Mohamed Abdelrahman

With the guidance of colleagues at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, the youngest person in the operating room is heading to medical school this summer. Surgical technician Mohamed Abdelrahman, 21, is known as “The Kid” in the OR and has assisted surgeon Ralph Layman during big procedures, including kidney transplants, all while taking undergraduate classes at VCU. He balanced being a full-time student, full-time tech, and an aspiring doctor with the help of his HCA Virginia colleagues – from flexible scheduling to post-surgery consultations and recommendation letters.

“The only reason I was able to graduate in three years and get accepted to medical school was because of the OR manager,” Abdelrahman said. “There was a lot of flexibility in terms of my schedule and I was able to change it on a semester-to-semester basis.”

During those late hours in the hospital, he began shadowing Layman in his clinic and watched him talk with patients. It was through those interactions that he decided the type of doctor – and person – he aspires to be in the future.

“Especially the field that I want to go into and the type of person I want to be … it is geared toward Layman and all the mentors I have,” Abdelrahman said. “I admire the mentality of his work ethic.”

Layman had an open door policy and was always happy to answer questions. He said he knows of only one other surgical tech who went on to become a doctor.

“He was a full-time college student and worked full-time, working late at night,” Layman said. “He was already putting in the hours to show he would be successful in his career. I think he had the drive and the willingness and the intelligence without me. I’m proud that he was able to get accepted [to medical school] and that I had a little part of it.”

Layman’s support along with others in the OR is a clear example of the mentoring environment at HCA Virginia, said Ryan Jensen, chief executive officer of Henrico, Parham and Retreat Doctors’ Hospitals.

Abdelrahman is from Sudan and moved to America in the eighth grade. He completed a surgical tech program in high school and wanted to expand his knowledge and build the clinical hours needed for medical school acceptance. The average number of clinical hours is approximately 200, but he completed more than 5,000 at Henrico Doctors’, Abdelrahman said.

“I focused on the clinical experience to see what’s going on and learn the language,” he said. “Dr. Layman is one of my greatest supports. If I have any healthcare-related questions or healthcare policy questions, I go to him. He inspires me to pursue changes in the medical field.”

Abdelrahman begins classes this summer at VCU and plans to focus on orthopedics or general vascular surgery with a future goal of global health work – all while still working at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital on a per diem basis.

“Mohamed inspires our entire surgery team by providing exceptional care of patients in the operating room as a surgical technician,” said Dennis Szurkus Jr., Henrico Doctors’ chief medical officer. “He further inspires all of us to fulfill our professional aspirations. Mentoring and supporting our team members to advance their careers is one important way we care like family.”