Being a doctor

Recently, one of my neighbours, a young boy in his teens, asked me a tough question, “Uncle, please convince me to become a doctor. There is a lot of pessimism around, which deters my dream of becoming a part of the medical profession. Kindly help me out.” I did not now where to start.

Often, children get motivated to become doctors, smitten by the aura around the profession, while the adults adore it for the glamour. But, of late, there are so many doctors now and the charm of being one has come down.

Added to this, the apathy of society towards the healthcare professional is on the high now. Should I encourage him? I thought for a while and started with the concept of Ikigai. “Ikigai says that if you are going to do something daily, in which you are exceptional, which you love so much, which the society needs very much, and which pays you well, then it is what you need in life. Being a doctor is one of the best Ikigai to aspire for.”

I did not want to explain to him about the nobility and grandeur of the profession. Rather I explained its versatility. “Apart from respect and rewards of the profession, being a doctor can satisfy multiple other social, emotional, intellectual, artistic and philosophical needs of a human being.”

For instance, if you are interested in listening to people’s stories, you would love this profession. You would get a chance to sit across a table and listen to people’s varied stories. Though the premise of an illness remains the same, the set-up is different for different patients. Every story is diverse and you have the freedom and power to change the course of their sad stories.

You are always looking at clues, observing the patient’s walking, talking and gestures, and examining the crime scene, to zero in on the culprit (disease). If you are interested in puzzles, you will have a hundred new puzzles to crack every week. If you enjoy solving puzzles, Sudoku, logical reasoning and riddles, you will be in for a treat every day.

While the disease is taken care of by medications, 50% of doctors’ time is spent on counselling about the disease, assuaging the patient and being supportive to the family. Sometimes the family gives you the right to scold and be strict when the patient does not give up some vices or skips your advice. You become a guide and counsellor to them.

If you are an artist, sculptor or creative personality, you are lucky. The surgical field and interventional specialty allows you to follow this passion every day in your work. You can perform the surgeries with an artistic elegance. It’s like painting your dreams on a huge canvas every day in life. What else can be more interesting than your daily job being your passionate hobby?

Most doctors run around to earn their bread, day in and day out. You don’t need to hit the gym every day. You would be walking in the hospital corridors for hours and miles together. You stand in the outpatient clinic for long hours, and if you are a surgeon, some of the surgeries even run for five to six hours on the trot. So, you become fit while earning your pie. Cool, isn’t it?

Though a doctor charges for his service, it is the only profession in which a private enterpriser would take into consideration the affordability for the customer. Right from consultation fee, ordering investigations, prescribing medicines to treatment offered, most doctors look out for various options to reduce the financial burden on poor patients. This does not happen in any other profession. Many doctors do free consultations and free surgeries as a way of giving back to society.

Every day you see people with different patterns of suffering and you keep asking the eternal question “Why? Why?” A 45-year-old ambitious rich man who just landed with a massive heart attack; a six-year-old playful boy suddenly diagnosed with blood cancer; a distant relative, out of the blue, calling you for his urgent medical problem — the list is endless, and this will keep you thinking about the fickleness of life and poses questions about the permanency of love, affection, money, ambitions, jealousy, targets and so on.

Doctors are experts in computer applications such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel as they keep preparing for meetings and conferences very often. Further most investigations and interventions have become technologically advanced and gadgety these days. Like playing in a video console, you have to deftly manoeuvre the scopes and instruments through narrow portals aided by cameras. If you are an avid video gamer, you would love these interventions.

I looked into his bright eyes, and said, “Son, being a doctor is a gifted opportunity. But to enjoy the multiple facets and benefits of this gift, the efforts required are humongous. An inadequately trained doctor or one lacking in knowledge would be unable to enjoy these gifts fully. Don’t worry about the negativism, and think about the ways how you can make a positive change in the lives of people around you. The current healthcare scenario does not look very appealing but I wish things change for the better in the future.” He looked very convinced and I started my car to attend the hospital.

rishiortho@gmail.com