Tosnausha Logan, one of 27 graduates of the School of Medicine at the University of Guyana, (UG) is striving to be an excellent physician and would like to be remembered for her compassionate nature and humility.
Logan was born at Kwakwani, Region 10 but grew up in South Ruimveldt, Georgetown after her family moved there when she was four years old. Logan completed medical school with a distinction and in a recent post on social media, she thanked all those who stuck by her side while she pursued her education. She noted in her post that despite coming from what people call a “ghetto school”, she stands proud.
The “ghetto school”, Logan shared, is the South Ruimveldt Park Primary School. However, she never considered it to be anything of the sort and felt privileged to be taught by incredible teachers there, who went above and beyond. These teachers, she said, were the ones who taught her the earliest lessons about compassion; she recalled them spending from their own pockets to provide for not-so-fortunate pupils at the school and purchasing school supplies for them. It was with the help of these teachers and her family, especially her mother, she said, that she was able to secure a position at Queen’s College (QC). She also finished as the school’s top student.
Arriving for registration at QC, was the first time she heard comments about her school as others told her they could not recall a QC student coming from that school. Later, she heard her primary school being referred to as a “ghetto school”. Today she stands tall and is happy that South Ruimveldt Park Primary was part of her journey.
Her mother played a huge role in her success, she recalled. During her primary and secondary schooling, her mother went through textbooks with her and a number of times when a teacher started a topic new to the class, she had already studied it with her mother. At the time, her mother was a manager, she has since taken up a teaching career.
Asked why she chose medicine, Logan said it is a career path parents and other elders encourage children to pursue. And while the hopes for her were not set in stone, they did influence her choice of a career in medicine. It also helped that she loved science subjects best and excelled at them. While at high school, she was intrigued by healthy eating and had intended to become a nutritionist until her best friend’s mother told her at graduation that she could be a doctor who knows good nutrition. That sounded like a better idea.
At UG, Logan did a year of medical technology in order to get into medical school but after realizing that she was not too keen on the technology part of the course, she did her second year in chemistry then went on to attend medical school for five years. Her first two years at UG were incomparable for what lay ahead at the School of Medicine. “Medical school was the wildest and most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “However, my entire educational journey was something I always took calmly. I never cared to be better than anyone and I definitely did not allow myself to become so sucked up in the process that I forgot to live. Now in retrospect, it has taught me to be courageous, hardworking and definitely resilient.
“The first time I had a wakeup call in medical school was in my first year. Usually I’m someone who would study a few days before the exam, and I would still do exceptionally well. But the first year at medical school I remember having to do an anatomy test and I was in the lab looking at the models of the bones all night until morning and I barely had time to go home, get dressed and return to write the exams.
“I think this was one of the times I realized that medical school was about hard work and persistence throughout. You have to study all the time if you’re looking for excellence. It really taught me a lesson that I needed to take it in stride.”
Aside from changing her study habits so that she could be a better medical student, Logan also realized she could not do it on her own and worked with some of her colleagues in a study group. The members of the group, she added, had been friends since the first year and they all excelled at the final exams.
Logan said she recognizes her relationship with God is the main reason she is where she is today. “This degree is not just mine. It also belongs to the people who have been there for me all the time. Other than me just wanting to achieve these goals for myself, I also worked hard to make them proud,” she said.
Though a lot of her time away from school was spent studying, she also ensured she spent time socializing with friends, watching something on Netflix and trying to get as much sleep as she could. Logan has also spent time volunteering with a non-governmental organization (NGO) called Potluck. She is an executive member of the NGO, which has served many underprivileged persons in various ways. She has also volunteered with the COVID-19 Surveillance Team and later volunteered her time and efforts with the COVID-19 Task Force at Mabaruma, Region one.
To children attending those institutions labelled “ghetto schools” or who are considered to not be among the best but have great ambitions, Logan said, “a school or a perception of a school does not define you. Your hard work and the determination that you have are what really matter the most.”
Her internship is slated to start in a month or two at the Georgetown Public Hospital which does not give her much relaxation time after years of studying. At the moment she has interests in several specialties and is hoping that by the end of her internship, she is certain which one is her calling.
