20 years in medical profession, top 5 lessons learnt

August 2004 is when the journey began! The excitement of starting a new chapter in life, that too at such a tender age sometimes fades away the authenticity of what you are venturing into. A new life, a new set of friends, a new skill-based learning – the reality of a new phase which will eventually shape how one thinks, behaves, dreams, copes and thrives – something that I can appreciate more deeply now, was probably not in my conscious mind so much at that time.

I thoroughly enjoyed my MBBS, those five and a half years are probably the best time of my life. Yes, in every aspect! A carefree, unaware life where I learnt the skills of how a doctor thinks and acts. The thick textbooks, the never-ending stages, vivas, tutorials, quizzes and examinations – all seemed to be tiring at that time, but I could not complain much, even then, other than about some cheeky professors and silly batchmates! Life was so cool indeed.

Then came another part of college life – lifelong friendships, exhilarating travel and trips, thrilling dance parties, exciting movie outings, low budget and yet super enjoyable birthday celebrations, delightful college fests, super fun choreography competitions, happening hostel life, crazy students’ union – all of these made life easier for an adolescent who was alone learning to be a doctor. One can say these were the added merits of being in one of the nation’s oldest medical colleges in the heart of a happening city.

One can live doctor’s life only after becoming a doctor. Quite a statement! The reality is far from appreciation while you are training to be doctor. As you grow in your career, you start understanding the nuances of responsibility, accountability, and the bigger paraphernalia that comes with the job. Luckily, it was a pleasurable desirable role for me. Yes, one has his ups and downs, dilemmas and concerns, but now when I look back, picking up medical profession, that too Psychiatry, has been a life changing experience, of course, in a positive way.

I still hear the echoes of the classroom teachings very vividly. From Paediatric professor’s – “TB can cause everything (any heath state) except pregnancy” to Psychiatry professor’s – “whenever you get stuck (while treating a patient) start lithium”. Even the candid moments when our Pathology professor chided – “You girls can forget your white coats in the labs, but never mind flaunting them while shopping at CP”. Looking back, I realise these one liners had such a huge impact on all of us.

While sailing up and down in the hustle of everyday life, one day I get a call from a close friend saying let’s get together for 20 years reunion and I was awestruck – is it 20 years already – of our friendship, of medical profession, since our lives transformed? Yes we girls met, relived the excitement, shared the memories of good and bad. With the reunion, also came the realization that we have grown, that we are ageing, and that we have learnt, and are still learning our lessons as doctors.

Here are the top 5 lessons learnt as a doctor in the journey so far. Of course, the list is exhaustive and I am sure, there would be more coming in as we move ahead, but let’s look at the top 5 at the moment.

1. Doctors can help only those who want to help themselves. Poorer the insight, whether in patient or family members, poorer becomes the prognosis. It becomes very difficult, almost impossible to help those who don’t want to help themselves, not alone in medical profession but otherwise as well.
2. Doctors are NOT gods. They don’t have all the answers all the time. Diligent patients and assiduous doctors together as a team find the answers as they move on in their journeys of life. This needs to be appreciated by the doctors more than the patients.
3. Learning new skills and updating yourself is the only way to grow with the ever-evolving medical science. Yet, the wisdom where the old hacks still work is what makes you seasoned. Also, learning what-NOT-to-do as compared to what-to-do is a game changer in the clinical journey.
4. Family and friends’ support can’t be underestimated at any stage in a doctor’s life, nor their value. No amount of professional success can be an excuse for not being there for your loved ones, even for male doctors. Patients may praise you in the end, but they will look for another doctor when you are not around anymore unlike your loved ones, who are going to make a difference when it matters the most. It also means that seeking validation only from medical profession makes us immensely discontent when we are not able to practice medicine anymore. Investing in other aspects of life makes the journey more worthwhile and wholesome in older years.
5. Nutritious food, consistent fitness, healthy sleep schedule, work-life balance, time for hobbies – basically a healthy balanced life is as important, if not more, for doctors as it is for patients. Follow what you preach because healing others at the cost of your own health is not sustainable in the longer run, also not believed by patients in most situations.

Lastly, prevailing law of land is that doctors are the most difficult patients, of course for obvious reasons! Partial knowledge about an illness that you are NOT an expert of, or even full knowledge of an illness that you are an expert of, leave you biased and insanely difficult to satisfy. All the best to medical fraternity for managing to deal with doctor patients 😊

Wishing you the best of mental health today and always!