The Cheteshwar Pujara Situation

In the previous post, we saw the difficulties faced by Dr. TP and Dr. Robert (both Fictional Names) due to their previous college. Please read it before reading this post at:

https://agnipathdoctors.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-gi-surgery-viva.html

In 2018, before proposed India vs England test series, Cheteshwar Pujara, an Indian cricketer, decided to play in the England county cricket from the Yorkshire team.

This was apparently to get him some experience in playing on England’s cricket pitches and against English Bowlers so that he will be better prepared for proposed India vs England test series. He had a streak of bad luck and had a poor showing while playing for the Yorkshire county team.

When the team for first India vs England test match was announced, Cheteshwar Pujara was not selected in the team. Some experts then commented that if Pujara had not gone and played in the Yorkshire county cricket team, he may have selected for the team based on his performance in the domestic cricket.

His plan of playing in the English county cricket back-fired and what was to be his strong point became the reason for his non-selection.

A similar thing got played out in front of Dr. Dev (Fictional Name) when he was posted in the rotation posting in the AIIMS, New Delhi’s Neurosurgery department.

Dr. Thomas (Fictional Name) got a temporary job as a non-academic senior resident in the Neurosurgery Department. Probably due to a combination of factors, his work was not up to the expectation of the Professor A.K. Mahatma (Fictional Name) who was the unit head.

When the time came to fill the form for the Pre-Mch admission exam for the various colleges, Prof. (Dr.) A.K. Mahatma strictly forbade Dr. Thomas from filling the AIIMS Neurosurgery pre-Mch exams form.

A surprised Dr. Thomas asked the reason for it.

Dr. Mahatama replied, ‘Your work is not found satisfactory by me. Even if you clear the theory part of the exam, I will not select you in the practical part of the exam. I will rather take my chance with a fresh unknown candidate who may turn out be bad resident, than selecting you who I know definitely to be bad.’

So, Dr. Thomas had a better chance of getting selected to AIIMS Neurosurgery department if had taken the temporary job in some other hospital to get experience in Neurosurgery, rather than to take the job in AIIMS itself.

In a temporary job in your dream institution or company, if you are able to impress your superiors by your work and personality, this may open the path to a permanent position there. But if you are found to lacking due to any reason, then this may backfire and your dreams and wishes may not get fulfilled.

So choose wisely even your temporary jobs or position and avoid a 'Cheteshwar Pujara situation'.

(Based on allegedly true incident)

— ND
© Author. All rights reserved. 

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 DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. 

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to MCI and other Board’s norm. 

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The GI Surgery Viva Solutions

In the previous post, we saw the difficulties faced by Dr. TP and Dr. Robert (both Fictional Names) due to their previous college. Please read it before reading this post at: 

https://agnipathdoctors.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-gi-surgery-viva.html

We will try to explore some solution to this problem.

One, apply only for the places where there is selection based on only your performance in the written selection exam and there is no interview or viva.

When a despondent Dr. Robert phoned Dr. Dev (Fictional Name) when the AIIMS, New Delhi’s Neurosurgery pre-Mch result was declared and he was not selected, Dr. Dev adviced Dr, Robert to only concentrate on those colleges who have only theory paper for pre-Mch exam and do not have viva or practical exam.

Dr. Robert followed Dr. Dev advice and next time he got selected for Neurosurgery from SGPI, where there was only MCQs based theory exam.

Another solution is to get a temporary job, such as non-academic senior resident in the related field or some prestigious hospital or company.

Dr. TP while continuing his preparation for the next exam got a temporary senior resident job in the GI surgery department of a prestigious hospital so that the stigma of lack of experience in GI surgery was removed. He got selected in Mch in GI Surgery from some other institute in the next attempt.

But while taking a temporary position/job or internship in your dream company or department beware of the ‘Cheteshwar Pujara situation’ which we will discuss in the next blog post.

 (Based on allegedly true incidents)

— ND
© Author. All rights reserved. 

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 DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. 

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to MCI and other Board’s norm. 

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The GI Surgery Viva

Dr. TP (Fictional Name) who wanted to do Mch [super-specializing after Master of Surgery (MS) exams] appeared for the AIIMS, New Delhi pre-Mch Gastro-Intestinal (GI) Surgery selection exam.

He was the top scorer in the theory paper and had first rank on the basis of theory marks. He was called for the practical and viva exam which had equal marks as the written exam.

Please note that the number of candidates called for the practical and viva exam is usually three times the seat available. As there was three seats available in the Mch GI Surgery course in AIIMS, New Delhi, at that time, the top nine candidates on the basis of theory marks were called for the practical exams. The final merit list was to be made after combining the marks from the theory and the practical exam and only the top three students were to be selected.

During the viva when the AIIMS, New Delhi’s GI Surgery faculty learned that Dr. TP has done his MS in General Surgery from Khota Medical College (Fictional Name), the atmosphere of the viva changed.

The examiners told him as he had not been exposed to the complex and advanced GI surgeries being performed at AIIMS, New Delhi, during his MS residency, he is not a fit candidate for Mch in their department.

Dr. TP’s effort to convince them that he is a quick learner and he has the requisite theoretical knowledge as he had already topped the theory exam, did not cut the mustard with the examiners. Dr. TP realized what Charles Caleb Colton has so aptly said: 'Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer'.

When the results were declared, as expected Dr. TP was not selected for the Mch course. On the basis of the combined marks in the theory and viva exams, he was ranked fifth in the merit list.

A similar thing happened to Dr. Robert (Fictional Name), who had again done his MS degree in General Surgery from Khota Medical College. He appeared for the AIIMS, New Delhi’s pre-Mch exam for Neurosurgery. He was first in the theory but after the practical and viva when the final results were declared, he was last in merit and therefore rejected.

Where we have studied or worked previously may cast a black shadow on our personal achievements. We may not get our dream job because the examiner or selector is not impressed by our previous college or company. We may not get a chance to show our capabilities closing the door of future growth for us.

The reverse may be also true. Many have reported that undergraduates from AIIMS, New Delhi are preferred candidates in the various medical colleges in the USA as compared to other colleges from India.

We will discuss some solutions to this problem in the next post.

(Based on allegedly true incidents)

— ND
© Author. All rights reserved. 

 

Please Note: Original post was updated/Edited on 7th Dec 2022

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 DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. 

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to MCI and other Board’s norm. 

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The Fast Thesis Work

Dr. Prince (Fictional Name) was junior resident in the Department of Medicine at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was assigned a thesis research topic by his thesis guide who was also the head of the Department of Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi.

Apparently, his thesis topic was easy which could be completed in a few months rather than the two years allotted to complete it. Dr. Prince got complacent and thought there is enough time to complete the thesis just a few months before the thesis submission date.

When mid-term departmental thesis work review meeting came, the department and especially Dr. Prince’s guide was shocked that he had not done any substantial work in the thesis. Dismayed by Dr. Prince’s thesis work or lack thereof, the guide told him to take 6 months extra to do and complete the thesis work in a proper manner. Dr. Prince assured his guide that he will work very hard and will complete the thesis work before the deadline for submission of the thesis.

True to his word, Dr. Prince sincerely worked very hard and completed his thesis work honestly and in a timely manner well before the deadline.

When he went to his guide-cum-head of the department for the signing of the thesis, the guide refused to believe that he had honestly worked and completed the thesis in half the time of his other fellow junior residents. He even refused to believe the supportive evidence, such as case-sheets and patient’s proforma as proof of actual work done and that he had not just cooked up the data falsely.

The guide begrudgingly approved and signed the thesis which Dr. Prince submitted on time and become eligible to give the final exam along with his other colleagues.

Apparently, the guide-cum-head of the department had not taken the incidence lightly. In the exam, which was presided by the guide-cum-head of the department, Dr. Prince realized that Charles Caleb Colton has so aptly said: 'Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer'.

Dr. Prince failed that exam and had to give the exam again after 6 months.

Procrastination, or putting doing some work, usually as it is boring, is a common problem. It can spoil our image in front of our superiors and colleagues.

If something can be done in the half the time allotted for it, is better to complete the work in the first half than delay doing it in the second half and appear lazy in front of others.

A personal image once spoiled due to procrastination may be difficult to salvage especially in front of our superiors.

 (Based on allegedly true incident)

— ND
© Author. All rights reserved. 

If viewing from Mobile, switch to Webpage view to see a list of popular posts and index of topics of previous posts.
 DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. 

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to MCI and other Board’s norm. 

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