One of the wisest things I have understood is that Change must begin with one's own self. This is something that, despite knowing about it, does not get readily accepted by many who nurse their ego instead of recognising that this is the ONLY way to develop oneself. With me, it has been a gradual process that began about 4-5 months ago as I continued to struggle with the skills of a middle-grade doctor. At that time, I thought that I would improve merely by watching others at work and by being humble and willing to learn. I read a lot, took online courses on different topics pertaining to paediatrics, and, at times, stayed after duty hours to continue to learn on the job.
How little I knew at that time that while these were good methods to acquire knowledge, they weren't enough. What I needed was to be able to handle the required tasks myself, with professional supervision, so that my skills improved. Yet another insight that I got over the past few months was that I had perhaps been wrong to accept a middle-grade job without mastering skills of a more junior grade doctor. All the things I had been doing were nothing compared to the essential need to perform tasks that described my job in a competent way.
It was at that point that I decided to really think hard about where I was going. I was assisted in this by my consultants who shaped my thinking and made me accept that I should probably be better off seeking to work as a more junior grade doctor and then climb back up. The process led me to meet my line manager and submit a letter of resignation with a plea to allow me to look for a job elsewhere, since, according to him, there were no vacancies at the junior level in Blackpool.
I began to apply for a new job about a fortnight ago; so far, I have appeared for a few interviews and am still waiting to be accepted by one of them. I do not know if this effort will, or will not, be successful. However, I will keep on trying till someone, somewhere, recognises my abilities and is willing to supervise me to work in their institute as a junior doctor.
An Indian medico friend of mine asked me why I was struggling this way when I could well be a consultant in India. I told him that this was an effort on my part to work in the UK with the NHS, one of the world's best, most rigorous health care system. Yes, it is true that the NHS is reeling from financial difficulties, and the managers are looking to rejuvenate it by a) cutting expenses and b) partly privatising it. None of this has come to pass as yet, but this is where the thinking is at the moment. My desire is to be a better doctor professionally. I am not worried if I have to return to India at some point in my life, as I know that the skills and training I acquire in the NHS will only make me a better doctor and be looked upon as being so.
I have also been working as a junior grade doctor on weekends. I did two night duties a couple of weeks ago, and have just done a few day duties this weekend. Both these were at the Royal Preston Hospital's department of Neonatology. This hospital has an advanced neonatal unit that looks after the smallest and the sickest of the sick newborns in the region. The experience has been really eye-opening. The work was not very taxing, but I have learned a lot of new stuff while listening to the consultants and watching them, the registrars, and the expert neonatal nurses go about performing their tasks.
And that's basically it, for now. Thanks for reading. I will welcome your comments and feedback as usual.
How little I knew at that time that while these were good methods to acquire knowledge, they weren't enough. What I needed was to be able to handle the required tasks myself, with professional supervision, so that my skills improved. Yet another insight that I got over the past few months was that I had perhaps been wrong to accept a middle-grade job without mastering skills of a more junior grade doctor. All the things I had been doing were nothing compared to the essential need to perform tasks that described my job in a competent way.
It was at that point that I decided to really think hard about where I was going. I was assisted in this by my consultants who shaped my thinking and made me accept that I should probably be better off seeking to work as a more junior grade doctor and then climb back up. The process led me to meet my line manager and submit a letter of resignation with a plea to allow me to look for a job elsewhere, since, according to him, there were no vacancies at the junior level in Blackpool.
I began to apply for a new job about a fortnight ago; so far, I have appeared for a few interviews and am still waiting to be accepted by one of them. I do not know if this effort will, or will not, be successful. However, I will keep on trying till someone, somewhere, recognises my abilities and is willing to supervise me to work in their institute as a junior doctor.
An Indian medico friend of mine asked me why I was struggling this way when I could well be a consultant in India. I told him that this was an effort on my part to work in the UK with the NHS, one of the world's best, most rigorous health care system. Yes, it is true that the NHS is reeling from financial difficulties, and the managers are looking to rejuvenate it by a) cutting expenses and b) partly privatising it. None of this has come to pass as yet, but this is where the thinking is at the moment. My desire is to be a better doctor professionally. I am not worried if I have to return to India at some point in my life, as I know that the skills and training I acquire in the NHS will only make me a better doctor and be looked upon as being so.
I have also been working as a junior grade doctor on weekends. I did two night duties a couple of weeks ago, and have just done a few day duties this weekend. Both these were at the Royal Preston Hospital's department of Neonatology. This hospital has an advanced neonatal unit that looks after the smallest and the sickest of the sick newborns in the region. The experience has been really eye-opening. The work was not very taxing, but I have learned a lot of new stuff while listening to the consultants and watching them, the registrars, and the expert neonatal nurses go about performing their tasks.
And that's basically it, for now. Thanks for reading. I will welcome your comments and feedback as usual.
Thumbs up on your willingness to unlearn and relearn.
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