Critical Care International (CCI) Student Essay Competition 2023
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The Faculty of Remote, Rural and Humanitarian Healthcare partnered again last year with Critical Care International (CCI) for their 2023 Student Essay Competition.
The theme was based on, Community-Based Change and Innovation and students could select from one of the following titles:
- Consider the role of the community, arts and culture in healthcare.
- Explore the ‘post-pandemic’ impacts on healthcare-seeking behaviour.
- Discuss the consequences of a longer life expectancy on healthcare.
We were pleased to offer three students, a one-year complimentary Affiliate membership to the Faculty and the opportunity to feature their winning essays.
Congratulations to Dana Alkhatib for her winning essay titled, Song of the Soul. Find out more about Dana and her response to winning the competition;
My name is Dana, I have just completed my fourth year of medicine at the University of Dundee, Scotland. Until I moved to Scotland at 17, I was based in Amman, Jordan, where I grew up. Though I initially wanted to be a professional athlete, I ended up in medicine after deciding to follow a different passion for humanitarian healthcare and compassionate pedagogy.
As a practicing Muslim, the teachings and traditions of my religion are the centre of my identity both in and outside of medicine, and they are why I have chosen this path in life. This is the discourse I have tried to reflect in my essay, focusing on the professional culture within medicine, and the importance of the arts and humanities in professional identity development.
Upon graduating, I hope to continue higher specialty training in Anaesthetics or Emergency Medicine. After completing my training I intend to return to the Middle East with a dream of delivering healthcare to those who need it most.
I am honoured to have been chosen as the winner for this year's CCI essay competition and thrilled for a chance to further my skills & knowledge through the FRRHH membership.
Read Dana's essay here >
Congratulations to the two runners-up, Sumiyyah Farooq and Jessie Mante.
Sumiyyah's essay is titled; Consider the role of the community, arts and culture in healthcare - she shares the inspiration behind her essay and how having access to the Faculty will support her career;
My essay focused on how the use of art can provide diverse perspectives surrounding current practices and challenges within healthcare. By engaging with art, we can foster empathy, spark critical thinking, and inspire innovative solutions that can ultimately shape the future of healthcare.
I am currently studying children's nursing at the University of Birmingham. I aspire to further my education and pursue a degree in physician associate studies, with a desire to practise abroad.
I am extremely grateful for the opportunity of a free Faculty membership. It will provide a valuable platform to advance my skill set and expand my knowledge within the healthcare field. I look forward to actively engaging with this membership and utilising its offerings to further develop my expertise and contribute meaningfully to the healthcare community.
Read Sumiyyah's essay here >
Jessie's essay is titled; Impact of Life Expectancy on Healthcare - she speaks about her experience of participating in the competition and her passion for addressing the challenges of inequalities in healthcare;
I had never done an essay competition before, so when I saw that this one related so closely to my personal interests, I thought I would enter. The global ageing population may pose a key challenge for healthcare systems across the world, and so, as somebody who is preparing to work within the NHS, this seemed like an interesting topic to explore.
Other than finishing medical school and practising as a Doctor, I am undecided on where I want to go with my career. The specialty I have most enjoyed during clinical studies has been Anaesthetics/Intensive Care, but I am also eager to complete a Paediatrics placement next year. I am currently intercalating in Control of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which ties in a lot of the things I am interested in. I am therefore excited to be able to take this year to explore my academic and research interests in more depth.
Social inequity is very important to me and in particular, I am concerned about national and global inequities in healthcare. Through my professional career, I hope to be able to do my part to alleviate some of these inequities. I am eager to work with Critical Care International as an intern this year as well as incredibly grateful to have been given this membership opportunity with the FRRHH. I hope that working with and learning from these two groups will leave me more equipped to address and challenge inequities in healthcare.
Read Jessie's essay here >
