by Preenan Pillay | Jan 10, 2020 | Courses, Medicine & Health
If you have just matriculated and want to pursue a career in science, you need to have a scientific aptitude. This is according to Preenan Pillay, the head of the programme for Applied Sciences at Pearson Institute of Higher Education.
You need to be enthusiastic and passionate about solving STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) challenges applicable to the world in which we live.
The Faculty of Applied Sciences at Pearson Institute offers Bachelor of Science degrees in biomedicine and biotechnology, two areas of specialisation that offer graduates a great opportunity to contribute to society.
The biomedicine curriculum focuses on the study of the human body and human diseases, with the aim of providing a foundation for students to research and develop new diagnostic tests and methods to alleviate disease.
“If you study it, you will develop a broad theoretical foundation in human physiology, molecular biology, medical microbiology, histology, haematology and pharmacology, with an emphasis on application-based research and the use of technology,” he explained.
The biotechnology curriculum is centred on the use of microbial systems such as bacteria and viruses in developing biological methods for industrial and medical applications. Biotechnology is the merging of science and engineering concepts involving microbiology, chemistry, genetics, cell biology, bioethics, gene cloning, bioinstrumentation, bioinformatics, genomics and biometrics.
These professions are steeped in science. All learners aspiring to change the world through biomedicine or biotechnology will need three fundamentals at matric – biology, physics and mathematics.
“If you have a passion for the application of biology, then these fields are for you,” he added. “Physics and mathematics are also important and provide the critical thinking skills you will need to apply in the sciences,” said Pillay.
These two undergraduate BSc degrees open up a world of opportunity for students both locally and abroad. “Many of our students have gone on to enter postgraduate programmes at various national and international institutions. The portfolios we offer are vast and the research we involve our students in gives them the edge that is sought after at international institutions for postgraduate studies.”
According to Pillay, the scientific industry in South Africa has changed completely. He said that students now need to adopt a transdisciplinary approach. “In South Africa and many other countries, employment rates have declined. This is due to the changes brought about by the fourth industrial revolution and it is, therefore, imperative that an undergraduate curriculum allows the student to develop critical thinking skills that can be applied to any sector. This can be achieved only through undergraduate research and development.”
He said their graduates are employed across various sectors, which include the medical scientific profession, biopharmaceutical marketing, sales, academia and quality assurance.
“Our unique degrees in biological sciences prepare you for varied careers in a rapidly advancing and exciting world grounded in technology, research, exploration and innovation,” said Pillay.
With a focus on technology-enhanced, interactive lecture-led and work integrated learning, as well as directed research-based assessments, study offers an environment that combines theory, research and practical application.
“It’s not your run-of-the-mill bachelor’s degree,” he said. “Even our industry partners have told me how much they appreciate our incorporation of skills commonly found in the field of humanities and economics. This helps our students apply their knowledge and integrate in many facets of this industry.”
He advised students who don’t have a passion for STEM and learning that the sciences are probably not for them.
“This is a field which builds on a foundation of continuous learning. Be prepared to be learning for the rest of your career. That’s what it means to be a scientist,” said Pillay.
Preenan Pillay is the head of the programme for Applied Sciences at Pearson Institute of Higher Education
by angelique | Mar 28, 2019 | Courses, General, Health & Safety, Healthcare & Medical, Jobs, Medicine & Health
Overworked medical professionals risk burnout
FACED with a chronic shortage of doctors and specialists, South Africa’s stressed and overloaded medical professionals are at greater risk of burnout which puts both themselves and their patients in danger.
Doctors are 2.5 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population, while physician burnout is a leading cause of medical error, past president of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) Professor Bernard Jansen van Rensburg has noted.
Suicides of prominent medical professionals and university students in the past year turned the spotlight on mental wellness and the need to remove the stigma from mental health conditions, particularly among medical professionals themselves, he says.
Jansen van Rensburg advises that awareness needs to start at student level, calling for medical education to “put more emphasis on doctors realising their limitations and recognising their humanity and fallibility”.
The problem is not unique to South Africa – studies in the US, UK and Australia have all shown that doctors, specialists, nurses and other medical professionals are at higher risk of burnout and suicide, and they are also less likely to seek help.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention found that depression was an equally significant risk factor in the suicide deaths of both physicians and non-physicians, but that the physicians were far less likely to have been receiving mental health treatment.
Jansen van Rensburg said burnout was not a medical diagnosis in itself but was a combination of conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression, signalled by emotional exhaustion, detachment or lack of empathy with patients, and a reduced sense of job satisfaction or professional achievement.
“Burnout is a very real state that has a significant impact on sufferers and their productivity and performance at work, as well as on their personal lives and relationships, heightening the risk of drug or alcohol abuse as a coping mechanism, and sufferers experiencing suicidal thoughts,” he said.
Burnout can lead to errors of judgment and it affects doctors’ prescribing habits, test ordering and overall professional behaviour.
It is also a risk factor for injury and other mental and physical health conditions.
“Doctors and other medical professionals who are highly critical of others and themselves tend to blame themselves for their own illnesses, and are more at risk of major depression and other mental disorders that can lead to suicide.
“They tend to be reluctant to approach their professional colleagues for help but rather ‘self-medicate’ for symptoms such as anxiety or insomnia.
“They also slip into risky coping mechanisms such as alcohol and drugs, and isolate themselves from those who could support them – family, friends and their professional community,” he says.
He says doctors need to be self-aware and vigilant of their vulnerabilities and possibly risky coping mechanisms, and not “suffer in silence”, referring to the self-administered Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire as a simple means for practitioners to check on their own health.
“Those in the medical profession need to know that a mental health condition not dealt with is more likely in the long run to negatively affect their practice and professional reputation, and that it’s best to rather ask for help early in their career,” he said.
Jansen van Rensburg says there is also a responsibility at an organisational level for management in the healthcare system to acknowledge the existence of the problem, to develop targeted interventions and to promote resilience and self-care.
“Leaders and managers of medical teams should also show that they are open to feedback, respect the opinions of others, including less-experienced colleagues, and to empower team members to do their work and advance in their careers,” he says.
Professional bodies including SASOP and the South African Medical Association (SAMA) have also turned their spotlight inwards, he said, raising awareness among medical practitioners to check in on their own mental health and self-care, and working to reduce the stigma that can delay seeking help.
“The SAMA and SASOP are also considering the best strategies to de-stigmatise mental illness in the health care profession, to assist healthcare professionals dealing with mental illness and occupational, professional and personal difficulties, and to create an environment conducive to professional exchange and debate, networking and support,” Jansen van Rensburg says.
