Dr Samantha Nicholson-Spence
Dr Samantha Nicholson-Spence is a medical internist who heads the Department of Medicine at Kingston Public Hospital (KPH). After graduating from The UWI with her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 2007, she did her internship at KPH, and has worked there since. Even while she completed her residency at the University of Miami, she kept in touch and was on a flight back to Kingston right after her last exam.
She enjoys working at KPH as on every level, from doctors to the administrative staff, porters, janitors, everyone is just one big family and she finds her career very rewarding. She notes that the Jamaican health care system allows the patient can access certain things for free, so she doesn’t have to worry about whether the patient can afford a certain medication or to see a certain specialist. There is room for improvement but she feels she is able to help to make things better. She opened her own private practice, Imani Medical, about six years ago.
This allows her to serve patients who have relatively mild ailments whereas the hospital patients tend to be sicker and more complex. As a doctor of internal medicine, she is specially trained in the diagnosis of puzzling medical problems, the ongoing care of chronic illnesses, and caring for patients with multiple conditions. In fact, she chose to specialise in this area because she finds it somewhat mysterious, and she has always enjoyed a good mystery and above all, she wants to help people and make them feel better.
With her husband, she finds a way to balance family life with their two children. It can become physically and emotionally exhausting, however despite the challenges she feels lucky to have the love of God, the love of family, and the love of medicine.
She hopes in the future to be able to impact health care in the country on a bigger level, as her aim is to contribute to making health care increasingly better for Jamaicans.
Edited. Source: ALL WOMAN Monday, June 08, 2020. CANDIECE KNIGHT
