Lecture delivered in Undergraduate professional development programme at Auditorium, Medical college, Kota on 3rd feb 2013

1. Obstacles & options in pursuing
medical professional career
Vijay Sardana
MD,DM( Neurology)
Professor & Head of Neurology, &
Chairman Medical Education Unit
Govt. Medical College, Kota
vsard@yahoo.com

2. The Noble Profession of Medicine
“There is no career nobler than that of the
physician. The Progress and welfare of society is
more intimately bound up with the prevailing tone
and influence of the medical profession that with
the status of any other class…”
Elisabeth Blackwell, MD, 1889

3. Medical profession
Intellectually challenging
Financially secure
Personally rewarding

4. Stages of career
Entry
Establishment
Exploration
Specialization
Mastery

5. Today's successful doctor
Clinician
Academician
Manager
Financial Expert
CEO
Family care Provider
Self care taker

6. Desirable basic qualities for
prospective Physicians
intelligence
scientific interest
physical & emotional strength
Good communication skill
commitment to put service to others first
Engage in complex problem solving
Life long learning
ability to tolerate uncertainty & frustration
social awareness
creativity

7. Medical professional carrier:
Potential obstacles
Tough competition in PMT
Long & demanding UG course
Difficulty getting PG & choice of specialty
Post doctoral courses - bottle neck possibility
Establishing & maintaining practice
Keeping updated
long working hours, Stressful conditions
Coping with governmental & corporate bureaucratic
obstacles
Increasing litigations

8. Doctor : Facts
One of the every three dissatisfied due to lack of
time for themselves or their families
Average life 10 year less
Depression 4 times higher than general population
US- Physician suicide 3 time than general
population
10% - Develop drug addiction

9. Females in medicine: problems
Carrier affected by marriage
Difficulty balancing between family & carrier- one
can’t be superDoc, superMom and superWife
Academic & financial achievements affected
Have to compromise in-
choosing a specialty
limiting the work

10. Obstacle: Initial euphoria after
admission

11. Obstacle: Inadequate knowledge
about carrier options after MBBS

12. Carrier options
Graduate
Post graduate

13. Graduate options
GP
Job- State Govt
central Govt
PSUs
RMO in nursing homes, corporate Hospitals

14. Post graduate options
Further post doctoral courses
Jobs
practice

15. Carrier options
Private solo practice
Private group practice
Central/ state Govt non teaching jobs
PSUs
Corporate hospitals
Teaching jobs
Govt / private medical college
full time / part time
practicing / non practicing
Abroad/ overseas

16. ABROAD OPTIONS
Gulf
USA
UK
New Zealand/ Australia
Mauritius / African countries

17. Factors influencing carrier choices
Inclination before starting MBBS
Experience in specialty during rotation
Role models in profession/ college
Specialty prestige/ social appreciation
Financial rewards
Professional independence
Response of specialty patients to treatment
Parental preference

18. Obstacle: Inadequate knowledge
about pros & cons of different
options after MBBS

19. Components of a good Job
• Economic – Salary & facilities
• Job security
• Good working condition
• Status
• Growth Opportunities
• Recognition of work done
• Challenges of work

20. Job satisfaction among Doctors
69.5% –satisfied (AIIMS)
Medical doctor in Armed Force – 40%
Choudhary et al MIAFI 2004;60:329-32
Initial satisfaction high , falls > 35 years,
again rise later
Madan N. job satisfaction among doctor in a Tertiary Care Hospital jk science:2008,10(2)81-83

21. Judge your alignment with your job
• Am i passionate about what I am doing ?
• Am i using my talent and strength ?
• Am i happy in my work ?
• Does it bring joy & fulfillment ?
• Am I Earning what I deserve ?
Improve or change

22. Obstacle: Many of us are
confused about what is success

23. Doctors : Definition of success
Having lots of patients
New car/plot Every year/lots of money
Publishing papers in journals
Teaching students

24. Success
• Wealth
• Recognition
• Good health
• Good family
• Happiness
• Satisfaction
• Peace of mind
“Progressive realization of a Worthy goal”
-Earl Nightingale

25. Success- Determinants
• Not determined by how we are doing
Compared to others , but by how We are doing
compared with what we are capable of.
• Successful people compete against
themselves.

26. Obstacle: Belief that money is
synonymous for success

27. Theories of Motivation
• Mosley's theory – Hierarchy of Motivational Need
- Physical Need – Food, clothing, sexual urge
- Safety - Shelter, security, Health
- Social - Friends, family, love
- Self Esteem - Recognition, Achievement
- Self Actualization

28. Money can buy….
• Amusement, but not happiness
• A Bed, but not sleep
• Books, but not wisdom
• Companions, but not friends
• House, but not a home
• Medicines, but not health

29. Obstacle : many of us are not
motivated

30. Motivation
Motivation – Drive that encourage action or feeling.
Process of inducing and improving anyone to perform
more productively and efficiently.
Catalyst

31. Physician motivation
“determinants that drive performance of a task,
independent of the resources and knowledge
available”

32. Motivated person
• Look for the better way to do a job
• More Quality Oriented
• More Productive

33. MOTIVATION
• External – Fear motivation
Incentive motivation
• Internal - Comes from within- Pride, sense of
achievement & fulfillment, belief &
responsibility.

34. Physician motivators
Intrinsic
Serving people
Work interest
Career growth
Ability to support oneself & family
Autonomy
Empowerment
Socio-cultural
Respect
Social rewards

35. Physician motivators
organizational
Opportunities for higher education
Good working & hygienic conditions
Personal safety
Good professional experience
Good pay
Financial incentives other than pay

36. Obstacle: lack of positive attitude

37. Attitude
• Way a person feels, thinks & behaves towards a
particular issue.
12__suraj_ki_garmi_se.mp3
- half full-hall empty

38. Positive Attitude - Benefits
• Pleasing personality
• Energizing
• Inspiring
• Problem Solving
• Increase work output

39. Attitude
Job/promotion/success
- 85% Attitude
- 15 % Intelligence & knowledge of specific facts $ figures
12__suraj_ki_garmi_se.mp3
• Education
- Almost 100% teach facts & figure

40. Elements of success
Attitude
Knowledge Skill

41. Attitude formation of a Physician
Medical student
Altruism
Role models behavior
Prevailing commercialism
Work environment
Social and political environment

42. Attitude : Be Optimistic
• Be so strong – nothing can disturb your peace of
mind
• Talk health, happiness & prosperity to everybody
• Look at sunny side of everything
• Think best, work for best & expect best
• Spend so much time improving yourself that no
time left to criticize others
• Be equally enthusiastic about other’s success

43. Obstacle : Failure to identify & avoid
draining force- negative people

44. Influence of Friends
Our friends are not what we want but kind of
people what we are
• Man is recognized by his friends
• AVOID Negative friends

45. How value system change
Intolerable
Constant Exposure
Acceptable
Constant Exposure
Self justification
Involvement

46. ‘Fr enemies’

47. Positive Negative
• Part of the answer • Part of the problem
• Has Program • Has excuse
• Let me do it for you • Its not my job
• Difficult but possible • Possible but to difficult
• I must do something • Something must be
done
• See the gain • See the pain
• See possibilities. • See problem.
• Hard arguments, • Soft arguments, Hard
Soft words words

48. Positive Negative
• Firm on values, • Firm on petty things,
Compromise on Compromise on values
petty things
• Don’t do it to • Do it to others
others what you before they do it to
would not want to you
do to you
• Make it happen • Let it happen

49. Obstacle : we don’t use common sense
with knowledge

50. “ The education of the doctor which goes
on after he has his degree is the most
important part of his education”
John Shaw Billings

51. Knowledge Vs Wisdom
• Common sense – 6th sense
- Ability to see things as they
are and do them as ought to
be done.
• Abundance of Common sense - Wisdom

52. Who is educated ( Socrates 470 – 399 BC)
Those-
• First who manage well the circumstances which they
encounter day by day, judge situation appropriately as
they arise & rarely miss the suitable course of action.
• Next Who are honorable in their dealing with all men,
reasonable with their associate as is humanly
possible.
• Furthermore Who hold their pleasure always under
control, not unduly overcome by their misfortune

53. Who is educated ( Socrates 470 – 399 BC)
• Most importantly- who are not spoiled by
success, hold their ground steadfastly as wise &
sober minded man.
• who have character which is in accord with all
of above-
These are educated – possessed of all the
virtues.

54. Obstacle : we are not willing To Pay The
price for our dream

55. Obstacle: we settle for less -
become expert in the field

56. Obstacle: we try to take more
than we give

57. Give more than you get
• More valuable, regardless of nature & place
of work
• Give more confidence
• Superiors & Colleagues start respecting you
• Produces pride & Satisfaction.

58. Obstacle: Tend to find substitute
for hard work

59. Hard Work
• Average person - Put 25% of energy of ability
into work.
• Albert Einstein – “I think I used about 25% of my
intelligence capacity during my life”
• William James – Human being use only 10-12%
of their potential.

60. LUCK
• If you want to fail, believe in luck. If you want
to succeed, believe in the principle of cause &
effect, and you will create your own luck.
“The harder I work, the luckier I get”
- Samuel Goldwyn

61. Obstacle: lack of persistence &
perseverance to retain career
commitment

62. Persistence
• Nothing will take the place of persistence.
Talent will not- nothing in more common than
unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not – Unrewarded genius in a
proverb.
Education will not – The world in full of
educated derelicts
Persistence and determination alone are
omnipotent.
Clavin goolidge

63. Obstacle: No hobbies & friends
outside medicine

64. Carry home
Medical profession is intellectually challenging,
financially secure & personally rewarding
Always see sunny side of medicine
Always follow role models & successful people in
profession
Strong commitment & perseverance are key to
success
Believe in reasoning and scientific cause & effect
relationship

65. Thanks