Rosemary Komolafe
600-level Medicine & Surgery
University of Ilorin
Tell me a bit about yourself.
My name is Ayokunle. I am from Osun state. I finished from Ibadan in 2016 and went on to do my masters in the UK. Currently, I work as a Trust Doctor in general surgery.
Where did you complete your medical training, and how was it?
Okay. My Ibadan med school story is quite funny. I started med school at Lagos State University, but my first choice had always been Ibadan. I took JAMB again while in 100L in LASU and began my UI registration in 2010.
I didn’t feel like a part of med school for a while. My pre-clinical period was a breeze—I wasn’t sure what was going on. Med school started making a bit more sense during clinical years; I found it easier to understand more of the concepts, and I made new friends. I didn’t do much at the beginning of medical school, but close to the end, I was more involved in activities and leadership roles. It was much more fun towards the end.
On being tough, medical school is tough, but towards the end, I just wanted to get it over with and move on ahead.
A lot of medical students can relate to the abstract nature of the pre-clinical years. I also didn’t enjoy med school until the clinical years. Can you tell me about these leadership roles?
Let me start with 200L. I was a member of the Students’ Council in Kuti Hall and then in 300L, I joined the congress of the University of Ibadan Medical Students’ Association (UIMSA) for about a year or two. I then became a student rep for Alexander Brown Hall (ABH). From 500 level to final year, I was in the House. I was a member of many other UIMSA committees. Most notable is that I was the chairman of the first symposium for the late Professor Akinkugbe, which has continued for over four years.
That is amazing. Can you tell us an embarrassing and funny story of ward rounds from your med school?
I would have to think deeply about this. Nothing comes to mind because I didn’t put myself out there. Whenever I didn’t know the answer to a question, I was quiet. Whenever I did know, though, I answered and shone.
Alright. I read that you won the awards in Medicine, Surgery and Community Medicine. You are a scholar as we say in med school.
Apparently.
Yes! Do you have any tips/secrets for people who aspire to be scholars like you?
First of all, I didn’t set out to be a scholar.
Of course. That is what every scholar says.
Some people work hard towards it. For me, it was at the end of my part IV exam. The results came out, and I was blown away. I forced myself to have some introspection and reflect on what could have led to it. I realized it was about two words—working smart—for me. It wasn’t just about working hard but knowing exactly what worked for me.
I have a theory about medical school examinations. It is not about who did the most work or who went to school the most. It is about being smart. All the examinations in med school are set to result in a normal distribution so most people would be in the same category. It’s about the little extras: how you structure your essays, the extra outline, the extra epidemiological point, the extra 0.5 marks, all these make the difference.
Of course, to know all of these, you need to have put in your hours of research, study and practice. To give it some context, I hated community medicine. How I got the best result was funny to me, but it was just basically applying everything I knew from surgery and medicine. I knew I didn’t like it, so I had to study more for it.
Thank you! These are gems. When and why did you decide to leave Nigeria?
I decided sometime in my final year. There was no exact reason per se; I wanted a change of environment. It was not money or anything—I just wanted to train somewhere different.
Why did you decide on the UK? Why not Canada, the USA, Australia, etc.?
Firstly, Canada and Australia are too far for me. As at the time I left Nigeria, I wanted to do my masters. I wanted a 12-month option, not 18 or 24—the UK offered that. Plus the UK is closer to Nigeria. I hop on a plane, and in 6 hours I am in Nigeria. The UK was just really convenient for me.
What did you do after your internship before you left Nigeria?
I was serving my country.
How did you make the transition?
I left Nigeria after my youth service in September 2018. I wrote PLAB 1 in March 2019. I passed, and the next day, after the results came out, I booked for a PLAB 2 slot in September. However, I had to pick a weekend so that it wouldn’t clash with my masters’ programme. I wrote the exam and got registered with the GMC in October 2019.
All this while running your masters’ programme! That is remarkable. Did you start any of the processes while you were still in Nigeria?
I wrote my IELTS in Nigeria because I needed the academic IELTS to process my masters.
How did you raise funds for your PLAB?
I saved up during my internship, but when I converted it, it was chicken change. So all of my finances were family sponsored.
We can’t ever have too many support systems. You did your masters at the prestigious Imperial College of London and graduated with a distinction. That’s awesome. Why did you pick the college—were you on a scholarship? Walk us through that period, please.
So many questions. Hahaha. Okay.
When I decided to come to the UK, I looked at the list of the top 10 schools in the UK. I applied to all of them plus some others that weren’t on the list just in case. I applied to Cambridge, Imperial College of London, and a host of others. I got admission offers from Imperial College, Universities of Liverpool and Leeds. I eventually picked Imperial College. My application process was my IELTS, personal statement & transcript from my university. I was able to prove I was in the top 1% of my class, and I wrote a good personal statement. Part of my funding was from a departmental scholarship.
Why did you choose biomedical research?
I see myself as someone that would be an academic clinician in the future, and I had ‘zilch’ experience from medical school. I wanted a broad-based background on laboratory-based medicine. It was just a good decision for me; it gives room for me to do whatever I want for my doctorate. Whenever I mention I have a masters degree in biomedical research, it gives me a nice edge.
That is true because there aren’t a lot of people in the field. How did you combine this with studying for PLAB and still graduate with a distinction?
I don’t mean to brag…
Haha. Please do; you’ve earned it.
…I need to agree that I am smart. I believe that things can be difficult but not impossible. I realized it would be extremely difficult, so I alternated my effort and study. I knew that PLAB wasn’t really about excellent results but just about passing. I focused more on my research and school work. I studied for PLAB when I was ‘relaxing’ from my school work. For example, if I have been writing my thesis for hours, in my break time I would study the ‘PLABable’ questions, read around them and note the difficult ones to study during my active PLAB study time. Just before my exams, I read through the Whatsapp groups to look at the questions and answers.
Were you aiming for a distinction at Imperial College?
I got into Imperial College on the back of excelling in Ibadan where everything was difficult. Imperial college was extremely supportive, so I knew even with little effort, I was going to do well. I didn’t think it would be a distinction though.
After I completed the first part of my project and got a distinction, I decided to go all the way. Thankfully, I graduated with distinction.
Congratulations, again. What do you hope to achieve with biomedical research in the nearest future?
I hope to get into a PhD programme in a clinical speciality I don’t know yet. The big picture is being an academic clinician. That would mean teaching in a university and working as a doctor.
You mentioned that you are a Trust Doctor?
Yes. That is someone who works for the NHS in a non-training post. I work as a Senior House Officer (SHO) in general surgery—I cover the on-call rota, ward and theatre.
Do you plan to do residency and in what speciality?
If you are in the UK for training, there is no point not doing a residency. However, if you came for the money, you can do without it. I have come for training, so definitely, I hope to get into a training programme as soon as possible in General surgery.
What are your hobbies?
I like taking pictures. I used to read novels, but med school took that away from me. I watch movies and play games. I don’t do a lot of sport; I think it had to do with peer pressure—I didn’t (still don’t) like being shouted at. I love to travel too.
Oh, that’s great. How many places have you been to?
It’s not a lot. I can count them on my fingers.
How did this become a hobby for you?
Living in the UK, it has become easier to make travel plans. And now I have the funds to travel.
Where have you been to and which was your most memorable trip?
I have been to Dubai, Spain, Paris, America. Paris was fun for me because I travelled solo. I determined my travel routes and I was able to explore on my own. I would just hop on any cab or train and go anywhere. I never want to go to Barcelona again because my phone was stolen there.
I’m sorry about that. What do you miss the most about Nigeria?
The community. Definitely.
Will you ever return to practice in Nigeria?
Privately, yeah; after I complete my training.
Who would you say are your greatest influences?
My parents; they influenced my getting into medical school. My friends in med school, especially ‘Lashe—I call him my mentor. Two of my teachers stood out for me.
First, Prof. Ogunbiyi, a consultant dermatologist. During my M3 (senior medicine posting) in dermatology, she gave us a talk that changed my approach towards my final exam. She was very instrumental in my finishing med school nicely. I read Emeritus Professor Akinkugbe’s book too, and that helped.
What are your favourite things about living in the UK?
The fact that I don’t have to worry about having money or not. Here, money isn’t the determinant of how things go for you. I can walk into the hospital and be treated for zero fees. I don’t have to be rich to be treated equally and in a respectable manner. Not being money inclined is great. The power and transport system is great here. Generally, life is much easier.
What do you wish you knew before moving to the UK?
I always tell everyone this: portfolio and evidence are important. It is never too early to start gathering these. Have evidence for presentations you make and papers you write. Get your consultant to sign and keep these records. You never know when they’ll be useful. They help when you are putting your portfolio together. Also, try to present papers and posters at conferences.
Thank you for these tips! Are there any challenges you face being a black immigrant from Nigeria? Any racist encounters?
None. I am blind to it.
What has changed for you significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic?
I am unable to travel. I haven’t been able to go back to Nigeria.
How often do you travel to Nigeria?
At least twice a year. I would have gone in July if not for the travel restrictions.
Okay. This was a fun conversation. Thank you so much for talking to PENDICAL. I hope that sometime in the future, we’ll have another conversation. Good luck and have a nice day.
Thank you. You too
P. S.
Click here to watch our YouTube video on why you shouldn’t study Medicine at the University.
Please can we get to know the band of Professor Akinkugbe’s book that was mentioned in the interview.
I will love to know the book that was mentioned in the interview.