Job placement Week5, 2017

Friends join me to praise and thank God for His awesome mercies in my life. My son could not attend the housemanship interview in Enugu where we live because he had not gotten his Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) registration by then. He trained overseas at Crimea Federal University Russia and had to sit an additional examination for foreign medical graduates at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in October last year. By that time most Teaching Hospitals had finished interview except National Hospital Abuja, Army Hospital in Lagos, and Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH). 

Getting a placement for Housemanship in Nigeria had become difficult in the last few years with young doctors staying  3 , 4 or 5 years  before getting a placement. At their induction at the Nigeria Air force centre in Abuja on November 8 the MDCN registrar had promised that starting mid 2017, a scheme similar to NYSC would be created to solve this problem, but my God was not going to allow my son wait this long. He was only able to do the interview for national hospital Abuja because it held the same day as DELSUTH. In any case, for some reason he did not get the DELSUTH invitation for interview, and the Army Hospital told him they weren’t sure they would take anybody. From over 900 candidates that applied for national hospital about 700 did the written examination. This reduced the number to 150 who took the clinical and oral interview. Friends even though he came out very confident in his performance I didn’t give him much chance because I know what politicians do, especially in Abuja. My fear grew worse especially when I called the wife of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) and she told me she couldn’t even speak to her husband on that issue because he was already under too much pressure from the Presidency, Senate, and Governors etc. But my son kept telling me God had promised him a space. His faith was so strong that last Sunday when I was looking for someone to take me to the CMD he chided me and told me not to worry or bother. He told me he was sure of God’s promise to him but not sure his roommate at Zaria would make it. So I would rather join him to pray for the roommate. I asked where the confidence was coming from and he said, “God”. He did not sow any seed specifically for this but says he had an agreement prayer first with God then with 4 of his colleagues (so a total of 5 people) that if He grants them success they will not only dedicate their work to Him through giving their best, but establish a strong men’s fellowship in that hospital to spread His name.

Friends yesterday evening (18/1/2017) the results came out and my son’s name was number 1. Number 1. And his friend’s name was somewhere in the list. And in less than 30 minutes he got a text message to come and pick his appointment letter to start immediately. Is this God not awesome? When you know Him you don’t need to know anyone else because The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof Ps 24:1(ESV). Please join me to thank this awesome wonderful God who through the faith of this little boy has taught me a huge lesson and reminded me that one with Him is majority and a winner. Praise the LORD! Hallelujah!!!

Augustina Nwosu is a community physician