Colonoscopies, water-borne Nile diseases and Steve Gerrard are all in a week’s work for Nottingham High School pupil, Haadi Shalabi.
Haadi, age 17 from Wollaton, spent his summer holidays on work placements across the globe to learn about the medical profession.
He began by spending three weeks at a hospital in Interlaken, Switzerland, where his brother is a third year medical student. During his time there he shadowed Doctors in the general wards and the intensive care, dialysis and emergency departments.
However, as a lifelong Liverpool fan, Haadi’s most exciting moment was when Liverpool and England footballer, Steven Gerrard, arrived in the middle of a night shift after picking up an injury while training in the country.
Haadi said: “I was over the moon, I have always wanted to see Steven Gerrard, let alone hold a conversation with him. My brother and I would usually spend these night shifts working hard while everybody else slept, but during this night it was truly a privilege to be awake; we spent the rest of the night laughing to ourselves.”
He then moved on to Egypt, where he visited the medical centre of ‘Theodor Bilharz Research Institute’ in Cairo, which specialises in treating water-borne diseases from the Nile (Bilharzia). Haadi spent a week shadowing Dr Hanan Ali for in their paediatric ward. He is also working on developing a website on water-borne diseases, called ‘Stop the Infection’ which will target children aged 10-15 in developing countries.
He said: “My website will include two themes; information on water-borne diseases and how to avoid infection. I’m also hoping to work in collaboration with an Egyptian IT team to produce an Arabic version, using local examples.
“Observing the work of doctors gave me insight into how medicine provides an opportunity to help others in a special way, as treating the sick and the poor is a rewarding experience. Studying medicine is a challenge where I hope to learn the science of our body, how we get ill, and why we get better. Working with people as a doctor is my longstanding ambition which in turn can improve my qualities as a person. My work experience has been very valuable and I’m now motivated to become a doctor.”
Upon hearing about Haadi's exploits BBC Radio Nottingham invited him and his brother, Saggah, into the studios to find out more about their experiences.
