DR. S.V. SINGH, OMBUDSPERSON - E-mail ID: ombudsperson@santosh.ac.in

Interested in the subject but confused whether to choose medicine as a career or not? Well, read on to get help if you are passionate about pursuing medicine. Considering you are at school and pondering over applying for a medicine degree, let’s help you with information and guidance about this career option that focuses on the training and the working part.

Skills you should have

Medicine is about science and thus, requires a scientific sense but such skill can also be inculcated. It requires you to enlarge your brain to retain bulk information. Reasoning and analytical skills are also a must. Most of the work requires teamwork as it focuses on the benefit of the patient. Therefore, building good rapport with various health professionals is important.

You should also be ready to learn throughout life and be geared up for challenges. Be inquisitive and critical apart from learning to manage time and taking responsibility and accountability. These skills can slowly be acquired while studying at medical school. The field is competitive; therefore, make sure to get good grades throughout your academics with a special focus on science as a subject.
Furthermore, your mental ability will be tested when you go for admissions. Even health issues are not a hindrance to the choice of this career as everybody is encouraged to apply to become a part of the diverse workforce. If you have a serious health issue, you can look for expert counselling.

Why medicine?

Are you up for challenges? Does science interest you? Do you have a deep care for people, their pain and suffering? Do you have good listening skills? Are you interested in learning? Are you passionate about saving lives? Then, this is the career for you. Try going to a health advisor or a personal counsellor who will help you in making the right choice.

Be it a person of any age, doctors are empathetic towards all who require medication and care, in illness and injury. They have a hectic job of recording medical histories, conducting physical examinations, performing diagnostic tests and then, offering treatment and recommendations on the overall well-being of patients.
There are basically three types of doctors. Primary care physicians treat a variety of illnesses and they tend to establish long time relationships with their patients. Generally, Paediatricians, internists, and family practitioners fall into this category. Then, there are surgeons who repair injuries and treat diseases by performing operations. We have specialists who are experts in treating specific diseases or body parts, systems or organs. This category includes Cardiologists, Neurologists, etc.

It may sound cliché but medicine is among the most respected professions in the world and rewarding too. When you are a doctor, you start earning since your training days and it keeps on increasing as you gain experience. When you decide to take up studies in the medical field, you have about 60 different specialties to choose from. All specialties being quite different from the other, you get to pick up a stream according to your personality and interests. Every specialty has many different roles. You may also end up teaching, carrying out research or accepting a role in the management if you like.

But remember, you will have to continue pursuing courses or acquiring knowledge about advancements in the medical profession to maintain a license in medicine. You will be happy to know that it is one of the highest-paid sectors of all but the other side is that the work hours are unpredictable. It is no easy money as the doctors have to be on the beck and call of their patients. Still, if you want an exciting career, then nothing can be better than this. The only thing you have to do is to get good grades, have driving passion and devotion.