DR CHARLES LUCAS is one of the younger members of the local medical fraternity; but already he has his sights set on being one of the best surgeons in Barbados – and possibly the world.
And while the easy-going 25-year-old is not one to boast, he has declared that the only way to be good is to try to be the very best. For him, there is no room in his profession for mediocrity.
“When patients come to you, they don’t say, I am okay with a second-rate doctor; they want the best. Their health is their life; it affects them, as well as their family. So you as a doctor need to give of your best and work your hardest.”
Lucas’ eyes were opened to this reality during his five years of studying medicine at the University of the West Indies Mona and Cave Hill campuses.
But it became blatant during his one-year internship at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). And for exemplifying all of the required characteristics, and training and professional qualities, he was awarded Intern Of The Year 2010-2011.
From his days at Harrison College, Lucas always had a strong interest in the sciences, but always kept his career choices open. In sixth form he made the decision.
“I always liked to help people, and I also liked the challenge it provided. I really wanted to make a difference. I really wanted to give back to the Barbadian public; and I think being a doctor is one of the best ways to do that.”
In 2005, he left for Mona, having no expectations of what studying medicine was going to be like. He also refused to give in to any limitations.
“Going into the programme at Mona, I realized it was very competitive. Classes were very intensive: from eight o’clock in the morning straight through to four o’clock in the afternoon with just half-hour to an hour break.
“And when you go home at night, you just study. You try to make a balance, but most of the time you spend studying while the other people in the other faculties have fun. It was very challenging; but I met a lot of friends there who helped me to get through the years.
“I came back home and did my clinical years at Cave Hill,” said the former St George Primary and Wilkie Cumberbatch pupil.
According to the former Student Emergency Response Team member (SERT Responder Of The Year 2007 while studying at Mona), everything in medicine is a steep learning curve, which he gathered from his first few weeks of internship.
Lucas spoke briefly about his one-year internship, which included three-month rotations in each of the major clinical departments: medicine; obstetrics and gynaecology; paediatrics; and surgery, under the supervision of a team of doctors and a consultant.
“There are seniors there, and colleagues there, to help you, but it is very demanding and tiring. You grow a lot in a short space of time. One of the things I like is actually seeing patients do well, and that actually drives you to want to know more about diseases and how to treat them.”
The former deputy headboy of Harrison College observed: “Medicine is not a static thing where you know everything. There are always changes. And in a year or even a couple months what you knew before is obsolete. You always need to be reading and trying to improve yourself as a doctor trying to gain all the necessary skills.”
He said he had also learned that a doctor’s working hours were not always appealing, especially when you were on call.
The young doctor, who was appointed senior house officer in the hospital’s General Surgery Department after his successful internship, has the ambition of specializing in ear, nose and throat surgery; but the former Cadet also understands the need for vascular surgeons in Barbados.
“I understand diabetes, chronic non-communicable diseases and their impact on the Barbadian society whether it be amputations or aneurisms, both of which need some sort of intervention. Our population is living longer and we are going to have more of these problems. So we need to find a solution so that our people can have the best quality of life as possible.”
Why does Lucas want to specialize in surgery?
“It’s a big adrenalin rush that gets you hyped. But you need to keep calm and focused, because when you go into an emergency room and somebody just got shot or stabbed, it is chaotic.
“As a surgeon, I think one of the key characteristics you need to have is good judgement. Surgeons are problem-oriented people; so we need to find out what is the most serious problem to be taken care of. You need to quickly decide what is important and what is not.”
