It is wonderful how the heart grows fonder towards the unknown. Great respect is given to established universities , teachers and well known doctors from afar. Somehow the respect diminishes as we make acquaintances with them. We as human beings are at fault for this behaviour. Many of the times the individual whom we respect and admire are not at fault. Once we get to know this revered and very accomplished person we try to think about them as of our equal. This humane quality is intended solely so that we don't look down upon us nor demean us. But in the process we are looking down on the achievements of respectable human beings.Of course it wouldn't affect them nor they would recognise such bad behaviour. The most accomplished and knowledgeable people are grounded,down to earth and very welcoming towards people. But it doesn't give us the right to strip them of their accomplishments.
In line with the saying- the heart grows fonder towards the unknown I would like to dwelve a little into PG training.
When I was a PG student, my guide and guru Dr SK Ramachandran sir compelled all of us PG students to present in State and National seminars. Even though we had not presented papers before we were not given any leeway. Any kind of coaxing or sympathy wouldn't work.
Hence presenting papers at conferences became a habit and I became efficient at it. As a became a PG teacher and gradually upgraded to PG incharge, I realised that PG teaching involves many aspects. Along with theoretical and clinical knowledge a PG student should be able to know the difference between physiological and pathological changes in a child . The diseases are unique in children. So, a Balrog tajna should be confident in treating the common diseases first such as cold, cough,fever,worm infestations, anaemia,growth failure to name a few. Then with few years of experience the less common diseases can be treated effectively and with ease. The other areas to gain expertise are to be confident in presenting papers, be a fearless orator, possess good language skills and be well equipped with research knowledge. There are some other skills which are given less importance but are very significant such as patient counselling, team work with fellow batchmates and juniors, leadership skills etc.
Therefore the attempt in PG studies is to give complete knowledge to the students.
Along with this it is also important for a PG student to visit other colleges and universities to observe skills and the knowledge of students studying over there. This will guide the student to improve and hone new skills. And as the title says ' growing fonder towards the unknown ' , we look up to other universities with appreciation and glee. It's only when we get an opportunity to interact we realise the worth of our parent institute and teachers.
Attending conferences helps in networking and building connections. Skills such as oration,building connections ,networking were not given much importance during my PG days. May be it was thought that these skills are to be honed at a later stage in life ,when we are academicians.
In today's era it is better to be equipped with as much knowledge as possible. Then there is AI. With the advent of ChatGPT and other tools , not knowing them will hinder one's career growth. For my generation and the previous ones, we gained knowledge from books. Internet came much later and was costly. Hence knowledge was gained through traditional means such as visiting libraries, reading books,collecting notes from seniors, asking doubts to teachers. One to one interaction with teachers and seniors was the norm. This fostered healthy relations and networking.
Hence in today's age even though knowledge is gained easily through AI , it is important to check its validity. Gaining true knowledge is possible by reading good books either hard copy or e copy. Interacting with peers and teachers to clear doubts helps in enhancing one's knowledge. Senior Doctors have vast experience in treating patients. Visiting their clinics or hospitals, observing their clinical acumen and again interacting with them will open the pandora's box of clinical knowledge. By accumulating such knowledge there will be less room for mistakes and more room for perfection.
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