Hello Readers,

So as I was saying in my instagram post, after I picked Ophthalmology for Post-graduation, I was often asked why I passed up an opportunity to take something like General Surgery or Obstetrics and Gynaecology which were available to me and I was always surprised that people automatically assumed that one branch was better than another without ever having worked in either.

I have a huge number of friends asking for my opinion on a choice of Post graduation so that got me thinking and I thought I’d pen my thoughts about the choice.

So firstly, the world of MBBS graduates are divided into two groups.
One group has the lucky two, Rank 1 and 2 who can basically pick whatever they want and so that’s that, in their case.
But then when it comes to the rest of us, we need to make a huge life decision.

So initially, starting off I’d say, don’t bother about what rank you have (as hard as that may seem)
Just pick four branches you’d take if every single branch was open to you. And at the same time, pick another three which you would never ever ever take for your own personal reasons.

So for example, my four top choices were:
1. Paediatrics
2. Ophthalmology
3. ObG
4. Radiology

My ‘Will-never-choose’ branches were:
1. Anesthesia
2. Orthopaedics
3. Pulmonary Medicine

Remember that you don’t need to tell anyone these choices nor do you owe anyone an explanation. Because people will always show you how the branches you don’t want to take are good and have scope but if your mind and heart are both telling you not to take it, don’t.
Never settle.

Secondly, if you get any one of your four choices. Take it.
It is still your choice, and you’ve got it. Maybe not your first choice or even your second, but it’s something you like which trust me, you’ll learn to love, so just go for it.

If you don’t get even one of your four choices, first rule out the three subjects you’d never take and see what you’re left with.
Choose according to how much you enjoy the subject, and what it’s scope in the real world is, and how happy you’ll be at 40 doing that job.
Talk to successful, established doctors in that speciality and ask them about it.

Don’t judge based on how the department is in a particular college or on how the PG programme is solely, look at the variety of cases and the skills which you can learn and use in your practice.

Why I’m telling you to pick one of your choices and not keep waiting for that one dream branch is because firstly, there’s always more to do. Life doesn’t end with a PG.
I’m just in my second year but people are already enquiring about future fellowships.
There’s so much more to do, science is evolving.
And secondly and more importantly, maybe that branch just isn’t meant for you.
Call me crazy but I do believe everything happens for a reason.
I’ve seen it time and again.

I personally chose Ophthalmology for a variety of reasons, besides my love for the subject.
I like how it’s both a medical and surgical branch and how we follow up our post-operative patients and see their visual progress, hence there’s a continuity of care. I love the tiny instruments and the delicate fingerwork we’ve now acquired.
I love how our 10-0 nylon sutures are finer than human hair.
Never did I ever think I’d be a surgeon, never did I think I’d enjoy operating as much as I do, but it happened and I’m grateful.

Another reason was the working hours and lack of major emergencies.
As selfish as it might sound, I do enjoy doing alot of other things besides my work , and I love that Ophthalmology gives me that space to work and develop other parts of my personality.

Choosing a diploma or a degree is upto you. It’s an extremely personal choice. If you’re getting a diploma in a subject of your choice, you could always do that and then do a secondary DNB which will make it equivalent to an MD and I know many diploma candidates who are even better than MDs, so it all depends on how good you are and not your degree/diploma.

But again, there are no fixed rules.
Just make your own decision because you’ll live with it.
I personally, did not want a diploma and so I picked MS Ophthalmology over a DCH.

The worst things you could possibly do when choosing a PG seat would be picking a speciality just because it has ‘glamour’ or because you’re influenced by what other people will think.

Choosing a speciality based on how much money you’ll make will make you miserable.
Trust me, every doctor who’s good at their work will make a good living in time. The question is, Will you be happy when you go to work everyday?
There are days when I feel annoyed and irritable to go to work as I’m driving there but the minute I reach OPD and start interacting with my patients I’m happy again.

And lastly, I’ll just steal from my favourite book series and say that, just as ‘the wand chooses the wizard’ it is indeed the speciality which chooses the doctor and not the other way round.

I’m happy Ophthalmology picked me, let your speciality pick you 🙂