Over five years after she started on the journey to fulfil her dream of becoming a medical doctor, she has triumphed spectacularly by topping her class at the University of Guyana and is now thinking about specialization, which could possibly see her becoming a family doctor.
Dr Jonelle Europe, 24, is still in the honeymoon period of celebrating her success but she is also cognizant of the great responsibility on shoulders the next time she professionally walks into a hospital.
“It is overwhelming… thinking about all of the responsibilities and expectations that such a title might bring but there is also great satisfaction in knowing that you have been able to accomplish something this big in your life… So that satisfaction kind of distracts [you] from the responsibilities…,” she told the Sunday Stabroek days after her graduation.
Making her loved ones proud and inspiring others are also icing on the cake of success that she still savours.
Dr Europe said she was genuinely surprised when she was told she topped the class although she had always given of her best. Her friends and family told her that they were not surprised by her success and she realized that she sometimes underestimates herself.
“The journey taught us the importance of teamwork, for the greater good of the patient, for your own good. Like any other long journey, this was made better with good company. The relationships that we made along the way were pivotal to our ascent to this mountaintop. Lecturers become mentors, friends become family, all making this mountaintop a lot less lonely,” Dr Europe said in the valedictorian speech she gave at the medical school’s graduation recently.
From a child she knew this was the career path she wanted to take. She always liked the sciences and later was hooked on the medical TV drama series “House”.
Initially she thought about specializing as a paediatrician and having completed clinical rotation and getting a taste of the life of a doctor from being at the hospital, that is still under consideration, even though she is considering family medicine.
Having observed the habits of Guyanese waiting until the very last minute to seek medical attention, Dr Europe believes primary health care in Guyana could benefit from doctors who are interested in keeping patients out of the hospital.
“You don’t want patients to be that sick that they have to then run there. I think helping Guyanese to be healthy before they are sick will be an important area that requires some attention. So I am considering family medicine…,” she said.
She wants to help Guyanese remain healthy and for them to pay attention to their health as the earlier an illness is diagnosed and be treated, the better quality of life will be.
“There is a lot education that comes with being a doctor …relaying information to patients, counselling patients. [And] beyond their physical health there is also their mental well-being which is as important when you’re considering keeping the patient as healthy as possible. So all of these things would have to be considered in my taking care of a patient who comes before me,” the new doctor said.
She knows that patient education would be a herculean task, but believes it is the best place to start as most of the work is done by the patients. The reason behind her interest is twofold as she indicated that she was always interested in it and now having experienced how hectic it can get at the hospital she is undecided as to whether it is a challenge she would want to take on, balancing that level of being occupied in terms of the workload and being adequately involved in her family.
‘No regrets’
Dr Europe started her primary education at the Sacred Heart Primary School but after it was destroyed by fire, she went to ABC Academy, where she was challenged to do her best and not just to settle for doing good. “From my time spent there that is when I would say that things were a lot more competitive. You wanted to do better…,” she said. She copped a spot at Queen’s College where she gained 15 CSEC passes and was also successful in 10 CAPE subjects.
While she knew that medicine was what she wanted to do, the teenager at the time felt it would be better to attend the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus. She applied there and to the University of Guyana and was accepted into both, but financial constraints saw her being routed to UG. While she was disappointed, she figured there had to be a reason for her to attend the local university.
“Five years later there have been no regrets and I am happy that things worked out that way,” she said with a small laugh.
Now that she has graduated, Dr Europe and her colleagues are waiting to start their internship and enjoying the last of their vacation before the real work starts.
“There is no ‘okay I am very tired I could come back and do this tomorrow’, this is now your job, this is something that you have to do. As a student if you are on call you know, ‘I am going home tonight’. My on-call as a student meant I would stay a little later yes… but when you are there as a doctor and you are on call you know ‘well I came here this morning and I will be going home tomorrow’…,” she said.
She is preparing for the challenge as they have been cautioned that the internship is difficult.
Uncertainties
The final year in her journey to where she is today was the most difficult as it was then that the COVID-19 pandemic became a reality in Guyana.
Asked about this period the young doctor said initially there was a lot of uncertainties which made it more difficult.
“Not knowing how to prepare, that is where the initial difficulty came, because when COVID came we were like two months before our exams… so, at that point you had a plan that you were working with to get you to this finish line and then here comes COVID and you are not sure how to continue with your plan…,” she said.
Beyond that was the anxiety that COVID brought as she thought about her family and whether persons who were working would be able to maintain their jobs and be safe and even about herself and keeping safe.
“Having all of these extra things now out there to think about and to worry about it was really an additional distraction that you did not plan for and really nothing could have prepared you for that…,” she added.
Not knowing when final exams were they found it difficult to plan; they were unaware of the date.
“It made studying a lot harder because you weren’t working to the same deadline that you had set for yourself… It was a little exhausting for us because it is like you’re running a race trying to get to the end, and you think here I am in March seeing the finish line and the finish line keeps moving further and further away…,” she shared.
She found it exhausting and at times she was just tired of studying and it was during that time her faith helped to keep her grounded as she knew that in as much as things were unpredictable for her, there was someone greater than her who was in control. She also had a support system of her family members and colleagues who helped; it was always good to know others understood what she experienced.
She and some of her colleagues had a habit of studying together, but COVID put an end to that initially, and it was difficult for them as the group study really helped them. Thankfully, they eventually managed to meet virtually as a group and that helped them a lot.
‘Never be afraid’
Speaking to young people who may thinking of a similar career path, Dr Europe said it is important to for them to know their motivation and to always think about the reason behind choosing a specific path. If they are comfortable that is their purpose in life, they would always have comfort and satisfaction moving forward.
“I would always say that you should never be afraid to change your mind or start over or do something different as it is one less year of doing something that you don’t like or one less year of doing something that is not best for your health or for the life that you want… Don’t be afraid of change…,” she encouraged.
She noted that change is inevitable, and one should just adapt since sometimes it takes time to figure out things. “So don’t be afraid to make those mistakes. Don’t be afraid to start things over… trust that when you get to the end and that place where you are satisfied that this is where you belong, you would look back and know why you had to go through everything that you had to go through…,” she said.
She encouraged them to set high standards for themselves as while it is okay to do well, it is better to do great and much more than what is the basic requirement.
“So don’t be afraid to hang your hat a little higher than you think you might be able to reach because when you get to that extra height it is really encouraging and it is really inspiring for you for the next challenge you might have that comes after that,” she said.
Dr Europe’s success was due in part to the support of many family members, friends and mentors and even persons she does not know. Her parents, Cuthbert Europe and Roxanne Welcome-Europe have been great motivators over the years.