Why I think doctors deserve the money they make.....

Here's a well written piece by one of my junior colleagues.....  Sriniket. Good job, dude!
(Edited for this blog by yours truly)


     Doctor bashing seems to be the trend today. Everywhere I go, I get to hear a medical horror story about how some satanic medical practitioner had the balls to ask for 500 bucks after giving a measly injection or scribbling gibberish on a paper with his name on after asking some idiotic questions like "what did you eat on that day?"; " is it a throbbing pain or a bounding pain"(like one can make that out!) and of course the biggest sacrilege of them all "that bloody quack had the audacity to tell me where to get my xray /usg/ blood work, he must be getting a commission..... all doctors are just white coated pimps!"
         

It has been just more than a year since I have qualified to become a practicing physician but already people look at  me as if I am Ambani or at least a Birla in waiting who will very soon be driving around in a BMW bought by money which apparently we get by looting the pained, already much taxed masses. Let me make it clear at the outset when I graduated from my institute I didn't get anything other than all my SSC and HSC documents and threatening words from the office that very soon I will have become a medical officer in the govt. public health centre nearby where i will spend the rest of my days giving out malaria pills and pain killer injections to 'tatya , bandya aajibai and others' (no disrespect implied). I was told in most cases by my own batch mates we will get a princely salary of 25k. WOW!!!! I wonder which other 24 year old gets that much money at that age and then the answer came" every moron who ever graduated from college with any lame ass degree gets more than that! In fact most people who didn't bother with graduation get that". Independent sources tell me rickshaw-wallahs in Thane get more dough than that. Why should I ask for more? ALL I EVER DID WAS GET A GOOD RANK IN A HYPER COMPETITIVE EXAM AT THE THRESHOLD OF ADULTHOOD. I only gave 4 sets of freakishly subjective examinations in which my fortunes can be decided in the end by what I wore to the exam hall, my caste, my language skills, my relations with the college departments and MAYBE  by my knowledge and I haven't even begun ranting about my experiences with post graduate entrance exams!
            Let me be very clear i have nothing against any of my friends who are into any other stream, good for you guys you had the good fortune to steer away from this field by design or by accident! I am sure all of you are doing great now and you all deserve every dollar, every euro ,every pound and every rupee(for the few that still live here) that you make. Nor will i trivialize for a moment the troubles you people go through in your graduate lives. My problem here is on a whole  different level . I want to know why does the layman have a problem with a medico earning big money . of course we as medical students are also to blame here. My 66 months in Kolhapur taught me that many students are not comfortable with this idea and their ideas of success in this world come across as rather weak and limited in scope  (again a personal opinion with no disrespect implied whatsoever)  while i don't believe even for a moment that a fat pay is worth losing one's good name , I believe it's reasonable to expect reasonable remuneration for your skills , abilities , aptitude and work.
       

  Let's get the numbers straight. My information about branches other than medical and engineering is painfully limited, but i am sure that won't be a issue here. There are 18 government medical colleges in Maharashtra and around 20 private ones. Engineering- I think there were 639 in Mumbai-Thane region..... there were 620 last week and it will probably hit 700 by the end of this month. Aspirants for both fields give the same exams almost with the obvious variation being Bio and Math. Because of the sheer numbers even if i consider there are 20 great colleges in this state) that will come to a figure of at least 5000 people who end up with good quality peers , teachers , facilities and by extension good prospects. and these guys wont even be close to the best in the country. The best guys are studying in the IITs, NITs and BITS. All together this comes to around another 20 thousand students with excellent prospects. My basic point is you can expect to be Maharashtra rank 3000 and still graduate from a very good institute. What happens in the medical side of the entrance is that in Maharashtra unless your rank is within 500 you have a steep climb ahead. All those people who say all government colleges are the same and they are all good are DELUDED! The reasons are many and I won't get into them...... this write up is already too long. Somewhere around rank 700 rank you have three choices- pick up below average (read baaaad) college or take up a BDS (dentistry) seat which are even fewer and third option is give up, pick up an engineering seat which is always there or give another attempt!
My point here is that at rank 700, a medical graduate is probably studying in a very bad place where he is deprived of many facilities and opportunities. These guys are all mostly very good students,  toppers in their respective schools, cream of the milk pot that is the PCB stream. These guys are now stuck in very mediocre places for a very long time and that has an effect.. ...believe me it does!  These people are those who are within 1 percent of the state.  Even if they come out unscathed still with the fire in the belly to tackle the big monster that is PG entrances what will it lead too! Again if I consider only the popular PG choices which is about 8-10 subjects..... each has not more than 20 seats in our state....maybe 30. And again this includes the who's who of crap such as Nanded, Akola, Yavatmal and Ambejogai! To complicate matters further there are about an equal number of people arriving at the starting line from the private colleges which have hundreds of seats but all off which are auctioned to the highest bidder! People put their life savings to get their children into these courses....for what?...... private colleges where there are no patients and government colleges where there are no facilities and almost no teachers.
                 So once again, there is a cohort formed by 1 percent of the population and among these only 2 percent can move to the next level! Now you go and do the math! I am sure this is the equivalent of doing your engineering from the BIG SEVEN IITs and then wanting to get into one of the IIMs! These are the odds the very best off the PCM stream have.....each and every medical student has to go through the same odds to get even the most pathetic seat in the worst possible college. If I talk about the odds of doing the medical equivalent of a IIT + IIM. the odds get mind numbingly small!
              We as a society are so used to throwing money , " ooh he is a consultant , he did his B.E from VJTI and MBA from IIM-A ' he should obviously get 40 lakhs per annum, he deserves it!!!" What is the salary that a surgeon passing from KEM can expect.. I will be damned if it's more than 40-50 thousand and he is still not done with his studies, mind you ! And that's the best possible outcome! The guy is 28-29 years old, he hasn't slept properly for the last 4 years at least! He has cleared India's second most difficult exam (IAS tops the chart obviously) with  flying colours and he has sacrificed his whole youth. He basically smells of phenyl ! Also bear in mind that Infosys and TCS are not waiting around to hire this guy. His only option is to stick with a government seat if the decision he took as an 18 year old has to make any financial sense in the long term. When this guy finally turns 35 and decides I need to start enjoying the good things in life and enter private practice, he comes upon people saying "If you wanted to make money, you shouldn't have become a doctor(thank you very much Aamir! I am sure the next batch of people who believe you and stick to dialysis for years thinking transplant is a luxury and not a necessity in renal failure will remember you in their prayers as they hurtle towards their painful and inevitable ends!)".
             

So my appeal to all my non-medical friends.....never question a doctor's fees if you are satisfied with the outcome. You are paying remuneration for the struggles and sacrifices he makes in his youth. You are paying for the fact that he depended on his parents for basic living expenses well into his late twenties and in spite of being among the best in the state he gets treated like something that fell off a garbage truck! As for my medico friends- let's stop selling ourselves short, we are an elite bunch and it's time people realize it! Expecting to get good money for the efforts is not a bad thing. And let's be frank......the pay for interns , residents even super-specialist residents is pathetic. Let's change our outlook!
                    -DR. SRINIKET RAGHAVAN


PS: Check out this blog too..... http://doccartoon.blogspot.in/

I'll be back..... and here I am!!!

Been a long three years.....
I started this blog when I was preparing for my Post-Graduate Entrance Examinations as a distraction. Although updated infrequently, I tried to incorporate as much of my personal & professional experiences in this blog.

What have I been doing for the past 3 years?
That is another amazing journey........ which I shall share with you in due course of time.
Here's a peek: I secured admission to a branch that I love and wanted to pursue......at one of the premier medical institutions for that particular branch. I have been pursuing M.S. (General Surgery) at LTMMC & LTMGH, Mumbai a.k.a. "Sion Hospital"!

 

 

Hoping to update the blog more often......!

 

FUN FLOWCHART TO HELP YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPECIALTY !!!

So, what's your pick???

MEDICINE AS A LEARNED AND HUMANE PROFESSION

People have always asked me what it feels like to be a doctor. That "oh-so-noble" profession that everyone keeps referring to. When you introduce yourself as a doctor, people's perception about you automatically changes. It's like..... you are someone to be revered and respected; the adulation and at times, awe are all part of the package. But is this what being a doctor means??? I think not....... Read on.

Becoming a physician has meaning far beyond completing medical college. It is the entry to a way of life, the one characteristic common to every true profession. It may sound old-fashioned, but the learned professions are really "callings" from which the members cannot separate their lives. There are no "part-time professionals", at least in this profession, having accepted such a calling, one is bound to live it or leave it. A physician can also be a good spouse, a good parent and a good citizen of the community; however, the role of a spouse, parent and citizen, is inextricably intertwined with the calling of being a physician.
Medicine is not just a science, but a profession that encompasses medical science as well as personal, humanistic and professional attributes. The process of becoming a physician and being committed to lifelong learning requires that an individual possess the scientific base not only to acquire and appreciate new knowledge but also to see new ways for applying it to patient care. Every physician must delight in learning the new, correcting the old and perfecting the future. Much of what medicine now accomplishes depends on large-scale testing of procedures, interventions, vaccines and new drugs.

Being both professional and caring is an acquired skill. A physician can diagnose and prescribe in a technically correct and scientific, but insensitive way. The patient may be made better, even cured, but still feel unsatisfied with the interaction. In these cases, patients are likely to ask the questions:
1. Does my physician really care?
2. Does what happens to me matter to the physician?
3. Does my doctor show sensitivity and compassion beyond mere technical ability?
Patients want and deserve compassion and understanding. They want their doctors to be interested in them as individuals who seek advice, as well as relief from pain, disease and suffering. They want to sense that they can safely share their deepest thoughts and their most heartfelt confidences with their doctors. In short, they want to value their physician as a trusted friend. My own experiences during my rural internship have shown that a kind word is all that is needed in allaying part of the fear and anxiety associated with visiting a doctor.

Patients also expect to be kept informed while they are receiving competent professional service. As a caregiver, it is the sharing of oneself that is so very important. To some, it may seem odd to talk about caring as a learned skill, but it is just that. In studying to be a physician, one must learn both compassion and caring. Easy, supportive interaction with patients and others less fortunate, is a skill that comes readily for some and with great difficulty for others. In learning how to demonstrate compassion, Kahlil Gibran taught us: "You give but little when you give of your possessions.....it is when you give of yourself that you truly give". The giving of oneself with ease, with grace and with meaning is, for most persons, an acquired skill. Sometimes a deep sense of awakening within is required to release the innate sensitivity and compassion that perhaps have not been expressed since childhood. Nevertheless, these traits remain imperatives if the aim is to become a "complete physician".
When patients seek medical attention, they entrust their doctors with their very lives. The physician must earn such complete trust. Technical abilities and skilled treatment of disease alone do not suffice. Patients must believe that their physicians care about them as people, not just as patients. Physicians, in turn, must understand that they do far better as professionals if they err on the side of being human with their patients
A particularly difficult time comes as physicians deal with patients who become old, frail, dependent, crippled or cognitively impaired. These are circumstances from which the most sensitive among us truly learn what it means to give of ourselves. Sometimes we may find once again that our patients are the "best teachers".

On second thought, I really can't define what being a doctor encompasses..... because it is something that goes way beyond mere "definitions"..... for me, I guess, it's a way of life...... as said before, something that is inextricably intertwined with my very being.....

Adapted from: Cecil's Textbook of Medicine

!NCREDIBLE !NDIA

Amidst all the hullabaloo of the ongoing Commonwealth Games..... the corruption, the lackadaisical attitude of our authorities and the absolute debacle (that it was gonna be, but so far hasn't been.. THANKFULLY).... I thought I'd share my version on why India is truly Incredible and why we are "like this only" !


Amul, at their very best, yet again !!!

 We Indians are so cynical that, had those nincompoops (at the Commonwealth games) done at least a respectable job (at not only organising the CWG but also "hiding" the "under-the-table" business of theirs), we wouldn't have made a big deal about it as, the "supposedly brilliant" end-result is what would've mattered to us!!! Because, obviously, everyone in India knows the "what, where, why, how and when" of CORRUPTION..... we are like this only !!!
Anyways, back to my anecdote on why this country never fails to amaze me.
I'm currently preparing for my entrance exams and study at a library a l'il distance from home. The lib has a huge ground facing it and, according to my sources, there's a huge fair organised there every year during the Navratri/Dussehra festival. Currently this fair is in its "construction/organising" phase and I get a direct view of the frenetic activity happening there. Now this is your typical Indian "mela" replete with all sorts of see-saws, merry-go-rounds, giant wheels, mini-shooting range and what not. I guess you get the point....and am sure you've been to at least one such mela in your life ( the last time I went to one such mela was during my rural posting in Internship around a year ago, what fun!!!.....but that's another topic altogether ).


The Ferris-wheel in its "preparatory" phase with the "mango-people" working relentlessly 


Now getting to the point....... actually observing a mela take shape is, truly, a fulfilling experience, I must say. The amount of hard work one puts in, is truly undervalued, at least in our country. Just watching those puny little men from some remote village in north India sweating it out in the Mumbai sun, assembling that huge giant wheel and that huge "dome-of-death" ( or whatever that motorcycle-stunt thingy is called ) from scratch , piece-by-piece, WITHOUT A MACHINE...... and that too for what.....some measly 150 bucks a day..... WHO DOES THAT?.......... The "common man" in India.....the "aam-aadmi" or "mango-people" (as popularised by some Bolly movie)..... it may not be much of an experience, the way I've described it. But day in and day out watching these "invisible", "behind-the-scenes" men work really hard, so that the other "common-men and women" of our country have a great time, represents the true spirit of India for me. Despite inadequate lighting post-sun down, these men are still at it, working on that sheer monstrosity called a "giant-wheel" (which could very well be called India Eye by me, akin to the London Eye or Singapore Eye or whatever eye...have you). That is the "spirit" of this wonderful country called India.


Lo behold ! The Ferris-wheel all ready ! Also, don't miss the "dome-of-death" behind


And what astonishes me further is...... this library that I study in, is less than 50 feet away from this "site of action"..... and we are continuously exposed to the "din" outside..... and yet Indian students preparing for God-knows-which entrance exam continue to study, oblivious to that construction outside, maintaining an inner calm, not complaining..... but continuing to do what we do best..... EXCEL AT EVERYTHING WE DO WITH WHATEVER LIMITED RESOURCES WE HAVE !!!
And that's my !NCREDIBLE !NDIA for you.....
Kudos to the mango-people...... JAI HIND !

My WAVY BIRTHDAY WISHLIST !!!

Today's morning-walk along the Worli Sea-face promenade.....felt different for me. The eerie silence of the waves alternating with its humble roar, lashing against the shore..... the humid weather..... the cloudy sky...... my jogging shoe sole giving way..... yeh baat kuch hazam nahi hui.

I realized, then, I would be turning 25 tomorrow..... and, was this a hint from the one up there........ ???
I started making a wish-list of a different kind.....inspired by the waves.
Here goes.....

I wish I never again, feel like worrying and keep thinking about the lovely sea-waves which keep coming onto the shore one after another, breaking off.....but knowing that, that's the way the calm and powerful sea expresses its happiness.
I wish I never worry about the sand on the shore, which has to see so many waves being destroyed on the shore..... they are not destroyed, in fact they are totally accepted by the sand with all their characteristics, just the way they are.
I wish I never worry about the short life-span of the waves..... each moment of it, is spent with such joy, so freely.
I wish I always stay as expressive and happy as the waves, and be as calm and powerful as the sea, and get someone as firm as the shore, accepting me for who I am (I am fortunate enough to have such people in my life, already).
I wish all possible ways of running away from problems are blocked and many new avenues of solving them are opened.
I wish the coming year repeats all the happy moments of my life a thousand times over and gives me more such moments.
I wish all my dreams and aspirations are fulfilled and many more such dreams are born in my mind.
I wish myself..... a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

Teenage Angst: I AM VJ

I am sharing a "beautiful" poem from the book, "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff"..... I have modified it a little..... but the entire credit goes to the original poet, Krysteen Hernandez (I don't know who she is, but if you're reading this..... Thank you)

I read this poem when I was going through some really difficult moments in my life (more about that, on another blog-post)..... and the fact that this poem rightly described my frame of mind (at that time) in the most simplistic way, really stood out, for me.

So here goes...... I call this poem:      I AM VJ

I am a poet writing of my pain,
I am a person living a life of shame.
I am your son hiding my depression,
I am your brother making a good impression.

I am your friend acting like I'm fine,

I am a wisher wishing this life weren't mine.

I am a guy who thinks of ending his life,

I am a teenager with a lot of issues rife.

I am a student who doesn't have a clue,

I am the guy sitting next to you.

I am the one asking you to care,

I am your best friend hoping you'll be there.