My name is Samira Ben Salka, and I am a first-year student in the Master of Science in Anesthesia Program in Houston, Texas. I was born and raised in Marrakesh, Morocco. There, I worked as a nurse anesthetist. My work experience in the surgical unit as well as the emergency department taught me to be a lifelong learner to better assist my patients.
My ambition to learn and improve my procedural skills motivated me to look for new opportunities in higher education, and I immigrated to the United States to explore new opportunities. It was a life-changing opportunity. After immigrating, I attended the University of Houston where I completed my bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Medicine and Society prior to joining CWRU MSA.
Currently, I am doing a general rotation at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. My learning objective is to gain more anesthesia practice in order to expand my knowledge of patient care. Every day I have a chance to be a part of an anesthesia team that delivers care to patients in various procedures including neurological, vascular, pediatrics, and orthopedics. The diversity of procedures helps me improve my understanding of the clinical practice and apply what I've been learning effectively.
I can definitely see how much progress I have made during the past 10 months of this program. Transition to professional program was not easy, but my classmates, second-years student, and my knowledgeable instructors provided me great support. I have to admit that this improvement is also the result of countless hours of studying and long days of anesthesia practice. I am a wife and mother of two young daughters, which means I have to multitask all day to achieve my goals. Therefore, I would advise prospective students to work on managing study time effectively. This is the key to enjoy this professional program for becoming a successful anesthetist.
About this post: The Student Spotlight series highlights MSA students in Cleveland, Houston, and Washington. The series is a student-led initiative, and is designed to share current student experiences with prospective students.