A doctor’s job involves a lot of responsibility while it gives immeasurable satisfaction at the power and success that they have in their control. A doctor performs various duties. The main job is to treat patients medically and cure them of their diseases. Patients may need treatment for accidents, injury, and other ailments. Specialization in medicine includes family medicine, surgery, ophthalmology, neurology, psychiatry and such.
Being a doctor is not an easy job. You need to be ready to work at all hours, long hours at a stretch and are responsible for the lives of your patients. Normally, a doctor’s day starts with visiting and consulting patients and giving treatment advice. As a surgeon, your schedule may be very different. It will involve attending to patients and cases at odd hours and catering to emergency cases also. Hence, the daily schedule of a surgeon is always variable. Most doctors are affiliated with multiple hospitals. They work at these hospitals as visiting doctors. Some of them have fixed days of working at a particular hospital, while some visit hospitals based on the requirement for their services.
Apart from emergency cases, most doctors have their private clinic hours, comprising 6 to 10 hours of work daily. They attend to ailing patients and write prescriptions to cure diseases. They also need to take calls from patients, their colleagues to help each other mutually with specific patient problems and from the hospitals where they consult regularly. Most often there are last minute changes, cancellations and rescheduling of their visits, which they need to take in their stride. A doctor also has to serve patients who come to the outpatient department. An outpatient department is where patients who are not admitted in the hospital come to get treatment. Outpatient departments of most hospitals now offer a wide range of treatments, tests, services, and minor surgeries.
A doctor’ day is never really over as they can get calls and messages even after their long working hours. It is their moral duty and obligation to attend to these. Long hours, unpredictable daily schedules and very little personal and family or recreation time. So, why would someone choose a profession like this?
Clearly, the profession needs sheer passion and love for the work that needs to be done. A doctor needs to maintain a calm and level-headed approach towards life and career. The profession needs patience, concentration, and utmost diligence. There is no room for undue emotions and most often the schedule of their day is not in their hands.
In a country like India, the doctor-patient ratio is very imbalanced. Surgeries and emergencies are a continuous requirement. The pay scales of doctors are good at private clinics and hospitals, while it is moderate at Government hospitals, which draw a large number of poor patients. As a doctor, it’s a tricky choice- look for good earnings for your long, tough hours or compromise on your income to serve the society. Most often working at a government hospital can be demoralizing leading to lethargy, ignorance, and disinterest.
After completing MBBS, a doctor can become a specialist such as a cardiologist, neurologist, ophthalmologist, clinical radiologist, general practitioner, hospital doctor, surgeon, pathologist, psychiatrist, and such. Some of the other career options include becoming an adult nurse, a child nurse, a lecturer for higher education in medicine, a mental health professional, a physician’s associate, a midwife, a development worker, a paramedic, a research scientist, and a science writer. Hospital Management is also an evolving career option for doctors who are interested in the management aspects of a hospital.
In conclusion, being a doctor is tough. One needs to make a lot of compromises to pursue medicine and surgery as a profession. There is no normal day in a doctor’s life. Every day is full of challenges. Hence, be prepared to live this kind of life if you are a doctor. But, if you work hard and make the right career moves, the rewards are also high.
