Choosing medicine as a career: A white coat syndrome
TO be a doctor, it is the best and highest pursuit of life’s aim in solving the problems of ailing humanity and saving the lives.
Those who have a strong desire or ambition to join the medical profession, no doubt it is a popular career choice.
To-day the competition, for a place in medical school is extremely high. The question arises how can you be sure that Medicine is the right choice of career for you.
Thousands of students apply to seek admission for limited number of seats available in recognized medical institutions, as the admissions are decided on a merit basis and the intervention by the affluent in the selection process is the least.`
Medicine is a profession which demands commitment and dedication to save the human life as it deals with the art of treating sick lives.
Therefore, the parents and the students must plan carefully if they like to study Medicine. The idea is not to discourage the aspiring students but to advise them to make a sound analysis of their aptitude, habits, temperament, mental inclination with physical fitness, whether they are capable of shouldering the responsibilities of a very demanding profession.
It has a long and challenging journey and one of the most inspiring careers across the world due to high social respect with handsome remuneration.
Yahi hay Ibadat yahi deen-o-Eeman, Keh kam aiyay dunya main insan kay insan We have observed that there is a mad race in our country to bring a child in the fold of Medicine by hook or crook.
Unfortunately most of the parents make the children mentally prepared and force them to join the medical profession even if they have no aptitude.
Hence they lose the precious and youthful period of their lives just to pacify the ego of their parents after sacrificing their own passion and desire, obviating the profession of their own choice.
If they are allowed to join the career they like, we are sure they will touch the zenith of their cherished goal.
I cite a few examples to substantiate our point of view. Allama Dr. Israr Ahmed who was a medical graduate but he never practised Medicine. To-day he is an internationally renowned authority in the Muslim word.
Similarly, Allama Dr Zakir Naik, a physician by qualification, Maulana Tariq Jamil who left Medicine in early days are now well known religious scholars.
I quote another example of our Music Maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali who left Medicine against the desire of his parents, and became a very popular Musician and received Pride of Performance in the practice of his professional discernment/liking.
Had he completed his medical studies, we are sure he would have made a poor professional practitioner.
Another friend joined the medical college but never entered the dissection hall, left the college and joined the business in a cloth market as a probationer.
To-day he is a renowned entrepreneur in the clothing business. Similarly, a girl student who hated the smell of formalin and left the profession, got married and well settled as a happy family and never repented having left the medical profession.
On the contrary, many students completed their medical studies, became doctors but professionally remained unsuccessful medical practitioners.
People value their health above everything else in their lives, when someone is sick or injured, his or her normal way of life is disrupted and the doctor has the incredible opportunity to treat him and to restore his health to normalcy, even saving his life.
In fact, it is the most rewarding profession in the world. There are many such examples where the doctors are misfits in their profession.
We have cited only a few examples. One of us qualified CSP examination like other class mates as a tradition of the college and served for a year with the Government and resigned to join the medical college in response to his cherished desire.
Today, we are a very successful medical practitioners. In fact, the medical profession takes a long way to accomplish our desire to be a doctor.
There is no short cut to achieve perfection in any profession but Medicine takes longer time with considerable diligence.
In certain countries when the baby is born, the parents decide his fate to make him a doctor.
When he is slightly grown up he is already baptized to follow the pursuit of Medicine as a career which continues to harbor his mind throughout his life.
We strongly advise the intending parents not to decide the future career of their children in the baby cot and let them grow up, mature enough to follow their mental inclination and capabilities.
Hence it is a matter of greater importance that our parents help them to make a right choice of their career.
Follow your head and mind if you have any urge to be a doctor. Then it will be the best profession for you.
Let the ailing humanity should get the relief from your surgical knife. The primary aim should not be to earn money but to serve the sick and disabled.
Medical profession is no longer a green Pasture as there are many other professions which can serve your monetary designs. Farishton say behter hay insanbanna….. magaris mainlagtey hay mehnatziada
—The author is a retired Professor from Rawalpindi Medical University, having served the Medical Education throughout his service.
