Her success so far in the highly competitive and demanding field of medicine is an achievement by any standard but more so in Saima's case.

For the chances of her becoming a doctor were firmly stacked against her.

Brought up in Fir Vale, Sheffield, Saima says it is highly unusual for a Muslim woman from her area and background to enter the medical profession.

She has made it thanks largely to a local scheme designed to put a career in medicine within the reach of students from all backgrounds, offering support and guidance from the age of 14.

Saima, now 26, says Sheffield's Outreach and Access to Medicine Scheme (SOAMS) gave her invaluable support and guidance "to enable me to achieve my dream of becoming a doctor".

She says: "I always wanted to be a doctor from when I was 10 years old. And it's a great success for Fir Vale, it's important for the community."

Now she hopes to be a role model to other young people from a similar background.

As a child Saima enjoyed school and did well, loved reading and was curious about the world.

But when she was 13 she went with her family to live in a rural village in Pakistan for three years.

"It was a lot more natural a way of life, if you wanted fruit you picked it from the tree or if you wanted a drink you'd milk the buffalo."

But it was a way of life that meant Saima missed out on taking her GCSEs at 16. When she came back to Sheffield aged 17, she had no qualifications.

So she enrolled at Castle College and did a series of GCSEs and a GNVQ which gave her the equivalent of four science GCSEs.

She then studied A-levels in chemistry, biology, English language, maths and science.

"I think it was after the first year of A-levels that the head of science saw how ambitious and determined I was."

Saima put in contact with SOAMS at a time when it was just a pilot. It is now an established option for students who have the ability to become good doctors but who would not normally consider it as a serious option.

Saima and four other doctors from her year – Laura Bowes, Nafeesa Akhtar, Qumer Younis and Danny Glover – are the first graduates from the scheme.

"We had a lot of workshops, how to do well in medicine, visits to museums meeting students, learning about university life. I went to summer school," said Saima.

The project included lectures and seminars and a chance to learn clinical skills. Those who successfully completed tasks were offered a guaranteed interview for a place at the University of Sheffield's Medical School.

But even then the pressure was on Saima to get into Sheffield, because it would not have been acceptable to her family for her to study in another city.

"My parents said 'It's Sheffield or nowhere'. I had no experience of interviews and I didn't know what it was like to be interviewed.

But I knew I had to excel if I wanted to achieve my ambition."

Going to lectures packed with other medical students, Saima would have to pinch herself to believe she had made it on the course.

"I'd often think 'What am I doing with all these people'?"

As a student she lived at home with her parents and younger siblings and juggled family and religious commitments.

"I loved most of the studying but I had to be very organised," said Saima, who was in the Islamic Society and also does kick boxing and swimming in her spare time.

On the cusp of her professional medical career, she now wants to encourage others to fulfil their potential. She and her fellow graduates have already contributed to the SOAMS initiative by acting as mentors for other students.

Saima is in no doubt that without the scheme she would not have achieved her dream.



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