By Admin. Updated 9:18 a.m., Wednesday, July 24, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
When she was a child, Marselena Melville frequently visited the hospital due to asthma exacerbations she experienced. It was through those visits where she saw the care doctors gave patients that inspired her to become a doctor today.
Ms. Melville, a 24-year-old resident of Canewood, Campden Park completed her Bachelor of Medical Sciences (dist.) Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (dist.) with distinction (MBBS) degree in July at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus in Jamaica.
In a recent interview with One News SVG, Dr. Melville said:
“I have asthma. So, I used to always have asthma exacerbations, always being in the hospital at 2 o’clock in the morning going for oxygen. So, I essentially spent a lot of time in the hospital, and so, after interacting with doctors on multiple occasions, I just realized that this is something that I want to do.”
She also recalled her love for science at the Lowmans Leeward Anglican School and investing in science subjects while studying at the St. Vincent Girls’ High School and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College.
“So, from a very young age, I would always be buying doctor toys, you know that little plastic stethoscope, and I would pretend that I was working on my teddy bears and so on. So, I just always knew that was what I wanted to do, and ever since then, all of my studies have always been towards medicine. So, I did science in secondary school, I did science in college. There was nothing else, no business or any other option. Everything was targeted towards medicine,” Dr. Melville told One News SVG.
The fitness enthusiast who began her studies in 2019 and who has collected numerous awards of academic excellence while reading for her medical degree said she was shocked at the news that she passed her final exams with distinction.
“I’m still processing it because I was in no way expecting to finish with a distinction in my examinations. I was expecting to finish with a distinction in my degree because my GPA is very high, so I knew I was going to finish with a distinction in my degree With the MBBS examinations, though, I didn’t know at all that I was going to pass with a distinction,” she explained.
The scholar made the Faculty of Medical Sciences Dean’s List and Honor Society during each academic year of her studies (2019-2024). She was also the Top Performer in the Faculty of Medical Sciences MBBS program in 2023 and the Top Performer in the MBBS examinations and Class of 2024.
She described the UWI Mona Campus in Jamaica as a phenomenal place and shared that studying in Jamaica was a good choice even though the adjustment was peculiar sometimes as she experienced some culture shock.
In addition to her childhood experiences, Dr. Melville’s perspective on medicine was further strengthened by the roles she played during her clinical study period.
“I’ve always known that medicine is essentially about helping people, but in the health centre setting really helped to shape my perspective on medicine because in the health centres is the first contact with the health care system,” she said.
“Baring very serious injuries, most of the time, most people will go to their health centres to receive treatment. If you have chronic illnesses – diabetes, and hypertension which are very prevalent everywhere in the world, you are going to be followed up at your nearest health center. I did a rotation where I had to go into the health centers and really spend time educating patients and this is where I felt like I was actually making a difference in medicine because when you are talking to patients in that setting versus a hospital setting where I see you now. I treat you now, and I send you home. At the health centre, however, you are a recurring patient. You are always coming, so you really get to change the patient’s perspective on their problem, you improve their health education,” she added.
She said now that she has completed her degree, she is seeking to do an internship in Jamaica.
“I know that we have limited spaces here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and I’ve been in the clinical setting in Jamaica for the past three years, so I’m already well acquainted with the system there. I’m already familiar with the people, with my colleagues and the doctors who work there. So, I think it would be an easier transition into internship there,” Dr. Melville said.
She said she aims to specialize and return home to give back to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“I’m really interested in surgery. Initially, when starting med school I wanted to do cardiothoracic surgery, however, since rotating in other subspecialties I’ve fallen in love with pediatric surgery, and also general surgery. So I’m not completely sure which one I want to do right now, but I know for sure I want to do surgery. There’s another aspect of surgery that I have some interest in which is ENT – Ear Nose and Throat or otolayngology, and the reason I even thought about doing ENT is that it piques my interest, and the fact that we have very few ENT specialists here in St. Vincent. I don’t know if other persons are specializing in it to return home, but I see that as an area we need. The other specialties that I mentioned are also in need. So if I can fill that void, I will be happy to do so,” the scholar said.
When asked about what she thinks is needed in the medical sphere in SVG and the Caribbean, she said more resources are needed in the healthcare system in SVG and the Caribbean, and those resources include more specialists and more medical equipment.
“I intend to specialize before I come home in order to provide that specialist care. It most definitely is going to be at a cheaper cost than if a patient has to travel out of the country in order to get that care, so wherever there is a void, I intend to fill it in order to give back to my people. I was on scholarship, so it was the taxpayer’s dollar I was using, so I’m bonded to my country and I intend to fulfill that bond whenever I specialize in order to provide patients with that specialist care that they’re lacking now,” Dr. Melville said.
Dr. Melville also shared some of her study strategies, advice to prospective medical students, and gratitude to those who assisted her along the way.
She said studying medicine was very challenging and she often had regular periods where she would break down in tears due to the demands of the consistent workload.
But she said working along with students in her year group and students who were in senior years above her also paid off.
She also left some advice for prospective medical students.
“Do it. Always aim big and go for your dreams no matter what. It’s hard but it’s possible. You need to work hard and smart, never doubt yourself, believe that you can do this and that you are a doctor, and don’t ever lose that,” she said.
“Mental health is #1, so take care of yourself during medical school because it’s very easy to lose yourself in the pressure of it all. Balance is key. At some point you’re going to get overwhelmed, you’re going to want to give up but you can never give in to that feeling, what you do instead is take a break, go shopping, go to the beach, clear your mind and come back to work. You have a goal, but you also have a life, so don’t just shut everything out, balance work, and play. You need both but manage your time wisely,” she added.
Finally, she thanked several people who helped her on her journey.
“Of course, we always need to give appreciation where it’s due. I have to thank God first and foremost, as without him, none of this would be possible. I thank my parents, friends, and extended family for always sticking beside me and motivating me whenever I felt down and out and was near to giving up. My dad Norman Melville especially needs special mention because there have been MANY times when I called saying that I’m done or that I think I failed something and he would literally have to walk me back from the ledge and for that, I’m really grateful. My mom, Eleanor Cupid, my Aunt Margaret, and my best Gary Constantine really have been a rock throughout the 5 years. Special thanks are due also to my peers, medical siblings and consultants who encouraged me and assisted me along the journey, she said.
Part of her outlook is helping people to laugh, smile, or feel good because “we never know what people are going through,” she said.
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