Karla
Karla studied for the LLM in Medical Law and Ethics by online learning, and graduated in 2018. She's now an Associate Lawyer in Nova Scotia.
“I really wanted to figure out a way to make the world the best I could for my brother, but how could I do that if I if I didn't want to be a doctor or a nurse or an occupational therapist?“
I have a lot of family history of medical complications. My brother, who died two years ago, was cognitively and physically disabled in many ways. My whole life I had helped to take care of him, and I had always been very interested in his care. I really wanted to figure out a way to make the world the best I could for my brother, but how could I do that if I if I didn't want to be a doctor or a nurse or an occupational therapist?
I don't think I realised my direction until I was doing my undergrad at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. I did a joint degree in Law and Health Administration and alongside my studies, I also worked for the Autism Society in Cape Breton, working in group homes.
My brother had been in foster care then. But he aged out of the children's aid programme that was and ended up going into this institution. He was cared for, but it just wasn't the way we would have wanted. So, my parents and I got him into a small group home, very similar to the homes I was working in with the Autism Society. At the meetings we had, I stepped in and asked a lot of questions. I kind of knew the right things to say, what was going on, what we needed to fix. That experience really pushed me to learn a lot more and figure out how I could be a good advocate for my brother. Over the next few years, I really strove to master that world of health law, ethics, and medical law.
The Edinburgh programme seemed like a very natural progression for me to build on the things I had already learned but it was more of an intense ‘deep dive’. I really appreciated the more international focus of the programme because it was expanding beyond what I had learned in law school, which obviously had a very Canadian-Nova Scotia focus. It was the perfect fit for me, combining my previous degrees and my own personal experience and interests into one programme.
I actually had my first son near the end of the programme, so it was really nice to be able to find pockets of time to log into forums and contribute what I had to say to the discussions, but I didn't feel pressured to be there at a certain time.
Being completely virtual, not being on campus at all, it's really hard to feel connected to the school. People are in completely different life stages. A lot of people have full time jobs, people have families, they're all over the world. But there's a benefit to that too because you can bring so much more experience.
I did come for the graduation and the night before, there was a mixer for all the students. And that was just fantastic.
“Doing the programme really gave me that confidence boost I needed to think ‘Yes, I can do this. I can pursue my dreams’.”
The whole experience gave me a much-needed confidence boost. I'd had so many things in life that had crushed me. I didn't have the self-confidence. So, I started this programme, and I really wasn't sure where it would lead me, but I thrived.
I reached out to a woman who had started her own firm. I first met her when I was going to law school. I said ‘We met a couple years ago. I don't know if you remember me, but I would really love to come work with you’. And she said yes.
Doing the programme really gave me that confidence boost I needed to think ‘Yes, I can do this. I can pursue my dreams. Yes, good things can happen and yes, I can reach out to this person I met once and hope for the best.’ Doing this degree, getting back into law, and having a positive experience were so huge for me.
The programme affirmed my values. I think I've always had a really strong sense of the importance of inclusion for people with different ability levels, but also the acknowledgement that not everyone can be included in the same way. My brother died before he was 30 but had he reached an older age, he could have had dementia coupled with a cognitive impairment. And how do you marry those things, really focusing on that individual? How can our society set up appropriate institutions and programmes? The focus on the individual throughout the programme did become a huge thing for me, and that's something I bring into my practice. I try not to treat two clients the same because everybody's experience is so unique."
Erin
Erin studied for the LLM in Medical Law and Ethics by online learning, also graduating in 2018. She is a trained doctor, and is currently working as a Patient Safety and Risk Advisor in Ontario.
“I always wanted to help people since I was about four years old, and at some point, I announced to my parents ‘I'm going to be a doctor and a scientist!’”
I always wanted to help people since I was about four years old and at some point, I announced to my parents ‘I'm going to be a doctor and a scientist!’ That was basically how it started. I kind of ran with it and always tied that to who I am.
I’m originally from the Bahamas but I went to medical school in China. China was my Everest. I was like ‘If I can get my medical degree and finish it in Mandarin, there's nothing I wouldn't be able to do if I didn't put my mind to it.’
I did my medical training in Singapore and while I was there, I went to a medical legal forum. I met people who worked at the Medical Protection Society, including a couple of doctors with law degrees. I found that interesting. But it was the talk about the shift from informed consent to shared decision making that got me thinking. How many aspects of the law don’t we see? How many of them intersect with medicine? Since then, the dream was to become a medicolegal adviser with the Medical Protection Society.
In my clinical work, one of the things that interested me a lot was the intersectionality between the frontline and those supporting and making decisions from behind the scenes. Medical legal issues and things like consent, negligence or public health inequities, those things got into my psyche quite a bit over the years.
I was also very keen to look into legislation and regulations around international medical graduates. As an international medical graduate myself, I have had a very long torturous road getting into practice. And I've always kind of wondered what the implications are from a legal standpoint. Is it a perceived legal implication, or is there a real legal implication? It plays into human rights, it plays into public health law, it plays into health equity. I actually did my dissertation on that.
I was looking for a programme that would be able to cater to my interests and would be appreciative of the fact that I was not just a student. I was also working, and I was going to have to split my time.
“I was constantly engaged, and I did feel part of Edinburgh, even from so far away.”
I started the Edinburgh programme in Singapore. There were a lot of days where I had to figure out my work schedule, because I worked full time. I did feel part of Edinburgh, even from so far away. I enjoyed the interactions virtually with my cohort, as well as the advisors and the coordinators. It was amazing. I was actually kind of heartbroken thatI didn't get to go to graduation, because I wanted to go and see my advisor. She was amazing and I loved bouncing ideas off her.
I guess it's different for different people, though. The experience has a lot to do with what's going on in your life. While on the Edinburgh programme, I had chosen to relocate to Canada, and that had a time crunch on it. I was dealing with all of that while dealing with my dissertation and I also had some family issues going on at that time. It was intense but I felt supported, even though I only had that virtual connection with the University.
“It's helped me to galvanise the vision that I have for myself, as someone who feels that their purpose is to help people.”
The most enjoyable part was the discussions. I'm not the most confrontational person and I'm known amongst my friends as the peacemaker. But I enjoyed arguing! Having to come up with arguments during the discussions, it helped me use a different part of my brain. The programme got me out of my comfort zone. I'm now more readily able to look at all aspects of both sides of the argument and come to a conclusion.
Currently I’m a Patient Safety and Risk Advisor for an agency in Ontario, looking at risk management and patient safety, with a little bit of medical law and ethical decision making in there as well. Hopefully in the next five to 10 years, I will be licenced in Canada as a medical doctor, and hopefully will be working as a physician advisor with the Canadian Medical Protection Association, which is a similar concept to the Medical Protection Society in the UK.
Keeping an open mind about different things, or different cultures, has always been there, but the degree actually pushed me further. Sometimes when I feel like I might be becoming a little more narrow or myopic in my thought process, I now think ‘Okay, what am I not seeing here?’
It's helped me to galvanise the vision that I have for myself, as someone who feels that their purpose is to help people. The programme has kind of underlined that. In my job, I'm now looking at things that I do on a daily basis and go ‘Okay is this correct? Is the right way to go? I can see things as a doctor, as a lawyer and from a client's perspective."
To find out more about Postgraduate online learning at the University of Edinburgh visit the website.
Karla and Erin were interviewed by Kristina Benova. Illustrations are by Philomena Marmion.
All opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Edinburgh.