Unlike most of my peers who are in the field of medicine, my passion to be a part of this industry wasn’t my childhood dream. Rather, my interest to specialize in medicine residency was an afterthought during my late teens that compelled me to direct my career in a different direction. I remember telling my father that I wanted to be an engineer when I was a kid. Back in those innocent days, walking in the shoes of an engineer seemed to be the coolest thing on the planet. I fancied myself fixing technical parts, while I remained obsessed with repairing electronic goods and broken toys. Well, it was a realization that I underwent much later that showed me what medicine could do. Rather than fixing toys and electronic equipment, I started exploring a career path that could help me fix damaged body parts of humans!
Be it people or machines, I cherished the passion of fixing things all these days. As I cleared my Intermediates with flying colors and got myself admitted to Delhi University, a world of opportunities opened before me. These opportunities were waiting for me to explore them, as I felt awed in a world of fast-paced proceedings. Emergency medicine is a field that I got to explore when I was in the sports club. The interest gripped me so rapidly, that I completed two internships at AIIMS and Apollo Hospitals in Delhi. I interned for eight months in these two reputed healthcare organizations altogether. It was during this time that I grew my passion in emergency medicine.
For me, this was one of the most valuable learning periods that could propel me towards my career. I spent the same number of hours as the doctors, working alongside them, keenly observing how they administered emergency medicines to patients. What fascinated me the most about their job was the rapid decision-making ability as I transcribed their tasks. Back in my mind, I visualized myself walking in their shoes. The work environment was wonderful, and I was glad to rub shoulders with established intensivists, orthopaedists, and radiologists.
All this time, I kept myself busy with my medical curriculum, while I worked on academic projects. At the same time, I found gratification while interning, as I went through the rigorous training process. On other days, I took off time from my leisure hours to prepare for my MCAT. By this time, I had felt the pangs of hunger to establish myself as an accomplished professional in the field of emergency medicine. I channelled my time and resources to purchase medical journals, and spend long afternoons in the libraries to catch up with the latest trends.
Back in the professional setup, I was always prepared to handle patients, as my internships were long and fruitful. At times, it was an aged person with broken bones, or a kid with dislocated shoulder bones having fallen down. At other times, it was someone experiencing intense abdominal pain, or even an athlete having twisted his ankle. The chores excited me, given that I had plenty of variety in the task at hand. Eventually, I felt convinced that emergency medicine was the right professional avenue for me. Specializing in this discipline, I would be able to make independent medical decisions. Considering my skillset, I could help my patients in different ways, curing their injuries and administering medicines that could save lives under trying circumstances!
In the professional sphere, I gained profound experience by observing situations when I started seeing patients during my emergency medicine rotations. As usual, I had arrived a bit early before my shift, so that I could get myself habituated to the department. The paramedic’s department was just adjacent to ours. A panicking parent brought in a baby, hardly three months old, who was barely breathing. He was mostly hypotensive and hypothermic. For me, it was an awe to watch as the medical team gathered around and coordinated seamlessly to bail the baby out of trouble. Before administering the necessary medications, they had to place a peripheral line and intubate. Just like choreography, the entire team of medical professionals came up with an organized approach to save the infant.
The practical exposure that I savoured proved that emergency medicine was the right discipline for me to specialize in. However, I was still confused whether I could soar to higher professional pedestals in this stream. Eventually, I gained clarity over this when I got myself admitted into the medical school. It was during this time that I dedicatedly focussed on imbibing the qualities of a good emergency physician. As always, I continued to be a good team player. All these years, I have banked on my opportunities to emerge as a leader, channelling my organizational skills.
I grew confident in my abilities in the area of my specialization by the time I was in the third year of my medical education. I could visualize myself as a successful emergency physician. In one of the incidents that I would mention, I could test my skills when a fire broke out in the students’ quarters. There was absolute chaos dominating the situation, but my composure overtook all the commission. I remained calm, and directed as many students as I could towards the nearest emergency exit. Thanks to my presence of mind, there wasn’t any injury or casualty around. I realized that I had learned to operate in fast-paced environments, and could remain focussed with the presence of my mind when required.
Now that I am confident in my abilities, I look forward to elevate my professional competence to the next level. The industry-oriented course at your esteemed university will prepare me for a happening career. As an avid learner, I remain open to imbibing fresh skillsets. The advanced course at your university will put me on track for a happening career back in my homeland once I return to India on completing this course.
