Grad Profile: Military service inspires medical career

Each student’s university experience is unique, filled with new challenges and learning opportunities. This certainly stands true for recent graduate Angus MacGregor, who completed his degree in Medical Sciences at Dalhousie while serving his country as a medical assistant with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Reserves.

Growing up in Dartmouth, Angus always had an interest in medicine, stemming from his mother who graduated from Dalhousie Medical School. Serving with the CAF was a large factor in his decision to pursue the Medical Science program at Dal.

“Joining CAF was a really good way to be exposed to the field I was interested in,” he says.

Angus continued his military service throughout his degree, balancing the responsibilities of his coursework and the demands of work within CAF. Topics covered in his classes sometimes intersected with what was covered in his military training. He recalls learning about specific enzymes in his biochemistry class, then having the same material covered in a military lecture a month later.

 “It’s wonderful to have that continuous criss cross between both my academic and professional fields because it confirms that what I’m doing professionally is what I’m interested in and want to pursue."

Helping out after Hurricane Dorian

Just this past September, while in class, Angus received a call from his unit command to say that he would be deployed for medical coverage of Operation LENTUS when Hurricane Dorian hit Nova Scotia (shown left in picture below). He says moments like this solidified his belief that his program was preparing him for the field that he hoped to work in. 

“There is more in life than academics. It’s important to do well in school, but it is even more important to have reasons to do well.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the academic year to an abrupt end to in-person activities, Angus completed his final year of the Medical Sciences program at Dalhousie remotely. When asked what his best memory as a Dalhousie student would be, Angus shared his experience of receiving his confirmation of graduation from Dalhousie.

“As odd as it may sound, it’s getting the email at the end of it all, saying ‘congratulations, you’ve been awarded your degree.’ For me, that was an immense moment.”

Despite the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, Angus is resolute in his ambition to attend Medical School in the near future, with the goal of becoming a physician.