Working during COVID19 | Dr. Matthew Preston's viewpoint

Hi, my name is Matthew Preston, a 25-year-old medical doctor currently working at the University of the West Indies Hospital.  I graduated from the class of 2020 and completed medical school in the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020. 

My experience as a medical student transitioning to a medical doctor was tough. I still remember being on my final rotation of medical school and hearing that because covid was spreading rapidly throughout the world and was likely to reach Jamaica soon, we might have to do MBBS online ( Our final examination of medical school). A week later we were confined to our homes and in limbo of some sort as we did not know when our exam would be and what format it would entail. 

Grit, friends, family, and my girlfriend are what helped me to get through those next few weeks. Not knowing what format to study for or when my studying would end was quite troublesome but I knew my goal, had great support, and would not give up so easily. Eventually, we found out the format of our exam and a tentative date which eased the stress and a few weeks later I sat my final examinations. 

 I still remember that night our results dropped. There had been delays and I went to bed thinking the results weren't coming out that night. I turned off my phone and was woken up by my mother as my friend had called our house phone to tell me our results were out. That feeling of knowing I passed was surreal but it was just the start of the journey.

 We were thrown into the deep end with less than a 1-week break after the exams vs the usual 1 month. And our clinical skills were a bit rusty after being at home for almost 2 months. The hospitals were also very different as there was still a lot of uncertainty about the virus and there were no vaccines available as yet. However, I couldn't let that stop me from achieving my dream of becoming a registered doctor by completing my 1-year internship. I pushed through each of my 4 rotations one step at a time. 

 I remember the first time I found out I was exposed to a patient with Covid-19. Not knowing what to do, having to quarantine my family, and being afraid I would develop severe symptoms were challenging. Luckily I did not contract the virus at this time, but that was just one of the many issues health care workers had to deal with every day.

 Many of us lost loved ones but we took an oath and had to press through. And as we got more acquainted with the virus and its treatment and got our covid vaccines the fear eased somewhat but we still had to be vigilant. It was a challenging time but before I knew it I was on my last rotation getting my annual practicing certificate and applying to my next phase as a Senior House Officer.

 Looking back on my internship, what really helped me get through it were some of my experiences in medical school at UHWI. The sleepless nights cramming last minute I now see as practice for staying awake while on duty. The numerous classes and time management skills required were like practice for handling my endless ward work. The infamous hell week of exams during medical school was practice for me to push through the last few weeks on my rotations. I can truly say going through medical school at UWI taught me a lot about life and prepared me for the harsh realities of the working world. I have no regrets about choosing UWI for my tertiary education and would make the same decision all over again if given the chance.