I got serious about studying
medicine when we chose our subjects in high school. I lived with my mother and siblings until Grade 10, and in Grade 11, I moved to be closer to my school so I could attend the extra classes that the teachers provided after school and on the weekends. Our teachers were committed to helping us achieve our best. There were 107 learners in my matric class, and not enough textbooks for all of us – if it wasn’t for our teachers, I would not have gotten the results I got. During the extra lessons, they spent more time on various topics and even introduced new concepts. There were about 20 of us who worked and studied together, and we competed against one another, pushing each other to do better. Mlungisi matriculated from his Quintile 2 school with 7 distinctions including 95% for Physical Science, 93% for Maths, and 85% for Life Sciences.
I was motivated to do well by my home situation - no one was working as my father was retrenched in 2014, and so we lived off social grants. I am the eldest, and so I was motivated to bring about a positive change. I knew I had to study hard to go to university and get a qualification, so I could get a skilled job. This was my primary motivation and the fact that coming from a deep rural area, opportunities are few and far between, so I needed to make the most of the opportunity I got to study medicine. My Mom was very supportive of me, I spoke to her about everything, except my schoolwork because she had no experience in that area. I applied to the University of KwaZulu-Natal to study medicine but was accepted for Pharmacy, my third choice. Fortunately, whilst on campus, I got a call from the medical school offering me a space, and so I moved from one campus to the other. I joined two weeks into the academic programme and so had some catching up to do in addition to the normal adaption of high school to university – I had never touched a computer before! Umthombo provided great support – I was allocated a mentor, who I had for the duration of my degree, who was approachable, experienced and offered good advice that helped with the transition. Our mentor, Sis Dee, always encouraged us to do better – she kept us on our toes and was always there for us. Understanding the student I was, helped me cope – I realised that I needed to revise and learn something every day, whereas other students could cram just before the test or exam – I couldn’t do that.
What really pushed me to excel was the fear of not knowing enough and being humiliated by a consultant when doing clinical rotations. I also wanted to be a better person, and the best doctor I could be, a doctor patients could rely on. When I arrived at medical school, I had friends in 3rd and 4th year and they spoke about getting your degree Cum Laude, and the fact that it is announced and celebrated at graduation – I liked that and wanted that.
I plan to specialise - I’m interested in four areas: internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, and surgery, and so I will use my two-year internship to see what I really love. My aim is to become a consultant and ultimately a professor in my speciality. I come from a community where information and knowledge are lacking and so I’d like to provide information to high school learners in my area to make them hungry to learn and access opportunities to increase the number of successful people in my community. I am the first member of my family to complete matric, go to university and get a degree – I wish more young people in my community could say the same.