Some people from a young age have their career choice and path mapped out in their heads, others are chosen by their career. The focus of today’s feature Dr. Alisha Bonadie, is one such person.
Dr. Alisha Bonadie recently successfully completed her pursuit of a post graduate level Master in Public Health degree with Distinction at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus on Saturday October 22nd, 2022.
During our interview with Dr. Bonadie, we asked why she had decided to become a doctor, but did not get the typical response of ‘ever since I was a little girl…’, we instead discovered that a career in medicine had chosen her, not the other way around.
‘To be very honest, I actually wanted to be an accountant. I loved mathematics and just working with numbers in general. However, when I got to Form 4 in Girls High School, I wrote 4 Business as my first preference , since I thought all the “cooler” kids were in business and the “nerds” were in science (chuckle). However, the teachers told my parents to let me do the sciences, as they thought I could handle them ……and the rest is history. So it was somewhat decided for me , maybe they saw something in me , I couldn’t see for myself .
I completed my medical degree at the University of the West Indies in the year 2012, some 10 Years ago, the same year I sadly lost my father while completing my studies.’
As tragic a circumstance losing her father was, it would not be the last round of adversity for the young Dr. Bonadie. During the pursuit of her post graduate level Master in Public Health, one of the worst case scenarios came to be, a worldwide pandemic.
Dr. Bonadie walked us through various challenges that came with pursuing her degree in the midst of the chaos that was the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the indirect effects of the 2021 explosive eruptions of La Soufriere.
‘I enrolled as a full time student in September 2020, to have face to face classes in Barbados .
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the delivery of classes being switched to online. So I stayed in Barbados until the end of 2020.
The second semester resumed in 2021, and this is when I faced my biggest challenge ever, along with the many disruptions caused directly and indirectly from La Soufriere Volcanic eruption.’ Dr. Bonadie said.
But as if a global pandemic and volcanic eruption weren’t challenging enough, Alisha was faced with a health challenge that she, thanks to her mother and medical personnel, was able to overcome.
‘I faced a major health challenge and numerous hospitalizations here in St Vincent which led to the deferral of the masters degree until 2022.
By God’s sufficient grace, my mother, many doctors, nurses and caregivers, and very supportive faculty members and colleagues, I was able to pull up my big girl socks, get back on my feet, and knew God didn’t bring me this far for me not to complete this degree. I thought he had a plan for me, for keeping me all this time, so how could I not try to finish this degree to carry out his works for me here on earth.’
After persevering through her illness and getting back on her feet it was back to pursuing her goal. Dr. Bonadie resume her pursuit of a post graduate level Master in Public Health, tackle the many assignments that came with it.
‘So I resumed in January 2022, with many many assignments to submit by the 11:59 pm deadline (all students would know about this time) and a thesis paper. The thesis paper was another challenge, as I did my research paper on Colon Cancer in St Vincent, having to recruit patients from the oncology department at the Modern Medical Diagnostic Center in Georgetown.
The recruitment and interview process was very tedious from having to find the patient’s homes across the island to asking questions on a very sensitive topic during the interviews in the capacity of a student and not a Medical Doctor. I had to remain as neutral as possible in the process while having the patients feel comfortable enough to speak to me while maintaining autonomy and confidentiality at all times.
I had 2 months to complete the research and paper while working as a District Medical Officer. However, with the virtual help of my academic supervisors Dr.Natalie Greaves and Dr. Heather Harewood in Barbados, and very cooperative supervisors in the Ministry of Health in St.Vincent, I made the submission deadline and left it all in God’s hands after submission.
God’s grace is always sufficient, remember I say this .. it’s always.
I was so scared to open my grade on the paper. One of my colleagues said, “Alisha just open up the grade “ and a very dear person to my heart always said to me “You got this B”.
So I took a deep breath and opened up the UWI grades and there it was .. an A on my thesis paper “A Qualitative Exploration on the lived health experiences of persons diagnosed with colon cancer in St.Vincent in the public sector”.’
After giving us a look into some of the trying times of her life and career, Dr. Bonadie shared with us some of the aspects of being a doctor that she is most fond of.
‘What I enjoy the most is interacting with my patients. I enjoy seeing my patients feeling much better than when they entered the clinic.
Medicine involves a very holistic approach to interacting with patients and treating them. For example, some days you have to get into the psychological and social aspects for patients’ conditions and addressing these determinants of health is usually the key to prevention and compliance to treatment.
Most importantly, I love to empower my patients with their own health literacy . I’m not here to just tell them what I think their diagnosis is , but I want them to walk out understanding exactly what is happening to their bodies and what we can do to improve their condition together .
I always say there’s no sense in me saying you have “XYZ” diagnosis and you left the room not knowing what is XYZ and what you can do. All the medication in the world won’t work without personal health knowledge and literacy and the ability to empower patients to make personal health choices.’
According to Dr. Bonadie, her success is not defined by a title, to her, each day is a new day to be successful, equipped with its own set of challenges to overcome.
‘Each day is a new day to be successful. Each day brings its own challenge in medicine, medicine isn’t something that’s constant, it’s always evolving . Novel diseases, re-emerging infectious diseases , new medication and treatment modalities.
My success isn’t defined by my title , my degrees or certificates on my wall , it Is empowering and equipping my patients with all the knowledge about their current condition , so we can both make informed decisions for treatments. Once that is achieved each day , I would have accomplished all the success I need in this world.’
When asked what are some of the key qualities of being a good doctor, Dr. Bonadies emphasized the importance of patience and compassion in her field.
‘A good public doctor is a patient ,compassionate and trustworthy doctor. You must take the time to actively listen to your patients . Active listening helps , as there are things persons may or may not say which would start to clue you in on the possible diagnosis.
You must empathize with your patients at all times . Never speak to them in a condescending manner . In particular , patients who complain of aches and pains , never take these for granted but have some compassion and try to make the patient as comfortable as possible by finding the root cause of this pain and alleviating the pain.
Lastly , confidentiality and autonomy are the main ethical principles in a good public health doctor .
Our country and district clinics are very small in comparison to countries like the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom, and lots of persons complain about not wanting to go to certain clinics because they don’t want “so-and-so” to know their business . A good doctor and the medical team / facility must treat the information shared with them in confidence, as patients are not likely to seek care if they think their business would be on the streets before they even exit the building.
So trust and confidence building is one of the key aspects to patients seeking care from any Doctor in the public sector to improve compliance to treatment.’
In her advice to young people who have dreams of becoming a doctor, she urged them to be humble as they embark on their medical journey. She noted that experience is the major key.
‘If you’re a believer, seek God’s guidance in everything you do and every decision you make on a day to day basis. Everything will flow from there on.
My advice is to always remain humble in your profession . Humility is about putting your accomplishments into perspective , always remember the core reason you wanted to become a doctor.
Medical school involves a lot of reading about medicine, from decades ago to present day, however the greatest knowledge you would get from medicine is through experience . Experience experience experience , go on the wards and shadow other doctors, watch everything they say and do, and you would be surprised how much more you learn and retain than can ever be taught from a medical book or journal.’
Dr. Bonadie made mention of the support she received from her employer, the Ministry of Health, during the time of her pursuit of her degree. Noting that they were there for her during her health challenge as well.
‘My employer – the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Enviroment were very supportive in my pursuit of my Master in Public Health . From granting me study leave which turned into sick leave then back to study leave , they ensured I got the adequate time needed to complete the degree . I must single out my direct supervisor , the Medical Officer of Health, Dr Roger Duncan and the Chief Health Promotion Officer, Miss Shanika John, for their expertise, advice and support, while putting up with all my calls and texts when I had upcoming assignments which I needed clarification on , during this past year .
No man is an island , I can’t do it by myself , we work as a team in the Ministry of Health and I pray God grants me the health and strength to continue what I love doing , my public health passion , ensuring the health and safety of each and every individual in St Vincent and the Grenadines.’
Dr. Alisha Bonadie is living proof that just because life does not turn out the way you planned, it does not mean that things have gone wrong, but it could simply mean that fate is giving you a nudge in direction that leads you to a higher calling. And though that path may not be clear, it may be riddled with numerous hurdles for you to jump over, through grit, perseverance and a never failing faith in God anything can be achieved.