House Job

 I frequently get students from Pakistan to rotate with me. The following is a share from one of the students.

"Sir! A House Job in Pakistan can be a farce. It is full of skud work. It is more of a slavery. Learning entirely depends on the person himself. In some cases, you don't even get paid. One of the account section clerks held my last three months of salary, as I mistakenly shared that I am going to the USA as soon as I finish the House Job. 

My father is a physician who did his MBBS during Pakistan's golden days of medical education. Now, it's all expensive fees. Students start preparing for USMLE from day one. It's an investment, not an education, and a relatively easy way to get a USA visa.

My father saw me after the first three days of my house job. He asked how was it?

I furiously replied: Horrible!

He just mumbled: Hmmm.

I continued: 'Pehle din registrar ne kaha, mere rishtedaar ka le ja ker MRI kerwa do. Poora din lag gaya. Dusre din, aik aur senior ne apne kisi rishtdar ke bachhe ki circumsision kerwane bhijwa diya"

Father asked: "Did you learn anything?"

I replied: "Is main kiya lean kerne ka tha?"

Father said, "In medicine, your learning starts as you enter the hospital. It's like a leaning temple. You could have learned from MRI technicians about the essentials they look for before the procedure, how they determine different cuts, and how they process films - or a difference between a closed and open MRI - The next day, you could have learned how they determine the length of the foreskin for circumcision. It all depends on you."

From then on, I changed my approach. As I indulged at every step with a learning mindset, I felt I had become a different person and a better physician.