Missing Dimension in Surgeons

CME Inaugural talk at the 29th Annual Conference by Chairman, Dr. Sharad M. Tanga

Dr. R. C. Bidri, Principal & Dean, Shri B. M. Patil Medical College, Chairman elect & Chairman Scientific Committee Dr. Tejawini, Hon. Secretary, Dr. M. Vijayakumar, Organising Chairman Dr. Arvind Patil, Organising Secretary Dr. Mallikarjun Patil, Executive Committee Members, Governing Council members, past Chairman’s of this august body, teachers & former President of ASI Dr. S. S. Narasanagi, members of the ASI, members of the press, Ladies & gentlemen.

On this pleasant morning, Karnataka State Chapter is happy to have you all here for the 29^th Annual Conference of our state Chapter.

Teaching:

Surgical Teaching is often thought to be the formal curricular, classroom based instructional teaching. Every surgeon is involved in some form of teaching be it training/coaching, formal instructional teaching or mentoring. Secondly, with the increase in medical colleges, dental colleges and paramedical colleges, most surgeons in a city are involved in teaching. Therefore let it not be presumed that only a niche group amongst the surgeons is being addressed.

It’s very fitting that this conference is addressing two important traits of a surgeon which were on the periphery till this time.

With changing times of students being exposed, having access to information, for teaching to be effective, content, our teaching style, methodology and technology needs to change. A traditional teacher was supposed to motivate, transfer information and guide the student. Thanks to the growth of communication, the gates that locked learning within the walls of nations have now been broken down. With Internet & digital technology, any information is available at the click of a button. That being so, knowledge transfer is relegated.

Therefore today, teacher and teaching methodology stands challenged. We need to learn on a continual process, innovate and be sensitive to the contemporary generation in order to be effective.

Infrastructure has improved, remuneration have scaled yet teachers are disgruntled. Two things which would make teaching a fulfilling experience are responsiveness from the student, recognisation from the college and social prestige from the society.

Service:

If teaching could be considered Soul of a professional, the Heart of Health care delivery is Service. Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us has ingrained that attribute. Yet it seems to be waning steeply. I don’t want to sermonise, as a lot of this is spoken on such platforms yet there is slip between the intent and action.

Post Graduate Students

Wish to communicate –

· Information Explosion - Knowledge to be mastered is both vast and incomplete.

· No instant Winners. We are everyday heroes

· Surgery is a trying profession: Trying profession because of lack of certainty and secondly dealing with lives.

· Betterment is a perpetual labour.

· Ours is a job of talking to strangers. Developing soft skills

Final communication for a life in medicine. Medicine & surgery in particular is facing many challenges in a short time like never in history. I don’t want to list them. The clear demarcation of primary surgical care and tertiary surgical care is developing; Super speciality tertiary care is breaking into the concept of Organ based specialists, technology is taking centre stage, small enterprises need to be scaled.

Two things need to be addressed: firstly define your niche area. Secondly, basically we are late adopters probably because we deal with lives. We need to understand the necessity to change, ingrain it in our discipline. We are resistant or late adopters, now there is need to be early adopters. Look for the opportunity to change.

Social Message

Patient orientation & education is needed There is needed to take steps that would improve the confidence of patients in the medical professionals. The expectations from the patients have increased tremendously. The hospital today is a system of increasing complexity. It is a hotel, a school, a laboratory and a stage set for treatment.

Medicine is a science of probability, with its own limitations. We in medicine are humans ourselves. Assist nature in just alleviating the suffering & making an effort to increase the longevity.

Our shock absorbers are Competence, character and concern for the patient.

Thank the organizers

We are in a wonderful ambience that is conducive for excellent feast of academics and leisure. We wholeheartedly thank the organisers for all the efforts and pain undertaken to make our arrival comfortable.

Thank you ladies & gentlemen for the patient hearing.