Alex Munro-Selwood
Former Geraldine High School student
6th year medical student at Otago University in Dunedin
I was lucky enough to receive an Alpine Energy Personal Development Sponsorship for my overseas medical elective.
I found my elective to be a great experience and I learnt a lot during those months overseas.
In Colombia I saw first-hand the effects poor antenatal care can have with illness in pregnancy progressing to extremes we don’t often see in New Zealand. This was an eye-opening experience in which I was able to learn how to manage conditions such as HELLP syndrome (a life-threatening pregnancy complication) and eclampsia; stimulating my interest in this area further.
My time in St Lucia in the Caribbean exposed me to the struggles and dilemmas (medically and emotionally) that doctors face with a lack of resources and trying to care for critical care patients. I loved the clinical, logical and hands-on approach of orthopedics and see myself doing this as a career in the future.