Brilliant Jaime tops the medical class

Jaime Paul Almandoz, a graduate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, is driven by a desire to overcome. And overcome, he did, topping his graduating class and copping five awards for medicine and surgery. “Growing up I really had no idea what I wanted to pursue as a career. With regard to medicine specifically I just wanted to be involved in something that was as challenging as possible. Medicine is unlike many other fields in that it is constantly evolving and there is always something new for you to get acquainted with. You have an opportunity to interact with a lot of people and I truly enjoy that aspect of it,” said Jaime, who earned a first class honours degree in Medicine: MB, BCh, BAO, LRCP and SI recently. Jaime was selected valedictorian of his graduating class, having topped his year overall, in addition to securing first place positions in medicine and surgery.

The 24-year-old, who was featured in several publications in Ireland was also awarded five prestigious prizes: the Sir William Wheeler Memorial Medal in Surgery, the Desmond Murray Council Prize, the Reuben Harvey Prize, the Dr Jim Mahon Medal in Medicine and the Captain Harry Godfrey Massey-Miles Prize in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The modest medical student revealed: “I attended primary school at St Andrews in Maraval then left to attend boarding school in England. I did my A’Level exams there actually. “I was just about 11 when I left so there was not much difficulty in adapting to the new environment and lifestyle abroad. Actually almost my entire family went to school there, my uncles, my dad, so it wasn’t really an issue. I returned to Trinidad every opportunity I got, like during the vacation, so other than school itself, I continued living here in a sense.”

Regarding his life as a youth, Jaime said, “When I was younger I was involved in the usual kids stuff, nothing extraordinary. I’m just not one of those people who can proudly stand and say that I was on my school’s football team or played national youth cricket. I was, however, inclined toward academics and as far back as I can recall I did well in school. “Going to England was a matter of course for me,” laughed Jamie. “I really didn’t have much say in the matter. My family just thought it best for me and I really appreciate what they’ve done for me. I always enjoyed it over there. It offered me the opportunity to broaden my horizons a bit.” Considering the fact that Jaime got involved in medicine due to the challenges it provided, how did he deal with these challenges? “It proved to be challenging indeed and there is quite a large volume of work to be covered. You always feel that you should have done more. There is a certain degree of guilt that I feel whenever I decide to sit and watch television.

It feels like if I should actually be studying during that period but understanding that you need to relax and enjoy life sometimes is essential to success. In medicine or whatever you are involved in you can easily accept that it is a large part of your life but you need to remind yourself that it isn’t your whole life. “In my case, the support of close friends and family played an important role in me getting through any difficulties I encountered.” In the little spare time he has, Jaime enjoys going to the movies, or hanging out with friends. “But of course I love to sleep,” he said. After jokingly indicating that he had no desire to talk about our local health care system, he declared, “Of course I would like to return here eventually, but with regard to specialising it would be best done over there. However, during the summer months I was allowed to do certain electives at any hospital around the world. I chose Trinidad.

I did the electives at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital because the teaching style here is patient-based and patients are more open. They don’t feel like young or training doctors are experimenting on them. The hands-on experience was great here.” In his Trini-English-Irish accent, Jaime added, “I’m just filling up my time here partying with friends at clubs all over the country. I haven’t even had time to go to the beach yet but I’ll try to before I leave.” Jaime will begin his internship at the Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on his return, and there is no doubt that more challenges will be overcome by this talented young man.