Junior doctor and University of Portsmouth masters student reveals what it’s like to combine studies with Covid-19 fight

Israa Bondoqa is tirelessly working on the front line at Queen Alexandra Hospital while also studying for her masters research degree in endoscopic measurements.

After the pandemic escalated in March, Israa was moved from her role as a general surgeon to support her colleagues to save the lives of patients with Covid-19. The dedicated medic was also due to complete her medical exams to qualify as a registrar.

Israa said: ‘At the beginning, no-one knew what was going to happen next. All leave was cancelled, then our medical exams were put on hold, then many of us were deployed to new areas of the hospital and all elective surgery was cancelled.

‘But we all quickly became used to it, we are all in this together and nothing that’s now happening is beyond our capabilities to handle.

‘Our lives as doctors are always very fast. You’ve got exams to study for and long hours are normal, but Covid 19 has, in a way, given many people a chance to pause.

‘Sometimes I think I’ve lost a lot of time to build my career, but I’ve gained more experience in areas of general medicine, including Covid-19 diagnosis.’

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Her masters tutor in the School of Computing, Dr Alice Good, offered Israa the chance to defer her academic studies when the pandemic struck and she was required to work longer shifts treating patients with coronavirus. However Israa, who works daily 12-hour shifts before getting the train back to her Winchester home, decided she could combine her studies with her role at the hospital.

Israa said: ‘Studying helps add to a person. I’d been away from academic learning since I graduated from medical school and to be able to study and learn is a good thing, it’s very helpful.

‘Before Covid 19, I wanted to study alongside working as a surgeon, to improve my CV and, although it was sometimes tricky to fit in learning and studying alongside shifts, that was nothing compared to what happened in lockdown.’

When working night shifts, Israa manages to ‘grab a few hours’ before going to bed during which she concentrates on her masters research.

|Her tutor Dr Good said: ‘Israa is a dedicated and hardworking young woman, who not only has put her own life at risk working on the front line but somehow manages to find the time to study for a masters in research during an extremely busy schedule. We are very grateful to her commitment to help fight the war against this pandemic.’

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