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Cayman Doctors Forge Ahead
By Nicola Kremer
Two young, dynamic Caymanian doctors have returned home after many years of rigorous medical study and training. In sharing their individual stories, both reveal a special appreciation for Dr. Steve Tomlinson who has acted as mentor to them over the years.
Two young Caymanian doctors have joined The Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital, situated on Walkers Road in George Town.
Two young Caymanian doctors have joined The Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital, situated on Walkers Road in George Town.
The two North American-trained family physicians who joined the privately owned hospital just recently, are about to put into practice many years of rigorous and challenging medical training.
Kevin McGann, M.D., who has roots in Cayman Brac and Jamaica, says that he made a definitive decision to become a doctor after gaining work experience in the Emergency Room (E.R.).
Miami-born Angella Glidden, M.D., on the other hand, reckons that she made up her mind to pursue medicine by the time she was a high school student.
By way of introduction, Cayman Net News first spoke with Chief Physician of The Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital, Dr. Steve Tomlinson, original founder of the institution and the man responsible for bringing on board its two latest physicians.
Dr. Steve Tomlinson
Dr. Steve Tomlinson: Self-Professed Mentor
In the discussion with Dr. Tomlinson, he makes it known that he has always been interested in meeting and maintaining contact with any young person who either wishes to enter the medical field or is already a student of that profession seeking the guidance of a mentor.
He says that he remembers talking with Drs.
McGann and Glidden years ago when they were just embarking on
the long academic and practical programmes leading to the certification
of medical doctor.
"It was quite a number of years ago that these two doctors
came to me and told me that they were very interested in medicine.
This is not uncommon," he recalls.
He goes on to explain that from his visits to the Cayman Islands' High School (now known as John Gray High School), he has observed a growing interest in the profession and that he is always glad to offer encouragement to any prospective student.
As regards Dr. Angella Glidden, her mentor
says that he remembers the moment that "she came by and told
me that she was definitely going to become a doctor and it just
reminded me of when I was younger."
"I shadowed her for a period of time and I could see that
she was very interested in medicine so I encouraged her. When
she went off to the United States (to study medicine), she kept
in touch with me," he states.
Dr. Tomlinson recollects helping Dr. Kevin McGann by directing him to a university specifically suited to him, and he comments on how hard the young man worked to achieve success. The senior physician reiterates the fact that his protégé kept him abreast of his progress and plans.
Dr. Tomlinson adds that he does, in fact, maintain contact with "quite a number of Caymanians abroad pursuing medicine." He goes on to say that it is actually difficult to find "good doctors" from other countries willing to invest in a long-term career in the Cayman Islands.
"This is for a number of reasons," he explains. "If they are already in a programme in say, Canada, the USA or England, (then) if they take too much time off, they could lose out completely and not finish the particular programme that they are in.
"So to get a doctor in the height of his career is very difficult," he stresses.
The Chrissie Tomlinson Chief Physician describes the common situation of the foreign doctor who has completed all his medical studies, residencies and "is now in the line-up for consultancy". He suggests that it would thus not be in the interest of this doctor to exchange his position in his homeland for an indefinite sojourn in the Cayman Islands the consequence could well be loss of the potential post for which he has worked so hard in his own country.
"(This) is why it is then important that Caymanians take the plunge and (study medicine), if you want to have sustained excellent service on the island," he says.
Dr. Tomlinson acknowledges a trend for retired doctors from abroad to relocate to the Cayman Islands to continue practicing. He maintains that such doctors often have a "wealth of experience" to offer the local community but that having already enjoyed career pinnacles, they choose to defer from handling the intense demands of, for instance, hospital night shifts or emergency medicine, and opt for less stressful environments including part-time work.
He also points out that it is inappropriate to take on foreign doctors who are too young and inexperienced, and who still need to gain comprehensive exposure in all aspects of medicine, which is perhaps more limited in the Cayman Islands.
"It's a different story if we get our own doctors because if they really plan to come home and contribute, they will acquire the necessary experience and skills required locally in order to fit in," he enthuses.
"Secondly," he continues, "if in fact they are intrigued and interested in a certain field, such as ardiovascular surgery, they might well specialize in it, gain extensive experience abroad and then return home to help us even though there might not be a great demand for this service.
"A Caymanian doctor is likely to stay and cope with the situation even if there is little demand for the service. To keep his skills current he will do short stints abroad and to augment his livelihood, he will assist in other surgeries."
"It (this scenario) produces a very special breed of doctor, a doctor who is aware of the local situationand who fits in with regional surroundings," he concludes.
Doctor Tomlinson with his two new staff members.
Angella Glidden, M.D.
Dr. Angella Glidden: Solo Practitioner Joins Hospital Team
Although Angella, daughter of Charles and Vinnette Glidden, was born in Miami, she returned with her family to Grand Cayman at the age of eleven.
After graduating from Cayman High School in 1986, Angella mulled over her idea of pursuing medicine while working as an operator at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
"My mother was very encouraging. I had been very successful in the sciences (at school) and I knew that as a doctor you have autonomy and you are able to care for people. The caring and the autonomy is what drove me into medicine," she reveals.
Angella, now 32, never collected her Bachelor of Science in Biology .
"Who needs a Bachelor's when you have an MD," she exclaims, saying she skipped graduation after three years at Florida State University and jumped straight into the four-year graduate course at the University of Miami's School of Medicine (funded by a university scholarship).
She next found herself at Tulane University in New Orleans to complete her internship in Internal Medicine after which she decided to take up a Fellowship in Dermatology at the University of Texas, Medical Branch in Galveston.
"I then made up my mind to do a residency in Family Practice which suited my personality a bit more," she continues, joking about the fact that her next place of abode was where the AGGIES (University of Texas' Football Team) come from.
She highlights the essential difference between the British-style GP (General Practitioner) versus the American Family Practitioner by pointing out that the latter follows a longer and more comprehensive course of study including areas such as paediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology and surgery, resulting in a specialization.
As if these challenging years of training were not enough, this smart Super-Achiever broke with convention and opened her very own practice in Bartow, Florida in April 2000.
She comments: "It is unusual nowadays there are less and less solo practitioners many people are closing their practices and joining groups."
From her own account, her sense of independence and need for autonomy helped catapult her in this unusual direction, an experience which she says she loved.
When asked about any effects from investing so much time and energy into becoming a doctor, Angella concedes that there have been sacrifices, which she defines as "postponing normal life goals" such as getting married and starting a family.
So why the shift back to the Cayman Islands?
"I was pregnant and I wanted to have my baby here (in Cayman) and I wanted to raise my family here," is her matter-of-fact reply.
Along with Texan husband Michael Sands and three month old son Charles Michael, Dr. Angella Glidden is now firmly re-rooted and looking forward to working with her long-time friend, Dr. Tomlinson, of whom she says:
"He has known me for many years and he has always been there for me when I came back, he was the first person I went to see."
Kevin McGann, M.D.
Dr. Kevin McGann: Strong Self-Discipline and Great Determination
Jamaican-born Kevin McGann, who was raised mostly by his Cayman Brac mother Merle McGann Burke claims that he thought about being a doctor even before high school.
"I knew I wanted to do something good but I didn't want to sit at a desk all day. I wanted a job that offered some freedom and independence but still (enabled me) to contribute," he states.
How he went about becoming a doctor was, it appears, through great determination, very hard work and, as he puts it, "doing as well as I could in school".
He proved this by graduating as Valedictorian from Triple C High School in 1989 and then he headed off to Canada's University of Western Ontario where he obtained a BSc in Biology, having been awarded a government scholarship.
Upon his return home to Cayman, he threw himself into the medical world immediately, gaining employment at the George Town Hospital, first in its clinical laboratory for one year and then as an emergency medical technician in the hospital's ambulance department.
Kevin says that although he enjoyed the two years at the hospital, he did not feel wholly fulfilled and it was during this era that he realized that he would need to qualify as a physician in order to fully utilize "my brain and my talents".
Looking back, he adds that Dr. Tomlinson was a positive influence for him when he was still in high school, offering him encouragement, as well as George Town Hospital Internist, Dr. Courtney Cummings who also provided him with guidance.
Having taught as a Professor at AUC School of Medicine (originally based in Montserrat), Dr. Cummings supported Kevin's application to attend the West Indian institute now relocated in Dutch St. Martin and so the Caymanian student enrolled in its programme in January 1996.
Once he had completed all his "classroom
work", Kevin found himself finalizing the clinical side of
medical school in Romford, England, and in various States of America,
including California, Ohio and Louisiana.
When he gained his MD in September 1999, Louisiana State University
Health Sciences Center, in Shreveport, offered him a post-graduate
position and so he embarked on his residency in Family Practice.
This particular southern American setting seems to have brought
good fortune for Kevin he met his wife, Beth, also a physician
currently finishing her residency in psychiatry.
Life has been rather hectic for this ambitious physician who, in 2002, got married and concluded his residency, and is now preparing for the imminent role of fatherhood. These domestic circumstances dictate that Kevin rotates between The Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital and his wife's current Louisiana-based home.
While he remains part-time for now, Kevin notes how "nice it is to be home in Cayman".
"I love Cayman, I love the fact that we have people from so many different places here and everybody gets along for the most part.
"With all of these different people coming from around the world, I think there is a lot of opportunity for me in the Cayman Islands because I can relate to all these people. I have lived in Canada, the United States, England, Cayman I can communicate well and that makes me particularly well suited for Cayman," he suggests.
Now 32, Kevin, however, makes no secret of the rigorous and arduous journey he has traveled to reach his position as a Family Practitioner.
"It's been a long road," he says, "but I am grateful. It's not been without its sacrifices. When I look at my friendsthey are in a much better (financial) position with their lives and their families than I am now.
"With the route that I have taken and
with the fact that scholarships don't even cover half of the costs
(of studying medicine), you end up in an awful lot of debt. As
it is now, I owe about US$150,000," he explains.
This issue of financing a medical education raises the question
of how to improve opportunities for Caymanians and to this Kevin
reiterates his belief in self-improvement regardless of the struggle
towards achieving a goal.
"If you want to compete in this world, you have to improve yourself. This little country, as tiny as it is, is strong because we steal talent from other places Caymanians have to step up and compete and that means that they need opportunities," he remarks, and he hopes that future generations will be able to study medicine on-island.
Photos by Miguel Escalante