Interview : “My Dream Was To Become A Midwife - Like My Mom”

How does it feel being a female Veterinary Doctor?
The veterinary profession is all about having a holistic approach to solving problems. The profession does not stand on its own. It is associated with public health, which was also my dream when I was growing up. Then, I also longed to study the environment, research, education, forestry and wildlife, marine, women and the girl child, employment, trade and industry… I am delighted and opportune to contribute to changing lives and improving protein levels for the growth and development of the human populace in all physiological stages of life. 
A career that allows you to spend time with all kinds of animals and their owners daily is very relaxing, motivating and highly rewarding. Working with people who cannot express themselves well is very challenging, but I have learnt to conduct insightful interviews with animal owners, observe and read animal body language and behaviour, to guide my diagnoses. Working in the veterinary field gives me the possibility to help “patients” who cannot talk, nor express how they feel. I love animals! For 22 years of practice, I have not been bitten, scratched or kicked by any animal. Rather, I had an injury only once from a wild lactating cow that chased me and I fled by rolling under a barbed wire fence. 

Is it what you longed to become? Or you ended a Veterinary Doctor by chance?
My dream was to work in the medical field as I spent all my time with my mother, a midwife, during holidays, making up beds in the maternity. Since there was no entrance examination to the Midwifery School when I left high school, I decided to write the entrance to the National Centre for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Training, CNFZV Centre in Jakiri, Bui Division of North West Region. My dream was to one day hold the syringe to administer medication and save lives. Our tenants in Jakiri were students in CNFZV, who always put on their white jackets. This won my admiration! 
It is not by chance that I became a Veterinary Doctor. Motherhood has not been a setback, but rather a motivation. I love the profession. Being an advocate for animals which only communicate through action and behaviour is a noble journey I have devoted my life to. Though dealing with difficult clients, colleagues, compliance problems and paperwork can easily become frustrating…

If given the opportunity to begin life all over, will you still choose veterinary medicine? 
Yes! I will still go for the veterinary profession, with focus on Veterinary Medicine and Public Health, in line with the approach of One Health. It is a very unique profession despite the great risks associated with it. Veterinary Medicine is all about protecting the public, with the objective to cause them to consume what is wholesome as well as live with healthy animals in the same environment. We deal with all sorts of animals which do not talk. You just have to study their behaviour and through the varied diagnoses, determine what is wrong and carry on the intervention.
There is still more to be discovered in Veterinary Medicine. There are diseases that are taught in class, but some have not been seen in the field, and vice versa. Especially with challenges of climate change, mixed infection, emerging and re-emerging diseases surface across borders.  I believe I can have continuous learning opportunities in higher education as a full-fledged specialized veterinarian in Tropical Medicine. Remember, medical sciences continue to evolve. There will always be new things to learn, especially with the increasing population as animals need space. So, people keep seeking orientations and advice on what to do and or how go about their livestock activities.
More so, in any healthcare career, diagnostic procedures, treatment options, and advances in drug therapy have developed alongside new innovations, requiring each practitioner to continue learning. This can open up avenues to work in laboratories, teach or serve with livestock organizations.

How long have you been practising as a Veterinary Doctor? Has it been a fulfilling? 
I have been practicing for 22 years as a Veterinary Doctor. It has been fulfilling over the years, given the experience, added knowledge and skills acquired. I have contributed to animal health and welfare. Being the first female student to continue education from National Centre for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Training, Jakiri, I have inspired other women and girls to become veterinarians. This is one of the reasons for the increased female representation in the veterinary profession in the North West Region of Cameroon. The competence I have built through self-confidence, collaboration, cooperation, and communication gives me fulfilment. I believe my flexible working practices, leadership and managerial skills have contributed to my promotion and sustainable shift in this noble profession.
Mentoring students to love the profession has been my advocacy. This is the reason why I can’t get missing in any part of Cameroon because there is always a former student in each of the 58 divisions. I am well fulfilled because I have contributed to improve health, food security, job creation and standards of living. As well as to increased self-employment and those employed by the State and various organizations.
The digital world and advances in the profession give me the urge to learn and study more so as to meet up with times. The diversity of challenges we overcome everyday and the range of opportunities they present give me the opportunity to ride on. Solving complex problems daily makes me love the profession because I also contribute to protecting society. It is a rewarding career with many options for growth and interaction with colleagues from public health due to emerging and remerging zoonotic diseases.

What are your career goals? What do you want to do with the remaining years of service?
I have so far served for 22 years and I have 8 years to go on retirement. I see my duty as that of passing on knowledge, skills and competence to the next generation through many more capacity- building sessions for continuity and sustainability. 

Has the Civil Service been worth your while all these years? 
Yes! A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree is versatile, though, and opens up a wide range of career options in research, government or corporations. The hours spent as a veterinarian can be exhausting. It is not common for a veterinarian to maintain standard operating hours from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. Veterinarians are always on call for emergencies after w...