Nabeela Arbee is a student on the UCL MSc in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health at the ISEH.
She graduated with a Bachelors in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2014 and began her two years of internship as a junior doctor at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, which is the third largest hospital in the world, during which she rotated through 10 different medical disciplines. It was also during this year that she developed a keen interest in sports medicine after experiencing a sports injury herself.
"I applied for the MSc Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health because it combines theory, practice and research into a one-year full time program and because UCL is one of the top ranked universities in the world. The MSc has been such a great experience for me. As an international student at UCL, I have been welcomed, guided and supported the whole way. I have been educated by the best doctors and physiotherapists in their field, I have been exposed to a diverse group of students who contribute differently to lectures, I am up-to-date on the most current research, I have discovered new topics in medicine that I’d never been exposed to much before and I’m more confident when presenting and writing scientifically. The MSc has a good balance of staff-supported and self-directed learning. And the best part is that it’s not centered around sports injuries only, but also around how exercise and physical activity can be used to treat and prevent chronic illnesses and how to practice as sports doctor in the real world with elite doctors from the Olympic team and FA cup teams giving you practical advice. I was also given the opportunity to shadow Dr Courtney Kipps at the London Marathon where I observed the clinical and managerial aspects of being an event doctor.
My research is about the utility of perioperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in patients undergoing head and neck surgery and getting patients fit for surgery. I have been lucky enough to attend a CPET accreditation course while here and am hoping to perform CPET back home in South Africa.
I don’t have any prior experience in sports medicine and there is currently no specialist training program in South Africa for sports medicine. When I return to South Africa in September, I’m hoping to work as a team doctor, teach others what I’ve learnt here in the UK, research more and develop my skills.
It’s been a challenging but exciting year and I would highly recommend this MSc to anyone interested in exercise and sports."
Watch the below video of a day in the life of Nabeela:
