After more than a decade of studying abroad and with a handful of degrees under her belt, Amne Osseyran is looking forward to starting work at home.

The new Island doctor had already notched up a master’s degree in forensic medicine and three other qualifications when she graduated from the University of West Indies with a degree in medicine and surgery in June.

Now she has been offered employment as an intern at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) for a year. “I’m excited to be able to come home, especially because there is no one here that has done forensic medicine,” said the mother of two, who hopes to become Bermuda’s forensic physician.

The 32-year-old studied forensic science as her first degree at the University of East London. She also has a master’s degree in biomedical science from the University of East London and a master’s degree in forensic medicine from Queen Mary University of London through the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

According to Dr Osseyran, she completed her studies in a “non-traditional way”, having obtained her postgraduate experience through her forensic medicine degree before beginning her medicine studies.

After all her hard work, the St George’s resident is now delighted by the prospect of starting work. She said: “I decided to come home for both my electives, which allowed me to get some insight into the healthcare and patient care in Bermuda and also common conditions for Bermudians. That has definitely made me excited for it.”

Dr Osseyran is also looking forward to connecting with patients in Bermuda again. Through her electives, she spent five weeks working in medicine and surgery at KEMH in 2013, and seven weeks practicing emergency medicine in 2014 — she also spent some time at the Department of Health.

Before starting her five-year degree in Jamaica, she was also employed full-time with the Department of Pathology for two years and taught physics and science at CedarBridge Academy.

The former Berkeley Institute top student said she has always been interested in forensic science and that being an intern in hospital laboratories, where she has volunteered since 1999, drove her to pursue it as a career. She had at first hoped to specialise in pathology but decided to study forensic medicine instead.

“The reason I didn’t go for pathology — pathology deals with the deaths for the most part — is that there are an average of two murders a year in Bermuda, compared to the amount of forensic medical cases you have, which include assault, rape, torture and anything that happens to persons under the care of the state.”

Dr Osseyran said: “Doing that degree was broader. I was more intrigued by it and I feel that I give back more to the community by doing that degree. I know it sounds cliché, but it means a lot to me. I was able to do all my degrees because of the support of my family and the community.”

She added that she really enjoys patient interaction, which she felt she might have lost if she had just focused on pathology.

Dr Osseyran, the first beneficiary from the Bermuda Government’s link-up with the University of West Indies, said she really enjoyed her time studying in Jamaica. “The experience was invaluable,” she said. “We were afforded the opportunity to work with patients from the start. I definitely would not have gotten to do half the things I got to do had I done the programme elsewhere.”

Dr Osseyran is grateful to everyone who has supported her during more than a decade of studying, including her sons, nine-year-old Ayr and 12-year-old Ari, her mother and family, her sons’ family, as well as Clyde Wilson, Phil Perinchief and Margot Harvey.