Doctor Profile: Medicine Through Our Eyes

Dr Anei has recently interviewed one of our founders, Dr Uyirwoth for his podcast, Through Our Eyes. Listen to the  Episode HERE.
You can also read the exchange in the transcript below:

 

Interview with Dr.Sheila Uyirwoth

Thanks for coming on Dr.  Uyirwoth [Sheila]. Tell us a little about yourself; what was your pathway like into medicine?

Straight after high-school, I went to university. Initially, I pursued engineering. I wanted a career that would be job ready. When I was working in engineering, I met an occupational physician at QANTAS. She looked like she enjoyed the kind of work she was doing. This piqued my interest, because it was  still a technical environment. I thought about that experience and how the woman enjoyed working in that environment. So, I applied for medicine. I come from a family of doctors, and they were very supportive. I gave medicine a shot, I got in, had momentum and I have never looked back. I still have aspirations of going back to engineering. I have an interest in environmental engineering, and solar renewable energy.

How are you going to incorporate both of those careers in your life?

I’m currently doing advanced training in occupational and environmental medicine, with specific interests in aviation medicine and hyper/hypothyroid medicine. I’m interested in the Impact of the environment on people and their health. In the future, I’m investing in solar energy in my home country, solar charging stations in my country. Hopefully, there is more time to concentrate on those things later in my career.

Sounds like you are doing other things outside of medicine, which is fantastic.

Yes, it’s important for anyone, not just doctors, to have something else that you are interested in. You are not just a doctor. Be it your hobbies, other interests, businesses, families.

After engineering, how was your experience of medical school?

I enjoyed university immensely. Undergraduate and postgraduate studies were fun. I liked the routine this established for me; I liked the assignment, learning things- I enjoyed it very much.

Did you have any challenges you faced in medical school?

I had a very typical experience during medical school. I don’t think I faced many challenges. You have your group assignments, your own study. Both engineering and medicine were intense courses. It was a fun challenging ride which I enjoyed wholeheartedly.

If you had your time again, how would you do things differently?

I would probably start to think of financial planning earlier. I would think about career and business planning and make sure there is a solid plan. This would help you have an idea of how to proceed. A wise old engineer once told me, “You need to have some experience with human resources and the logistics of negotiating”. Admittedly, this is not something that medical school teaches. You learn physiology, maths and biochemistry. No one tells you how to negotiate contracts and rostering. In summary, I would learn more about the business side of things, e.g., Medicare item codes, etc.

I think it’s also important to have an awareness of your internal locus of motivation. Having a sense of integrity and altruism that acts as a basis of where you practise, will give you a better sense of peace. If you have that as your focus, you will do a better job for your patients.

Choosing GP as a career, what kind of considerations went into deciding on that speciality?

There were a couple of considerations. One of them was the length of training. I didn’t want to spend a lot of time training. There is an opportunity cost of training. For example, with neurosurgery, you might have 20 years of training. To me, it seems there would be some element of putting your life on hold. If you’re training for that time, you’d hope you enjoy it, as it’s a lot of time to spend on a career pathway. Additionally, it was important for me to choose a career with a secure job at the end. Being able to work as an independent contractor and business owner, and being nationally and internationally recognised provides endless opportunities to expand.

Being a GP provides me with enjoyment and intellectual satisfaction. There is enough brevity across psychiatry, minor surgery and gynaecology. That was a draw for me, as I had an interest in occupational and environmental medicine, gynaecology and dermatology. I didn’t want to be pigeon-holed and through GP, I have exposure to all three.

Furthermore, I never had any particular draw to any specialities. I have GPs in my family, some of my friends are GP. I thoroughly enjoy it. I have not been denied opportunities in my career. I have been able to examine for the College of General Practitioners; I've been involved in teaching and also research through academic posts.

Talk a little bit more about the pathway into General Practice. You mentioned you’re studying occupational and environmental medicine on the side?

Specialising in Australia is different to North America, where career pathways are more stream-lined straight out of medical school. Australia is different. There are 1-2 years compulsory work in a hospital environment. After that you can start applying for training programs.  With GP, you can apply in your second year out and start training in third year. You complete your FRAGCP or ACRRM  training. The ACRRM pathway allows you to become a rural generalist- either in anaesthetics, psychiatry, obstetrics or emergency medicine.

After you finish, you do your exams, then become a fellow. Hopefully in post-graduate year 5 (PGY5) you’re an independent GP. Additionally, you can then do chapter fellowships in sexual health, rehabilitation medicine, and occupational and environmental medicine.

So with me, I finished GP training. I thought about occupational and environmental medicine. I was successful in applying for the training, and now I'm doing it. This year might be the year I do my fellowship exams.

What advice do you have for aspiring medical professionals, especially ones from an African background?

Decide in which direction you want to go in or at least have an idea. Have a scheme of how to get there. Be confident in your decision. If the first one doesn’t work out, decide how you can achieve your dream goal. Make sure you are secure in your person, outside of medicine. To work hard and show up everyday. Sometimes it’s hard, but you need to show up!

Listen to the podcast for more details!