1/ Speciality matter. You can be in shittiest college, but the speciality matter. A lot of people differ, but based on my observation this reamins true
2/ MD Pharmacology and Pharma route is not facncy or dreamy as it looks. Most jobs are entry level and pay is basic
3/ MS Surgery is a tough game. Take it if you have passion. MCh situation is like everyone wants Gastro and Uro.
4/ Pathology is saturated
5/ Medicine would be my best bet. DM is easier, post DM pay is great
6/ Radio is still golden. It should not change anytime soon. AI will challenge things in next 10 year, but it is not limited to Radio
7/ The top 30 percentile of Doctors - next decade will be dream decade. The middle 50 percentaile will do really well. India is set to overtake China as the most populous country in 2025. This country has 90% out of pocket medical spend. I am more optimistic than ever
8/ This is the best time to be a Doctor. Financially, work satisfaction wise. A few year more worth of challenges will be there in patient relationship, attacks, PG seats etc. But once we overcome that, we can hope for adream decade
9/ Anatomy, Physio, Biochem - Pre Clinical. You know what it is… Don’t have unrealistic expectations. So please be real. Teaching is a worthy profession.
10/ Patho - I mentioned it is saturated, but from an upside perspective it still makes sense. For example: You are theoretically limited if you take Biochem / Physio/ Anatomy, but with Patho you can become a subject matter expert and have subject matter expertise.
11/ Anesthesia is a good branch. In all aspects. You won’t miss the patients. Patients are better when they don’t talk. Go for it
12/ All time favourites are fav for a reason. Last year allotment list is your best guide. That is the best data
13/ Ortho is good. Really good
14/ Radio income will be capped, unless you are into fancy intervention. Medicine income will not be capped. A Radiologist making 3-4 Lakh per month will look cool in initial years post PG. But a DM Gastro can always make much more money, esp if he/she can establish a personal brand. For a Radio the personal brand is tough to come by.
15/, By all means, look how money you would like to make. And keep this at least as a factor for the decision making.
16/ Derma - should be good. But I don’t have first-hand information. I will come back on this
17/ Pulmonology : Is good, handy. Interesting. Always a safer option.
18/ OBG - as long as you are ok with lifestyle is a very meaningful speciality to pursue. You should be ok with hours ofc. Most OBGYians secretly enjoy their busy schedule. (Personal opinion). Initial years could be tough.
19/ India is such a vast country. So it is very hard to generalise. A rule of thumb is major metros are tough, immediately post PG. Pay is meagre in the Apollos and Fortis of the world. Moving out of city is a great option (Our cities are getting unlivable anyway). Or be persistent in the city establish a good practice.
20/ Get published. Publish at least one or two papers which you in 2/3rd year. a) It is much easier when you are in a med college b) Network with those teachers / seniors who are already published c) Ethical committee clearance is easy when you are a PG d) No. of cases is never a problem e) Once you publish one to two papers it is easier to get published.
21/ For PG it is better to choose a city or someplace near to city for PG. CME’s / Conferences gives a better outlook and helps you think bigger. The people tend to be open-minded, and you will realise the world is much bigger
22 / Go out of the country. As early as in your second year PG. Flight tickets are cheaper than ever. Post PG getting short fellowships are easier. This again will help you in getting a broader perspectives.
23/ Psychiatry - You will know! The hardcore Psy fans are best suited for Psychiatry. The work is interesting as far as I know. But I would not consider Psy just as an option if I am not keen into the subject
24/ Radiotherapy- We all know you will have to tie yourself down to an institution. It’s with consideration as long you are ok with this fact. Many Radiotherapy grads do Medical Onco practice as well.
25 / Emergency Medicine. You should be a in the lower end of rank list if you are considering this. EM is a no man’s land in India now. Other specialty will walk over you. Globally it’s a specialty known for burn out. But as the tertiary care improves, private hospital are investing in getting really qualified EM who can make a difference.
26/ Critical Care after Anesth/ Med / Pulmonology is a financially attractive option. Work is great too as long as your are ready for an ICU life. Fellowships / DM is the route.
27 / Higher Quality is care is valued more and more. Especially from ancillary or support specialties. Eg Emeg Med, Anesthesia, Critical care, Patho, etc. I would bet on these specialties at least in metros and
Main towns.
28/ Language is never a barrier, food is never a barrier. These cannot be deciding factors in your seat selection. 1 month is all you need to pick the new language and it’s fun. First day it my PG life I cleared 50 OPD patients without knowing the language!
29/ Opthal / ENT : I would rate Opthal higher, as key opthal diseases are diseases of old age. The interventions in Opthal is meaningful.
30/ Is a speciality saturated? Answer - Depends on the state. Most metros and major cities have high concentration of specialists
. So post PG if you end up in a city you will bit shocked initially that opportunities are not that great and pay is not attractive. If you can be patient in a city / metro / major town the growth will be better. Considering we have a huge population, with a growing middle class who prefer out of pocket healthcare pay - we need not be worried about saturation at this point.
31/ Peads is good. Can’t go wrong specialty.
32/ Many of your Profs would not be fit as role models for you. Many of them
would be corrupt, many won’t have the knowledge, many won’t care for the patients. Make it a point not to be influenced by such seniors. Look elsewhere.
33/ Networking and building professional relationship is very important. Attend CME / Conf for this. Help your seniors and teachers for their thesis and projects. I was really bad at this and I regret it even now.
34/ PSM - No, WHO is not waiting to hire you. Have moderate expectations.
35 / Closing thoughts for the day - a) Choosing a speciality is a lifestyle decision, as much as it is about your passion. So check with your significant other and yourself as well b) In a country like India - which is growing at an astonishing rate, getting ready to be the most populous country in the world, you can take any speciality/ diploma /DNB and MAKE IT - as long as you are ready to work hard for it. This is a simple market determinant.
©Dr.Santosh kumar