Working

A young man's dream of becoming a doctor has taken Mawien on a long journey from Sudan to Saskatchewan.

"I grew up in Sudan and began my medical training on a government scholarship to Egypt.  When the government in Sudan changed, I was granted refugee status and remained in Egypt to complete my residency.  In 1998, my family and I applied and were accepted to come to Canada as landed immigrants."

Ten years later, Mawien is practicing medicine as a family physician in a rural hospital at Wynyard, Saskatchewan.

"Canada did not recognize my credentials from Egypt.  However, several years ago, I was fortunate to be accepted into a Family Medicine Residency program at the General Hospital in Regina.  After completing my residency, I chose to come to a rural hospital.

At the Wynyard Hospital, we treat a variety of cases and perform some minor surgeries.  For other patients, we stabilize them and then send them by ambulance to the major centres of Saskatoon and Regina.  In a rural setting, I get to use my skills more than I would in the city as a family physician.  The staff here is wonderful to work with and the community of Wynyard is very friendly and receptive.  I have a short commute!  I live beside the health clinic and a few minutes from the hospital."

The years between arriving in Canada and beginning practice as a fully licensed physician were busy ones for Mawien and his family.  He had to make a number of choices along the way.

"Shortly after we arrived in Canada, I wrote and failed the qualifying medical exam.  I was shocked.  My first attempt had not gone well and I had some decisions to make.  I knew I needed an income and I wanted to work in a hospital environment while I prepared to re-write the medical exams.

I decided to train as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist.  At the end of the two-year course I was recruited by the General Hospital in Regina, Saskatchewan.  During the four years I worked in Nuclear Medicine, I studied for and passed all the licensing exams from the Medical Council of Canada."

Retraining in a related medical occupation proved to be a good decision.

"Some see taking a technical course as a sign of giving up on becoming licensed as a doctor.  I saw it as the best choice for me.  It gave me the financial security and the understanding of the Canadian health care system I needed.  The hours were good.  After my 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. shift, I would go to the hospital library to study.  The medical students and residents I met in the hospital were very encouraging and generous in sharing resources.

After passing the exams, I was able to have a clinical assessment done in Alberta because I had lived there during my technical training.  I believe the assessment helped me get accepted into a two-year residency program for family physicians."

To keep his dream alive, it has been important for Mawien to be part of the community and to surround himself with supportive people.

"You need to be around people who are positive and are willing to encourage you, especially when you first arrive.  My advice to others is to find people who have succeeded and do not get bogged down in the stories of those who have given up.

Over the years, my family and I have been well supported by the Sudanese community, our Canadian friends and colleagues and the professional community."

Mawien has found a way to contribute to the success of other internationally educated physicians.

"Recently I was nominated to sit on a committee for continuing medical education through the University of Saskatchewan.  This is a way for me to support others in the international medical community.

There are also other organizations that help international medical graduates. For example, the Saskatchewan International Medical Graduates Association (SIMGA) provides guidance for international medical graduates (IMGs), living in Saskatchewan, as they go through the process of obtaining a license to practice."

Saskatchewan has become home for Mawien and his family.

"We now have dual citizenship - we are proudly Sudanese-Canadian.  Our eldest daughter was six months old when we first arrived in Canada.  The other three children were born here, so this is home to them."