This document discusses strategies for improving one's career in medicine. It recommends investing 10% of time to progressing one's career through reading professional journals, setting clear goals, challenging oneself, developing communication skills, exercising regularly, and volunteering for challenging projects. Pursuing career development strategies like these can help maximize opportunities for success rather than just having a job. The best contribution is doing something good to improve patients' lives, which can advance one's career without even realizing it.

1. Improving Our Career in Medicine
Dr.T.V.Rao MDIndia with many educated manpower continues to be world’s greatest
Human resource; however people get stagnated and apathetic to work, the reasons are many, the
reasonmay the individual apathy, great bottle necks include red tapeism, bureaucratic control, lack
of infrastructure, poor working condition and interpersonal conflicts in many Government and even
private establishments. In the era of privatization it is utmost important to improve our career or we
will certainly perish with our own lack of desire to progress. I find life is interesting just doing our day
to day work just to satisfy the job requirements, it is important that we should invest at least 10% of
our life and time to find a better way to progress in life, which may look difficult as many of us are
satisfied with the present earnings and job security. Life teaches the best lessons when we are
placed in disappointing circumstances, we should take up a call to improve the career.Careers can
improve or completely change direction over time, but long term changes don't just happen
overnight - you need to work at it. When new opportunities arise - sometimes raise up without
notice - will you be ready for them? There are many things you can do to increase your chances of
being prepared for these opportunities when they appear. The great draw back many of newer
generation of students and young Medical professionals just read what is essential for performing
well in examination, if you wish to know better world, Read: books, magazines, and
Professionaljournals related to the profession of either the job you have now, or from an
organization you would like to be employed in future. Reading will help you acquire a better
perspective of the Profession and your place in it.I wish to state how I was inspired,improved, by
reading many scientific articles. Just I wish to state, what made me what I am Today, as an example,
how The Lancet the well-known medical journal contributed to my career when I was placed as
Medical officer in Andhra University in Visakhapatnam in 1973, the administrators of the Library
wish to discontinue subscription to the journal, The Lancet as nobody is reading the journal, and it is
not a Medical College, and I requested the Librarian that I will borrow the journal every week to
fulfil the administrative formalities to continue for the subscription, he did it and I greatly improved
my ideas of practice in the most narrow circumstances to work in a dispensary. Many of us neglect
our priorities certainly we can never become master of our work and continue to remain a slaves of
our Jobs, just try to think about priorities Re-evaluate Your Priorities: Take some time to stop and
think about what your priorities are in your career and your life in general. Don't be side tracked by
something that sounds good on the surface but won't take you where you want to be with you
career. Just because someone else may do this, that or the other thing to develop their career path,
doesn't mean you need to. Do what is best for you, many students ask what is good speciality for me
to proceed in my higher studies, and I always tell do not look at some one look to self and decide, if
we take medical specialities every branch needs different temperament, take an Anatomist, he is
very cool as nothing serious happen in the profession however a Surgeon cannot be like aAnatomist
as everything is serious to handle.Communication has become part of our lives, from facing the Viva
to patient interaction as an examiner if I asses the students, who really good in the subject are poor
in communication and they will be overtaken by well communicating students, The good GOD not
made all equal in life still try to be better communicators and certainly succeed in many ventures
you take up.Develop Your Communication Skills: Good communication skills are essential for all
endeavours in life, especially for career development. This includes verbal, written and body
language communication. Consider to increase your public speaking ability by taking more active

2. part in many Seminars we take up. You will learn a lot from listening to other members speak also.
Many books are available to help with writing skills and good body language. Remember, people
who appear relaxed and composed, and can communicate their ideas clearly are more likely to get
promotions and raises.Medical professionals are poor in up keeping their health with exercises, in
view of demanding time schedules, Exercise Regularly: Exercise will make you feel better and be
healthier. It will help you increase your stamina when working long hours or taking weekend or
evening classes - or just getting through a typical work day. Right or wrong, healthier feeling people
radiate an energy that is more likely to get them promotions and raises. Just walk a while when you
are free, as the world / nature teaches many lessons than when we glued to our chair and bed. If we
ask our students how comfortable you are, the majority answer I am fine which means that he is in
his comfort job which really means his progress has stopped. Challenge Yourself: Always
challenge yourself - step outside your comfort zone. This is the only way you can grow both
personally and in your career. Don't be afraid of trying something difficult, even if you fail at
achieving what you originally intended to accomplish - you will still learn something new from the
experience - and this will help your career. If we wish to progress in life, it is not relaxation and it is
just continuous struggle. Many western medical students travel to many developing countries as
they live and work in most ideal circumstances with technical advances. I wish our medical students,
when they travel to a place away from routine work, just visit a hospital and look at the modalities of
work; even the poor people are treated by very committed Doctors in developing countries. Our
Indian medical education system we are training our medical students in a protected environment,
which makes many of them poor performer when they really work alone in rural health centres. Set
Clear Goals and Measure Your Progress – Whether you hope to obtain a promotion, raise, or new
job, you won’t accomplish anything in 2013, unless you set and hold yourself to tangible goals. Once
you’ve determined your annual goals, identify the more easily attainable intermediate milestones
that will allow you to measure your progress.No matter how long you have been at a job or how
many times you have proven yourself, you must continually strive to exceed expectations and
generate incremental value for your hospital or establishment and above all yourself. Make an effort
to go to conferences, seminars, happy hours, and industry events; seek individuals who may be able
to help you reach your career ambitions not only today but also tomorrow. I have been both popular
and unpopular as I do not agree with many things proposed in the profession by many around or
even, my own boss as he may not be always right may be some times we may be good to our
patients. In the era of privatization we are more dependent on our employer we may lose security if
we differ on every matter try to be accommodative with scientific spirit, Volunteer to complete
challenging projects and assignments. One of the best ways to advance your career is to identify an
organizational problem and propose a solution. By offering to implement the solution, you will not
only increase your visibility as a problem-solver in the organization, but you might also expand your
skills in the process. Each of us has a certain number of years to invest in working and making a
living. Having a job is fine, but creating a career will maximize your opportunities for success. To
have a successful career requires that you pursue career management strategies. A successful career
doesn’t happen unthinkingly. It needs planning, tending, and frequent review. Are you ready to
pursue these career development strategies? Try doing something good which improves the life of
our patients, it is the best contribution, and career advances without our knowledge.
Dr.T.V.Rao MD Professor of Microbiology a Freelance writer.