve problems, and try to figure out what is behind. Praise be to Allah, I am very satisfied. What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this specialty/ Specialties long wish you had donewith differently? patient I wish I had startedcontact the radiology rotation right after finishing the housemanship. What was the most difficult part of your journey? The social aspect was difficult. The residency consumed so much of my time that I was unable to strike a balance between work and family. The financial aspect as well. Were the salaries during your residency satisfying? It was never satisfying or even close because we weren't paid at all, most of the people I knew were working private to cover residency costs. Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year) ? I don’t think so, people work hard in residency, this is a totally different stage and has nothing to do with college. Academic Competencies Controllable lifestyles What can Interests we do right now as (pre)clinical students do to learn more about your 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work specialty/field? schedules 53.00% Medical students, after graduation, have many great opportunities to explore a wide range of fields to be able to decide which specialty best fits them. If you take the chance to pay more visits to the hospital, observe work in different departments, in surgery, radiology, internal medicine, this is Workload an excellent opportunity. If youIncome spend a or Working hours just going and observing 34.70% week or two in each department, even if it isn’t full-time, 37.99% work and dealing with patients, it's great. But most importantly, don’t be influenced by the opinions and take only your personal experience into consideration. Take neither positive nor negative opinions into account especially since there are too many negative opinions in the medical field about every specialty. Remember, there are Length of Training Prestige great things that are rarely mentioned. 32.30% 31.17% Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this specialty? Anatomy. Any courses/workshops of benefit to the specialty? Before residency, anatomy.

Radiology What are the soft skills you wish you learned during your medical school years? No skills in particular. How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? Specialties with long Unfortunately, radiology is one of those specialties in Sudan wherein you won't have patient contact enough time to engage with your family. Outside Sudan, it depends on the facility or hospital you work at. Regardless of whether you are a medical student, a resident, a specialist or a consultant, you should always find time for yourself and your family. How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? There are no difficulties. In radiology- in particular- you have to work as a team, everyone from the doctors, nurses, and technicians. It is absolutely not okay to treat others disrespectfully or with inferiority. We are all part of a team and without teamwork, you can’t handle the cases. This was the very first lesson they taught us in residency, to build strong relationships with other colleges in the department. For me, thank god, there weren’t any problems. When it comes to patients, they need to beControllable listened to and reassured that everything Academic Interests Competencies lifestyles will be75.29% okay. They want to know what is happening to them. If you are able to talk to 55.15% or flexible work schedules them calmly and comfortably, guide them and tell them that things are going to be 53.00% fine, this is excellent. I'm not saying give them fake hope but at least understand their fears because they might be stressed so its crucial to understand the motives behind their behaviors. Income Your way of handling emergencies and theWorkload workload?or Working hours 34.70% IIt depends on where you work; in certain places,37.99% there are no emergencies, thus practically all cases are cold; in other places, there are emergencies, you have to act according to the protocol followed in the place in which you are working. For me, patient safety is the most important thing at all times. A message to the 20 years old you? Length of Training Prestige Tough32.30% question but “be brave31.17% and calm down.” Finally, was the journey worth it? I'm not sure; I'm unable to respond to this question. There were some things that were worthwhile, and others that were not, unfortunately. All I can say is that I am convinced of this journey I started. This rotation, thank God, was the right decision regardless of the outcomes.

Radiology Specialty Questions Describe the overall process to register for the residency? The process was easy, direct, without complications and didn’t need any special requirements. Specialties with long The qualifications that the specialty needs? patient contact There aren’t any special qualifications, you are only required to complete your housemanship and permanent exam certificate. What is the duration of residency? 4 years in Sudan. How many hours a day you work? It varies depending on the shifts and the year of the housemanship. It was 4 hours a day on some days, ten hours on others, and twelve hours on others. How many days per week? Work was 5 days a week for the most of the first year's shifts, with Friday and Saturday off. Work was practically everyday throughout the second, third, and fourth years, withInterests the exceptionCompetencies of Fridays. Depending on the lifestyles hospital, there were one or Academic Controllable 75.29% 55.15% or flexible two shifts. I recall, in a hospital or two, Saturday was off work so the work was 5 times a schedules week. 53.00% How many on-calls? We didn't have on-calls. We didn't work at night. Working hours were from morning until sunset with a maximum of 8 or 9 hours. Workload or Working Income How’s the competition for this specialty? Are therehours many opportunities? 34.70% It was quite competitive for us in Sudan, and it wasn't easy. Although there is a high 37.99% passing percentage from the start, they only accept a small number of candidates for training. During the rotation, there was high competition among the registrars, but it was a good kind of competitiveness since it helped us identify our weaknesses and make substantial Length of Trainingimprovements. Prestige 32.30% 31.17% If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? To stop immediately and to start over in the specialty they like. However, you have to understand that residency is tough and the rotation is very difficult,

Radiology so sometimes this makes a person feel that they want to stop and not want to continue because the obligations are too many and balancing between the rotation and other aspects of your life and life is extremely challenging. Sometimes, one might feel that they madewith a mistake Specialties long by doing their rotation in Sudan and that they want to stop and start again, somewhere else. It occurs a lot, in my experience, since the truth patient contact is, this is a tough balance to strike. It is critical to figure out the source of bad feelings you get during the rotation. Are they genuine or are they related to other circumstances in the country? That is, given that you are living in an excellent environment, you are able to find time for yourself and your family and you are financially stable, will you (given these conditions) give up radiology or will you continue? I think you would probably continue because from the start when you chose radiology or any other specialty, you probably chose it out of desire. But if you cant find yourself in this specialty (given these conditions), then stop and find another place. Academic Interests 75.29%

Competencies 55.15%

Controllable lifestyles or flexible work schedules 53.00%

Workload or Working hours 37.99%

Length of Training 32.30%

Prestige 31.17%

Income 34.70%

Radiology

Personal Questions How did you manage to get through medical school? When I was fresh, I used to start studying as soon as the semester begins. Eventually, in my last years started to nail the study life balance and to learn how to work smarter. What is your journey from graduation till now?

Dr. Ahmed Osman

Brief Highlight of Your C.V. • MBBS University of Khartoum, Sudan • Membership of the Royal College of Physicians- London • Membership of the Academy of Medical Educators- UK • Post Graduate Certificate in Medical education for Radiology- Dundee, UK • General medicine SHO, Cork & Limerick, Ireland • Core Medical Training- Cambridge University Hospitals • Radiology Registrar- Leeds, UK (Current) Other licensing exams: • Plab Exams, UK (Plab 1 & 2) • PRES Exams, Ireland (up to PRES 3) • USMLE Exams, US (Step 2 CK & Step 2 CS)

The first step in my career was to complete the housemanship in Sudan. Subsequently, taking the PRES exam (up to PRES3) in Ireland for which I had to travel. Before going to Cambridge in UK and undertaking the core medicine training, I had to sit for the STEP exam in the US. Then, moving once and for all to Leeds for the Radiology training program. What in your opinion are (advantages/disadvantages), (pros/cons) of the specialty

the the

There are several advantages when it comes to the heart of medicine which is Radiology. As a Radiologist, directing the management for a patient to recuperate is by identifying the cause of the disease and determining to what patient the priority goes to. This course of action is very stressful despite its benefits and it needs a lot of concentration with high interpreting skills for achieving precise results. When did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize which specialty fits us most?

Radiology 1/During the exchange program in Turkey, I had the chance to take part in a neurosurgery where the surgeons’ guidance was from the Diagnostic & Interventional Radiologists. At that precise moment I found my self liking radiology and began developing myself and pursuing my career as a Radiologist. Specialties with long contact your skills, and interests, and find something that you can 2/Take a patient look at yourself, enjoy doing every day and feel passion about it. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? What makes your field/specialty stand out? Puzzle solving! What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this specialty/ wish you had done differently? There is nothing I wish I had done differently because I believe that you won’t be who you are today unless you’ve been through the circumstances you’ve been through, not regretting or wishing any changes to occur in the past. Academic Interests Competencies Controllable lifestyles 75.29% or flexible work What are things students can55.15% do, during their college experience to ease the path in schedules this specialty? 53.00% Participating on different activities, courses (BLS, ALS), participating in researches, teaching peers and junior colleagues and medical convoys. Workload or Working Income What was the most difficult part of your journey? hours 34.70% Dealing with living far away from family and the fear of not being there when they need 37.99% me. Were the salaries during your residency satisfying? For a training job, Yes! Length of Training Prestige 32.30% 31.17% Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? Your baseline knowledge stems from what you learn as a student, so yes! How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? Tremendously important if you want to be successful and happy in your career

Tremendously important if you want to be successful and happy in your career.

Radiology What are extracurricular activities students can engage in, that are useful in their C.V. & how do they manage to choose them correctly? Teaching, Research, Conference presentations, Management and Leadership skills. Depending on personal preferences, however, well rounded doctors need to develop Specialties with long all these skills. patient contact What can we do right now as (pre)clinical students do to learn more about your specialty/field? Focus on your current level requirements and understand the basic/ preclinical subjects very well. Explore your options and talk to seniors who are established in the specialities of interest, if any. Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this specialty? All subjects! And physics!! Any courses/workshops of benefit to the Controllable specialty? lifestyles Academic Interests Competencies 75.29% 55.15% Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support.or flexible work schedules 53.00% What are the soft skills you wish you learned during your medical school years? Fast Typing or Working Special programs and other initiatives thatWorkload students can be part of if they Income decide to hours 34.70% go for a certain specialty? 37.99% Visit Radiologycafe.com How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? Length of Training Prestige Learning that without commitment 32.30% 31.17% you will never start and without consistency you will never finish. How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? Like other specialties, professionalism is key. Radiology has a very rewarding work-life balance and high job satisfaction. Apart from the understandably tough exams during training, there are no difficulties that I can see.

Radiology What is your plan for the future in terms of your medical career? To be bonafide, certified and an indubitably qualified Radiology Consultant. Your way of handling and the workload? Specialties withemergencies long Stay calm,patient relax and concentrate. contact Any other personal experience or advice you would like to share? Join professional groups and societies. A message to the 20 years old you? Don’t waste your time and plan early. Finally, was the journey worth it? No Doubt Academic Interests 75.29%

Competencies 55.15%

Controllable lifestyles or flexible work schedules 53.00%

Workload or Working hours 37.99%

Length of Training 32.30%

Prestige 31.17%

Income 34.70%

Radiology Specialty Questions Describe the overall process to register for the residency? Registration exams then applying to the speciality of interest. Detailed steps of each Specialties with on long speciality can be found SJDA-UK Facebook group. patient contact The qualifications that the specialty needs? Foundation training competencies, selection exam and of course General Medical Council registration. What is the duration of residency (Sudan/UK/USA...etc.)? In the UK: 2 years for foundation program & 5-6 years of Radiology training. USA: Total of 5-6 years Sudan: 1 Year of housemanship & 4 years of training How many hours a day do you work? Academic Interests Competencies Total of 40-48 hours per week 75.29% 55.15%

Controllable lifestyles or flexible work schedules 53.00% How many on calls do you get per month? Varies depending on the number of registrars in the hospital. Baseline is, the service must be covered 24/7. Workload or Working hours How is the competition for this specialty? 37.99% It is tremendously competitive everywhere, but doable.

Income 34.70%

Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? Interventional Radiology, Neuroradiology, Gastrointestinal Radiology, Genitourinary Length of Training Prestige Radiology, Head and Neck Radiology, Paediatrics Radiology, Muskluskeletal 32.30% 31.17% Radiology, Nuclear medicine Radiology. How much were you paid during your housemanship & residency? How much are registrars in your specialty paid? (the range if not exactly) In the UK it ranges from 32,000-37,000 Pounds per annum.

Radiology If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? Unfortunately, there are no non-training/ service jobs in radiology. One can seek service job in other specialities such as general medicine, surgery, A&E… etc National Licensing Exams Describe your journey with the exam/ when did you start? Why did you choose this exam in particular? See the list in section one. I was looking fora training opportunity to satisfy my ambition. In your opinion, when is the ideal time to take the exam (in terms of pre or post graduate years)? Most licensing exams require MBBS certification anyway. The earlier you start the Competencies better. 55.15% What opportunities does taking this exam provide you with? Licensing exams is a step to be able to practice medicine and seek training in the corresponding country. What we need to do in our college life to help us have a better chance to pass the international exams? Prepare properly for your undergraduate exams and aim to understand the subject then you will pass the exam eventually. How to pass the exam while still studying in medical school and is it even possible? Yes it is possible. Prepare well. What are things you wish you had done differently in your overall experience with the exam? Study smarter and start earlier.

Radiology Studying tips? Important resources to study from? Know how to study for exams. The video link might be helpful. How to study for exams - evidence-based revision tips Specialties with long contact What are patient the consequences of failing the exam/scoring a bad mark? For UK exams it doesn’t matter you can resit the exam if you fail. Any other advice or tips? Have you watched the video above? Join SJDA-UK Facebook group.

Academic Interests 75.29%

Competencies 55.15%

Controllable lifestyles or flexible work schedules 53.00%

Workload or Working hours 37.99%

Length of Training 32.30%

Prestige 31.17%

Income 34.70%

Emergency Medicine

Specialties with long patient contact

It is a medical specialty concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention and it is one of the newest specialties in medicine that’s known for being fast-paced & unpredictable. An emergency medicine doctor knows something about everything. They work in the ER (Emergency Room) which is always open and easily accessible for unscheduled and undifferentiated patients of all ages. A physician specializing in emergency medicine focuses on immediate decision making and action necessary to prevent death or serious limitations.

Interview with an Emergency Medicine doctor: Dr. Hossam Hamad Personal questions Brief highlight of your C.V. Academic Interests Controllable lifestyles Univeristy graduate My name is HossamCompetencies Hamad Mohammed Ahmed, Khartoum 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work class of 2007. ST4 emergency medicine in Norfolk and Norwich University schedules Hospital in UK. After graduation, I have worked in Saudi Arabia, irland and then 53.00% finally moved to UK . My qualifications besides my bachelor degree are that I am an MRCS exam holder. I have worked as a surgeon before shifting my career to Emergency Medicine. I am now working on finishing my fellowship in emergency Workload or Working Income medicine. hours 34.70% 37.99% I started primary school in saudi arabia, after that I traveled to North Sudan and went to Al-Magashi primary school, then to Al-Etihad primary school in Khartoum 3. I went to Almaaly secondary school and I scored 90.4 in the sudanese high school exam, allowing me to enroll in college as a public admission student in batch 2000. Length of Training Prestige 32.30% 31.17% What is your journey from graduation till now? After graduating, I did my housemanship for two years, then I did my National Service at Al Amal Hospital, and then I worked in the cardiothoracic department at Alsalam Hospital for a year and a half. I traveled to Saudi Arabia and worked in the surgical department in Alshariga for five years. Despite being a satisfying environment with a good financial standing, I opted to leave Saudi Arabia for reasons connected to career development.

Emergency Medicine So Ireland was my next destination because it has a very simple process for Sudanese registration because they still believe in our internship, so all you need to do is pass an English language exam and you'll be ready to register with the Medical Council of Ireland, but I was exempted from their exams because I was an MRCS holder. My first job there was in orthopedic surgery, since I wanted to establish stable conditions to search for my field of interest. So, at first, I applied for many trainings such as surgery, anaesthesia, emergency medicine, and so on, but because I was new to Ireland, I had no idea how to succeed in the interviews, so I did not succeed in joining any surgery trainings despite my interest in surgery. However, after realizing that surgery is a very difficult field in Ireland, I had two options: either to continue building my C.V. and applying for surgery trainings again, or to shift my focus to another specialty. At that point, I chose to change careers to emergency medicine because I said to myself, "Why not?" Let's give it a shot and start with a non-training position and see what happens. So I shifted Academic Interests Competencies lifestyles my career from orthopedic surgery Controllable to emergency medicine. I found it quite 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work suitable for me, and I applied for the training program the next year, but I was schedules unsuccessful as well. Finally, I opted to go from Ireland to the United Kingdom 53.00% because the opportunities are more plentiful (Ireland is a small country, and Irish and Europeans have the priority in most opportunities) and the Emergency Medicine opportunities are more abundant (they take a large number of trainees Workload or Working Income each year). hours 34.70% 37.99% In the first three months, I applied for my training and was accepted; after that, I began my ST3 program, as my MRCS and my experiences in Ireland were taken into consideration. I've advanced to ST4 now. What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? Emergency medicine is a field of practice based on the knowledge and skills required to prevent, diagnose, and manage acute and urgent aspects of illness and injury affecting patients of all age groups with a full spectrum of undifferentiated physical and behavioral disorders. It will be suitable with people who want to keep themselves occupied with work, for those who enjoy working in the different fields of medicine since you will deal with a wide range of cases, pediatrics, mental disorders, injuries and so on.

Emergency Medicine We can also state that it is a challenging field that requires a variety of skills and knowledge, but at the same time it is a joyful and rewarding career as you will need different skills to deal with different patients (offers a wide spectrum of practice). In emergency Specialties with long medicine you will be able to observe the quick results of yourpatient interventions. contact You can also take days off after working lengthy shifts. One of the most intriguing aspects of emergency medicine is that you may subspecialize in two subspecialties. For example pediatrics and pre-hospital emergency medicine, or any other two subspecialties, providing you with a wide range of dual specialties. The disadvantage can be that the shift pattern in emergency medicine is very difficult as you may be required to work for 3 or 4 nights in addition to having extended working hours during the day . The work even can be during your social hours but of course you will be paid more for these hours. You will feel stressed as sometimes you will find yourself working while other people (family, friends, doctors in other specialties) are relaxing at homes and having fun. Is Emergency the same as we see in TV programs? Academic Interests Medicine Competencies Controllable lifestyles 75.29% flexible work Yes, or in other words, 55.15% it is very close toorreality. Emergency medicine is a new schedules and growing specialty. In the past generalists,53.00% specialists and in some places the surgeons were responsible for this department, but as the department developed, a special training was initiated and its graduates are now considered emergency medicine doctors who are responsible for the initial management of Income the acute and life-threatening cases. Workload or Working hours 34.70% How did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize which 37.99% specialty fits us most? I was quite pleased with surgery in college, so after graduation I got my MRCS, but as I already stated, owing to some circumstances, I have shifted to emergency From my experience, I can tell you that you should be Length of Trainingmedicine. Prestige flexible and look for other potential specializations that are available in the job 32.30% 31.17% market, as this will increase your chances of being selected for training or perhaps a job. ِAs I’ve mentioned before, I liked surgery but at the same time, I wanted to be a consultant in a specialty that I can work in and one where I would have a better chance of being selected. If you don't know your path, you can start by asking, searching and even experiencing work in specialties you're interested in. Focus on the opportunities that will be available for you if you choose this specialty and start your journey.

Emergency Medicine Most of you may be thinking that trying more than one specialty will be a waste of time, but this is incorrect because most people are conflicted between two to three specialties, and this confusion can be reduced by your hospital rounds in Specialties with long last years, ask your seniors, colleagues, and even random doctors like what you contact are patient doing right now in this manual, but if you truly do not know what you want to be, you can just start working as a GP and I am confident that after a few years, by dealing with many cases, you will know. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? I enjoy emergency medicine because it keeps you occupied at all times, you can cure conditions and see your results immediately, it's a highly challenging field, and you're always working in teams with your supportive seniors. One of the most notable features of emergency medicine is that you will develop a large set of skills in a short period of time, including communication, leadership, management, and diagnostic skills. What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this Academic Interests Competencies Controllable lifestyles specialty/ wish you had done differently? 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work One thing I wish I knew before is that I wish I knew more about emergency schedules 53.00% medicine before surgery and more about the training path which I could have taken either here in Sudan or abroad, maybe this knowledge could have helped me in deciding my career earlier. What are things students can do, during their college experience toIncome ease the Workload or Working path in this specialty? hours 34.70% 37.99% During your college experience you can do many things that will help you in your future career. But general advices I recommend are focusing on your clinical skills if you plan to pursue the clinical pathway, and attaining academic prizes but it is okay to have distinctions and good degrees. Try to gain personal Lengthand of Training Prestige professional skills from organizations such as Medsin-Sudan, KMSA, 32.30% 31.17% batches' families and others. Try to go on medical days and missions. Being active in such places will open your mind and widen your relations. I worked in IFMSA and MedSIN-sudan and was SCOPH Africa Regional Assistant. These activities may have a significant role in determining your future job path. Specific advice for emergency medicine is that you can focus on learning more about acute illnesses, life-threatening conditions and how to manage them. Basic and advanced life support (BLS) trainings are also highly recommended.

Emergency Medicine Visiting an emergency medicine department and experiencing what the job entails in real life, as well as attempting to do it under the supervision of nurses and physicians, is a highly beneficial experience not just for emergency medicine but also for other Specialties withspecialties. long patient contact If you willing to specialize in emergency medicine, several courses will be extremely beneficial to you, whether you are a student or a graduate: basic and advanced life support, basic and advanced pediatrics life support, and advanced trauma life support. Ultrasound courses are also helpful. Some of these courses are available to be taken prior to graduation. Soft skills such as leadership, communication, and others, are also strongly recommended, not just for emergency medicine but also for other specialties. If you want to work in the UK or Ireland, you can check the Royal College of Academic InterestsMedicine Competencies Controllable lifestyles Emergency (RCEM), an independent professional association of 75.29% flexible work emergency physicians 55.15% in the UK thatorestablishes training standards and schedules conducts examinations for emergency medicine in the UK and Ireland. 53.00% What was the most difficult part of your journey? “Life’s a journey, not a destination.” -Steven Tyler. The most difficult part of the voyage is when your plans and expectations are not met in time; it is a very Workload or Working Income stressful period, especially here in Sudan, sincehours you feel lost and unsure of what 34.70% to do. But, in the end, being a doctor is always a37.99% good thing, as one of my doctors once said, "All doctors will die rich." So, instead of worrying about your financial life, focus on what to choose, how to choose, and where to choose, as it is never too late to alter your route. So don't worry and stress yourself out, everything will fallofinto place at the proper moment. Work hard and you'll get what you desire. Length Training Prestige 32.30% 31.17% “Money, if it does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort.” – Helen Gurley Brown In terms of pay, a general principle is that you will be paid according to your work, specialty, level, and location. For example, salaries in the United Kingdom and Ireland are significantly higher than in Sudan (trainee salaries can vary from 39 to 60 GBP); salaries in Saudi Arabia are also reasonable, but you must carefully select the type of hospital.

Emergency Medicine Of course, salaries fluctuate between juniors and consultants, as well as from one specialty to another. Taking into account that you'll be paid more for night jobs, on-call shifts, and weekends. How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? What Specialties with long are extracurricular activities students can engage in and how do we manage patient contact to use them correctly? “As much as you can do, definitely, it will go with you whole way.” -Dr.Hossam Selecting appropriate extracurricular activities is similar to selecting a specialty in that you will focus on what you want to try or what you enjoy doing. For example, if you are interested in financial positions, you can join KMSA, MedSINSudan, etc. However, if you are uncertain of what you enjoy, you should explore everything that is relevant to your medical field, such as medical missions and days, research, or even your hobbies, such as poetry, painting, sports, and so on. All extracurricular activities are beneficial and will enhance your personality and C.V., but focus on medicine-related activities such as research (one of the major questions in any training interview), medical days, and missions, and if you Academic Interests Competencies Controllable lifestyles already know your future specialty, you can on work its related activities. 75.29% 55.15% orfocus flexible Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, schedules 53.00% repeating a year)? There is a frequently asked question about academic achievement, so let's clarify things. Most work opportunities and trainings outside Sudan don't care whether you failed biochemistry or any Workload other subject in any semester asIncome long as or Working you have a graduation certificate, but we can'thours deny that having good 34.70% degrees 37.99% will help you, just as getting a prize in any subject will give you additional points (when applying for the United Kingdom for example). However, bear in mind that emergency medicine encompasses the whole field of medicine, and you should be familiar with the basics of every subject. Length of Training Prestige How do you deal with stress, coworkers, patients and what are the 32.30% 31.17% difficulties? All medical specializations are stressful, but we as physicians can cope by first understanding our schedule and the number of patients we will see throughout our shift, engaging with our colleagues and teams, and attempting to establish a social environment at work. It is extremely encouraged that we communicate openly with our supervisors about our concerns and difficulties, as they will assist us and educate us about how to cope with stress. But, in the end, everyone will learn and design their own stress-reduction techniques.

Emergency Medicine You will always practically be dealing with everyone in the hospital in emergency medicine, from the medical manager to the patients and co-patients, so you must know how to deal with them, particularly the patients, who will come to you in their most vulnerable state with great expectations and hopes. Specialties withto long Figuring out how deliver unpleasant news, listening to them, and addressing patient contact their needs will help you in dealing with them. Regarding dealing with your co-workers, the most important thing is to know how to manage your department as in emergency medicine the department is busy all 24 hours. What is your plan for the future in terms of your medical career? I intend to complete my training and obtain a dual specialty in pre-hospital emergency medicine while continuing to work in the emergency department of the hospital. Finally, was the journey worth it? After such a long journey, I can confidently say that my journey was and continues to be worthwhile, despite all of the ups and downs, traveling from KSA Academic Interests Competencies Controllable lifestyles to75.29% Ireland, and then to the United Kingdom, my path amidst all of that, 55.15% or changing flexible work all of these life stations were stressful times, but they added a lot to me, and I am schedules 53.00% grateful and thankful for every moment. Specialty Questions Describe the overall process to register for the residency? The qualifications that the specialty needs? Workload or Working Income hours The duration of residency in Sudan is 4 years and in the UK 6 to 8 years . 34.70% 37.99% Regarding the qualifications, after your graduation and housemanship (internship) you should take advanced life support and ultrasound courses which will show your commitment to the specialty. You can also take the FRCEM EXAM Length of Training which will also give youPrestige additional points. 32.30% 31.17% There is a responsible body for specialties training programs in all countries; here in Sudan, we have SMSB (Sudan Medical Specialization Board) which is responsible for providing the trainings programs; however, before registering for the training, you must first pass your registration exam (after which you will be registered as a medical practitioner); after that, you must apply for your emergency medicine exam, and the responsible body will choose according to the results.

Emergency Medicine In the UK, all the trainings are opened at the same time of the year and they announce it on their website, Oriel. In the UK, the work style is by shifts, not oncalls. You can work for 40 - 48 hours per week (10-8 hours per day), nights and weekends will differ according to the hospital system. Specialties with long Emergency medicine is a growing specialty so you will have higher opportunities patient contact of selection, but regarding the opportunities ratio, I think you can also check oriel for more details. As previously said, you may improve your chances by completing the aforementioned courses and examinations. Having a solid knowledge of research and audits will also help. Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? Here we have the pre-hospital emergency medicine which focuses on caring for seriously ill or injured patients before they reach the hospital, and during emergency transfer to hospital or between hospitals. Pediatric emergency medicine focuses on the care of the acutely ill or injured child in an emergency department. we have elderly Controllable emergency medicine Academic InterestsAlso, Competencies lifestyles and intensive care 75.29% or flexible work emergency medicine. 55.15% schedules If you begin your emergency medicine training and realize that it is not for you in 53.00% the middle of it, that is perfectly fine. During your emergency medicine training, you will rotate through various departments such as pediatrics, IC, anesthesia, and so on, so you will still have time to shift as you gain experience in a variety of Workload or Working Income fields. hours 34.70% National Licensing Exams 37.99% In Sudan, we have the SMC which is responsible for the registration exam. In the UK, the GMC is responsible for the exams as you should take the PLAB 1, PLAP 2 and English exams. In Ireland, you have to do the English exams only. the USA, there is the USMLE but if you have the MRCS you will be excluded LengthInof Training Prestige from this exam with the31.17% exception of taking the English exam. 32.30% These exams and recruitments can be changed so be sure to check the responsible body's websites. As for myself, I completed my MRCS part 1 during National Service and passed the Fellowship of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine EXAM before commencing my training in the United Kingdom. So, if you can, attempt to take the examinations before your training because it demonstrates your devotion to the specialty and provides you with bonus points, but it is not mandatory.

Emergency Medicine In my opinion, the optimum time to take these examinations is as soon as you decide your specialty. You should not be concerned about these exams during your college years Specialties withand longSudan exams require a bachelor's degree; instead, you because the UK patient contacton studying for the English exams and remember that they should concentrate are only valid for a short time; however, you can take USMLE Step 1 during your university years. Studying tips? What are the consequences of failing the exam? Some advice for studying: 1/ Choose your suitable way of studying 2/ Set aside a certain number of hours during the day for yourself to study. 3/ Study in an exam-oriented manner. Failure is not the end of the world, and we all know how difficult medicine is. Remember that many individuals have failed before, but they have learned from Academic Interests and will Competencies Controllable their mistakes succeed the next time. Forlifestyles example, I took my clinical 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work MRCS test twice, whereas some of my colleagues took it three or four times, but schedules the most important thing is to understand why 53.00% you failed and how to improve. Failure isn't awful in and of itself; the problem arises when you don't recognize why you failed. Any other advice or tips? Workload or Working Income hoursschool is that, while34.70% My advice for managing stress throughout medical no one 37.99% can dispute that it is a tough trip, you can reduce the level of stress by: 1/ mastering adequate study strategies as soon as possible 2/ Your college experience is not just academic; you should also participate in extracurricular activities; thus, do not become engrossed in your books. Length Training 3/ of You are not alone onPrestige this journey; your seniors have passed it, you will pass it, 32.30% 31.17% and your juniors will as well. You will continue to contemplate and worry about things, and believe me, 90% of them will never happen to you. Last but not least, enjoy your presence in college and enjoy every aspect of being a medical student.

Clinical Pathology

Dr. Shima Ibn Idris It’s a medical specialty that is concerned with the study of the nature and cause of diseases by examining the body and bodily tissues as well as the structural and functional changes occurring in abnormal conditions. Although forensics and autopsy exams are significant aspects of pathology, this specialty covers a considerably broader range of investigative areas. Pathologists utilize the oldest diagnostic procedures (gross examination) while developing the latest (real-time polymerase chain reaction). They are at the cutting edge of medical technology with these procedures. Personal Questions Brief highlight of your C.V. I am Shima Mohamed Ibn Idris, a 2009 graduate of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum. I completed a year of housemanship(in the four main specialties), followed by a year of service that was mostly audit-related with a clinical component. After passing the selection exam, I began my MD in Pathology in Sudan, where I finished one year and a half before traveling to Ireland. In Ireland, I stayed home for two years, during which I had my first daughter, and I finished the registration exams, IELTS and two PRES exams (name at the time). I worked in a stand-alone job for one year in Histopathology. I then started the training, and I am currently in the fourth year of a seven-year program.

Clinical Pathology What was the most difficult part of your journey? n Ireland, the situation is different from that in the UK & the US since it is a small country. It is not easy to find a training opportunity. For the UK & USA, finding an opportunity depends solely on your qualifications (exams, a good C.V., and a good self-presentation). Specialties with long It is trending in Ireland, even for the Irish, that besides qualifications you need to work in patient contact the specialty and be known to have a better chance for training. The second difficulty was striking a balance between social life\home responsibilities and work. However, the latter is way easier to manage when choosing Pathology. How do you deal with work pressure? When faced with difficulties in life, work, or other areas, the best way to manage is first to take a deep breath, then take a step back, reassess the situation and write a “to-do list”. Arrange the tasks in a sequence of importance canceling the least important and remember, with two hands you can only do one thing at a time. This helps tremendously in reducing stress. Academic Interests Competencies Controllable lifestyles How and when did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work schedules which specialty fits us most? 53.00% When I was in college, I understood and loved physiology because it was taught very well, then in the fourth year, we studied pathology which I found enjoyable to the same level. With my understanding of these two subjects, I fell in love with medicine as a Workload of or investigations Working Income a specialty because I love the idea of the interpretation and reaching 34.70% if I diagnosis. My plan during the housemanship was tohours evaluate myself in medicine, 37.99% don't find myself in medicine, I’ll return to pathology, and if I don't find myself there, I'll return to physiology. Medicine was enjoyable in every aspect, but I realized that pathology was the greatest fit for me. So, I began my MD in pathology and then traveled to Ireland for training. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this specialty? Disadvantages include that it's a unique specialty. You're still a doctor, but you don't see patients very often, you are basically placed in the pathology laboratory. You perform an autopsy as part of pathology in Ireland, the United Kingdom (though optional), the United States, and Canada, therefore you must assess whether you can handle it or not. You also don't work in a team; you do most of the work alone.

Clinical Pathology The advantages are that this career is an excellent fit for you if you have good observational and diagnostic skills. It is also a great option if you enjoy reading books and absorbing knowledge more than dealing with patients. After finishing work, you have free time to spend Specialties withwith longyour family, and you also have the weekends off. What are things patientstudents contact can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? Boost your English skills, gain computer skills (typing, understanding Excel sheets, and PowerPoint). Pathology is rich in academia and research, so knowing how to write a paper, criticize a paper, literature review, and summarize an article is critical. And a good understanding of histology cannot be emphasized enough. How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? I know it's difficult to find time for them in your college years, but you must make time for social activities since it helps you grow as a person and teaches you how to deal with people and patients. It's also crucial for your well-being throughout your years of medicine. Does your academic during college matter? Academic Interests performance Competencies Controllable lifestyles 75.29% or flexible work The most important lesson I've55.15% learned is that grades are one thing, and the quantity of schedules content you've read and learned is another and is53.00% far more important. Designating a specific number of hours every day allocated to studying assures your excellence in college and after. Specialty Questions Workload or Working Income What is the duration of residency? hours 34.70% I specialized in pure Histopathology, which in Ireland takes 7 years, and during this 37.99% period, you take 3 exams, a certificate of higher autopsy training (CHAT), and two FCPATH exams. You can also finish in 6 years given that you’ve taken those 3 exams. In Sudan, it is a four-year MD (at the time I did it), first 2 years you do general pathology that contains microbiology, histopathology, chemical pathology, and laboratory hematology. Then for the last two years, you choose two of them. In the United Kingdom, I think residency is 5 years for Histopathology, and I am not sure about the US. How many hours a day do you work? 8 or 9 hours a day, so in a week 39 to 45 hours. How competitive is this field? In Ireland, 3 to 7 people are taken each year, depending on the number needed. However, it is now competitive since it is known for being social life-friendly and less stressful. Are the salaries satisfactory? Yes

stressful. Are the salaries satisfactory? Yes

Clinical Pathology If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? If you reach a point where you can’t continue because you can’t find yourself or you are Specialties withstop longand reassess the situation and plan carefully. Personally, I dissatisfied, you should patient contact think the efforts you’ve spent in a specialty are nevertheless an experience and life is an experience in itself. Do you have any general advice for students? Find and know yourself well, this will make it easier when choosing a specialty. Don't forget about your social life. Don't take it so hard on yourself, you are only a human.

Academic Interests 75.29%

Competencies 55.15%

Controllable lifestyles or flexible work schedules 53.00%

Workload or Working hours 37.99%

Income 34.70%

Internal Medicine In this section, a brief overview will be given about each specialty along with an interview with a specialist.

Neurology The practice of medicine that focuses on the human brain and nervous system is known as neurology. Neurologists act as nervous system specialists at all levels, from higher cognitive issues to nerve and muscle ailments. Neurologists treat patients with a wide range of neurological problems, including headaches, seizures, weakness, numbness, trouble in speech, and changes in consciousness, with compassion and commitment. Dr. Omer Suliman Academic Interests Brief highlight of your C.V.Competencies 75.29% 55.15% I graduated from the University of Khartoum in 1992 and worked in Sudan for about 5 years. Following, I worked in Saudi Arabia (1998) before moving to the United Kingdom to take the PLAB exam and work there. In 2001, I took the MRCP exam and in 2009, I completed a Ph.D. I specialized in neurology in 2011, and for subspecialty training, I trained in the United Kingdom at the Walton Center for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Then I was appointed as a consultant in neurology with a strong interest in multiple sclerosis and transferred to the National Guard Hospital as a neurologist in 2012. In 2021, I joined the Hamad Medical Corporation as a consultant neurologist. How did you realize that this specialty was for you? It is really tough; some people may think that a certain specialty is for them, but after they begin training, they change their minds. I believe it is difficult to choose until you try; for example, I was first interested in general medicine, and specifically endocrinology but later on, I chose neurology as a subspecialty.

Neurology If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? In medicine in general, it is crucial to enjoy what you do. If you are not enjoying it, I recommend change specialties immediately, don’t be fooled by your emotions of regret of the wasted year or two, ultimately, a year or two is better than ten years. If you enjoy what you do, it becomes more than just a job; it becomes something you look forward to and are excited about. I know people in Britain who started studying at a university for a year or two after which they transferred to another college. When it comes to this field, you have to be an open-minded person whether you reached this understanding at the undergraduate or postgraduate level. A consultant neurologist with whom I've worked had an interest in dementia and he proceeded to complete an MD in the field and changed his career path. Therefore, the person can change at any time if (s)he does not find themselves in a specific field. It is not a problem nor a sign of failure. What do you enjoy most Competencies about this specialty? Academic Interests 75.29% New medications are always55.15% being developed in neurology, as is new research, resulting in advancements in diagnostic methods and treatment options. What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? The advantages are that it requires a lot of thinking and thinking is easier than Income memorizing. There is a great demand for neurologists in the world. It is not a 34.70% tiresome specialty compared to surgery, for example. I do not see disadvantages to this specialty, sometimes you feel frustrated when there are cases for which there is no treatment, meaning nothing is to be offered to the patient, however, we hope to be able to treat them in the future with the advancement of research. What was the most difficult part of your journey? In general, the medical path is filled with difficulties and challenges, but when you confront one and overcome it, you feel certain that you can succeed. My experience differs from those of others, for example, I worked in four countries, encountered obstacles in a variety of settings, nevertheless, this does not imply that the challenges you encountered will be encountered by others. For example, I took the MRCP part 1 exam when I was a house officer. My housemanship was a two-year challenge, and I took advantage of it when I took this exam in the second year. I married at a young age, and had responsibilities.

Neurology I had to start from scratch when I moved to Britain. I started by taking the PLAB exam. At that time, I had graduated 6 years prior, and bear in mind that this exam is usually taken right after graduation. When I took the PLAB exam, I had already taken the MRCP part 1, and my original plan was to take the second part of MRCP but I received very useful advice to take the PLAB. Britain was also a challenge because I’m Sudanese and English was a second language, so a major concern was that I had to compete with British doctors in their country for the jobs. Moral of the story is, when you first start you will find difficulty, but with diligence and patience you will overcome it, it is temporary. In the end, you achieve what you want, you will accommodate yourself to the system and recognize how to deal with people and become known. You’ll find people who help you. I have a PhD, but many do not take that path, they do AMDA in research instead. However, when I completed my PhD, it opened up prospects for me, and I was able to find a training job in neurology. When I became a consultant in neurology, Competencies I worked for four years in the laboratory and with a large Academic Interests number of patients; these were valuable experiences, though they were difficult at the 75.29% 55.15% time. In the end, difficulties vary from one person's experience to another, and to be able to succeed, you have to be willing to fail. Failure is an unsuccessful attempt. Continuous efforts and attempts equal success. What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? At the undergraduate level, you are looking forward to the future, not expecting what you will be like in the future. People look at the registrar or consultant and think that it is difficult even after graduation, but it is a matter of time, you enter the university, it is easy to graduate from it, but it takes a lot of effort, you need to study for many hours. I believe that the ambition of the student is not limited by anything. First, to strive as much as you can, for example, not to be exposed to supplements that you are interested in. This does not mean that you do not take breaks, but at the same time you have a task as a student who reads and strives. You have an ambition to get higher grades, anyone can do it, people think that only certain people can do it, they can because they are more diligent. If there are courses that students can take, this is excellent, improve them and benefit them in CV, for example, exchange experiences, attend conferences even if it is locally, other things such as interests or hobbies, do research and publish research or participate with people in research.

Neurology Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? I believe it has no influence; for example, if your academic performance is strong, it will make you more driven and happy with your C.V.; yet, I know people who took a supplementary but excelled academically when studying for a postgraduate degree. The entire plot revolves around a person's ambition, one might take a supplementary due to a set of circumstances. I know a lot of successful models and no one knows they've taken a sub. On the contrary, those with high marks may not be as successful because the post-graduate life is completely different and requires a completely different set of skills such as communication and interpersonal relationships in contrast to the undergraduate which is mostly studying and acquiring the patience to learn. Are the salaries satisfactory for this specialty? They vary Interests from place to Competencies place. I worked in Sudan and other countries. The salaries in Academic 55.15% Sudan75.29% so far are not satisfactory (weak), in Saudi Arabia they are excellent, in Britain in general they are satisfactory, but the taxes are high. How to balance other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? The family plays an important role; the wife and children are aware of the circumstances and nature of work during certain periods, such as exams and training, because the work is demanding for you and difficult for the family; however, these periods aren't many, and it is possible to compensate in the weekends and long vacations, so you eventually find time. For example, after completing my Ph.D., I was supposed to pursue a career in academia (as a lecturer at a British university), but this would need extra work. I opted for not choosing this path because I enjoy clinical work and because it allows me to spend more time with my family. How do you deal with patients and co-workers in case of work pressure? In this case, first, priorities must be arranged. Second, good communication and explaining the matter to patients, for example, that an emergency situation has emerged. These cases are not many.

Neurology I graduated in 1992. I completed the housemanship in the period between 1992 to 1994. In 1994 I took MRCP part 1. I completed the mandatory national service as a medical officer, then I traveled to Saudi Arabia, and I stayed there for 9 months. I traveled to Britain. I was planning on taking the MRCP part 2 exam, but instead took the two parts of the PLAB exam (1998-1999). I then worked in hospitals in various subspecialties (the rotation). I took MRCP part 2 in 2001 and then I thought of working in a certain subspecialty, so I started in neurology as a Senior House Officer, then I worked as a research registrar in neurology multiple sclerosis, and completed my PhD in it for 4 years. I applied for a training job in neurology, completed training, then became a consultant in neurology in the same hospital where I trained. Following, I worked in Saudi Arabia at the National Guard Hospital for 8 years, after which I worked in another hospital at the beginning of 2021 until now as a first consultant in neurology multiple sclerosis. How many hours do you work per week? 40 hours a week. How competitive field? Academic Interestsis this Competencies 75.29% 55.15% It varies depending on where you go and when you go. In the United Kingdom, for example, if you did not search for a job, you would not be able to locate one. This was in the early 2000s, but you may still find people who found a job without searching for it. Describe your overall journey with the exams. Income In terms of my own experience, I never considered working outside of Sudan. I believe 34.70% that students should consider where they want to specialize and then decide based upon that. They should also be aware of the requirements, which vary over time, and see what they can do to assist them later on and what could be a nice addition to their C.V., such as conducting research and publishing it. At the undergraduate level, attend local conferences, and continue doing so after graduation while earning a degree, such as a master's or a Ph.D. Any other general advice for students? Medicine is unlike any other career in that you deal with people and their secrets, thus you must be very ethical, honest, driven, and ambitious at all phases of your life. Medicine is also notorious for taking time away from the doctor's social life, although this issue may be resolved by managing time wisely.

Neurology Nephrology Nephrology is a subspecialty of internal medicine concerned with kidney care. Nephrologists are doctors that specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of acute and chronic kidney diseases. They also address related conditions such as elevated blood pressure, fluid retention, and electrolyte and mineral imbalances. Furthermore, these professionals are in charge of renal dialysis — both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis — as well as kidney transplants and follow-up care.

Interview with a nephrologist: Dr. Nihal Mustafa Personal Questions Brief highlight of your C.V. Internal medicine and nephrology specialist Arab Board MD MRCP(UK) Master in Clinical Transplantation, University of Liverpool,UK Academic Interests How does one manage to get through medical school? 75.29% Try to enjoy it as much as you can, because medical school is the literal meaning of the end of the paved road and the start of gravel road. Medical school is your true chance to understand the sciences from the start and to set the basis for practicing medicine. Focus on knowing the normal in every science, so that when you start practicing, you’ll be quick to identify any deviances from the normal. Enjoy these Income years, they are the years in which you are going to make friends that you will 34.70% stick with for the rest of your life, these people will be your colleagues at work 10 to 15 years down the line, they will become the pioneers of your era in practice so make sure you have good relations with them. Also, when you find the opportunity to do any extracurricular activities, do not hesitate to. For example, medical missions (even though I’ve never been on one). Because you end up regretting not doing these things after you graduate. Try to have a clear plan as to what you want to do after graduation from early on, because after graduation and doing your internship, you’re going to be lost if you don’t. You’ll find that other people are ahead of you and you will become frustrated.

Neurology Nephrology What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? specialized in internal medicine, and subspecialized in Nephrology. Internal medicine is a broad specialty meaning you will get to know most things about everything, a little about emergency medicine, managing lethal situations, pathology and many others because at the end of the day, even if you consult other specialties the decision is yours. I like internal medicine because you deal with the patient as a whole, you follow them thoroughly and manage all their problems. Nephrology is a lovely subspecialty because it is very similar to internal medicine but you deal mostly with patients with acute conditions in the hospital setting. You will receive a handful of on-calls which is a bit frustrating when compared with other specialties such as cardiology and rheumatology. But you deal with diabetic, hypertensive patients, patients with cardiac, pulmonary and gastro-intestinal issues, patients other medications besides the ones you prescribe and you have to manage all of these conditions and work with others in a multidisciplinary fashion. When did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize which specialty fits us most? I realized I had a passion for internal medicine when I was doing the internship though throughout my college life, I thought I was going to become a surgeon but that was first year when we were dissecting frogs. Then I realized I can’t put up with seeing Income 34.70% blood and wounds and that dream went to waste. Then I decided I was going to become a pediatric cardiac surgeon like doctor Sulafa, because she was my idol. When I studied pediatrics, I used to study with all my heart because I knew it was going to be my specialty. However, when I was doing my internship rotation I realized that I couldn’t do it. The Obstetrics and Gynecology option was also eliminated. Medicine I liked it, but I wanted to explore more options. So I decided on internal medicine when I was doing my internship. There are two factors you must take into account when deciding on your subspecialty. The first is your love for what you do and the second is the opportunities that come your way. For example you may be okay with surgery and good with patients, history taking and physical examinations but want to apply and find that the vacancies for internal medicine are 40 but for surgery are only 5, which one will you choose? If you love surgery and you don’t mind internal medicine, you will probably chose internal medicine.

Neurology Nephrology For example, if a patient comes in and they have to do renal dialysis, and we have to prepare them physically and emotionally for this procedure, if your counseling is good and they understand that this is the situation and this is what we’re going to do to fix it and they follow your recommendations, it feels good. When I treat a patient successfully, it also feels great, but at the end of the day, medicine has its ups and downs. What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this specialty/wish you had done differently? I don’t regret anything. I think, we look backwards, we see that there are some things we could’ve saved, but there are no regrets. The only thing I wish I had done earlier is the USMLE exam. If you want advice from an older peer, if you’re planning on working outside of Sudan, start studying for the USMLE. You can do the Sudanese, Arab, or UK board exam but the easiest way is taking your STEPs and traveling to America, doing your residency and this way you are certified from a North American country and you don’t needInterests to second in anything else. You can then work in any place you want. But Academic 75.29% overall, I’m happy with where I am. Also as pre-graduates, try to target all conferences and to submit and present abstracts/posters in these conferences, especially the ones in Sudan, those that won’t cost you any travel expenses. These are the types of things that make your C.V. stand out. Research may take you a long while to conduct but posters or abstracts are Income simple, it will become a habit, when you grow up and specialize, you’ll seek bigger 34.70% conferences to submit your work to. You will find opportunities to submit them as posters or an oral presentation which is a great addition to your C.V. and career. Nowadays, conferences are being held virtually so take on these opportunities. You cannot graduate college with two classic start and finish dates, you have to have things you’ve done in between. Unfortunately, when we were pre-graduates we had no one to tell us that. What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? As I’ve mentioned previously, you have to know the normal in all sciences by hear. Master history taking, communication skills, and physical examination. You cannot graduate without knowing these things. Fun fact: you can pass the exams without having these skills.

Nephrology Neurology You will not have good communication skills which is a big no in this field, you will not have an ethical commitment toward patients and you will have bad history-taking skills. In general, work on your C.V., take on positions in KMSA, help in organizing conferences and submit your posters to others. This way you are preparing to apply for your specialty years before so that your C.V. is presentable. So that they’ll choose you out of the 500 others applying for the residency program, regardless of your specialty. They don’t only look at your academic scores. They look for those who have worked in NGOs and other volunteer work such as patient support groups. I didn’t do any of these things when I was in college though. When you’re applying with many other graduates from around the world and they’ve done all these things and all you have is your scores, this is problematic. Also, follow universities from around the world and you will find many opportunities, especially on Twitter. Write keywords in the search bar and follow and Twitter will suggest more. What was the most difficult part of your journey? Exams and night calls. I am not a night person and it’s difficult for me to fall asleep once awaken so night calls were the worst. Academic Interests Does 75.29% your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? Personally, I’ve never taken a sub or repeated a year, but different circumstances happen to different people. We all got in with high marks and if you study you score good marks, it’s as simple as such. It depends on the efforts you put in if you applied Income for a certain program they may ask you what happened. But you have to compensate 34.70% by building up your C.V., maybe you were sick or lost a parent, just be honest. It will not have an effect as long as you prove that you are hard-working. But they do take the percentages of pass to fail very seriously in their programs. Push yourself to compensate in other subjects by getting distinctions, engaging in other activities, and building your C.V. Market yourself in a good way. How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? Very important but you have to know how to balance your time and find motivated people to work with you. What are extracurricular activities students can engage in, that are useful in their C.V. & how do they manage to choose them correctly? Research, support groups for patients, abstracts. Write a book like core for example. Become an MCQ collector. You need certificates, you’ll grow to find out that people don’t care about the science you have in your head, they want to see your certificates

don’t care about the science you have in your head, they want to see your certificates

Nephrology Neurology .

Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this specialty? Basics such as physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology. What are the soft skills you wish you learned during your medical school years? If the university closes use this opportunity to study for the STEP exams. How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? Pursuing medicine comes with a lot of compromises. You end up compromising going out with friends, spending time with your family, and spending your weekends on-call. When COVID-19 hit, everyone was enjoying their stay at home and we had to be at the hospital. But in general, regardless of what you pursue as a career in life, if you don’t work hard, you won’t get what you want. Try to enjoy your life in between, travel every now and then, take good care of yourself exercise and de-stress yourself, and do things that you enjoy. Do you face any difficulties in dealing with coworkers/patients? There are difficulties but communication is key. It solves all your problems, communicate with patients well about their disease and the management and they will be satisfied. Make good relations you’re your colleagues, treat everyone well. Do not be competitive (in an unfriendly way) work on yourself but your main goal is that you and your team succeed in achieving your goals. Try to be as professional as you can. Any other personal experience or advice you would like to share? Catch any opportunity that comes your way, apply for anything and everything Income because you never know, never doubt yourself! I got into nephrology because of a 34.70% suggestion from the head of the education department at the hospital I used to work at, and despite not having all the requirements I was accepted and here I am today. Finally, was the journey worth it? Yes, it was full of tears and all other body fluids but it was definitely worth it. Specialty Questions Duration of residency? 4 years of internal medicine and 3 years of nephrology. How many hours a day do you work? Subspecialty work is less than specialty work but 8-9 on average. How many days per week? This is internally arranged between each department in the hospital. But you get two days off every two weeks at my hospital.

Neurology Nephrology How many on-calls do you get per month? Depends, each week if we are 4 doctors working in a specific department, I get one day call, one night call and one extra. But each hospital has its own protocol. How is the competition for this specialty? It is competitive. Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? Glomerular disease, kidney transplantation, oncology nephrology, pediatric nephrology, palliative care nephrology, hospital-based, transitional care nephrology and others. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? Depending on the reason, if you get overwhelmed with your kids and responsibilities, shift to research, administrative work, medical education, broaden your horizons and take on more opportunities so that you have the luxury of shifting your career later on. Bear in mind that career shifts are usually from the harder to the easier options and not Academic Interests 75.29% vice versa because people shift their careers to find time for themselves usually. You can’t be a surgeon and then decide to be an internist, you won’t be able to go through that many years of training again, it’s doable but hard. National Licensing Exams

Income 34.70%

Which exam have you taken? MRCP part 1 & 2. In your opinion, when is the ideal time to take the exam (in terms of pre or post graduate years)? Definitely take USMLE STEP in any gaps during your college days. STEP 2 is hard and needs more clinical skills, so do it after you graduate. Take MRCP after your internship because it makes it easier. What opportunities does taking this exam provide you with? If you get the chance and you can take the USMLE exams, go for it. It’s great for your knowledge and C.V., even if you don’t travel.

Neurology Nephrology

What are things you wish you had done differently in your overall experience with the exam? Taken the USMLE exam Advice regarding the exam? STEP 1 is going to become pass and fail, so to compensate, you have to have other Academic Interests things75.29% in your C.V. What are the consequences of failing the exam/scoring a bad mark? There aren’t any consequences. The best thing about post-graduate exams is that if you fail no one has to know! No pressure at all. If you pass, you tell people and you celebrate. If you don’t, of course, you lose some of your money and dignity but no one will know. However, you have a limited number of attempts for some exams.Income Just don’t 34.70% make a big announcement about taking your exams so that no one asks.

Pulmonary Medicine Pulmonary Medicine Pulmonology is a branch of internal medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the lungs and upper airways that can be infectious, inflammatory, or malignant in nature. Specialists evaluate arterial blood gas studies and lung function tests. These experts frequently act as consultants to patients who require skilled management of conditions such as pulmonary hypertension, hemoptysis, and pulmonary embolism.

Dr. Hind Abdulsalam Academic Interests Competencies Controllable lifestyles Personal Questions 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work Brief highlight of your C.V. schedules Hind Abdelsalam Alamin Ali. 53.00% E-mail: hindabdelsalamali@gmail.com. Residency: Khartoum, Sudan. Qualifications : Income MBBS, University of Khartoum. 34.70% Family Medicine Diploma, Arab Institute for Continuing Professional Development, 2015. MD in respiratory medicine accredited by Sudan medical specialization Board (SMSB), 2021. BLS & ALS Courses When did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize which specialty fits us most? When I was working with a chest physician, I realized that this is the specialty I want to pursue. I didn't make this decision blindly. If you don't experience work in the specialty, you won't know if it's the appropriate specialty for you, and this experience can be as a pre-graduate or after graduation. However, I believe that after graduation is preferable since you will not be able sit for the respiratory medicine exam until after graduation and housemanship, so there is no rush.

Pulmonary Medicine In my opinion, it is advisable to try work in a particular department for three months before deciding if the specialty is right for you. How did you manage to get through medical school? I studied individually, and then my friends and I group-studied what we thought was challenging. My advise is to not let the lessons pile up on you; instead, after each lecture, you can rehearse in a group or with a friend; this will make studying easier for you. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? What makes your field/specialty stand out? What I enjoy the most is that I can help people at the worst time in their lives. The feeling of shortness of breath is very difficult. When I help a patient in such a moment, I feel so pleased. What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? Academic Interests Competencies One of75.29% the big advantages of 55.15% this specialty here in Sudan is that it's the only specialty you can go for it immediately after general medicine, however in other specialties such as neurology or cardiology, you have to practice general medicine for four years then you can go for your subspecialty, so the way of respiratory medicine is shorter and safes time. The second advantage is that working in this specialty is very Income rewarding, as sometimes you could see the patient’s response almost immediately 34.70% after your intervention. One of the main advantages of this specialty in Sudan is that it is the only specialty that can be pursued immediately after general medicine, whereas other specialties, such as neurology or cardiology, require you to practice general medicine for four years before pursuing your subspecialty, so the path of respiratory medicine is shorter and saves time. The second advantage is that working in this specialty is quite satisfying, since you may sometimes witness the patient's response almost immediately after your intervention. The increased risk of infection, such as pneumonia, COVID, and TB, is a disadvantage. There is a research that studies the incidence of TB among general practitioners and those who practice respiratory medicine, the results were almost same for both, there were no significant differences, however, there's still a high risk of getting infected

Pulmonary Medicine . What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? If you wish to pursue a career in respiratory medicine, the most important subjects to master are physiology and medicine. What was the most difficult part of your journey? The hardest thing for me was deciding on a specialty that I am going to pursue for the rest of my life. How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? The period during which you are a university student is pivotal because it is the period in which your personality are formed and refined. Read about non-medical subjects, engage in events and activities, play sports and learn other languages. Do not limit yourself to the field of medicine only. Try other different things. What are extracurricular activities students can engage in, that are useful in their C.V. & how do they manage to choose them correctly? Academic Interests Competencies You can take online medical courses. 75.29% 55.15% There are universities that open opportunities for free courses such as Harvard and others and following you receive accredited certificates. You can also sit for the IELTS exam, it will of benefit to you in many opportunities, but it becomes invalid in two years, so it is best to sit for the exam upon graduation. If your language needs work, you can take courses in institutes that offer language courses related to the medical field. How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? It's not easy at all, you just have to try to balance between them. How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? It is teamwork, and everyone knows their duty and roles. Even if, for example, there is a patient that you decide to take to the ICU, you will contact them and decide what's best for the patient. When communicating with the patient, you must also provide proper good counseling and explain everything and hide nothing from them. The difficulties may be encountered, for example, if there is a patient diagnosed with bronchogenic carcinoma, those in particular may enter denial and not be easily convinced.

Pulmonary Medicine Your way of handling emergencies and the workload? You start the management, and if you need help, you will call for help, and if the patient needs to be transferred to the ICU, you will call the specialists in the ICU and they will come to take care of the case with you. A message to the 20 years old you? My advice would be to not limit yourself to the field of medicine, read philosophy, poetry, politics, listen to music, travel and discover the things you love. Specialty Questions Describe the overall process to register for the residency? After graduating and completion of the housemanship and national service, you will be able to sit for the respiratory medicine exam, you can register in the Sudanese Medical Specializtion Board for the exam, which is held twice a year, in June and December. Duration of residency? Competencies Academic Interests 75.29% of residency in 55.15% The duration Sudan is 4 years is 12 shifts, the first 5 shifts are general medicine, and the remaining 7 are respiratory medicine. In the UK, the duration is 5 years, 2 general and 3 respiratory. How many days per week? It depends on the unit in which you are distributed, there are some units that work almost daily, and in other units the work may be as short as twice per week. Income 34.70% How many hours a day do you work? It depends on the situation. Some days we don't work, and even on the days we work, it depends if we work in the emergency department, I stay 12 or 24 sometimes. In a normal work day, we work from 8 AM to 3 PM. How many on-calls do you get per month? Obviously, it depends because the on-call here in Sudan is not in all hospitals. For example, it is not found in al-Shaab hospital, but it is in Bahri hospital. It also depends on the number of registrars and can be weekly or once every two weeks. How is the competition for this specialty? Are there many opportunities (in different countries)? Generally, internal medicine in Sudan, including respiratory medicine is very competitive. If 600 people sat for the exam, for example, a quarter of the candidates would pass.

Pulmonary Medicine Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? Plural and interventions, such as bronchoscopy, and so on. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? If you do not find yourself in the speciality you chose - and this is common - it is best to return to what you are certain you will love doing for the rest of your life, even if you have to start over, because you cannot devote all of your time to experimenting different specialties. The problem with respiratory medicine is that the first five shifts are general medicine, and by the time you start chest shifts to see if you like it or not, you're almost on the seventh shift - because even on the sixth shift you won't be very oriented - by that time, it will have been two years, but that's not a problem because losing two years is far better than doing something you really do not enjoy for the rest of your life. Academic Interests 75.29%

Competencies 55.15%

Controllable lifestyles or flexible work schedules 53.00%

Income 34.70%

Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Infectious diseases and tropical medicine is a clinical speciality program concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases caused by pathogenic organisms such as various types of bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungus, and prions.

Interview with specialty doctor: Dr. Sawsan Abdel-Wahab

Personal Questions Brief highlight of your C.V. I am Dr. Sawsan Abdel-Wahab, I am an internal medicine physician, subspecialized in Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine. I graduated from the University of Academic Competencies Controllable KhartoumInterests in 2009, completed my housemanship andlifestyles finished the year of national 75.29% or4flexible work this period I was able service. I then worked as a 55.15% medical officer for years, during schedules to choose the path I wanted to work in, after that 53.00% I decided to do general medicine, I started the medical rotation in 2016 which I finished in 2020. During an internship rotation, I completed the Membership of Royal College of Physicians and also a master’s in in Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine, currently working as a Income specialist in this field in the Omdurman Teaching Hospital for Tropical Diseases. 34.70% What is your journey from graduation till now? I traveled to Saudi Arabia where I planned to stay for a year or two but ended up staying there for longer. The biggest challenge for me was going back to Sudan to complete the internal medicine training. At that time, I’ve started my MRCP. I had an interest in Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine and there is no fellowship program for Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine, the only access to this field was a master’s degree at UMST in the same field. How and when did you realize that this specialty was for you? The demand for a doctor to pick an suitable specialty appears after graduation. I wanted surgery when I graduated, but after completing the housemanship, I discovered that I love medicine, which is a broader and deeper science, the decision was tough for me, so I opted to work in surgery towards the end of my service year to see whether I still wanted surgery. Surgery was nice, but I was not drawn to it.

Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine I found myself in the internal medicine emergency room. In most cases, a person choose the suitable specialty first, and then decides where they want to pursue it. As for me, I chose internal medicine and I wanted to go to the UK and the options available were to take a local exam affiliated to the Sudan Medical Specialization Board, part one, and then rotate, or take the MRCP part one exam, which was available in Sudan. How long is the duration of residency? Approximately 4-5 years in most countries. For example, in South Africa 4 years, in Egypt general medicine is 4 years and if you subspecialize, it becomes 5 years, in the UK 4-5 years. Any soft skills of benefit to the specialty? To be a good listener to the patient and a good communicator as well, because this specialty depends on the history and examination to reach a diagnosis. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? Academic lifestyles The truth Interests is I enjoy all ofCompetencies it but most of allControllable working in the emergency room where a 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work patient comes in with a critical condition -and after a couple of days -leaves, schedules 53.00% healthy. What are the challenges in this specialty? There are times when you don't know what the diagnosis is, and you become irritated because you don't know despite what you learned, but you can handle Incomeit in the end. 34.70% What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? Disadvantages are that it financially unsatisfactory. Because the work is physically, psychologically, and financially draining, and you deal with a large number of patients, it is particularly difficult during the years of rotation. Its advantage is that it is the heart and soul of medicine. What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? I recommend improving your examination skills. If you have time-as a student- visit an emergency room in a nearby hospital to familiarize yourself with the cases. If you have a solid foundation of the basic sciences, building further knowledge upon that will be easier. Internal medicine is mostly about determining the right diagnosis and this can be achieved with good history taking and examination. Attend conferences and do not neglect research.

Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? The highest priority is supposed to be for the academic aspect (lectures and rounds). If you have extra time, engage in extracurricular activities, if you do not, they are not a priority. Research has become a requirement for applying to some countries such as the UK, if you’re going to do anything extracurricular at the undergraduate level, do research. Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? It does not make any difference, exams generally do not determine whether you are a good doctor or not, they are rather a method designed to evaluate you, so whether you pass, fail, or repeat, it is considered an experience for you and it helps consolidates the information. Life before graduation is totally different from life after, if you have the will and desire, you can achieve anything. How to manage other areas of your life Controllable with this specialty? Academic Interests Competencies lifestylesSocial and personal 75.29% 55.15% or flexible life? How do you deal with coworkers and patients andwork what are the difficulties? schedules Regarding your social life, as a doctor, this field will consume most of your time, you 53.00% will often find yourself isolated and without notice, there is no time, but this matter can be dealt with because it is necessary to find time for family and friends because it helps you in facing the pressure of work. Regarding work, try to take a break at Income work and schedule time for yourself during the week. Workplace pressure will be 34.70% challenging for you at first, but with practice, you will be able to handle it. Regarding your colleagues, the work atmosphere makes doctors a little rough in dealing, but you must be respectful to all colleagues, and in return you will find the same. Dealing with patients is fairly simple; you simply explain their health status and reassure them about their situation in simple language. Finally, the work pressure is there, but with time, you can learn to cope with it. Specialty Questions How many hours a day do you work? They vary. Due to the economic condition in Sudan, a doctor is forced to work overtime and in a variety of locations. In the mornings, for example, I work for 6-8 hours at a governmental hospital (3 days a week) in addition to my university job. 3-4 hours more work in clinics.

Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine How many on-calls do you get per month? Honestly, on-calls can be expected at any time of the day especially if a doctor is working at the emergency room but at least 2 on-calls per week. How is the competition for this specialty? The general internal medicine competition is acceptable, but the competition is high in subspecialties, for example in cardiology or gastric diseases abroad. Generally, it is a desirable specialty and a considerable number of doctors sit for the exam. Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? The number of subspecialties ranges between 14 and 15 sub-specializations including Neurology, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Rehabilitation Science, Sexual and Clinical Pathology. Currently available in Sudan (Sudanese Council for Medical Specialties): Endocrinology: 2 years Neurology: 4 years Cardiology: 3 years Academic Interests Competencies Controllable Gastrology: 2 years but will soon become 3 years lifestyles 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work Rheumatology: 2 years schedules A subspecialty which isn’t available in Sudan is53.00% Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine, except for a master's degree offered by the University of Medical Sciences and Technology, but there isn’t a training program offered by the Sudanese Medical Specialization Board. It is, however, available in the UK, USA and Income South Africa. 34.70% Are the salaries satisfying? Not satisfactory in Sudan, in Saudi Arabia, government hospitals pay an internal medicine GP (general practitioner) about 6-7 thousand Saudi Riyals and Specialists from 13-14 thousand Saudi Riyals, the greater the experience, the higher the salary, and also if the doctor subspecialies. In Kuwait internal medicine GPs are payed around 1600 dinars. In the Emirates the highest salaries range from 25-40 thousand UAE Dirham. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? The satisfaction of a doctor is the most important factor. If you feel that a specialization is not fulfilling at any moment, change it immediately. This is something that has happened to many of our colleges who started out in internal medicine but shifted to other specialties and we’ve also had those from other specialties that shifted to internal medicine.

Obstetrics & Gynecology Prior to 1930, these two branches of medicine were completely independent and unequal. Obstetrics was seen as a branch of internal medicine, and surgical departments claimed control over gynecology. OB/GYN physicians provide preventative medicine, deliver new lives, and perform surgery. OB/GYN physicians must be more than simply specialists in the pelvic area and reproductive system; they must also address situations that need highly technical medical and surgical abilities, as well as be sensitive observers who can provide psychological support. Interview with OB/GYN physician: Dr. Doria Elrais Personal Questions Brief highlight of your C.V. I’m Duria Abdelwahab Mohamed Rays. I graduated from Khartoum University in 1990 and specialized in obstetrics and gynecology in 1995 in Khartoum University. Academic Interests Competencies Controllable lifestyles I rotated Bahri Hospital, Aldayat Hospital, Khartoum andwork then Soba hospital. After 75.29% 55.15% or flexible specialization, I worked in Senja Hospital for aschedules year and a half, then Khartoum 53.00% University Hospital for a short period, then to Bahri University for 7 to 8 years then back to Khartoum Hospital for around 12 years. In 2013, we opened Saad Hospital and I work there as a gynecologist currently. I have many managerial experiences, I worked as Head of the Department (2008-2012), as vice dean for a year, vice Income 34.70% head of Khartoum Hospital, head of Saad Hospital (2014-2015), and head of Soba Hospital (2015-2020). I was also involved in the Sudanese Council as head of exam committee, vice head and mo8rr (2003-present day). How did you manage to get through medical school? It was a passion for me and a challenge to succeed. I made it through medical school with the support and trust of my family, the shared loved of my colleagues, our life in the university’s dormitory, extracurricular activities, I considered medicine as my life and I consider college as my second home, those great teachers and doctors are like fathers and mothers (I was sick in 3rd year and I was cared for- for a month and a half).

Obstetrics & Gynecology But even those healthy patients sometimes may go out of hand (I remember a patient with multiple uterine fibrosis who was pregnant and following the cesarean section, she was in severe postpartum hemorrhage and there was nothing we could have done to stop it). In order to save the lives of women in the labor room, you need to work hard for long hours. When did you realize this specialty was for you? My story is a very strange story, I used to hate obstetrics and gynecology in medical school. I did my housemanship in Burry Hospital, I started my housemanship with surgery then medicine then pediatrics and I was going for pediatrics. I worked with Prof. Alzain and it was one of the best experiences I ever had. I started to prepare myself for Pediatrics, I left obstetrics and gynecology as my last option because there was a possibility to take it out of the housemanship. I was working in Burry Hospital and it was the only hospital in Bahri and East Nile localities so each day you see between 500-600 patients in pediatrics, at the same Academic Interests Competencies Controllable lifestyles time we write between 20 to 30 death certificates, samework goes with medicine. When 75.29% 55.15% or flexible schedules it came to obstetrics and gynecology, I found that when a baby dies or when there is 53.00%mourns. I found that life has fresh stillbirth or maternal death, the whole department a value, the more you give, the more likely you are to save the mother’s life. I also noticed that it doesn’t need much investigation, and you have the freedom in decision-making in 90% of investigations, the treatment and management Income 34.70% procedures depend on you as a doctor as well. An obstetrician is a hallmark in the diagnosis of the cases especially in emergency room and labor room. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? Bringing life. What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? Being present at the hospital, at the labor room, and emergency room. Proper physiology, anatomy, pharmacology, and biochemistry (fortunately, our university is very strong in basic sciences). Extracurricular activities are very important for every student, such experiences help you in building your personality, as the curriculum doesn’t help in shaping your personality. Those can range from acting to singing to going on medical missions to teaching to peer education. To me, extracurriculars should account for 20-30% of your time. You should also do hospital attachments as much as possible from an early age.

Obstetrics & Gynecology Any courses/workshops of benefit to the specialty? Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM), and research methodology. What are soft skills you recommend medical students gain? Time management, depending on yourself, adapting to the environment. How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? It’s all about good time management. I divide my life properly between my house, children, family, work, study and travel. I put short and long-term plans regularly and I don’t wait for the last minute to get things done. What is your plan for the future in terms of your medical career? I want to travel abroad. I want to do a master’s degree in medical education. Any other personal experience or advice you would like to share? Please don't waste your time on social media and sleep. Be very social, show some interest inInterests extracurricular activities. Step Controllable out of your comfort Academic Competencies lifestyleszone and norms, do 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work sports. schedules What are the qualifications that the specialty needs? 53.00% You need to have permanent registration and MD part 1. If you want to proceed in obstetrics and gynecology, you need to have some skills like ALSO (Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics and gynecology) or ALS (Advanced Life Support), research methodology and have done an attachment in a general hospital in whichIncome there are 34.70% the four large disciplines like medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics. The specialty requires someone with multiple skills and exposures because it is a dynamic specialty. Specialty Questions Give us a brief overview of the specialty. The obstetrics and gynecology process is the easiest process. It's a specialty that is present in Sudan in the clinical MD in Sudanese Medical Specialization Board, in MRCOG in the UK, part of the STEP exam after STEP 3, and in the Arab boards. It’s easy because it was the first specialty that belonged to Khartoum University in 1993 as part of postgraduate studies. It started as a diploma then a master’s degree then clinical MD (medical doctorate) in Khartoum University, till it moved in 2000 to the Sudanese Medical Specialization Board. Now it’s very easy to make your medical MD clinical rotation and sit for the exam after 4 years. MRCOG is very easy, part 1 exam is available in Sudan, part 2 (written exam) was available in Sudan but isn’t anymore, but part 3 is not available. 79

Obstetrics & Gynecology For the Arab board, part 1 is available in Sudan, the written exam of part 2 is available in Sudan but the OSCE exam is not available. How long is the duration of residency? The majority of the residency programs are from 4 to 5 years, MD in Sudan is 4 years, MRCOG is from 3 to 4 years and it is currently 4 years and the Arab board training is 5 years. In America, it is very different; after you take your clinical certificate (STEP one, two, and three), you choose your specialty and the training is from 5 to 6 years. How many hours do you work? A shift per week which is usually 24 hours. The rest of the week is normal work in emergency room, elective operating theater and teaching sessions (emergencies include labor too). How is the competition for this specialty? It's a highly competitive specialty on all levels. For example, for Sudan MD, from 700 Academic Interests Controllable lifestyles to 800 enroll every year Competencies and around 150 to 200 pass the exam and in part 2 the 75.29% 55.15% or flexible work success percentage was 38% for one of the years. This means that the competition schedules 53.00% is very high but with good preparation and a high standard doctor, everything is easy. Can you tell us about the subspecialties? They are various subspecialties such as fetal-maternal medicine, Income assisted 34.70% reproductive technique (infertility), oncology, vaginal surgery, maternal medicine, fetal medicine, urogyn and fistula repair. Is a fellowship program available for any of those subspecialties in Sudan? Unfortunately, no. Are the salaries satisfying? They are, according to Sudan’s criteria, but majorly from private work. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? Obstetrics and gynecology is one of the most tiresome specialties, it’s very demanding and it sometimes requires full 24-hour work. If you're working places other than Sudan, maybe the situation would be better, because salaries are enough. If you are tired of this demanding work, you can look for subspecialties which make it very easy or you can try the reproductive techniques pathway or teaching or change your line completely but it is very difficult and time consuming.

Psychiatry

Psychiatry is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders such as Personality disorders, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, addiction, dementia, and anxiety. This is an interdisciplinary specialty that is ideal for doctors who want to utilize a wide range of skills—psychosocial, scientific, and clinical. Interview with a Psychiatrist: Dr. Mohamed Abdelbagi Personal Questions Brief highlight of your C.V. Mohamed Interests Abdelbagi HamadAlneel, UofK medical graduate 2009. When I was in Academic 75.29% college, I was one of the founders of MedSIN Sudan, I was in the first team, my role was to recruit other universities, so I would pay them visits to negotiate and explain the constitution of the organization. Our leader was Dr. Ahmed Altahir who later on became IFMSA’s President. I also worked at the university, I used to teach 3rd and 4th year medical students, a teaching assistant at the psychiatry department. I am Income currently working in Dubai, UAE in a hospital called AlAmal. 34.70% How did you manage to get through medical school? In any case, as a psychiatrist, I'm not going to tell you to manage your time wisely. Dean Simonton wrote a book called Genius, Creativity, and Leadership. It's a big book, but it's helpful. This pretty much sums up everything you'll be dealing with in medical school. The whole point is to strike a balance between "what you HAVE to do" and "what you WANT to accomplish," which isn't easy. The majority of those who enter medical school have achieved excellent scores. Those who enroll our medical school have the mindset that they are "Winners" with a strong drive to succeed. The difficulty is that the college experience provides you with considerably more than just academics; it allows you to grow as a person, it enables you to develop yourself and your personality. And hence a question arises, should I learn certain skills and gain certain experience or should I get distinctions and prizes. Can you do both? Let’s assume you need X hours for a distinction, if you can’t devote this time, you won’t get it, (given that everyone has the same level of intellect).

Psychiatry Anyone who reaps prizes is likely to devote more time to their studies than his colleagues. If you opt to become part of organizations, participate in exchange programs, or go on medical missions, chances are you won't be putting in the necessary study hours. Unless you're one of the select few superheroes who can pull off both feats. To summarize, medical school is a difficult experience. It is fair to aim for a distinction, but don’t have the goal of receiving a prize as a metric of your success, don’t be anxious from losing a prize. It is a line on a long C.V. Do not concentrate on becoming #1 in terms of academic achievements, competition is toxic because this doesn’t pay off. Aspire to achieve what is a valuable to you. All of that is a mirage, measuring your self-worth based on getting a distinction/ prize is an illusion. You don’t have to score all distinction. It most certainly is better and nicer, however, it is not a must. The further your college experience becomes as you age, the importance of your transcript decreases. If you recently graduated, your GPA will be important to you. Academic However, Interests once you take a national licensing exam and begin your rotation, your 75.29% transcript will be less important; once you specialize, it won't matter; its importance on your C.V. will be drastically reduced. If you have a master's degree, for example, your potential employer or a person interested in conducting a research with you will want to hear about your master's degree grades, not your bachelor's, and so on. If you have received a prize in pathology, it will have no additional worth. At the end of Income the day, it becomes rather a legacy. 34.70% It is challenging to balance between curricular and extracurricular activities. If I could go back in time and change something about my college experience, I would try to improve my grades in certain subjects, but do I regret not doing so? Absolutely not, because life isn't just anatomy and physiology, you graduate college a human being not a transcript, you need experiences, interpersonal skills, and the ability to interact with a variety of individuals. There are other aspects of life to consider, such as networking and obtaining administrative expertise, being able to cope with stress and multitasking. You graduate a doctor but you still have to see people every day, teach them, you also have a family. If I am going to give advice, it would be to try your best, as early on as possible to determine what matters most to you, determine your priorities. Make a network and gain the skills that you need beside knowledge and focus on them. For example, if you want to get into the research field, build a C.V. with researches, along with language and managerial skills.

Psychiatry What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? Psychiatry lies in a gray area at the intersection of many scientific fields. It lies in medicine in a ground where it connects basic sciences with the clinical sciences. You need mastery of physiology and neurology. You also need psychological theories. It requires for a doctor to have clinical experience. Psychiatry, in a formal way serves one patient but in reality, you are serving a whole family. When you are treating a depressed patient in a hospital, after 2-3 days of a patient being admitted, the family thanks you for bringing back the old version of the patients. So the people whose quality of life improved are not only the patient but his family and friends. The patient at that time hasn’t even been fully recovered. This is important when you want to assess your impact-as a doctor- on society and the outcomes of your service. So a question arises “does being a psychiatrist have a good outcome?”. In psychiatry, Academic Interests your outcomes might not physically tangible, although they are rather implicit, they 75.29% are of great significance. The second thing is (and this is a philosophical point), psychiatry is the only specialty that deals with humans as human being and not as a collection of organs. You can always imagine someone who had a kidney transplant and yet they are still-more or less-the same person they were before the operation (that is, apart from the Income complications related to the procedure). But a depressed, a manic, a social phobic, 34.70% an anxious patient or a patient with PTSD is not the same person after treatment. This makes psychiatry a specialty for students/doctors that have the ability to value this, that they’re changing people’s lives. The third feature of psychiatry is that it is one of those fields that allows you to explore other fields such as sociology, psychology, and sciences that deal with the structure of the healthcare system and the distribution of services in society. As a psychiatrist, you have valuable insight on everything happening in your society and the neighboring countries for examples refugees from Ethiopia subjected to human trafficking. I’ve worked in an addiction center. We’ve worked with drug control police and the department of criminal evidence. You also experience working in forensic medicine, the murders you see in newspapers, they are brought in for assessment, so as one of our doctors says, we know everything there is to know about our society, we are the secret keepers of society. This makes the ethical consideration in psychology a very big deal.

society, we are the secret keepers of society. This makes the ethical consideration in psychology a very big deal.

Psychiatry What I would like to emphasize is that psychiatry is a clinical specialty but you will never get bored or lose interest, every case is unique. You’ll meet everyone in society. Of course, these people go to other doctors but they don’t go about telling other doctors the details of their lives, this is a huge responsibility that you need to handle with care. You always have something to read about and something to learn. There are primarily two disadvantages. The first is stigma, which is a social construct that exists alongside others such as societal norms and is declining, as seen. People currently visit psychiatrists with the complaint of having social anxiety, which is linked to performance anxiety, and they've heard about serotonin reuptake inhibitors and believe they may need to take them. In Sudan, we are making progress in this area. The second factor is the field's level of scientific advancement. There is a lot that humans don't know about the brain, whether it's genetics, neurology, or functional imaging. A lot of research is needed in these areas. If you are looking to pursue a career in research, psychiatry is also for you, psychiatry is also a good choice. Academic Interests The more you raise awareness about psychological disorders, the less stigmatized 75.29% society becomes and patients become more open to receiving treatment and hence, contribute to the development of the field. It is worth mentioning that the ailments are called psychological disorders or syndromes, not diseases. Our diagnostic measures do not give us a definite diagnosis such as in pathology where you observe things under the microscope. This makes the clinical setting more important Income in psychiatry. 34.70% Another question I am often asked is that if psychiatrists become patients themselves towards the end of their career and I would answer “do orthopedic doctors get their tibia fractured?”, “do obstetricians get pregnant?” and the idea of this question stems from two factors, a vulnerability people feel towards psychiatrists, that is to say when you visit a psychiatrist, you are telling this foreigner things you’ve never told anyone else, your disappointments, frustrations, and hopes and dreams, developing feelings and sentiments towards this individual that you wouldn’t need to otherwise build with any other doctor and so patients feel compelled to humanize this expert who knows everything. In life, you may encounter a surgeon that has anxiety but you wouldn’t associate surgery with anxiety but if you see a psychiatrist with breathlessness, you automatically assume (s)he has anxiety The second factor is the media, doctors are portrayed in many novels and movies because these type of stories sell, particularly when the doctors are corrupt, which sells even more since it is very unexpected and the writers need plot twists and unexpected turns of events.

Psychiatry The television series Doctor House is built upon the ethics, norms and behaviors of doctors, Dr. House is an intelligent doctor who defies society paradigm for a doctor. So the point is that it is normal that they may have any disorders since they are no exceptions to the general population. More so than others? I wouldn’t know but they are not immune, that’s for sure. Fortunately, psychiatric disorders are not communicable. What was the most difficult part of your journey? To each their own, everyone has their own journey. Before the MBBS, you are swimming in a river from a certain origin to a certain destination, when you are given your MBBS degree, it is as if you’ve reached the sea. When you reach the sea, you can swim at any speed in any direction, there is no right or wrong, there are only personal preferences. There is no lesson to be learnt from the journey of one of your seniors unless you’ve made similar choices. I would argue that life is very complicated, some people find certain opportunities in specialties they don’t really Academic Interests 75.29% for but because these were the available/accessible options, they have a passion pursued them, so choosing a specialty is dependent upon many factors. A person might want to stay with their family, and if their family lives in country X, they may want to find a specialty that is available in that country. The most difficult part of the journey would be deciding on a specialty based on the opportunities available while taking into consideration all that is possible and all that you hope for. My adviceIncome is to 34.70% balance between idealism and pragmatism. Any other personal advice or experience you would like to share? As your senior and a psychiatrist, I would advise you to ask more questions about yourself, your likes and dislikes, what you like and don't like, what you enjoy and don't like, what you have a passion for, and what you wouldn't mind doing even if you were exhausted and out of energy. If you're going to put in any effort, make it towards understanding yourself, because if you realize you want to work at "Melik Almenga," then that's precisely where you should be! You are what you’re good at. Personality tests are only guidelines, in a sense. Contemplate how you can make your life more meaningful to you and pursue a career in a specialty that allows you to do so. Finally, don't ever let your specialty or profession define you.

Psychiatry When did you realize psychiatry was for you? How can we realize a specialty is for us? There are two factors, your passion towards the specialty and the type of educational experience that you've received. I conducted a literature review on the subject and turns out most people have a specific mental image about a certain specialty, maybe of someone they admire. This picture is then accompanied by their respective experience in this specialty and the experience either enforces it or the contradicts it. It depends on your learning experience, if the teacher makes you hate the subject, then you probably will not pursue this specialty. Let’s say you have a shortlist of 3 or 4 specialties, what you should do next is an enrichment activity. Try to live the life of a person specialized in this specialty, try this in 4th or 5th year. Stay at a hospital practicing that specialty for 24 hours-in the ER- because rounds do not fully reflect the practice. Do not think of it as a requirement, think of it as a means to Academic Interests include/exclude this specialty. Separate anything personal or anything that has to do 75.29% with the system from the practice of this specialty. For example, if you went and found that children are dying because there is a power outage, you can’t hate pediatrics. Imagine yourself leading the experience of a specialist. What usually makes people want to pursue a career in a certain specialty is that one of their parents is working in that specialty, because they know what time they come home, Income their working hours and the ins and outs of the specialty, they know exactly what to 34.70% expect so it’s the easiest pathway for them. Take 8 hours in the morning, the next day in the afternoon, and the next stay overnight at the hospital. The psychiatry rounds are disorders based not patients based. How many medical missions have you been on? Not many, however, I went on many medical days. I have a personal opinion that medical missions aren’t the best service our students can offer their community. It gives this sense of the “white man burden” and I think people should go and read about this concept. How many days do you were per week/ hours a day/ on calls per month? The answers to these questions are dependent upon many factors. In general, if you work in the Emergency Room or the Intensive Care Unit, this are the toughest places to work in. Orthopedics and Surgery likewise. In psychiatry, the stress of losing a patient’s life is minimal compared to other specialties such as Emergency medicine.

Psychiatry There are two factors, your passion towards the specialty and the type of educational experience that you've received. I conducted a literature review on the subject and turns out most people have a specific mental image about a certain specialty, maybe of someone they admire. This picture is then accompanied by their respective experience in this specialty and the experience either enforces it or the contradicts it. It depends on your learning experience, if the teacher makes you hate the subject, then you probably will not pursue this specialty. Let’s say you have a shortlist of 3 or 4 specialties, what you should do next is an enrichment activity. Try to live the life of a person specialized in this specialty, try this in 4th or 5th year. Stay at a hospital practicing that specialty for 24 hours-in the ER- because rounds do not fully reflect the practice. Do not think of it as a requirement, think of it as a means to include/exclude this specialty. Separate anything personal or anything that has to do with the system from the practice of this specialty. For example, if you went and found that children are dying because there is a power outage, you can’t hate Academic Interests pediatrics. Imagine yourself leading the experience of a specialist. What usually 75.29% makes people want to pursue a career in a certain specialty is that one of their parents is working in that specialty, because they know what time they come home, their working hours and the ins and outs of the specialty, they know exactly what to expect so it’s the easiest pathway for them. Take 8 hours in the morning, the next day in the afternoon, and the next stay overnight at the hospital. The psychiatry rounds Income 34.70% are disorders based not patients based. How many medical missions have you been on? Not many, however, I went on many medical days. I have a personal opinion that medical missions aren’t the best service our students can offer their community. It gives this sense of the “white man burden” and I think people should go and read about this concept. How many days do you were per week/ hours a day/ on calls per month? The answers to these questions are dependent upon many factors. In general, if you work in the Emergency Room or the Intensive Care Unit, this are the toughest places to work in. Orthopedics and Surgery likewise. In psychiatry, the stress of losing a patient’s life is minimal compared to other specialties such as Emergency medicine. You don’t go home worried about any of your patients’ physical health, whereas if you were a surgeon, you might be worried. But of course, it has its own challenges, like making legal reports about the psychological states of the patients for the cou

Psychiatry rt. You are also involved in difficult conversations, for example one time a medical student came in and was diagnosed with schizophrenia and we told his father to consider the possibility of dropping him out of medical school and it was disheartening to the father because his son was smart and he payed a lot of money for his education. Can you name some of the subspecialties of your specialty? General adult psychiatry Child psychiatry Old age psychiatry Intellectual disability Forensic psychiatry Substance use psychiatry Psychotherapy Academic Interests specialty? Is this a high-paying 75.29% This question is misleading, when you chose to become a doctor, you chose the status and the service, not the pay. Doctors lie in the higher middle class, you are not exactly payed to travel the world, a couple countries each year. It is also an ethical dilemma, from the aspect of if your main drive is earning money, this may lead you to do dirty things to earn money such as not giving each patient enough time, Income prescribing certain drugs and certain investigations in certain labs you have deals 34.70% with. The healthcare system service is a service at the end of the day and if the country is able to provide such money for these workers, it would be better for the community. However, generally, the pay mostly depends on your level of expertise not the specific specialty, consultants of all specialties will have the best pay. Also, when you work in private hospitals, those pay you very well.

Psychiatry Dr. Magdi Ishag

Interview with a Psychiatrist: Dr. Magdi Ishag Personal Questions Brief highlight of your C.V. My name is Dr. Magdi Ishag Ahmed. I am a Consultant Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and an International Member of the American Psychiatric Association. I am interested in medical therapy and am training at Gottman Institute of Medical Therapy in America. I currently work as a Consultant Psychiatrist at National Guard Hospital in Saudi Arabia. Academic Interests How did you manage to get through medical school? 75.29% I struggled through my medical school because honestly, I was too involved in a lot of activities. I was more interested in politics, entertainment and cultural and social activities. I repeated my fourth year, and before graduation in sixth year I had to take a supplementary exam. When I failed my exam, the most painful thing for me was that I would leave my colleagues, be one year behind them and miss being part of Income their social life. I was more worried about that than my academics. However, I34.70% don't think the reason I repeated a year was because of participating in too many activities, because you can easily balance between whatever extracurricular activities you are doing and your academics if you want to. But at that time, I think I didn't realize the importance of how to get the balance between them. But nevertheless, I don't regret any minute of my extracurricular activities, and emphasize that it is really important for anyone in their medical school years to get involved in them, because these activities can open your mind, develop your personality and allow you to create your own version of life, so they are important. Don’t be purely academic, and open your mind to all these horizons. There are a lot of opportunities and I enjoyed every part of that experience: the academic, the extracurricular and the social life and I think it was really rich and helped to shape my personality to the way I am now.

that experience: the academic, the extracurricular and the social life and I think it was really rich and helped to shape my personality to the way I am now

Psychiatry . What is your journey from graduation till now? It was a very interesting journey; l had never thought about leaving Sudan. Unfortunately, the year when I was preparing with my consultants at that time Dr. Abdulaziz and Dr. Hasabo to do the local MD, which I was supposed to be in the first batch of, was also the same year when the ‘Inqaz’ takeover happened, and I was arrested for one year. When I came out of prison, I found that the selection process of the first batch had been completed. I was quite angry about what happened, because I had even tried to apply again, but the political situation did not allow me to. Yet, I remember our teacher Dr. Ahmed Osman Sirag (God rest his soul) who knew that I was interested in psychiatry. He said to me "Magdi, don't try to fight for your position here, because at the end of the day they can affect or even stop your career - go to the UK." and that's what happened. I was married and my wife was a sixthyear medical student in Bulgaria so we went to the UK together, and there I applied for a clinical attachment with a Sudanese doctor Dr. Ibrahim Omer Awad (God rest his soul). He was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at El Fasher University before his Academic Interests death.75.29% I did my training with him and did my registration in the UK. I worked in the UK between 1992-2006 and then decided to return to Sudan to settle there. Unfortunately, there were no jobs for consultants and I in particular did not have the opportunity to be appointed within the ministry for political reasons so I applied for university jobs. In most universities there were no opportunities, but I Income found a position as Assistant Professor in Mamoun Himeida University and worked 34.70% with them for about one year and a half until 2009. However, I faced financial issues. l had my private clinic but it wasn't enough so after 4 years, in around 2010, I had to return to the UK. I stayed there for about 2 years and my financial issues just got worse and my wife wanted to go somewhere where she could practice public health. We found this opportunity in Saudi Arabia - we went there and she started working in Almalik Faisal University as a lecturer, and I started working in Alhars Alwatani (National Guard Hospital) as a psychiatrist. I was the Program Director of the training there, the best program in the Eastern Region for three years consecutively so we did not participate for the fourth time. Through all of this, I have been trying to continue my training in my area of interest which is medical therapy with Gottman Institute of Medical Therapy. I have done the first four of the five parts, and the remaining one is the last part about medical therapy of couples. I stopped there about 5 years into the training and hope to do it so I can complete the entire training.

Psychiatry As I have aged, I have never stopped training. I started my medical therapy training when I was 55 years old. In the UK, I worked in general with other psychiatrics and I had an opportunity to train with a family therapist for 2 years. This gave me very good experiences in medical therapy but till now, I am working to complete the training and get the degree and become a member of the Gottman Institute of Medical Therapy in the USA. I am now 62 years old, so age does not matter. Through this journey I have always had, as I mentioned before, my interest in politics and medical therapy. I published 2 books: The Revolution from the Perspective of Political Psychology and The Reality of Sudanese Women: Issues of Love and Marriage, both of which can be found in bookstores. There were hard periods and stages like when I was waiting for my supplementary exam. In my third year, we were arrested during the reign of Nimeiri, and the Khartoum University Union was with us. The head of the union was Omar Al-Diqair. The revolution rose up and overthrew Nimeiri's ruling and we were released. Academic Interests Academically, 75.29% professionally and politically, I feel satisfied with what I did, and I wish I had the chance to offer more and more. When I got out of prison, I felt like I had lost a part of my life and my colleagues had gone on and I had been left behind them, and I could not catch up with them. All of these could have been reasons for me to fail, but you can't imagine the feeling you get when your professor says to you, "don't let anger and frustration control you." And so, I went to Britain and specializedIncome there. I 34.70% believe that God arranged that for me because I had lost my specialization in Sudan because of my arrest, but He provided me with another opportunity, which was bigger and more beautiful. You don't ever know what is around the corner. Work with what is available to you and optimism is always good. Hope for the best and you shall find it. What in your opinion are the advantages/disadvantages, the (pros/cons) of your specialty? If I could go back in time again, I would still become a psychiatrist. The advantages of being a psychiatrist is that it is the only specialty where you get to use your own presence as a therapist as a tool. You should be a human to be a psychiatrist, to improve your capabilities you should be a good listener and a caring person. For example, in surgery you mainly need your skills and knowledge.

Psychiatry That does not mean that you don't need your personality in other specialties, but in psychiatry you need it more. Here you don't deal with one organ or one system, you deal with the whole human being: their life, their interactions, their family, and that is the beauty of it. Another beautiful thing is helping people, listening to their problems and releasing their depression, like reuniting a family together again to be better than before. The disadvantage is difficulty having time of your own for your family, so you should strike a balance between them. When did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize which specialty fits us most? Before I got into medical school, I knew that I would become a psychiatrist. How? Because I liked to read about human life, women's positions, social confidence, etc. From that period onwards, that was my interest and even in my medical journey, I was always thinking beyond symptoms, beyond the organs. I wanted something to do with the human being as a whole, thinking about other environmental factors, like Academic Interests how the patient deals with their finances, with their career and so on, and that 75.29% increased throughout medical school. Health is not just absence from physical disorders, we should care about the mental situation, enjoy the mental and social well-being, and that is what I care about. I always believe that physical medications are not enough, we need more care beyond that. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? What makes their field/specialty Income 34.70% stand out? When you’re able to heal a broken heart, when you help someone to see the light at the end of the tunnel. What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this specialty/ wish you had done differently? I wish I knew that I could balancze between my academic and extracurricular activities. The aspects of your life should go in harmony, you should give everything its own time, organize yourself and enjoy what you do. What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path into this specialty? Don't limit yourself to your academic pathway, open your mind to every activity in life, look into charitable work, look for people suffering, be close to them, don’t just have academic skills, gain some personality development skills that will help you become closer to your patients.

Psychiatry I think a good doctor is a humble person who should not feel different from their patients - feel them, that makes you a good person. Think about improving your personality with these activities and that should go side-by-side with your academics. What was the most difficult part of your journey? When life forces me to leave my country. Many years of being away from home, away from being able to give to your students, your patients, your family. Your family, that is the most painful part. Were the salaries during your residency satisfying? You, being Sudanese, will always have an extended family. You always have a country which is suffering, no matter how much your income is. You can spend it to survive, support yourself and support your family. You always need to find a balance, it is doable, you can cope and you can help to support others. With the minimum you can afford the basics, but basics and good enough for you to continue without worry. Academic Interests Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a 75.29% year)? At the end of the day, we can't say it's not important. It's important because it will reduce the amount of work you have to put in when preparing for your specialty. I struggled a lot when I came to read the basic sciences again, because I had initially read just for the sake of passing the exam. The only issue is that when I cameIncome to 34.70% specialize, I had to put in double the effort. I didn't get my specialty itself the first time I applied for it. Maybe if I had already studied well that could’ve helped me to pass from the first try. But, even if you don’t manage to do well during your university studies, that doesn't mean you can't catch up. You can compensate but you need to put in extra effort. How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? They are as important as your academic activities. The way that I am now as a psychiatrist, isn’t a result of only my academic activities, but also due to my understanding of my society, my culture, my people as well as conflict and dynamics between men and women and their perception of each other. Also, my understanding of how society sees people and sees women, my art, my understanding of everything - that all developed due to my participation in activities. Taking part in this incredible work brought me closer to people so I was able to see human suffering, and understand that the true job of a physician is somebody who helps to heal those suffering.

Psychiatry You need to develop your personality to be a good physician. When we need a good psychiatrist or a good physician in general, we don't want to meet somebody who has memorized Levinson or Harper or Gannon. We don't need a computer, we need somebody who has got a heart, loves people, cares about people and is able to understand their personality and culture. You are not going to find this in your academics. What are extracurricular activities students can engage in that are useful in their C.V. and how should they choose them correctly? The most important type of activity is charitable work, because it will make you kind and closer to people who are suffering. Working with elderly people, those with learning disabilities and generally with disadvantaged people, doing any activities in which human suffering is involved is good for your own self, for your own career, your personality and your CV. On top of that, you have to engage in and enjoy your Academic Interests own personal extracurricular activities. To fulfill your own feelings and your own 75.29% needs, whether you are interested in music, art, painting or reading. This is food for yourself to continue and to survive. When I was in university, we had a lot of mental health organizations: the Mental Health Association; the Family, Childhood and Motherhood Association and the Culture and Health Education Association. We used to organise medical convoys, we had a college week every year, we held a college Income exhibition in one of the cities of Sudan. We had the Music and Theater Association 34.70% the college was as good as Souk Okaz and was in constant movement during periodic activities. We all created beautiful relations between us and so far, we have not separated, we are all together as a batch that is still continuously supporting one another, and this is very important. We work as families together. Because of extracurricular activities, we remained like brothers. If you need any kind of support, you directly think about your brothers and sisters who were with you in college, so medical school was very rich and now it has filled our life with a lot of experience, a lot of social support and a network. We gained a lot of friends, male and female, and these relationships extend to our families up until today, they developed our awareness and understanding. So, you will miss out on a lot if you graduate with a Bachelor’s without developing your personality and enriching your social life and relationships.

relationships.

Psychiatry What can we do right now as (pre)clinical students do to learn more about your specialty/field? I think nowadays it is becoming much easier to learn compared to before. You can easily Google it or you can go on YouTube. You can also easily ask, so there are more opportunities for people to know about psychiatry, and if you would like to know the basic knowledge about psychiatric disorders you can just type in any word and you will find a lot of information about it, so I think that’s the best way how to know more about the specialty. When you see any patient, at least think about the social and psychological issues behind their presentation, and trying to go and read about those reasons that will make you a better physician. Even if you become a cardiologist or neurologist specialist, at the end of the day when you know the psychological and social side of the individual who you are treating that will help them to get better and get cured better. To learn more from now onwards, start to Academic Interests look into the other psychological and social issues. 75.29% Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this specialty? You need to be a good observer of your personality; you need to sit and revise yourself and how much of a human being you are. This specialty needs somebody who really cares about other people and you need to learn about your negative aspects - your weaknesses - to develop them, because you don't want to project Income 34.70% any of your weaknesses onto the patient who comes to you and needs your support. They need somebody who is able to protect them from their anger, somebody who's able to cope with their anxiety and their weaknesses. They aren’t able to cope with their pain, and need you to offer them support, and they can't cope with somebody who's already damaged or tired and cannot do it. You can only do it by knowing yourself, developing yourself and becoming a better person so to be a good psychiatrist you should do that every day. You should see how negative you were, how harmful you were, how toxic you were and how you can improve things. Because, if you don't do that one day, you will find yourself developing a lot of bad habits without you realizing it. When you are upset about something, don't project. Don't put the blame on others, don't put the blame on the situation, ask yourself how much responsibility you have and what you can do differently to make this better. Learn to develop yourself as a person, through a lot of techniques and a lot of ways, but master of the technique of becoming a better person every day, and more of a human being that is needed.

Psychiatry Any courses/workshops of benefit to the specialty? I don't know of any specific ones, but you can easily search for them on Google What are the soft skills you wish you had learned during your medical school years? The skills of being able to be objective about yourself and filter the negative and the positive of your personality and improve it, those are the most important ones. Special programs and other initiatives that students can be part of if they decide to go for a certain specialty? I don't recommend a certain program, but I think there are a lot of charitable organizations that can help you to develop, and at the same time there are a lot of available resources on Psypress for everyone who wants to pursue a career in Academic psychiatry,Interests and they will give you good advice about it. 75.29% How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? It's not easy. Especially when you are a psychiatrist, you find somebody asking about a problem, difficulty or advice in every corner. What I always try to do is make protected time. I have protected time for my family, when I don't have any clinics or Income have work over Zoom or in Skype. During this time, I don't take any calls. I also34.70% have quality time when I do my own readings, so as I told you, it’s just a matter of organization by having protected time for each activity. How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? With other team members, I think the most important thing is respect. Unfortunately, we come from a culturally-influenced ideology and believe that doctors are always right, and we ignore other health fields and specialties, and everyone thinks you are the one who has all the knowledge. So first of all, you have to be able to respect that everyone has got something to offer, and you have to listen to them. To be a good listener you have to respect what they offer to you and that will allow you to work with them and be a good team player. For your patients, I think they would always expect you to be humble enough, to show them that you are a human being, you are not somebody who is coming from another planet and you are not different from them. So be humble, be down to earth, and that will make you a good doctor who will be able to communicate and convey any management plan to your patient.

Psychiatry My plan is to go into full retirement, where I will provide more-or-less free counseling for medical therapy in Sudan, and spend the rest of my life teaching medical therapy to doctors and running charitable organizations, to support men and women in developing a happy medical life. I have plans for teaching and training people to give free medical counseling to others, to give them information before managing how they can have a normal happy life. So, my working career is more-or-less coming to its peak as a paid job, and I'm looking to go into retirement and do charitable work for free. Your way of handling emergencies and the workload? Generally speaking, I think it's always necessary to learn your capabilities and your limitations. If I had to do something exceeding what I am capable to work with, either because of an unexpected emergency or because there is just too much work, I share this Interests experience with my other colleagues and see how can they help. I always Academic believe that when you inform others, either they will share your responsibilities or will 75.29% offer you helpful advice, and you will be able to deal with the situation in a better way. Any other personal experience or advice you would like to share? Nothing specifically, but we have talked a lot about this before. Income 34.70% A message to the 20-year-old you? To the 20-year -old me: life is in front of you, don’t worry if you don't know what you want to do with your career as a physician. Try to be open minded, but the most important thing you have to learn is how to evolve your own personality. A good physician is a physician who is a human being, who is humble, who cares. Don't forget that this is very important, and you will develop it through charitable work and working with people but don't allow extracurricular activities to be at the expense of your academic activity. Get the balance right, and you will be successful. Finally, was the journey worth it? It was really worth it. I loved every single part of it. I enjoyed every minute of it. I have been through a lot of nice experiences. I had a difficult time - yes, I went through a time when I felt really helpless and hopeless, but overall, I managed to get through it, and I have got a lot of nice memories, from people I work with, from patients and from situations. I managed to get over everything and I feel really feeling happy and satisfied.

Psychiatry I have enjoyed every minute of being a psychiatrist, medical student, trainee and a consultant psychiatrist in every phase. I managed to enjoy these phases, and I believe that I am blessed with that and I thank God for this. Specialty Questions Describe the overall process to register for the residency. To train in the UK, you need to sit for your MRCPsych. After you pass the MRCPsych, you apply to become a specialist registrar and do your sub-specialty. You need to spend about one year in psychiatry to sit for part one and two years to sit for part two. However, this was in the past and the system has changed now so you can discuss this with someone from the younger generation if you are interested. What qualifications does the specialty need? To be a suitable candidate for a higher senior consultant job, you need to do your membership exam, then specialist training – earlier known as senior registrar training. Academic Interests 75.29% How long was the duration of your residency (Sudan/UK/USA...etc.)? Early on in the UK, it was a training program ran by hospitals recognized by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. For the membership you do 3 years, one year before part one and two years before part two. How many hours a day do you work? Income The international standard of 8 hours a day, but these 8 hours will be divided 34.70% according to your subspecialty and it is about 10 sessions a week. Regarding on call, you can have, for example, one-in-three or one-in-four - that means how many times that you're on call during the week or the month. While in Royal College, you attend a session for your academic development, a session for training others and one for your research and personal development, so the 10 sessions a week is not just for clinical work. How many days per week? 5 days a week, but when you are on call you can do the weekend as well. My job is a one-in-four, which means doing one week of on call every month throughout the week. How many on calls do you get per month? One-in-four: that means seven nights per month. It depends on the hospital and the number of consultants you are working with; it could be one-in-three, one-in-four, or one-in-five.

Psychiatry How is the competition for this specialty? Psychiatry still has a lot of opportunities, because it is still a developing specialty and there is a shortage of psychiatrists. In the UK there is also still high demand for psychiatrists, as well as in the USA. In Sudan, there is a big gap - a huge need for more psychiatrists - for example, all of Darfur state has only one psychiatrist. So, there is a need for so many doctors to go for this specialty. Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? Adult Psychiatry, Learning Disabilities, Child Psychiatry, Liaison Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, Psychotherapy How much were you paid during your internship and residency? How much are registrars in your specialty paid (the range if not exactly)? In the UK you don’t pay, but they give you a salary because you’re working as a trainee – early on you were paid about £2,500, you only pay for the exam. Academic Interests 75.29% If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? Don’t rush to go into specialization before you have done 1 or 2 years in all the specialties you are interested in, so until after you do your internship. That will reduce the chance of selecting the wrong one. But, if you make your choice and you go into Income a specialty then you find that it is not suitable for you, try to fill the gap between this 34.70% specialty and another one through your subspecialty. For example, if you do psychiatry but find that you are more interested in medicine, you can think of doing a subspecialty called Liaison Psychiatry – a subspecialty that deals with medically ill people who have got psychiatric symptoms - so you need to have basic knowledge in medicine and know a lot of psychology, and should have MRCP and FRCP so you can bridge the two. But, if your interests have been built in a completely different specialty and you cannot bridge between the two, it is not a good idea to continue that route for the whole of your life - you can stop and shift to a different specialty. National Licensing Exams Describe your journey with the exam/ when did you start? Why did you choose this exam in particular? You will have to go and ask about the new generation about this because everything has changed, but in general, I attained my membership at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. In our time, there were two types of the exam, Part I and Part II.

Psychiatry You do the first part after gaining one to two years of experience in psychiatry. The second part is done after doing three years in psychiatry. The first part had both paper and oral components and the second part is split into three: two papers MCQs, long cases and critical appraisal, and a clinical part divided into two parts - a long case and patient management. That was in our time, and now it seems that there are completely different parts all together. In your opinion, when is the ideal time to take the exam (in terms of pre or post graduate years)? Other exams like USMLE can be done before graduation, but membership is different as you have to do it after graduation. What opportunities does taking this exam provide you with? Being a psychiatrist in medical therapy which has enabled me to fulfill my dreams. Academic What do weInterests need to do in our college life to help us have a better chance to pass 75.29% the international exams? To learn how to manage your time, because the attitude of waiting for the last minute or over-doing it is not going to work. What are things you wish you had done differently in your overall experience with the exam? Income As I said earlier, time management. 34.70% Studying tips? Important resources to study from? There are now a lot more available and new resources in comparison to our time. What are the consequences of failing the exam/scoring a bad mark? It might have a negative impact if you allow that to affect you, but it can be positive if it makes you motivated to get over it. It depends on your reaction, either you accept that you are a failure or motivate yourself to do better and I think for me, when I failed my exam, it motivated me to do better, and helped me to do better in my life

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Dermatology The integumentary system is the largest of all body systems, can present with a wide range of diseases. Dermatology is a specialty concerned with the skin and all its diseases and is a considerably broader specialty than most people know, spanning from the management of benign skin conditions and cosmetics to the treatment of skin tumors employing complex surgical methods. Because many skin diseases are indications of internal, systemic issues, it is a specialty that is inextricably linked with the concepts of internal medicine. Interview with dermatologist: Dr. Loai Brief highlights of the C.V MBBS University of Khartoum 2009 Houseman 2010 MRCS Part 1 2011 Academic MRCS Interests Part 2 2012 75.29%Officer Psychiatric department 2011-2013 Medical Medical Officer in Saudi Arabia 2013 Master Degree in Physiology- University of AlRibat (2015-2017) MD dermatology (2015-2020) Teaching assistant in Ibn Sina University (2015-2017) Income Lecturer in Ahfad University for Women and Karari University. 34.70% Master degree in Medical Education AlNeelain University (2018-2020) Dermatology Assistant Professor in Karari University (currently) Membership in the American Academy of Aesthetic dermatology 2021. Member of the Canadian Aesthetic Association 2021 Published paper in physiology about vitamin D and Skin Color. Currently working on a case report about stem cell therapy in Surgical repair. Specialty Questions Describe the overall process to register for residency? I have the clinical dermatology MD in Sudan Medical Specialization board. Did the first part in 2013 and after that, I started a 4-year training. To be registered in Sudan Medical Specialization Board you must finish your medical years in university and receive your MBBS certification, have the permanent medical registration and finally acquire the first part certificate.

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Dermatology What is the duration of residency? The duration of residency differs between specialties, the training in Sudan is 4 years long. How many days a week do you work and how many hours? How many on-calls? In dermatology it's about 3 hours, 2 days a week (maximum 3 days a week) in an outpatient clinic for 4 years, the on-call nights are few to none and you work as a referral or in the minor theater till 12 AM maximum. How competitive is the specialty? Competition in dermatology here in Sudan is not significant but recently has been increasing. Recently, I’ve heard about 400 sat for the first exam and about only 20 were chosen. Can you name subspecialties of your specialty? General dermatology Andrology Academic Interests Aesthetics 75.29% Hair Pediatric dermatology Laser dermatology (which is a sub subspecialties of aesthetic)

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If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves Income in the 34.70% specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? You should spend at least 6 months in training to decide which specialty you want to pursue and this prevents any sort of regrets later in your career, but changing your career is possible though obviously it depends on the person's age and willingness. What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? The pros of dermatology are that it's not hard and you have much free time when compared with other specialties and the salaries are good. I’ve managed to do both my masters degrees while training & it wasn’t difficult. There isn’t much stress. The disadvantages were that the training was private so I had to pay pocket money for that, I didn’t have a scholarship. There is also a deficiency in training in Sudan. But you can always study well on your own and watch lectures.

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Dermatology When did you realize that this specialty was for you? Dermatology and physiology are alike in that structure is an important aspect of both and they intersect at the molecular level especially in research. I completed 5 published papers in molecular physiology and they intersect at the level of cellular signaling and I truly enjoy that. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? What makes your field/specialty stand out? The enjoyment in this career comes after you have completed your MD, i.e. finished training. Your MD is general dermatology and then you can choose a subspecialty that you like. I personally chose cosmetic dermatology which is a world of its own, every patient has a different case and comes with a different scenario, so there is a different management and there is a tie-in with surgical skills. I’ve tried the surgical subspecialty but it was a bit stressful and not suitable for me. Cosmetic Academic Interests dermatology is a very interesting evolving specialty and it gives you the satisfaction 75.29% of seeing the outcomes of your procedures in short term. The visitors are not called patients; they are called clients. What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this specialty/ wish you had done differently? I wish I sat for the local exam early in his career because the competition is very Income high abroad for training. 34.70% What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? There is a defect in the teaching curriculum which gives minor consideration to dermatology so if you want to pursue this career you should take more time in dermatology rounds at the hospitals. I also recommend that as a student don’t be so quick to choosing a specialty because you have to experience the work setting before settling for one. What was the most difficult part of your journey? The most difficult part is the four training years which is draining physically and financially so people consider taking different jobs to maintain their daily expenses. The salary of a resident is very low (back then 2,000 SDG), that is, if you receive a scholarship.

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Dermatology Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? Academic performance during medicine school is crucial if you want to pursue a teaching career and become part of the teaching staff. I personally didn’t take a sub or repeat a year which helped in getting jobs in different universities. How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? Any extracurricular activities (medical missions and days) widen your horizon and give you an orientation about the community and provide you with the skills needed to deal with patients of different backgrounds. They also help mold your attitudes and interpersonal skills. On the other hand, they must not affect your academic performance. Personally, I went on many medical missions. What can we do right now as (pre)clinical students do to learn more about your specialty/field? To learn more about dermatology there are many conferences like Dubai Derma Academic Interests and Sharm Derma, and MEIDAM where doctors from all over the world discuss new 75.29% and advanced ways of treatments especially in the cosmetic and aesthetic dermatology. Undergraduates can follow the different social media pages that gives orientation about the common diseases and their causes and treatment. This is a Facebook group I’ve created. Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this specialty? Income o Physiology 34.70% o Histology, mainly skin histology o Rheumatology o Infectious o Microbiology (which constitutes 65% of clinical dermatology) o Clinical pharmacology o Pathology o Clinical immunology (because most of the diseases are autoimmune diseases) o Medicine o Grafts and sutures in Surgery What are the skills you wish you learned during your medical school years? The basic skills that I recommend students to pay attention to are how to take a biopsy, nail clippings and scrapings, colonization and culturing and most importantly, suturing and excision surgical procedures. These are things we didn’t pay much attention to and ended up regretting.

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Dermatology How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? Dermatology is socially friendly to a large extent, you live your social life normally, its not hard to balance at all. Generally, there is no stress or work overload in dermatology and you have a lot of free time during residency, the pressure starts after you become a subspecialist because of the high number and frequency of clients. Also working abroad is no easy. How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? Dealing with coworkers is not difficult and you could make many friendships in this career which can be beneficial to you in the future, on the other hand dealing with patients can be difficult but you can manage it easily if you follow the known protocols, one of the problems you have to deal with is the patient’s overestimation and high expectation of the treatment and before you start, as part of the counseling, you need to discuss the situation and the plan before starting the therapy (that we’re going to make minor changes in certain places and it might disappear three to four months later and Academic Interests you’re going 75.29%to need to repeat the procedure, especially fillers.) Any courses/workshops of benefit to the specialty? There are many courses about clinical or pharmaceutical formulations that are taught here in Sudan in Career Center and aesthetic courses in EDC in Karari University and internationally workshops in the conferences like Ban Arab conference (held annually) and courses in Dubai Derma, there is another course about general dermatology Income in 34.70% Middle East International Conference. In Egypt there is Sharm Derm. What is your plan for the future in terms of your medical career? Future plan is building a laser treatment center equipped with the latest technology because Sudan is suffering from lack of these types of centers and the aesthetic procedures and products that are currently being used are old and not updated to meet the needs of the patients. Your way of handling emergencies and the workload? In general, dermatology cases are mostly cold cases with rarely occurring emergencies, dealing with these emergencies is subjective but there are guidelines and protocols, the known guidelines are ABCs and in dermatology, we mainly focus on maintaining and controlling dehydration especially in skin blistering disorders then we commence the emergency treatment with immunoglobulins, antibodies, plasmapheresis or etc. and prevent relapse/recurrence.

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Dermatology Any other personal experience or advice you would like to share? My personal advice is take some time in your career and pursue a teaching career, it equips you with a nice set of skills, keeps you updated and makes you realize the importance of research. Even as a teaching assistant or lecturer. Being a clinician and an academic allows you to excel. A message to the 20 years old you? My message to the 20 year olds is that medicine in Sudan is weird but no matter what you have to stick to your ambition. Ask before starting a career and experience the nature of work in a certain specialty before choosing it. You must have a lot of plans, keep your options open. If you’re financially stable, you can pursue a career in the US or UK, if you’re not start locally. The downside of pursuing a career in US or UK is that you are forced to pursue a career in specialties that they need, not the one of your interest. In order to excel, maintain a balanced life full of achievements social and academic life. YOLO. Academic Interests Was the journey worth it? 75.29% The journey of my career was definitely worth it. It’s not about the money, it's about selfsatisfaction and doing what you were born to do, realizing that medicine is a humane and respectful career. National Licensing Exams Income In your opinion, when is the ideal time to take the exam (in terms of pre or post 34.70% graduate years)? The ideal time to take the national exams is immediately after finishing your medical registration and becoming a general practitioner, there is no need to delay. Regarding the different pathways and countries available after graduation Sudan The path is easy but the first part of the exam is tough because what is taught in medical schools in dermatology is only about 10% of the exam, the terminology & material is strange and new but eventually people manage to make so this is the easiest of paths, you finish the 4-year training and take the Sudanese MD. Arab Board A different way is to take the Arab Board, here you have to pay (in dollars) to start a 6month training, with sitting for any exam prior. After you finish your 6 months of training, you sit for the first part of the exam, you pass easily but the second part of the exam is extremely difficult and only a few have managed to make it.

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Dermatology The advantage of this path is that you can start your rotation in Sudan, & proceed to traveling and specializing in any other place in any gulf country and continue your training there, take the MD, take the second part and become registered as a specialist, but if you wanted to return to Sudan to be registered as a specialist you have to stay under assessment for one to 3 years United States Unfortunately, there is no degree matching in the US, (mostly natives are taken) so to work there you need to have MD from your country, a TOFFEL and GRE exam and you have to pass all the US board exams and then start your fellowship from the beginning in places such as Boston School of Dermatology. The available subspecialties in the US for foreigners are few examples of these are cosmetic dermatology, pediatric dermatology and dermato-pathology. United Kingdom Like the US the opportunities are not many and there are few chances to pursue a Academic Interests clinical career in the UK, but you can find a master degree opportunity in some 75.29% like cosmetics and aesthetic dermatology after taking the subspecialties PLAB(professional and linguistic assessment board) tests and the MD in Sudan. The American Academy of aesthetic medicine membership is a prestigious degree that all dermatologists seek, it has three levels: the first one is mainly about the basics like botox and fillers. The second one is about laser and combined therapy. The third level is Income an assessment exam in which you will be treating a patient and a group of doctors 34.70%will evaluate your performance. The first and second levels test cost about 23,000 UAE Dirham, and the third level costs 6,000 UAE Dirham.

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Dermatology Interview with a dermatologist: Dr. Monia Mergani Brief highlight of your C.V. I am Dr. Monia Mergani, dermatology specialist working in Royal Care Hospital. I graduated from Nile Valley University. I’ve completed my housemanship in Sudan and I worked in the primary health care for one year, back then my line was community medicine. I passed the selection exam for community medicine in 2010 and then travelled to Saudi Arabia, got married and had kids so I couldn’t do the community medicine rotation in Sudan. I chose community medicine because my family responsibilities and in community medicine there is no duty, no patients and less work. But I felt that I am interested in dermatology so I made a career shift to dermatology. Dermatology is a very beautiful specialty as the skin is the mirror of your body and reflects what is happening inside. You can diagnose many diseases-especially the internal medicine diseases-just from the skin region. Being a good dermatologist Academic Interests requires good experience and interest in the specialty. As you know in medical 75.29% school, you don’t study dermatology in depth, so when you chose it as your specialty you must start from scratch and read continuously about it as there are continuous updates. What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? Income The advantage of dermatology is that it is a good specialty for females as there are 34.70% no heavy duties and work as it will spare you a lot of free time for your home and family. But it needs a great effort as you should always be updated. The disadvantage can be the limited seats in Sudan Medical Specialization Board for dermatologists. For other boards like the Royal College, you should pass the three parts MRCP. I realized that dermatology is interst after working 5 years in community medicine in Saudi Arabia. Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? There are many subspecialties in dermatology such as Histopathology, Cosmetics, Andrology, Laser, Pediatrics. What do you enjoy most about your specialty? I enjoy every part of this specialty as it is an art. You can see the result of your intervention. The skin is like a window that tells you what is happening inside your body.

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Dermatology Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this specialty? My advice for students planning to pursue a career in dermatology is to focus on immunology and medicine as they will make your life as a dermatologist easier. What was the most difficult part of your journey? The most difficult part of my journey was to pass part one exam as I said there are very limited seats provided by the Sudan Medical Specialization Board. Were the salaries during residency satisfying? During the residency in the past, no salaries were given and you had to pay Sudan Medical Specialization Board each year, but nowadays the residents are given salaries about 2500 per month but they are not satisfying at all. Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? Your academic performance during college doesn't matter. However, your degrees in the specialization exams either in Sudan or in other countries are very important and considered a checkpoint in your career. Academic Interests What75.29% are extracurricular activities students can engage in that are useful in their C.V. for this specialty? Dermatology is a very wide specialty and a rich field for research. As a dermatologist (or a doctor, generally) you should do research and have good knowledge about research. Personally, I recommend attending research Income methodology courses during medical school as well as English courses and soft 34.70% skills courses such as how to give dermal, subcutaneous, and epidermal injections as most of our work requires these skills. As a preclinical student, I also recommend focusing on improving your basic sciences and understanding them very well. If you plan on taking dermatology courses, wait until after graduation so you can practice immediately. How many days do you work per week? How many hours a day? The working days during the residency are 3-5 days per week maximum and the day ends at about 2-3 o’clock. I think this is a great specialty for women as you will have time for your family and social activities, there are no heavy working hours, no major emergencies, and no on-calls. How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? Dermatology has a very smooth and friendly work environment and there are no stressful conditions like those in other specialties, so there are no difficulties in dealing with patients, colleagues or nurses.

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Dermatology What is your plan for the future in terms of your medical career? As research is becoming a fundamental part of our work as doctors, I will focus more on developing myself in this field. I am also planning on diving more in depth into many subspecialties such as laser and histopathology. Your way of handling emergencies and the workload? As I’ve mentioned, emergencies in dermatology can be managed by other doctors such as emergency doctors, physicians, and ICU doctors. Sometimes we need plastic surgery so we work as a team, they deal with emergencies and we deal with the dermatological problems of the patient. How can we realize which specialty fits us most? When you chose a line you should take your time in getting to know it in-depth, ask many doctors and colleagues, involve yourself in a certain department, if you choose dermatology you should work at least 2-3 months in the department, and Academic Interests the same applies to other specialties. Take your time and don't hurry to pass the 75.29% exams and start the rotations, you might end up in a place you don’t want to be in. Bear in mind that this is your future and this is the life that you will live, don’t be afraid to follow your passion. Again, don't choose a specialty before getting involved in it, make sure to enjoy what you do. If you start a specialty and you don't Income find yourself in this specialty, you should immediately shift without hesitation. 34.70% How long is the residency exam and how competitive is this specialty? The duration of the residency program is about 4 years; first, you sit for part one exam and pass it, then enter a 4-year training program before taking your part 2 exam. In residency, you may work 3-4 days according to the hospital and 6 hours per day. You will have 1-2 on-calls per month but that varies according to the hospital. The competition is very high in Sudan as more than 5,000 doctors sit for the exam and only 30-40 are selected.

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Opthalmology Ophthalmology is the specialty of medicine that provides comprehensive medical and surgical care for the eye and related visual system components (extraocular muscles, eyelids, orbit, nerves, visual pathways, and more). Yes, they can (and frequently do) prescribe spectacles and contact lenses, however, their scope of treatment is far broader. It necessitates knowledge of the anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and pathophysiology of the eye, as well as optical physics. Ophthalmologists are both internists and surgeons when it comes to treating ocular and visual problems.

Interview with Ophthalmologist: Dr. Amel Osman Osman Abubaker Personal Questions Brief highlight of your C.V. My name is Amal Osman Osman Abobakr. I was born and raised in Shandi, I studied primary & secondary school there. Then I entered the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum. I got married and had my first child during my medical school years. Not something I would advise others to do, but this is my story. I graduated in the year 2000. How did you manage to get through medical school? My academics were a priority in medical school and I attended lectures and studied well. Even though I was married with kids, I didn’t fall behind my batch.

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Opthalmology What is your journey from graduation till now? After graduation, I started the housemanship in 2001, followed by the national service (part of it in the Council of Ministers’ clinic and part in the primary health care in the ministry) and that gave me a credit of time. At that time, I was pregnant with my second child so I wanted to finish as soon as possible. I worked as a medical officer in AboAnja hospital in Omdurman, a chest hospital, and I worked there very well to the extent that I thought I would go through with the chest specialization and also all the staff, seniors, and heads of departments thought I would become a chest physician but I ended up becoming an ophthalmologist. I deserved a scholarship from the ministry to the medical specialization board and I registered for ophthalmology and started studying for the first exam of the MD, I sat for the exam in June 2006. Then I started the rotation for the specialty for about 4 years. In 2010, I did the second exam part of the MD and became a specialist. I then immediately joined Mecca Eye Hospital and have worked there till now. I have been a consultant for 4 years now in Mecca Hospital (the system here in Sudan dictates that after 7 years of being a specialist you will become a consultant). What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? I love ophthalmology, and I joined it willingly. The advantages are that all the eye hospitals are very clean and that is what I like about it, because it needs very high sterilization, we are examining a specific area- the eye - that is usually clean, and also the examination is so sophisticated, all the work is microscopic, we work on the cellular level of the eye. It is an updated specialty; the work is updated daily. It contains both medical and surgical components and so any ophthalmologist is a surgeon as well. A disadvantage is that the level of training in surgery for the registrars is not available in a suitable manner that makes you qualified to work - in ophthalmic surgery- in any place after finishing your specialization directly, you need more time in training and personal effort after specialization to master it. The eye represents a small area of the body but scientifically is very large and complicated, and that needs high focusing, that makes you tired physically and mentally from the work, but you will adapt with time.

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Opthalmology When did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize which specialty fits us most? One day, I suffered severe pain in my eyes late at night and I went to Mecca hospital (as an emergency case) I didn't have a clear idea about ophthalmology and the path of specialization in this specialty, only the minor course of ophthalmology that we studied in university which wasn’t emphasized as much as the other specialties even though it is a notable, well-built specialty. I loved the work, the hospital environment, the examination and the treatment (which surprisingly removed the pain immediately) and I was fascinated with ophthalmology. Since then, I decided to become an eye specialist. I had one of the most painful eye conditions called uveitis or anterior iritis (primary, idiopathic, without any underlying cause). I began to build a good idea about ophthalmology and comprehend how I can get through with this specialty and started to search for references and people in this career field. You can realize your interest from medical school, but give yourself a chance to decide and observe your specialty more clearly after you start working in the housemanship as a medical officer (because you are exposed to the practice of the different specialties) and in the national service as well. Give each specialty everything you can, work sincerely and read scientific papers. Don’t have a mindset of “I just want to finish this rotation”. You’ll find your seniors in each specialty, medical officers, registrars, consultants and senior consultants, observe their work and the suitability of this specialty for you. Take into consideration your personality, skills, and abilities. Don’t be so quick to decide your specialty, take your time! I think if a student decides earlier on this is unusual, but due to their advanced level, they may have a clear idea or vision or support from their family or relatives that have experiences to share. Earlier than that, I think it is difficult for the student to decide. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? What makes your field/specialty stand out? Ophthalmology is wonderful, it is continuously updated. Every day, a new method of surgery emerges with even better results and you have to cope with these new methods. Following treatment, you are able to see the results immediately. The patient comes in with pain and when you administer the correct treatment, they will be relieved very quickly and pleased with the results. Our aim is clear vision. Vision is the basis for performing all your daily activities.

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Opthalmology Take cataract (opacity of the lens and the main cause of defected vision worldwide) as an example. The patients come at a very late stage in Sudan, by that time, they have handled blurry vision for a long time, and they may be considered blind by the WHO standards. You can observe the results at the moment you perform the surgery for the patient, and they will feel better immediately, this is not something you witness in any other medical specialty. This makes not only the patient happy but also their family as well as the doctor. There is no other specialty that offers that. I treat people and they are happy which makes me even happier. Squint surgery is another example. The second thing I enjoy is that the eye is only part of the human body in which you see the inflammatory cells live and in front of you, you observe them through the microscope and start treatment by killing them one by one. The patient is consistently improving. What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this specialty/ wish you had done differently? Not that I would do anything differently but my knowledge about career requirements at that time was not enough, and after I gained that knowledge, I discovered that things will not always go as I have planned, ideally. This depends on the country’s training abilities and specifically with regards to eye surgery which is sensitive microsurgery. Imagine having to perform surgery for the first time in a human’s eye. It is hard and serious, and doesn’t bear training, i.e. you cannot train on a human’s eye. The solution is training beforehand in a wet lab on an artificial eye, or a similar animal’s eye (goat or cow). These eyes have to be kept fresh to sustain the anatomy and physiology of the eye (with the same texture). It should be part of the training but unfortunately, in Sudan, it’s not. Wet labs are only encountered once or twice in the training period, so we depend on another method, the observation of many surgeries and working closely with doctors and observing what they are doing, “a good observer is a good surgeon”. Start with simple surgeries, like the Minor surgeries, and until you reach the level where you can imagine the procedure in your mind, then you can practice it under the direct supervision of the doctor to direct you step by step till become artful. You should not practice any step in a human eye if you’re not sure of its accuracy and that you can perform it precisely. You have to have a supervisor to interfere in the worst case scenario. B patient and don’t rush into performing surgeries. Of course, after specialization, you can subspecialize in a certain tissue of the eye. Despite these challenges, if I went back, I would still choose ophthalmology.

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Opthalmology What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? Generally, you have to attend the lectures, practical labs, and focus on what is being said when you attend the rounds. You should know what the teacher is saying because that is what you need to know about this specialty at this level, and maybe your interest starts from that time. Our rounds were at the educational eye hospital called Abdelfadeel Almaz facing Nile street and I never missed a round for any subject. There were many trees and flowers and the atmosphere was very fresh. Most importantly, there was a lemon juice stand in the hospital. As students, we used to go to the round and drink lemon juice and enjoy the beauty of the flowers but I had no idea what the ophthalmology scientific content was about (haha). What was the most difficult part of your journey? At the beginning of the journey, I had no clear idea about Ophthalmology, the part which we studied in the college was insignificant, so I started with no expertise in the field compared to those who had done their national service in eye hospitals who were very oriented. The closest I came to ophthalmology was the lemon juice story (haha). When I started the specialty program and I found out that the ophthalmology anatomy text book was as large as the gross anatomy textbook of the whole body, I was shocked. It’s called Snell’s Ophthalmic anatomy. I should read huge a textbook in the physiology of the eye and about the physics of the eye. I had to study all of that in a short period preceding the first part exam (less than three months). I did nothing but study in these two months, and praise be to Allah, I was able to successfully pass the exam. Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? That may occur but as a general rule, you should try not to take a sub or repeat a year by working hard, and attending the lectures. I advise any student to attend even if they are not so interested, at the end of the day, you will benefit and become more oriented. However, taking a sub or repeating a year don’t matter when it comes to the specific specialty. This will not affect your level later on in the specialization. What are extracurricular activities students can engage in that are useful in their C.V. & how do they manage to choose them correctly? You can join a volunteer program in the community, free clinics, eye camps in rural areas and generally, participate in your field of interest.

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Opthalmology They give you a good idea about a specific specialty. Find a consultant in a specific specialty and ask for help. Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this specialty? Good understanding of the basic sciences, the anatomy and physiology of the eye. Special programs and other initiatives that students can be part of if they decide to go for a certain specialty? I don’t know of any specific program, but if you have interest in a specific specialty, you can join any hospital or any department to experience the work environment, make use of your time. How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? It is very difficult to manage between them during the residency as a registrar because you are studying and working with a high load, on-calls and night shifts, in addition to the other life aspects, it is a challenging part of your life especially as a female if you are a wife and mother. You need support, so be close to your family. By managing your time wisely and multitasking, you can get a lot done. How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? Dealing with patients is the first lesson in medicine. You have to be patient, listen to their complaints, examine them perfectly to reach a diagnosis, and you need to be a good decision maker. You have be part of the team because you can’t work alone and about 50% of your success depends on your coworkers, work with harmony in a healthy and comfortable atmosphere for everybody. A difficulty encountered in our specialty is making the patient understand the information and the treatment, because they are unfamiliar with the eye drops and ointments but you can repeat the information until they get it. Eye medicine has improved a lot, and so many methods have been changed but the patients still follow the old methods even after we tell them the new instructions. One time a patient was directed to take an eye drop but they took it orally and their condition worsened so you have to make sure they understand thoroughly. The patients also don’t follow the instructions sometimes because they believe in traditional remedies. What is your plan for the future in terms of your medical career? I wish to subspecialize abroad and take the international exam (if god wills) such as royal college fellowship or the ICO (International Council of Ophthalmologists) so as to improve myself.

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Opthalmology Your way of handling emergencies and the workload? Handling emergencies is also an important lesson for doctors, your decision should be precise and very quick. Emergencies in ophthalmology are severe pain or any eye trauma. You have to be a person who can withstand a high workload because as I’ve mentioned, working in ophthalmology is tiring, physically and mentally. Over time, you will get used to it, and your interactions will become faster and easier and so will your diagnosis. Any other personal experience or advice you would like to share? When I was a registrar, I attached to one of my Ophthalmology teachers, his name was Dr. Abdelgadir Alsaori, may god have mercy on him and forgive him, we lost him the second wave of COVID-19, and he was my supervisor in the MD. I will never forget him and I will pray for him till the last day of my life. Aside from the knowledge, I took a huge part of my character in work from him. I started work with him I was a first year resident and he was the manager of Nour ElOyoun Hospital at that time, he was a major general in the army, in the military hospital, and I was distributed to this hospital at my first specialty year, and he was the head of the department there and responsible for the new registrars and their distribution. I was distributed to his unit, and I attend with him my first ever surgery which was a cataract surgery. He was an excellent surgeon and can’t forget my astonishment and happiness about what he did in this eye, and he makes you feel that this intricate work is easy and beautiful, and when he extracted the cataract and inserted the IOL and it was surgery, not laser. When I came the next day and witnessed the result I became even happier so I became attached to him and joined him for surgeries every day. There a profound lesson I learned from Dr. Alsaori and became part of my character is that I arrive at work very early in the morning, and that is because he came to work very early. When I worked with him for the first time, he told me that I will not fit with him although I came on time, I said why, he replied that I come late, and he starts work early and that I am a registrar and I should arrive early to check on the patients. Otherwise, he said he will have to transfer me to another unit. I asked him to give me a second chance, and from that day, I tried my best to arrive before him, and he was pleased with me. I garnered this habit of starting work early and finishing early. I arrive at work at 6:30 AM daily and I finish at 12 PM. This, I cannot forget for Dr. Al-Saori, he taught me discipline and he was so committed. He believed that early work is blessed from Allah (may Allah have mercy on him and forgive him) and he was happy for me and told people good things about me. His imprint on my life is very profound.

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Opthalmology A message to the 20 years old you? I was married at 18 so maybe my message would to get married a little later, just after graduation so as not to take a lot of responsibilities from an early age. Despite this, I am very satisfied with the outcomes of my marriage and my sons are now grown up but this required a lot of sacrifice from me, and bearing a lot. Finally, was the journey worth it? It was definitely worth it. If I can go back in time, I will do it again in the same way, and that confirms to me this was the right choice. Specialty Questions Describe the overall process to register for the residency? Generally, the process for all specialties is the same with minor differences. I specialized in Sudan by registering in the Sudanese Medical Specialization Board. The exam for ophthalmology is divided into two parts the first and second parts for the MD “Medical Doctorate”. After you fulfill the criteria. At our time (I specialized about 10 years ago), to be able to register you have to complete the housemanship, you have to work as a medical resident for a while (not less than one or two years) after the housemanship, there is also the national service (for 1-2 years). You have two tracks for residency, either private or through the health ministry (a scholarship) while you are a registrar, you have a salary from the ministry, you complete a certain period of work for the ministry (not less than 5 years). The other track, the private, you have to pay the Sudanese Medical Specialization Board and you won’t have a job or salary, there is a financial load and you are also required the same requirements as the doctor who received a scholarship from the ministry. You sit for the first part exam “MD”, about the basics, basic sciences, anatomy physiology of ophthalmology and optometrics (physics of the eye). Duration of residency? 4 years. After you have been accepted to sit for the 1st part exam which frequently contains (of all specialties) the basic sciences, in ophthalmology, those are the anatomy and physiology of ophthalmology, and optometrics (physics of the eye) after you pass you will start working as registrar. Were the salaries during the residency satisfying? No, the ministry salaries for the registrars is insignificant, and even the consultant’s salary from the ministry salary was not enough, but you can work in a private hospital because of the salaries system here in Sudan

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Opthalmology . How many hours a day do you work? At least 8 hours a day. How many days per week? Mostly daily (as registrars). How many on-calls do you get per month? About once per week, so 4 per month. How is the competition for this specialty? Are there many opportunities (in different countries)? We do not have a selection exam. But there is a specific number of doctors that can register, after this number is reached, the registration is stopped. Yes, there are many opportunities. Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? Pediatrics, Retina, Cornea, Glaucoma, Cataracts and Refractive Surgery, Anterior chamber Surgery, Oculoplastics and Orbit Surgery. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? If you don’t find yourself in your specialty, you will not succeed in it, when you start studying for the specialty exam and even at the beginning of the training, and find out that it does not fit you, it is better to leave it at the moment; because this your career and your future, and you have to be interested in the work you do so that you can do it properly.

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Surgery

Surgery is a specialty that encompasses the treatment of disease by an operation, and is frequently the ultimate method of therapy—and in many cases, the only option—for a wide range of conditions involving all organ systems. General surgery is a field that necessitates knowledge of and responsibility for the preoperative, operative, and postoperative management of patients and is concerned mostly with diseases of the breast, abdominal organs, skin, and endocrine glands. Surgical care necessitates the ability to make complex decisions; general surgeons should be proficient in diagnosis, treatment, and management, including operational intervention. Interview with a Surgeon: Dr. Mohamed Abdallah Personal Questions Brief highlight of your C.V.: A member of the Khartoum Medical Students’ Association (KMSA’s Council of 20) MedSIN-Sudan KMSA SCORE Graduated 2009 Internship 2010 in four hospitals Medani Hospital, Amak Nimir Hospital, Al-Managil Hospital, Alsilah Altibby Sat for the Surgery exam part one in 2016 Receive the Medical Doctorate(MD) in 2016 How did you manage to get through medical school? I was a medical student in the period between 2002-2009. Academically, medical school was not challenging, but owing to the difference in social, cultural, and economic backgrounds, I struggled to form friendships with my peers in the first year. We studied basic sciences (Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry) till the third year, therefore the curriculum was different. The fourth year’s subjects were the most difficult for me but I eventually discovered a decent studying approach which was studying the subject chapter by chapter. During my last clinical year, I discovered that studying in groups and solving case studies is the best approach.

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Surgery Your journey from graduation until now? After graduating, the most difficult decision I had to make was which specialization to pursue. I considered pediatrics, but because of my sensitivity to critically ill children and the high mortality rate in this field, I opted to step out and pursue surgery. Internal medicine is quite vague, therefore the symptoms and suitable treatment are difficult to discern. I’m now working in Oman. The reasons for my traveling are: 1. Career development 2. The financial status and my wish to provide a better living for my small family. Describe the overall process to register for the residency? To start residency abroad, you need good finances. If you’ve completed your residency in Sudan, you also need good finances to sit for the exams required by other countries. Fortunately, our SMC certification is recognized by many countries. Any personal experience/ advice you would like to share with students? I advise students to expose themselves to the different specialties during their internship and not to stick with the minimum shifts. I also advise students to pay more attention to their health status because after graduation and during residency the workload and work hours are very draining. Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this specialty? Important subjects that students should master are anatomy, physiology and some microbiology. Any courses/workshops of benefit to this specialty? Some important courses for this specialty include basic surgical skills to be familiar with and practice the different types of sutures. Basic and advanced life support, these courses can be taken before graduation. Advanced trauma life support which is fairly expensive and can be taken after graduation. What are the soft skills you wish you learned during your medical school years? Soft skills are crucial because they boost your capacity to flourish in work and increase your chances of landing a job. They include leadership skills and the ability to communicate with patients. Teaching experience is also beneficial. How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? Management of work and social life is very difficult and you have to compromise in order to succeed. Surround yourself with those who are aware of the difficulty of your domain and understand your situation.

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Surgery How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? Dealing with coworkers depends on their personalities. You should try to maintain good relations with them. Dealing with patients differs between societies but you should be patient and try to communicate well with them, you can get there by experience. You should pay attention to the patients’ confidentiality and know how to deal with mental illnesses. What is your plan for the future in terms of your medical career? My short term plan is to subspecialize in neoplastic breast surgery. My long term plan is to retire early to spend more time with my family because -as I mentioned- medicine is physically draining. Any advice you would like to share? If you have the opportunity to pursue a specialty, I do not recommend that you settle for a career as a general practitioner. Even a general surgeon isn't acceptable. The burden can trigger panic attacks in the early stages of work, ie. your first duties, but it can be managed with expertise and good time management. Junior surgeons should be supported by more experienced surgeons. A message to the 20-year-old you? My message to 20-year-old me is to run, because medicine was not my choice, I went for it because it was my father’s wish. However, if you’re passionate about medicine you will do great in it. Was the journey worth it? l am very satisfied with the journey because it allowed me to meet many great people and I was also able to fulfill my father’s and family’s dream. I also met my wife during my journey. Specialty Questions The qualifications that the specialty needs? To start residency in US you have to take the STEPS exams. For the UK, you should take the PLAB exams, they are easier and less expensive. In Sudan, surgery is basic and you don't get to practice minimum invasive surgeries but you will be a competent doctor because of the load of patients. It is preferable to take courses for selfdevelopment.

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Surgery Duration of residency (Sudan/UK)? The duration in Sudan ranges from 5-6 years, 2 basics and 3 subspecialties. In the UK, 7-8 years. How many hours a day do you work? Work hours range from 7-8 hours per shift and there are 5-7 shifts per month). How is the competition for this specialty? Surgery residency is very competitive but is easier in Sudan, so people tend to start residency here and after completion, they sit for exams. Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic surgery, Upper GI surgery, Endocrine surgery, Transplant surgery, Urology surgery, Lower GI surgery, Breast surgery. What in your opinion are the advantages and disadvantages of this specialty? One advantage is that surgery doesn't require much studying compared to other specialties. You get to see the immediate outcomes of your work after the surgical procedure and it is a continuously evolving specialty. A disadvantage is that you need to spend a lot of time training in order to develop the surgical skills in addition to the fact that it is physically and financially draining. What do you enjoy most about your specialty and makes it stand out? What I genuinely enjoy about my specialty are the immediate outcomes of hand work and of course, the gratification from the patient’s family. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn't find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion is the right way to go about this? If you wish to change your specialty, you should do it in your first years of residency. What was the most difficult part in your journey? The hardest part is being away from your country and family. Were the salaries during your residency satisfying? Salaries for residency and internship in Sudan are very low (700-1000) SDGs, on the other hand, the salaries in UK can be up to 2500 pounds. Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? Academic performance, taking subs or repeating a year don’t have a significant impact in your career after graduation, because most institutes don't see them as a priority. But they may influence your chances of selection for a scholarship.

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Surgery What are extracurricular activities stud can engage in, that are useful in their C.V. & how do they manage to choose them correctly? Students shouldn't engage themselves in too many extracurricular activities, and in contrast, the importance of social engagement can’t be denied. What can we do right now as pre-clinical students to learn more about your specialty? To learn surgery, you have to practice it under supervision of a great doctor. Preclinical students couldn’t have a comprehensive understanding about the specialty until they start visits to hospitals after graduation because the courses and videos about surgery just provide the basics. Surgery is not only operations and procedures; it also involves treatment before surgery which constitutes 40%, operating which is 20% and finally, postoperative care which is 40%.

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Community Medicine

Community medicine is a specialty of medicine that focuses on the health of a specific population in order to promote and sustain health, well-being, and the prevention of disease, disability, and premature death. It is also concerned with illness prevention, disease determinants and natural history in populations, and the impact of the environment and society on health and disease.

Interview with Community Medicine Doctor: Khlood Alnaeem Brief highlight of your C.V. University of Khartoum Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery 2016 Community Medicine Resident Medical Officer at NICU 2019-20 Tutor Department of Community Medicine, University of Khartoum 2018-19 Research Assistant at Global Health Focus 2020-Currently How did you manage to get through medical school? Making it through medical school was largely due to my supportive group of friends; as an extrovert, I thrive in groups, so I relied on them for academic and emotional support. I was fortunate to have them, but if you are an introvert or don't get along with your colleagues, you should find a support system—for example, join a gym or swim classes—and educate yourself about mental wellbeing.

What is your journey from graduation till now? My journey after graduation wasn't very pleasant, with no clear guidance or preparation for life after graduation,

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Community Medicine I went through many dilemmas and diversions from the goals I truly wanted to pursue just to go with the flow, but the good part was that I was exploring many areas, and building a strong network of connections. To conclude, it’s perfectly normal and acceptable to feel lost after graduation, my advice is to keep searching for what you really truly enjoy and invest your time and efforts on it. Finding yourself and your passion sometimes takes time and many experiences, but once you do, it’s a paradigm shift and life becomes exciting again. When did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize which specialty fits us most? I believe the most reliable method to determine which specialty suits you the most is by exploring the specialty in real life, not just theoretically. For example, if you like surgery, spend a whole day on a surgical shift, if you are interested in pediatrics experience the work in a real pediatric emergency room, and so on. After the housemanship, I realized that I am not a clinician; it was a very overwhelming experience, not enjoyable at all, and only one question that ran through my mind in all four shifts was that most of these diseases are preventable and what am I doing here in a hospital, and not managing the root cause of these diseases? I also love leadership, planning, problem-solving, and implementing solutions, thus my personality, as well as my shortcomings and strengths, are all complementary to my chosen career. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? What makes your field/specialty stand out? I enjoy teamwork and leadership, I prefer initiating change rather than reacting to things around me, I enjoy fixing problems and health issues from their root cause, I enjoy academia and I’m always reading about new approaches and policies. I enjoy sociology and research, and both are found in community medicine. What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this specialty/ wish you had done differently? I wish if I had started planning for scholarships earlier and done more research before and after graduation. What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? Join extracurricular activities, such as medical missions, NGOs, research groups, student associations (not one in particular), always volunteer and be proactive, not reactive.

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Community Medicine What was the most difficult part of your journey? The most difficult part till now was admitting to myself that I am not a clinician and dealing with my family's disappointment. Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? Not at all and the same applies to most of the other specialties. What matters the most are your personal skills. How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? Very important. What are extracurricular activities students can engage in, that are useful in their C.V. & how do they manage to choose them correctly? There is no set path to follow; any activity that you enjoy and find satisfying will suffice. Research fields, health education and promotion, student associations and unions (which teach you numerous skills and expand your network), and medical missions are all possibilities. What can we do right now as (pre)clinical students do to learn more about your specialty/field? Study research methodology very well and learn data analysis programs like SPSS and R. Invest in many courses in research methodology and statistics, those are considered the fundamentals. Develop very strong personal skills such as leadership skills, time management skills, conflict management skills. Explore psychology, sociology, and politics as well. Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this specialty? Community medicine of course (haha). Special programs and other initiatives that students can be part of if they decide to go for a certain specialty? Nothing specific, any extracurricular activity is useful, especially those that have certificates and are well-known at international levels. How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? It is very manageable, it’s one of the advantages of the specialty, you work normal working hours with no night shifts or duties.

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working hours with no night shifts or duties.

Community Medicine How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? The most effective approach to learning is to practice without taking shortcuts. Over time and with experience, you will gradually master those soft skills. Disagreements happen and mistakes are made by everyone. What is your plan for the future in terms of your medical career? My future plans are to specialize abroad and to gain a scholarship as the quality of teaching and practice is very low in Sudan. Your way of handling emergencies and the workload? By planning ahead and committing to deadlines. Any other personal experience or advice you would like to share? Always seek ways to improve yourself, the journey of learning never ends. A message to the 20 years old you? Exercise more and read about mental health and wellbeing because it will only get more stressful. Finally, was the journey worth it? Yes! I enjoyed and still am enjoying every part of it. National Licensing Exam Questions Describe your journey with the exam/ when did you start? Why did you choose this exam in particular? I took the Sudanese local exam, it’s a selection exam then after one year, and the completion of specific courses, you are qualified to sit for the part one exam. I took this exam because it’s the only one available. In your opinion, when is the ideal time to take the exam (in terms of pre or postgraduate years)? The ideal time is immediately after completing the housemanship and the national service. Of course, everyone's journey is different, choose the ideal time for you and that is the ideal time! What opportunities does taking this exam provide you with? The selection exam allows you to complete your residency program, and it signifies your genuine interest in preventive medicine so it’s a valuable addition to your C.V. What we need to do in our college life to help us have a better chance to pass the national licensing exams? Master your 5th-year community medicine curriculum and you are good to go! How to pass the exam while still studying in medical school and is it even possible? It’s not, a certificate of housemanship completion is required.

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Community Medicine What are things you wish you had done differently in your overall experience with the exam? Nothing in particular, it’s an easy exam, fairly comparable to the exams taken in college. Studying tips? Important resources to study from? Join the local exam WhatsApp and Telegram groups, and follow the tips provided by your seniors who have taken the exam before you. What are the consequences of failing the exam/scoring a bad mark? There are no consequences, you can retake the exam. Any other advice or tips? Always trust the process and your guts. Specialty Questions Describe the overall process to register for the residency? In Sudan, the announcement for the selection exam is found on the official pages of Sudan Medical Specialization Board on Facebook, you pay the registration fees at the banks they mention. What are the qualifications that the specialty needs? You need your permanent registration certificate. What is the duration of residency? The duration is 4 years in Sudan How many hours a day do you work? The normal working hours, from 8 AM till 4 PM. How many days per week? 5 days per week. How many on-calls do you get per month? None. How is the competition for this specialty? Are there many opportunities (in different countries)? Locally, it’s not competitive at all, regarding scholarships they are competitive, but with a well-structured C.V. and experience, you can get a scholarship then pursue your specialization career abroad.

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Community Medicine Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? Quality Management, Hospital Management, Mother and Child Health, Health Economics, Epidemiology, Statistics and Research, Sociology Medicine, and others. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty What in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? The right way is to establish a high financial standing and shift your specialty without hesitance because you spend your life at work and you must try to make the time you spend there as satisfactory and pleasant as possible. Are the salaries satisfying? You are not paid here in Sudan, but in the United States, it’s the same salary as the internal medicine residents (NGOs pay from $1500-3000).

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Orthopedics Orthopedics is primarily concerned with the care of the musculoskeletal system, which encompasses the treatment of most disorders and injuries affecting the upper and lower extremities or the spine. As a result, future orthopedic surgeons must be well-versed in the anatomy, mechanics, and physiology of musculoskeletal system. Interview with Orthopedician: Dr. Nazar Brief Highlight of your CV. • University of Khartoum, Faculty of Meducine MBBS • FRCS UK • Orthopedic Surgeon What happens after graduation? After the Student graduates with his MBBS from college, he or she performs the Practitioners oath.( After one fulfills the required practice for housemanship, he or she should serve his mandatory national service, or get some arrangement sorted out about it. The “housemanship” period or the foundation period is only one year – up to the issuing of this manual; However, unfortunately, the relay period between graduation and the start of the housemanship period may accumulate in some cases to one year. What happens during the housmanship period? The residency is divided into 4 parts, each to a discipline: Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics, each taking 3 months. During this period, the practitioner will be registered in the SMC temporarily; however, the practitioner will not be registered permanently unless he or she passes the Practicing exam (which is relatively easy and passed by the majority). When should I choose my specialty? After the practicing exam, one becomes a Medical Officer; the process then becomes more crystal and less vague to those who have set their mind to certain discipline in which he or she will specialize. I advise that this should happen in year 5 or 6 during college so that he or she should start preparing during the housemanship year by studying for the specialty exams. The Medical Officer, then, may practice in the specialty he desires

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then, may practice in the specialty he desires

Orthopedics What should I do if I want to specialize in orthopedics in Sudan? let’s say for example, Orthopedics, after one year, he or she may examine MD part 1, which requires at least one year of practice (that is why it is advisable to start practicing in your desired discipline immediately after you become a Medical Officer), after that, you will take a 4-year long rotation ending in MD part 2. This MD qualification is well-recognized internationally, especially in the gulf countries. What should I do if I want to specialize in orthopedics in the UK? Once you graduate, you will be registered in the British Medical Council, which can be done from overseas. Then you start practicing in your “foundation years,” which are 2 years. Those years are more focused on discipline: Medicine, Obs, Surgery, and Pediatrics. After those 2 years, you will start your CT “Core training,” which is the equivalent of Medical Officer. After 1 or 2 years of CT, you shall have passed the necessary exam for applying to the specialty: The MRCS I & II the member of the royal college of surgery (in this case I am talking about Orthopedics or Surgery). This will take approximately 1 year. After that, you can apply for the specialty training “ST” which takes about 4-6 years according to specialty; Orthopedics is 5 years as I remember. Then, you will take the SubSpecialty Exam, FRCS Orthopedic for example. After that, you will be specialized. What is the best plan? After you get your MBBS, you can be registered then finish your foundation, and serve a year as a Medical Officer in the Discipline you desire. In this year, you may work for your MRCS and work on your English: IELTS or OET, the latter is advised, because it is Occupational, and there is a medical option. So you should pass this exam with a certain score and, hopefully, get your MRCS (there is a center here, in UofK, Faculty of Medical). Once you get those done, you can resume the ladder directly in the UK for the CT and in this year of CT, you may apply for ST. I don’t prefer moving to the UK directly because the overwhelming experience you find here is unmatched elsewhere. So if you follow this plan instead of moving directly to the UK this will give you a stronger position in the competition. What did you do? I graduated in 1992 and moved directly after my foundation here to England. This was due to many reasons including that the MDs was not yet mature, and there were no local test centers to the MRCS, MRCP, MRCU, etc. but if I could go back in time, I would have preferred to spend some years in Sudan which would have given me more skills.

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Orthopedics What is your advice to students? My advice is to think ahead, focus on the future and work from now. What skills would give me a greater advantage in the competition that accompany residency pathways? Competition depends on language, communication skills, audit, teaching, leadership, charity work… etc. When should I start? OET has medical information fruitful to many students in the 2nd,3rd,4th, 5th and 6th years so it is never early to start working on.

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Orthopedics Interview with Orthopedician: Dr. Yasser Hamad Brief highlight of your C.V. Yasser Hamad Ahmed Issa, a 1993 graduate of the University of Khartoum, I spent my housemanship in Khartoum hospitals and completed the national service, after which I traveled to Ireland and Britain for specialization. I did my fellowship in surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons and completed it in the year 2001. Following, I started a training in orthopedics and did my masters in orthopedics at the University of Dundee in Scotland. I then continued training in orthopedics until I became interested in joint replacement surgery and completed a fellowship in joint replacement in England, 2008. I then returned to Sudan to the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Department of Orthopedics. What did you do in order to travel outside Sudan for the sake of specialization? There were many difficulties at our time, there was great pressure from the government on the doctors and doctors were prevented from traveling but I was determined to fulfill all the requirements so that the difficulties of travelling would be reduced. In addition to that, there were not enough training positions for doctors, and consequently doctors were seeking opportunities abroad, both senior and junior doctors. After I traveled, I felt that I started from scratch because there was a huge difference in medical practice in European countries compared to what exists in Sudan, but as long as the foundation is sound, training will not constitute a big problem. I specialized in Ireland. The application was submitted to the Irish Medical Council at the time, and upon approval, I was registered a temporary registration, after which work and studying began, but now Irish Medical Council tests have emerged. I spent around 12 years working and specializing, as we worked in the hospital and proceeded to taking the exams. How many hours a day do you work? It is difficult to determine the number of daily working hours, especially in Sudan, but it does not exceed 12 hours a day, and I consider Friday a day for rest. How many on calls do you get? When I used to work in the emergency room, they were a lot, but now I have less work, but about 2 or 3 per day, or 5 calls per week.

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work, but about 2 or 3 per day, or 5 calls per week.

Orthopedics How is the competition for this specialty? Orthopedics, in particular, is a highly sought-after specialty in every country. As a result, finding an opportunity will be tough, because every country maintains training opportunities for its natives owing to the strong desire for this specialty. As a result, it necessitates fierce rivalry, and it has become even more appealing to people as a result of its rapid development over the past 20 years; prior to this time, before this period it wasn’t well developed. This development was attractive to students, finding orthopedic role models in front of them also played a major role. Sudan benefited greatly from this in that the number of orthopedic surgeons increased not only in quantity but also in quality. Do you advise a person to specialize in this field inside or outside Sudan? Frankly, the field of orthopedic surgery in Sudan has not yet reached the international levels, and this is due to the lack of capabilities and trainers. But with the development of a country, we the specialty of orthopedics develops consequently, a prime example of that are the European countries, America and China which are very developed in orthopedics. Can you name some subspecialties of your specialty? In the past, it was a repair of fractures and injuries. But now with this development, delicate specialties have emerged, the body has been divided into a number of areas such as the spine, the upper extremity (shoulder, elbow joint, hand), joint replacement field for example pelvic joint, and knee joint, foot and ankle. After that, you can subspecialize in a specific part of an area, (in a specific area of the knee for example). Are the salaries satifying? It is one of the specialties where you need to put in a lot of time and effort but the salaries are satisfactory. In England, the salaries are good. In America, they are better because they include medical insurance and therefore a higher income. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? This question cannot be answered by anyone but the person who is going through this experience because it is (s)he who determines what (s)he wants to do in his life. If you have an interest in the other field and you feel that you can innovate in it, then why not?

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Orthopedics However, what I don’t recommend is continuing in both fields and scattering your efforts. Each medical specialty requires your full time and dedication, putting in half the effort gives you have the result and this can affect the patients’ lives, your work and reputation. What is the extent of impact of the doctor’s gender on pursuing the field of orthopedic surgery? This field was previously exclusive to men, and it was thought that it required muscle and physical strength, necessitating people with good strength. However, nowadays technology has been developed to perform the majority of the work, (not all of it), thus allowing women to enter all fields of surgery. In the end, patients seek doctors who are well-distinguished and have a good reputation, gender doesn’t play a role in this. What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? The disadvantages are that you don’t own much time and it is a time consuming specialty- surgical specialties generally require more time. It is also very psychologically stressful. An advantage is satisfaction, being able to see someone who previously wasn’t able to walk return to their normal life is priceless. Why did you choose this specialty in particular? When we were students, there wasn’t enough information about the different specialties, I had a passion for reconstruction which I found in surgery so I entered the field of surgery. After that I worked with one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the field, his work inspired me to pursue this career path. Aside from the fact that I love helping people and the satisfaction I get from this field. What do you advise students when deciding on a specialty? I advise them to choose a specialty they have a passion/tendency for. The second thing is to be diligent and hardworking, not only in terms of grades but also in being attentive and giving each phase your full energy, and this in particular becomes apparent in the future. What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this specialty/ wish you had done differently? We had no idea about subspecialties when we were students; we only knew about surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and internal medicine.

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We had no idea about subspecialties when we were students; we only knew about surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and internal medicine.

Orthopedics

We didn't find out about them till after we graduated. Students are now studying the courses much more comprehensively. As a result, students have a better understanding of the majors, making it easier for them to choose the one that is suitable for them, and then to research the best places to pursue that major. Any courses/workshops of benefit to the specialty? Nothing in particular comes to mind. My advice is to be serious and work hard because if you do, you will succeed in any specialty. A good foundation enables you to excel anywhere, study your basic sciences well. Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? It has no effect. How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? What are extracurricular activities students can engage in, that are useful in their C.V.? It is a critical requirement since it ties the learner to his or her surroundings. All extracurricular activities are beneficial; research, for example, is extremely beneficial for your future career. Voluntary work makes you feel more connected to the community and gives you the drive to help those in need. Furthermore, there are awards available from universities or other organizations that recognize those who worked in a volunteer organization. However, the priority should be your studying. Having all these experiences makes you an open person and all is acquired through good time management. What is your advice for students on how to balance time between curricular and extracurricular activties? Manage your time wisely, arrange your priorities and and devote a significant amount of time to your top priorities. How do you deal with patients and the work pressure? Prioritizing is the key to an organized life. Regarding patient interaction, you must listen to them and pay attention to them; this is how the doctor earns the patients' trust, which enables the doctor to identify the diagnosis and the patient to follow through with the treatment.

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Orthopedics Giving more, because a doctor never stops giving. Finally, the most important piece of advice is to take your work seriously and to be honest with yourself and others. If the doctor does research, during the period of residency, does this shorten the residency years? I don’t think it shortens the number of years, but it is however considered an addition to their C.V. and it opens a number of doors and opportunities for them.

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Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation The principle of physical medicine and rehabilitation is treating physical and cognitive deficits caused by accidents and disease to reduce disability. Physiatrists use a multidisciplinary approach to coordinate the rehabilitative care of physical impairments and disabilities. They use medicines to treat diseases I n but also develop particular physical and occupational therapy regimens— exercises tailored to each patient's specific needs. Every regimen is designed to prepare the patient to achieve a certain goal.

Interview with a Physiatrists: Dr. Ibrahim Ali Breif highlight of your C.V. Rehabilitation Medicine Consultant - Australia Rehabilitation Medicine Training Rehabilitation Medicine (also known as Physiatry or Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation - PM&R) is a rewarding medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of patients with limited function as a consequence of disease, injury, impairment and/or disability. The medical condition of each patient is interpreted in terms of function in realms such as mobility, self-care, community interactions and on the psychological responses and social consequences associated with loss of function. As doctors we diagnose by history taking, examination and investigation; assess limitation of activity and restriction of social participation; prescribe medications, exercises, adaptive devices, and modifications; intervene through neuromuscular and musculoskeletal injections and procedures; predict possible outcomes; consult, refer and report with medical colleagues; measure and benchmark clinical outcomes; communicate with patients and their care givers. You can refer to this link to know more about Rehabilitation Medicine Physician Scope of Practice. Advantages of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialty • Good work/life balance • Continuity of care (acute hospital > rehabilitation hospital > community) • Working in a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) • Wide-ranging specialty with options for generalists/specialists and research Registration Process and the Required Qualifications I can primarily describe the registration process in Australia (and to some extent in New Zealand).

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Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Doctors in Australia need to be generally registered with the Australian Medical Council before they apply to the training programme. International medical graduates coming to practice medicine in Australia need to achieve certain requirements before qualifying for the general registration with the Australian medical council, which usually includes, but is not limited to, a specific duration of medical practice in Australia. Please refer to the Australian Medical Council website to know more about the requirements for general registration. For both Australia and New Zealand, doctors need to secure a training position before applying to the Australasian faculty of rehabilitation medicine, in order to enrol into the training programme. The college does not employ doctors but instead approves training sites and positions. Therefore, trainees apply to the college prospectively each 6 to 12 months to approve their training time after securing a training position. The Australasian faculty of rehabilitation medicine is concerned with the rehabilitation medicine training in Australia and New Zealand. In the UK, completion of foundation training and core training (usually Internal Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry or Family Medicine) are essential along with the relevant UK Royal College Membership exams for entry into rehabilitation medicine training. Please refer to the relevant website for further details about the registration process for the training in the UK. I am assuming the process in the US is similar to other specialties in terms of both required qualifications and the registration process. Duration of the Training The training usually lasts for four years. In Australia and New Zealand, up to 12 months of prior relevant experience (primarily internal medicine at a higher level) can be recognised toward the training programme. At the UK, trainees can enter specialty training in rehabilitation medicine at ST3 level. Typical Day in the Training Job Rehabilitation medicine offers great variety and flexibility in daily and weekly work patterns. The work is usually divided between looking after both inpatients and outpatients. Our patients’ cohort are usually those who have some sort of disability, mostly neurological or musculoskeletal. The ward rounds are usually straightforward, and patients are generally stable from a medical point of view, so that they are able to participate in rehabilitation. We have a lot of multidisciplinary case conferences as well as meetings with families/caregivers.

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Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Depending on hospitals, there might be some on-calls which can be remote or on-site. The on-call frequency is very variable among hospitals & different countries. Training Availability In Australia and New Zealand, it is not usually difficult to enrol into the training. Once the initial training position is secured, it is generally easier to find training jobs for the remaining terms/years. In Australia, if a doctor pursues this specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, they can change anytime to any other field. Regarding the US, please refer to the statistic data outlined in the common residency matching websites. Subspecialties There are few subspecialties opportunities in rehabilitation medicine. These include Spinal Cord Injury, Brain Injury, Neurological Rehabilitation, Pain Medicine, Amputee Medicine, Trauma Rehabilitation, and Cancer Rehabilitation among many others. Subspecialised training is mostly available in the US and Canada. This specialty is very rewarding and as mentioned above, offers great life/work balance. The training has now been established in Sudan. Here are some relevant websites for more information: Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine . Rehabilitation medicine training at the UK . A Medical Student's Guide to PM&R from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation .

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Medical Education Medical education What is Medical Education? According to the book (E-Learning and Augmented Reality (AR) for Chronic Wound Assessment: Promoting Learning and Quality of Care), Medical Education can be defined as “the provision of instruction and information in the sciences basic to medicine and in clinical practice, ideally in such a manner as to inculcate in the student the desire to continue the process, spontaneously, throughout life.” Medical Education is a continuous process of learning throughout the life of a physician, comprised of three distinct phases: Basic medical education- the first phase of the continuum, which focuses on equipping medical students with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes, readying them for an array of occupational choices. Postgraduate medical education- the second phase of medical education continuum, focuses on offering physicians the skills needed to practice medicine in a specific specialty. Continuing professional development- any endeavor taken to sustain, improve or expand the knowledge, skills, and performance of a physician for the purpose of provision of optimal healthcare services for the patients and the community. The majority of medical educators work in universities or hospitals to support medical students and trainee physicians. The diverse roles and responsibilities of a medical educator: Create and implement thorough evaluations and student selection procedures. Assist students with their learning and pastoral needs. Assess and enhance the quality of educational programs (quality assurance). Create and execute policies for the program. Contribute to and secure the accreditation of medical programs. Assist clinicians and academics in enhancing their teaching abilities (faculty development). Assist with technical aspects of blended and simulated learning. In medical and other health professional education, supervise and conduct research. Lead and supervise educational initiatives and programs.

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Medical Education Why medical education? If you are passionate and enthusiastic about learning and sharing knowledge, it will fulfill & maintain your curiosity as it is based on research, learning development, and reflection. It is an application of your scientific and artistic skills. It is not time consuming and flexible, You do not have to give up your clinical passion if you are a clinical doctor as it can provide career choices that are not time demanding yet financially, scientifically, and up to date with the constantly upgraded medical field.. Requirements for a medical education career Deepening your knowledge of teaching theory and practice. Experience in teaching and training others. Researches and medical education conferences will elevate your chances. Upgrading your C.V with medical education-related activities and events. Networking with other people from the industry – whether you want to work for an existing organization or are thinking about starting your own Medical Education venture, building a network of like-minded people is essential. You could always consider attending the events provided by medical education organizations locally, nationally or internationally. (Rest assured that MedSINKMSA SCOME will always welcome you;). There is also a wide variety of formal MSc, Ph.D., diplomas, and other courses you can take with you as formal qualifications. Formal degrees are very important if you want to work at an educational institute. Different jobs and occupations in medical education. Teaching (basic science lecturer, clinical science tutor, medical education trainer...etc.). Medical education researcher. Undergraduate university/ graduate education. Physician education. Healthcare professions education. Patient education. Media-based education.

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Medical Education Educational material production- books, videos Curriculum development Continuous medical education (CME) development

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Interview with a Radiologist with Medical Education Experience: Dr. Shiraz Yousif Personal Questions Brief highlight of your C.V. My name is Shiraz Yousif , 35Y(1986) mother of 3 blessed children. I have graduated from medical school, university of Khartoum in 2009, I got the prize in pediatrics at that year. I started working at the same place since 2010 as a teaching assistant in the department of anatomy. How did you manage to get through medical school? Fairly well. I loved being there and was looking forward to fulfill my dream to be a doctor, my grades were satisfactory and I got the university prize in pediatrics in the final year. What is your journey from graduation till now? Medical housemanship 10/2009-10/2010. Meanwhile, I got the position of a teaching assistant in the department of anatomy, U of K in 2010. I got my master’s degree in human morphology in 2014, then, I was promoted to lecturer in 2015. I started surgical residency in 2015 but stop it and transferred to seeking a career in radiology which I started in 2016 and got my final certificate as a radiologist in 2020, during this period I managed to get my master degree in Medical education in 2020. What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of the specialty? I have two pathways, an academic as well as a clinical career, they are intermingled in a nice way. the academic career is highly rated in terms of job satisfaction, working hours and lifestyle. It introduces you to research and academic community all over the world through conferences and events and this in particular boosts your chance to complete your higher degree in a remarkable institiution.

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Medical Education I acquired a wide range of skills in the form of research experience, expanding my knowledge, exploring the aspects of how a medical school is managed, setting curriculum and how to create good doctors rather than just being a good one. On the other hand, it is not financially rewarding financially at all but you can make a decent living by working part time at other colleges besides the limitation in research experience in Sudan. Radiology as a career is good as well, in Sudan the working hours are manageable but it is not the same in other countries. There is less stress and minimal patient interaction which can be an advantage as well as a disadvantage. This specialty in Sudan has good job opportunities and a good income. The main problem here is that it needs a tremendous amount of revision and knowledge. You have to spend several hours a day studying. Also, it encompasses a unique form of knowledge that we didn’t encounter in medical school like physics which is not easy to grasp. When did you realize that this specialty was for you? How can we realize which specialty fits us most? I loved teaching anatomy and that influenced my decision. I wanted a specialty that I can use it in, and it was radiology because it need a thorough understanding of anatomy. What do you enjoy most about this specialty? What makes your field/specialty stand out? Decision making. The right decision will change the outcome of the patient management totally. Academically, I enjoy teaching students very much and it makes me proud seeing them graduated and starting their career. What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this specialty/ wish you had done differently? I would have gained basic knowledge from studying or through a clinical attachment before I got in radiology. In anatomy, nothing is needed to be done because you are learning as you go and surrounded by many mentors. What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? Selective clinical rotation in the radiology department in a good hospital or an enthusiastic radiologist. To be an anatomist, attach yourself to a good anatomy researcher and find a mentor.

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Medical Education What was the most difficult part of your journey? Exams Were the salaries during your residency satisfying? No I had to pay for my residency in radiology. As a university scholar, NO. Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? Yes to be part of teaching staff you have to be an A level student , your scores will affect the chance of getting the job. But in radiology NO. How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? Very important because you will learn soft skills that will ease your way in any specialty you will choose. What are extracurricular activities students can engage in, that are useful in their C.V. & how do they manage to choose them correctly? Researches, clinical audits and community medical campaigns (some may need radiologists like the one for the mycetoma program). What can we do right now as (pre)clinical students do to learn more about your specialty/field? Good knowledge of anatomy, especially radiological anatomy you can ask for extended radiological anatomy from the department. Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this specialty? Anatomy, pathology and radiology. Any courses/workshops of benefit to the specialty? Generally, research methodology courses. What are the soft skills you wish you learned during your medical school years? Communication and teamwork. Special programs and other initiatives that students can be part of if they decide to go for a certain specialty? Mycetoma program at Soba university hospital. They have a good amount of radiology work for clinical and research purposes. How to manage other areas of your life with this specialty? Social and personal life? Having very flexible working hours.

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Medical Education How do you deal with coworkers and patients and what are the difficulties? Radiology is a highly competitive field but generally a friendly working environment. The main challenge in Sudan is poor communication with other clinicians which is the backbone of radiology you cannot diagnose if you don’t have a good history or a clinical note of the case to guide your clinical judgment and to get feedback that will affect future decisions. What is your plan for the future in terms of your medical career? Pursuing a combined clinical and academic career and continue teaching anatomy from a radiological perspective. Your way of handling emergencies and the workload? There aren’t many emergencies. A message to the 20 years old you? I couldn’t do better. Consistent hard work is paying back now. Finally, was the journey worth it? Yes.

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Public Health What is public health? Public Health is defined as “the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts of society” (Acheson, 1988; WHO) Those who work in public health hold the common vision of improving the health of individuals and society by encouraging healthy lifestyles, preventing illnesses, and managing infectious diseases. They may be concerned with protecting and enhancing the health of a small community, or the entire globe. Job responsibilities within the public health field range from evaluating health statistics within a certain community to finding the origins of a disease and from teaching children good hygiene to coordinating a public service campaign. The most common specialties within the public health field include: Biostatistics and Informatics Community Health Epidemiology Environmental Health Global Health Health Policy and Management Health Promotion and Communication Maternal and Child Health Minority Health and Health Disparities Social and Behavioral Health How to pursue a public health career? A master's degree in public health (MPH) MPH is a professional, practice-based degree that prepares graduates to lead in a range of public health settings at local and international levels. It might be a Master of Science or a Master of Arts degree. Based on future professional objectives, the student will choose which of these to pursue. A master's degree is required for numerous positions, including epidemiologists, advanced health educators, and health survey researchers. Obtain work experience Employers and programs prefer candidates who have previous relevant work experience.

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Public Health A student's goal should be to gain pre-professional experience while pursuing a degree. This work experience not only produces more well-rounded graduates, but it also enhances learning outcomes since students will have the experience and expertise to put their studies into context. Make careful to select employment experience that is relevant to your long-term professional aspirations. Someone who wishes to work in epidemiology, for example, should look for work experience in the subject that combines field work and research. Occupations within public health 1. Academia- teaching and public health education. 2. Research You can work in a research institute for e.g public health institute PHI (Sudan), endemic disease center, Mycetoma Research Center, CDC, NIH, Bill and Melina Gates Institute, Nagasaki Institute for tropical medicine, etc. You can work independently 3. Fieldwork The major theme in the fieldwork are health, nutrition, and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene). Why public health? If you want to help the community, public health has a big impact as it stops the cause of the disease rather than treating the symptoms. It has a wide variety of career choices that can align with your interests. If you aspire to be a clinician, public health will upgrade your C.V. and increase your chances of getting accepted in the relative residency program that you aspire to join. You can also choose it as your side career and it won't contradict or disturb your progress in your main career.

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GOs & NGOs Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations : What are GOs and NGOs? They lie under the category of public health fieldwork. Options: Working for the government e.g Federal Minister of Health FMOH Governmental organizations which can be national e.g PHI* or internationals like JICA, USAID, DFID(UKAID),...etc. Non governmental organizations e.g MSF, MDM, ARC, IRC, IMC,... etc. UN agencies, e.g UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR,...etc. Why GOs and NGOs? If you like active engagement, disaster management and humanitarian action GOs & NGOs are the right place for you. If you work under certain NGOs in the field you will be able to see, feel and connect with the communities and to widen your scope as you move from one community to another. The salaries of certain GOs NGOs are extremely high. The requirements for working in GOs and NGOs Bachelor degree May require MPH The most important is experience in organizational work (MedSIN-Sudan KMSA is always waiting for you;) Golden notes: MSF: have high fidelity and remarkable recognition in the C.V. as it graduates public health leaders to other organizations yet it's payment isn't high There is a misconception that UN agencies are the highest in payment but there are other organizations that pay more than them, e.g IMC. The UN agencies pay more if you choose to stay in Sudan. In the UN agencies, you will start as a national officer with it's levels (a, b, c, d), regional and international with the same previous concept.

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Interview with a NGO experienced Doctor: Dr. Sami Sayed Personal Questions Brief highlight of your C.V. I'm Sami Sayed Abdelaziz Altalib, born in 1995 in UAE, interested in extracurricular activities (I work in extracurricular activities and in my remaining time I study). Debates I was part of the debate team that won the university’s, national and Islamic Union championships, participated in the great debtors Morocco Championship for experts and the international championship in Cape Town. I was a judge for the championships in our faculty, and was a trainer for several universities like Dongola, AL Jazeera AlGadarif…etc. and I trained the school’s team that was going to the championship in Qatar. In KMSA A member in the thirty council 2012 and Vice Secretary of Health Education and External Affairs Secretary in 2016 MedSIN-Sudan LPO Assistant, LPO, national TSDD in 2015, SecGen and Advisory Board Member in 2017 but I quit, trainer since 2013 ,old trainer since 2017, conducted several TNT workshops. A member of the higher committee for accreditation in 2016, and part of mechanism of Ending violence against children in educational institutes 2016/2017. Health consultant for refugees in Umbada and Jabal Awliaa in Al Manar organization. Health promotion supervisor in Omdurman isolation center for MSF (doctors without boarder), and sero-surveillance survey supervisor for COVID moralities in Omdurman for them after graduation.

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GOs & NGOs How did you manage to get through medical school? I've sat for the secondary school examinations twice. In the first time I scored 89% and I was interested in either piloting or law school yet due to social pressures I sat again and joined the faculty of medicine then by the time I was in third or fourth year of medical school, I adapted. What is your journey from graduation till now? It is an ongoing journey. I worked for MSF (doctors without borders) during the lockdown which was amidst of our examinations and I was the only student amongst the applicants and the HR team still remembers me as I was the first to submit my test paper and I was selected with a high score the. Appointed, then I took a break to sit for my level 6 university examination after it I resumed my work. My plan was to apply for MPH (master of public health), continue my French education, apply for higher diploma in public management and teach on the community medicine department to fill the gap between it and the students and to give back to the students in the university - that's why I do extracurricular activities. I am still studying French at level 7/14, selected as a teaching assistant for the community medicine department and studying for the public management higher diploma and waiting for the results. I plan work with the UN in the future. What in your opinion are the (advantages/disadvantages), the (pros/cons) of your field of work/career? Advantages: my C.V. is already oriented to my field and I was even able to work a paid job with Almanr organization when I was a student. Meeting new people inside and outside Sudan and the work has new context and communities every day. It's rewarding from the financial aspect in short time in contrast to the clinical field. The soft skills learned and used are very excellent. Disadvantages: risk of disease and danger (conflict, outbreaks…etc.). Social life can be disturbed and the job stability isn't ensured as it sometimes can be project based and when the project ends your work end, unless you work under a contract in opposition to the clinical which has stable employment. When did you realize that this career was for you? How can we realize which specialty fits us most? In fourth year, I've discovered that my C.V. and lifestyle is relevant to it in terms of traveling and projects, and on the other hand, I found that the clinical path wasn't suitable to my preference.

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GOs & NGOs Before fourth year, I was confused but after it I made up my mind. Generally, all these plans and preferences depend on the internal factors(passion, motives and preferences) and external factors (financial status, family status, C.V., time, scores…etc.) in addition to the orientation, knowledge and opportunities that are provided within the scope of your surroundings. So at the end your choice is limited by what is available. What is one thing you wish you knew before pursuing a career in this field/ wish you had done differently? Finish my French education, complete the housemanship, learn about research and how my social life would be affected (it’s a nightmare for me. Yet other than that my seniors gave me a pretty good orientation. What are things students can do, during their college experience to ease the path in this specialty? Oh! They can do a lot starting from. Improving your English language, having an objective based C.V. (not in your early years but you should start directing it from year 4), networking (including the doctors which are going to write your recommendation letters and referencing later), knowing how to write everything from a motivation letter to market and promote for ourselves, to reports, to proposals, etc., having a third language (specially the UN ones) and to have something to entertain yourself like music, art,...etc. If you master these, your journey will be a lot easier. What was the most difficult part of your journey? And how did you manage to overcome it? The hardest part was my disturbed social life as I lived in a dormitory for 5 years. Sometimes you might be under attack whether it is during your university years or after it with different administrations (governmental and non-governmental) and in the future the friction will increase and you have to learn how to deal with and manage it. Regarding the social life, well I still didn't figure out how to deal with it but a load of apologies and explanation is needed and at the end I sacrificed it for other priorities. With regard to the conflicts in your work field, they are unstoppable; and once I was talking with my father and found that he faced the same conflicts within their unions. So you have to be transparent and understanding and sometimes you have to learn how to manage the conflicts. I got used to it to an extent that I will be surprised if everything went smoothly.

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GOs & NGOs Were the salaries during your residency/internship satisfying? In general, the organizations, specifically the foreign ones, are the most satisfying ones in terms of salaries as the payment is in hard currency. Those organizations have classification and levels to their employees and in their first level the salaries vary from $200 – $400. Does your academic performance during college matter (taking a sub, repeating a year)? If you want to. Apply at our university it matters as they won’t accept you if you have subs or repeated a year (you can be an intern or a adjunct teacher yet you won't be appointed full time). In organizations, experience is the most important pillar. And in scholarships, sometimes they require you to be from the upper 10% of your class an honor graduate or top second. But in our university, everyone graduates with an honor degree because we do not have a GPA so it's in our advantage. How important are extracurricular activities at the undergraduate level? Important not only for the C.V. and the skills, but also you need to advocate for your cause and yourself, in addition to that in the future you will be under supervision and your actions have huge consequences yet in university years, your mistakes have little to none and you will be able to build your experience. In addition to that, the competition in this field is very vigorous and if you don’t learn now, it will be very hard for you in the future, and sometimes they might ask for certification for some of your experience in this field. I am a supporter of giving a prize for extracurricular activities whether by the faculty or KMSA. What are extracurricular activities students can engage in that are useful in their C.V. & how do they manage to choose them correctly? It can be anything from cultural, academic, organizational, start-up, sports, etc. It depends on what you want, yet it's vitally important to have a mentor in the field that can show you the end of the route. The most important thing is to try and find what's suitable for you. And what's right for you isn't right for others.

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GOs & NGOs Talk to experts and graduates and sometimes discussion groups like SPHA (Sudanese public Health Associations) Facebook group, reading the masters' content in universities' websites, reading the organizations' websites in addition to Sudan Jobs Facebook page or website and the jobs in general. Which subjects do students need to master if they want to pursue this career of yours? Most of the time you find a gap between the curricular teachings and the practical work but mostly community medicine, microbiology, infectious, pediatrics, reproductive health, and primary health care. These are the most essential ones and they are the ones that made me pass interviews. What are the soft skills you wish you learned during your medical school years? I have no jump that happened after graduation yet there are some things that I need to learn in software like; R gallery, STATA, and GIS, other than that there is nothing new. How to manage other areas of your life with this career? Social and personal life? I’m still in fear of this reality and I don't know how to manage because if you take your family with you it's a problem and if you don’t it's also a problem. What is your plan for the future in terms of your medical career? Mainly planning to go in UN regionally and internationally and to continue the Teaching Assistant work as well. Your way of handling the workload? I'm a workaholic and if once per week I sat with my friend and once per month I attended an occasion or an event it's more than sufficient for me; that’s because KMSA’s work load made us used to this kind of pressure also engaging in activities like sports and reading is good, and I read novels for a change. Any other personal experience or advice you would like to share? Running behind your work and passion should not make you forget your human value; to help & listen and to not look at life and people as numbers and to collect a fortune to leave behind when you die.

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Any other personal experience or advice you would like to share? Running behind your work and passion should not make you forget your human value; to help & listen and to not look at life and people as numbers and to collect a fortune to leave behind when you die.

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A message to the 20 years old you? Continue working,You are doing a very great job! Finally, was the journey worth it? Sure sure sure! and I don't regret a minute in this faculty and I will redo the process again if I go back in time. Career questions Can you tell us more about your career (ie. give us a brief overview of what you do)? Interested in public health and it has a lot of domains that are parts of Community Medicine and if you want to know more check out the WHO website and the masters by the different universities. It focuses on treating the community from prevention to rehabilitation. Describe the overall process to acquire a career in this field? The qualifications that the career needs? Some lines are by specialty by Sudanese Medical Specialization Board, to sit for the selection examination, rotate in community medicine then take the medical doctorate (MD) in public health after the rotation in different centers. MPH or public health related masters which are academic. MPH is desirable in all jobs because it has practical and academic lines and it's a push to your career and it helps in career and job selection. Also the clinical career is a bonus as it enhances the understanding of health. What are the countries that provide the best options for your field of work? For me, Sweden and UK as they are the oldest in the field, the USA provides scholarships and good masters. How many hours a day do you work? How many days per week? With regards to the jobs that I've worked at before 8 hours by the normal employment regulation per day and might reach 10 hours because of the field work and its 6 days a week. Any further additions are paid overtime and we also have a doubled salary for holidays. Would you shift to clinical specialties if you get burnout from your work? I don't think so.

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GOs & NGOs From general perspective, the opportunities aren't as many as the number of people who want to specialize as they come from different specialties beside medicine and with COVID the number of people who want the scholarships increased and with regard to the 3 previous countries it's there but it's tight. to go international, you need to go national and it's tight , the opportunities related to health are less than the management ones. How can we students find these opportunities in Sudan? sudanjobs.net have jobs in details UN and NGO opportunities UN opportunities for UN jobs every agency has its HR website LinkedIn sends you jobs in your email that matches your interest In telegram: organization job (a group that shares jobs offered by several organizations) Did you attend any internships in any institution? If yes, please mention the details from your application to the outcome and its impact on your current position. I didn't apply for any internships but generally applying for a job is by providing the required documents, writing your name on the file and putting it on box provided by the employer. Then, if you are shortlisted you sit for a test both for knowledge and computer skills, if you succeed, you will be interviewed, sometimes several ones to measure your communication skills, language, problem solving…etc., then you will be informed whether you got the job or no. The same goes for the internships. In sudanjobs.net, it's the same procedure but it's online. Are there other institutions that provide internships for your field of work? All the national and international organizations that have branches in the country will open internship opportunities. Higher commission of human rights had opened internship opportunities for graduate. It happens as general organizations send their opportunities to HAC then they announce those jobs, and people apply through them and then they distribute the applicant amongst organizations. For undergraduates, you have to go the institution and then you can have the opportunity to participate depending on the need & the cooperation of the organizations

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GOs & NGOs Yes of course we need it, especially the prevention because all of the health system is very primitive and we have occupational health issues, we have reproductive health issues and we have refugees and internally displaced people and also when outbreaks occur. If a doctor pursues a specialty track and couldn’t find themselves in the specialty, what in your opinion, is the right way to go about this? You can change as you are an epidemiologist and you can work in any field and if it doesn't work out you can always go back to clinical. That's why having your permanent is very important for me.

Special qualifications How did you reach your current career (courses, exams, post-graduate education, etc.)? from experience in management that I worked in when I was in KMSA and MedSIN and my certifications and the interviews that I have attended allowed me to have the privilege of being selected. What are the courses that support you in your career? And when is the right time to take them?( before or after graduation - before or after residency), duration, cost of these courses, place (certain institutions, inside or outside Sudan)]? Any courses that help enhance the knowledge and skills such as Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support, research methodology, management, and Leadership like YALI are among the many you can take. Every course that suits the goals of the organization that you're applying for. Are there certain exams that you should pass to acquire a career in this field? If yes , what are these exams , where can we take them (certain institutions, inside or outside Sudan), when and their cost? I don't know about any examination except for the specialty road by the Sudanese medical specialization board and project management for development but it's relatively new.

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Post-graduate education? If yes, describe your journey with the Masters/PhD/courses that you take from application to the acceptance (duration, cost, place (inside or outside Sudan). My higher diploma in Public management in addition to the MPH (master of public health) in either Sweden which is two year or UK which is one year. Why did you choose this master program /course in particular? It is aligned with the work, you'll also network with people from the same field in addition to organizing your experience which is one of my goals. Preparation tips? Important resources to and websites to prepare for the application. They differ from one to another but you need a good C.V., experience, good recommendations, certifications and references but also language tests like the IELTS and TOFFEL and a good cover letter/motivation letter. Any other advice or tips? Good connections with doctors for referencing language and good motivation letter there's a book called how to write wining essays, it gives you examples for good ones and bad ones. Websites like LinkedIn, Coursera, and Europass for your C.V.

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Tests - PLABs PLAB PLAB, or Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board, is a test that international medical graduates (IMG) must complete to demonstrate that they have the essential skills and knowledge to practice medicine in the United Kingdom. The examination assesses your abilities as a doctor to work safely as a senior house officer (SHO) in UK hospitals.

What do you need before you can take PLAB? Before you can take the PLAB test, you must first create a GMC Online account and demonstrate that your medical certification and English skills are acceptable. Your information will be validated, and if it matches the standards, you will be able to register for the first part of the PLAB test. What does the PLAB test involve? The test is divided into two parts. Part 1 is a multiple-choice written exam with 180 single-best-answer questions. Part 2 consists of an objective structured clinical exam, known as an OSCE. Before you can apply for registration with a license to practice medicine in the UK, you must pass both exams. PLAB part 1 PLAB 1 is a written exam consisting of 180 multiple-choice questions that must be answered in three hours. Each one begins with a short scenario, followed by a question. You must select the correct answer from the five options provided. Part 1 can be taken in a number of countries. A center is available in Khartoum, Sudan. PLAB part 2 PLAB 2 is a systematic objective clinical test. It consists of 18 scenarios, each lasting eight minutes, and is intended to mimic real-life settings such as a mock consultation or an acute ward.

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Tests - PLABs The exam is set at the level of competence of a doctor at the start of Foundation Year 2 (F2) in the Foundation Programme In UK. However, this part can only be taken in the United Kingdom. What happens after you’ve passed PLAB 1 and PLAB 2? After passing both parts, you can apply for registration and a license to practice. After completing part 2 of the test, your application must be approved within two years. Once we have approved your application and you have gained registration, you will be able to work as a doctor in the United Kingdom. PLAB Exam Application Process For applying first you have to have A primary medical qualification by an institution listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools IELTS academic modules with at least 7.5 overall and a minimum of 7.0 for all the four language skills. You must apply online through the General Medical Council (GMC) website. After applying a confirmation mail from the GMC website will be received .The email will continue the place, venue and the starting time of the test. Candidates have no limits of trying in PLAB 1 but for PLAB 2 you have only four times. You must pass part 2 within two years of the date you passed Part 1. If you do not pass Part 2 within two years of passing Part 1, or fail at your fourth attempt, you will have to re-sit Part 1 and Part 2. For more information PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board) | British Council PLAB - GMC

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Tests - MRCP UK Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP UK) Exams Part (1) Who can take it? Part 1 is an entry-level exam for doctors with at least 12 months of postgraduate experience in practicing medicine. It covers a wide variety of topics to guarantee that physicians at the start of their postgraduate studies have a sufficient level of knowledge. Part 1 is the first component of a sequence of assessments intended to match the progression of trainees undertaking the Core Medical Training / Internal Medical Training programme in the UK, adding unique information and building on previous assessments.

What is its purpose? Building on the knowledge of basic medical science acquired in undergraduate education, the aim of Part 1 is to test knowledge and understanding of common and important disorders as well as clinical science. It is also necessary to be familiar with and comprehend UK national guidelines. • Part 1 at a glance • One-day exam ° Two three-hour papers • 100 multiple-choice (best of five) questions per paper • No images • Sat in an exam hall or online • Fees SPECIALTY TRAINING CURRICULUM FOR CORE MEDICAL TRAINING August 2009

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Tests - MRCP UK Where? International center available in Khartoum, Sudan Part (2) Who is eligible? The MRCP(UK) Part 2 written exam can be taken by physicians in training who have passed the MRCP(UK) Part 1 exam. It expands on the knowledge examined in Part 1 and assesses the acquisition of a representative sample of medical knowledge, skills, and behavior as outlined in the UK Specialty Training Curriculum for Core Medical Training / Curriculum for Internal Medicine.

What does it test? The exam will test your ability to apply clinical understanding, make clinical judgments and take responsibility for: • Prioritizing diagnostic or problem lists • Planning investigation • Selecting a plan for immediate management • Selecting a plan for long-term management • Assessing prognosis. The exam at a glance • Two papers taken on one-day • Papers last three hours • 100 multiple-choice questions (best of five) per paper • questions include images • Sat in an examination hall. • Fees

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Tests - USMLE USMLE United States Medical Licensing Examination is a three-step exam that permits medical doctors to practice medicine in the U.S. This three-part exam is owned by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners(NBME). Step 1 Step 1 determines whether you understand and can apply key concepts from the sciences that are fundamental to the practice of medicine, with a focus on the principles and mechanisms underpinning health, disease, and modes of therapy. It guarantees mastery of not just the sciences that give the foundation for today's safe and competent practice of medicine, but also the scientific principles essential for maintaining compethrough lifelong learning.

It is a one-day examination. It is broken into seven 60-minute blocks and delivered over the course of an eight-hour testing session. The number of questions each block on a specific exam form may vary, but will not exceed 40. The complete exam form will not include more than 280 items.

The exam includes disciplines such as Gross Anatomy, Embryology, Behavioral Sciences, Immunology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Histology, Physiology, Nutrition and Genetics. Find the content outline here. Published on September 15, 2021 • For tests taken on or after January 26, 2022, USMLE Step 1 score reporting will change from a numeric score and pass/fail result to pass/fail solely. This adjustment is viewed as a crucial first step in facilitating wider, system-wide improvements to ease the transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education by the USMLE program.

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Published on September 15, 2021 • For tests taken on or after January 26, 2022, USMLE Step 1 score reporting will change from a numeric score and pass/fail result to pass/fail solely. This adjustment is viewed as a crucial first step in facilitating wider, system-wide improvements to ease the transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education by the USMLE program.

Tests - USMLE

Step 2 Step 2 CK evaluates an examinee's capacity to use medical knowledge, skills, and clinical scientific understanding necessary for the provision of patient care under supervision, with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. Step 2 CK ensures that enough attention is paid to clinical sciences and essential patientcentered skills, which provide as the foundation for the safe and competent practice of medicine under supervision.

It is broken into eight 60-minute blocks and delivered over the course of a single 9hour assessment session. On a particular examination, the number of questions each block will vary but will not exceed 40. The total number of items in the overall exam will not be more than 318.

Step 2 currently consists of a single exam, Step 2 CK (Clinical knowledge). Previously it consisted of another additional exam Step2 CS (clinical skills) exam which is now discontinued. Find the content outline here.

Step 3 Step 3 tests your ability to use medical knowledge and comprehension of biomedical and clinical science required for unsupervised practice of medicine, with a focus on patient management in ambulatory settings. It is the last exam in the USMLE sequence that leads to a license to practice medicine without supervision. Step 3 consists of a two-day exam. The first day of testing has 232 multiple-choice items broken into 6 blocks of 38-39 items; each block of test items has a time limit of 60 minutes to complete. The first day's exam session lasts around 7 hours, including 45 minutes of break time and a 5-minute optional tutorial.

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Tests - USMLE

The second day's exam session lasts around 9 hours. This testing day begins with a 5minute optional tutorial, followed by 180 multiple-choice items broken into 6 blocks of 30 items; 45 minutes are allocated for completion of each block of test items. A 7minute CCS tutorial is also included on the second day. This is followed by 13 case scenarios, each with its own time limit a maximum of 10 or 20 minutes of real time. Find the content outline here. Where can I take the exam? • Centers in Africa are located in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda. • Centers in the Middle East are located in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. How much does it cost? Step 1 $985 - Examination Fee + International Test Delivery Surcharge, if testing outside the United States and Canada Step 2 CK $985 - Examination Fee + International Test Delivery Surcharge, if testing outside the United States and Canada You can find these information updated here. Benefits of USMLE: After completing USMLE you can; Apply for a residency and fellowship in the United States • Maintain the ECFMG certificate's lifetime validity ("T Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates") - Improve your academic and research facilities. - Accelerate the processing of green cards.

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Obtain employment in New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Dubai, and/or Qatar.

Tests - IFOM

Improve your academic and research facilities. Accelerate the processing of green cards.

The International Foundations of Medicine (IFOM®) program The primary mission of the NBME International Foundations of Medicine program is “To serve global medical education by providing high-quality assessment tools suitable for use potentially anywhere in the world and for a variety of purposes.” Committees and task forces comprised of faculty from around the world create and assess the IFOM exams. These committees adhere to the same rigorous procedure that is utilized to develop Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®)." The program is comprised of two exams. The IFOM Basic Science Exam A comprehensive exam developed to evaluate examinees' understanding of basic medical sciences. For What Purposes Is the IFOM Basic Science Exam Used? Schools and other organizations use the exam in the following ways: Assessment at the end of a course, year, or training program Part of the qualifications for admission to an internship or residency program Individual students and graduates use it for personal benchmarking, applying to residency programs, and preparing for the USMLE® Step 1 exam. Exam structure The exam consists of 160 multiple-choice questions, the majority of which are provided in clinical-vignette format to measure examinees' ability to recall as well as apply basic medical science knowledge.

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The exam consists of 160 multiple-choice questions, the majority of which are provided in clinical-vignette format to measure examinees' ability to recall as well as apply basic medical science knowledge.

Tests - IFOM

Content covered includes Anatomy, Biochemistry, Histology and Cell Biology, Microbiology, Organ Systems, Pathology, Pharmacology, Physiology The IFOM Clinical Science Exam Examines the medical knowledge and understanding of clinical science considered crucial for the provision of safe and effective patient care. For What Purpose Is the IFOM Clinical Science Exam Used? Schools and other organizations use the exam in the following ways: Curriculum development/assessment benchmarking/quality assurance To test students before or after clinical training. Final exam to exist medical school Intern/residency selection Preparation for the United States Medical Licensing Exam® (USMLE®) Step 2 Clinical Knowledge Exam structure The exam comprises 160 multiple-choice questions presented in clinical vignettestyle to assess examinees’ ability to not just recall but also apply their knowledge in clinical contexts. The content covered includes Family Medicine, Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery. View the full content outline here.

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Medicine,

Obstetrics

and

Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery.

Tests - IFOM

View the full content outline here.

Fee (Per Exam) IFOM Basic Science Exam

$50.00

IFOM Clinical Science Exam

$75.00

Which countries accept the IFOM? NBME advises people considering taking the IFOM in order to obtain admission to training or medical practice to first check with the program or governing agency to ensure that their IFOM score will be approved. The NBME does not keep a list of programs or nations that use IFOM for selection. mohamed.almojtaba962014@gmail.com MBBS with distinction degree ( Ibn Sina University 2019) Faculty prize in Anatomy, physiology, biochemistry (Academic year 2017-2018) Internship at Hamad Medical Corporation Dr. MohamedAlmojtaba Explains the Exam

Scan or Click to Watch!

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References The Ultimate Guide To Choosing a Medical Specialty Book by Brian Freeman Clinical medicine - Definition and Examples New results relating the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and... : Academic Medicine Career specialty choice: A combined research-intervention project Factors influencing subspecialty choice among medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis Swiss residents' speciality choices--impact of gender, personality traits, career motivation and life goals, Gender difference and specialty preference in medical career choice Gender and medical careers Gender difference in preference of specialty as a career choice among Japanese medical students What is Public Health? | CDC Foundation Public health services The relationship between gender and career choice in medicine – an overview: Journal of Gender Studies: Vol 29, No 7 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: The 16 Personality Types The effects of medical school curricula, faculty role models, and biomedical research support on choice of generalist physician careers: a review and quality assessment of the literature PGME Standards - The World Federation for Medical Education. 'It was serendipity': a qualitative study of academic careers in medical education A Career in Medical Education: What you need to know Inside Scope on Medical Education MedEdWorld ASME NHS Education England offers some fantastic advice to medical educationalists Medical education | Health Careers Medical Education - Wiley Online Library AMEE Home Public health as a career Public Health Degrees & Careers | How to Work in Public Health Explore Public Health Careers What Is a Nephrologist? What Is a Nephrologist? Specialty of General Surgery Defined Specialty of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology FMGE or USMLE - Which one is better for medical students? Part 1 | MRCPUK

Specialty of General Surgery Defined Specialty of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology FMGE or USMLE - Which one is better for medical students? Part 1 | MRCPUK MCQ Examination Allergy and Immunology | Internal Medicine | ACP What is an immunologist? Everything you need to know Bulletin of Information | USMLE 2021 Bulletin of Information Step 1 | USMLE ECFMG Fees FSMB | Step 3 FAQ United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) | NBME Step 2 CK | USMLE How To Register To Practice In Qatar Qatar Qualifying Examination Qatar Primary Source Verification Qatar – Medical Residency Updates Medical Licensing and Registration system in the GULF (Qatar) - Home How to Work as A General Physician in Qatar | GP in Qatar How to Become a Doctor in Qatar? The Pathway to Medical Residency Residency Programs USMLE Updates & Research Practitioners Registration-Licensing Process.pdf Non-clinical jobs for doctors Medical Specialty Selection Guide for The Ultimate List of Medical Specialties and Sub-specialities Specialty Profiles | Careers in Medicine Medical Oncology | Careers in Medicine Types of Oncologists The 15 skills medical schools expect from students on day one Capabilities | Medicine Program Health and Medical Average Salaries in Sudan 2021 - The Complete Guide What should medical students do to choose their specialty? A Career in Medical Education: What you need to know Inside Scope on Medical Education MedEdWorld Medical education | Health Careers Medical Education - Wiley Online Library Public Health Degrees & Careers | How to Work in Public Health

Med School Insiders Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties (11 ed.) INTERNSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM Hamad Medical Corporation Internship Program Medical Residency In Germany For Non EU Citizens - CollegeLearners.com The Residency Training Program of Alexandria University Hospitals Residency Programs Sudan Medical Specialization Board Roadmap to Choosing a Medical Specialty

On behalf of the SWG members, The MedSIN-KMSA 2020-2021 SCOME local team members, and MedSIN-KMSA SCOMEdians, I would like to thank Shima Abdelfatah, the SWG coordinator and the MedSIN-KMSA LOME 2020-2021, for her passion and hard work. It has been a marvelous term and this manual was its crowning jewel. Her micro-management of the making of this manual and her attention to details as subtle as punctuation - except ironically this part which she knows nothing about ;) - made this manual as perfect as it might seem. We wish you all the best in your upcoming endeavors and may this manual serve as a great legacy for you in both Heaven and Earth.