A Day in the Life of a DOTZ Student

For this Blog Post we interviewed Parable, a Fifth Year University of Zimbabwe Medical student who we have been supporting since the Autumn of 2019.

(Please note that this interview was conducted before the current Covid19 Lockdown measures came into force).

1. How do you start your day?

I pray.

2. What is your morning routine?

School starts at 8am. I usually wake up at around 4.30 am to do some reading until 6.00, then I start warming my water for bathing using a water heater. When it’s ready I bath, dress and eat my breakfast which is usually left over food from my supper the previous day. At around 7.15 I leave the house to go to school.

3. How do you get to school?

I walk from where I am renting. It takes about 20 to 25 minutes to get there.

4. What is a typical day at Medical School like?

On a regular day, students go to the hospital in the morning for ward round teachings. So on a typical morning everyone goes to their allocated firms for rounds. Students normally have lectures after lunch from 2pm to 5pm. I usually get home at around 5.30pm.

5. What is the hospital like?

There are two teaching hospitals that we use. Parirenyatwa, which is where the campus is, and Harare Central hospital. They are both old and could use some maintenance. Sometimes you find leaking roofs, the taps don’t work and there’s any hardly water coming from the taps.

6. What do you have for lunch?

I usually do not eat lunch, I just have breakfast and supper. However students who live on campus go to the school cafeteria during lunch. Lunch is from 12pm to 2 pm. Sometimes I just have discussions during that time.

7. How do you spend your evenings?

When I get home I cook supper and eat. After that I take a power nap or watch an episode of a series then I start reading up to around midnight then I sleep.

8. How do you spend your weekends?

I spend my Saturdays indoors. That is when I get to do laundry and some chores. I also plait people’s hair if I have a client. I do some reading in the afternoon then watch a movie in the evening and often sleep early. On Sundays I go to church in the morning then in the afternoon sometimes I visit friends on campus or just go back home to relax. Then later in the evening I read in preparation for Monday.

9. Why did you decide to train to be a doctor?

I could not see myself doing anything else. I have wanted to be a doctor for as far as I can remember. I loved biology in high school and was fascinated by the human body. I also love working with people and helping people. Medicine just felt like the career where I would be doing something I am really passionate about.

10. What does your family think about you training to be a doctor?

They are really proud of me as I am the first in the family to study medicine. They also have high expectations of me because they treat me like I’m already a doctor and I know everything, yet I am still a student.

11. What is your favourite part of the day?

Doing ward rounds because of all the interesting cases we get to see and the chance to interact with patients. Even though we are asked really tough questions by the consultant or get shouted at if we don’t know the answers, it is still my favorite part of the day because I remember the things I see in the ward more than the things I read.

12. What is the most challenging part of your day/life?

So far staying off campus has been quite challenging. It means I cannot access the library late at night and my environment where I stay is not very conducive for me to read well.

13. What is the most challenging case you have worked on so far?

It was of a young man, who had previously tested HIV positive a year prior to presentation but had refused to start treatment out of denial. He then presented after a year, with cryptococcal meningitis. He still wasn't on treatment and he now had a pregnant wife who was not even aware of his HIV status. The wife tested HIV positive and was started on PMTCT. What was most challenging for me was the fact that he hadn't disclosed all this to his wife. It was really shocking and I felt what he had done was unfair to the woman. I feel this is a public health issue that needs to be addressed because in a number of cases there are people who consciously transmit HIV. Non disclosure to sexual patners is still an issue and I feel there should be firmer measures to discourage it. Also as a way of reducing the HIV burden, more effective ways of delivering pre and post testing counselling is important. If a patient is denial they're obviously in need of counselling to address the denial. This will help a lot in terms of adherence to ART and even in terms of disclosure.

14. What is the most rewarding case you have worked on?

An 8 year old girl who lived with her grandmother in the rural areas. She presented with abnormal involuntary movements, failure to walk, inability to speak and had dermatitis. It was a really confusing case for me when I clerked the patient because I couldn't figure out what the diagnosis was. When the consultant came, he diagnosed her with pellagra. This was really interesting because this was the first case of pellagra I had ever seen and I thought it was not a common problem anymore. On further examination and after background reading I realised she was a classic case, with all the features including dermatitis, diarrhoea and even the confused state. What was more fascinating was how well she responded to treatment. I could see her progress each day. She started gaining her speech back, as well as her ability to walk until eventually she became well. This was really fulfilling both emotionally and academically because I learnt quite a lot from this patient. I learnt far more than I would have done just from reading the theory.

15. What are your hopes for the future of Zimbabwe?

I hope the economy improves.