Mystory@Dr Vikram Vinayek: How I chose my course and career path – Challenges and learnings

I studied very hard for entering medical college in India. I changed my school after 10th from Springdales to Delhi Public School which was known for giving good medical and IIT coaching. I was poor but hard work taught me the value of money. My mother and father satisfied my most basic needs. They were professionals and gave the best education possible in this world. I owe a lot to them. My school teachers were brilliant and always encouraged me. They were the best teachers and I thank them for their blessings from the core of my heart. Thanks to my education and knowledge I am able to stand on my feet and become independent. I love life, my family and friends.

My father used to tell me that I will get admission in Assam whenever I used to say that all I want is one seat in a medical college. Initially, I wanted to do engineering as my father was an engineer but he selected Medicine as the option for me. In those days, there used to be only two streams – Engineering and Medicine.

Mandal Commission had started and riots took place in Delhi, buses were being burnt but I kept on studying and attending my classes. My sister and mother were my source of inspiration. My sister used to guide me from her own experiences. I give 99% credit of my success to her. When the results came, I got 25^th rank in Delhi University Pre-Medical Test (DPMT), 26^th rank in All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) and 27^th rank in Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Army College’s entrance exam. I wanted to join the Army but my parents were not from Army background and said that if I make any mistake then the Army will court martial me. In those days the Army used to give Rs 5 for hair-cut, now it costs Rs 500 in a saloon.

My college life: classes, internship and more

Now after 20 years, I feel that the Army would have been a better choice for me as there was a 20 years binding contract. After I completed my education from Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), in every job I had to work on contractual basis with contract for 1-2 years every time. There was no job security. I went for the AFMC interview and the board comprised of Colonels and Brigadiers who asked me questions on Medicine and I answered all the questions and they said that I was already a doctor. But then they asked me GK questions like who was the Indian Nobel prize winner and I fumbled, so they said “get lost you fool” and gave me 27^th rank. Then I took admission in MAMC, I led a balanced life and enjoyed my course. I studied less and we would have dance parties in our batch. We would travel by DTC bus without tickets and say we were staff to the conductor. Even the professors did not travel by cars and we would be on the same bus stop. In those days people were simple, poor and honest. I came almost last in the first professional exam. Then in the 2^nd professional exam, I flunked in Forensic Medicine subject because the professors did not teach anything and used to take bribe for passing students. But one professor asked me questions on Forensic Medicine which I could not answer and then he asked me questions on my hobbies and basketball which I used to play in school and college. He then gave me marks for honesty. Then in the final professional exam, our entire batch of 180 students were in the same boat and we managed to pass and all of us got 2^nd division.

Then I did my internship and worked to learn things practically. I made lot of mistakes in internship and thus, learnt in the process. We would have ward joining and ward leaving parties. We used to get Rs 2,000 in internship but we had the maximum number of parties during our internship time. Unfortunately, I did not get house job in the hospital associated with my college as the clerks used to take bribes for giving jobs. And I was not the batch topper also. So, I joined Safdarjung Hospital as a house surgeon in Casualty Department. Here, also I made mistakes and then learnt from them.

We used to have shift duties in Safdarjung Hospital. I had heard the name of Dr Suri who was very popular and from Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, so I joined Patel Chest, the same college from where Dr Suri was as I got somewhere around 300 rank in my post-graduation exam. I resigned from my job and started studying hard for my post-graduation exams but even after improving my rank by 101 (ranks) next year I was getting the same subjects – MD Pharmacology or Diploma in Respiratory Medicine and Tuberculosis. So, I joined Clinical Diploma and worked for about 10 years in TB hospitals and then did my MBA in Hospital Management and Pharmaceutical Management, a dual specialisation. I continued working and supporting myself with intermittent periods of joblessness and contractual jobs for 1-2 years. I honoured all my contracts like a true professional. I was in need of money as I had lost money in USMLE exam which people used to take for going to USA. Then after 3 years of my MBA I got the opportunity to do a Business Management programme for Executives from Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIM –L). At that time I used to work in the private sector and was self-employed and at the same time looking out for good jobs. So after all this struggle, here I am writing my story.

I also published four academic books – Asthma for the Common Man, Bedside Clinical Cardiology, Bedside Clinics in Heart and Lung and Diabetes and Hypertension - Double Trouble for the Common Man. I also wrote a fiction novel – Heart Break Medicine and self-published two books. Then I went to Singapore to attend a conference on sleep medicine. It was actually a symposium. It was an eye opener and a wonderful experience. i enjoyed it thoroughly and learnt a lot. Then my dream vacation to USA came and the rest is history, there again I learnt about Sleep Medicine.

What my experiences taught me

I don't know if I chose the right career as there is nothing like right or wrong, it is just another profession and perspective. I struggled definitely but I learnt a lot also. I was demoted twice and my colleagues made fun of me. But failure is the teacher of success. Failure taught me more than success, so I am thankful to all those people who refused me by saying “No”. Failure is the best teacher of success. It is because of them I did it all by myself. There were some good friends along the way and some good seniors who helped me while I was struggling. I will not forget them. But there were a lot of bad people whom I choose to forget. I wanted job security and may be would have been happier had I got it earlier in my career. I learnt that you don't always get what you want or think you deserve because there is a lot of nepotism in India. Merit consideration is less but in the long run you make it on your honesty and merit. Honesty and integrity is a must. A doctor or a professional undergoes rigourous training and education and then only gains experience. It is simply not handed down from father to son because there are a lot of other people who are also involved and want something from you. There is a give and take.

Professors in Delhi earned a bad name because of corruption and bad character. Not everyone in the government wants to do well in medical profession and definitely doctors are not altruistic. But yes they are materialistic like in any other profession like lawyers etc. If you want to do good and serve the poor in the medical profession many of your own colleagues will be against you. Doctors are technical people but basic education and background of everyone is different. I treated a lot of poor patients and was satisfied by the salary I got and in return earned the blessings of a lot of poor patients. Their blessings saved me every time there was a calamity in my career. For most part of my career I was selfless. I hardly remember any incidences in my life when I acted selfishly. This was because of my upbringing, good education and good schooling.

I learnt that logic does not work every time and in fact most of the times. This is because there are a lot of different emotions and feelings in people which lead to twists and turns in life.

But now-a-days people have become more practical and money minded and they want all kinds of facilities. Young people want to become rich quickly but that does not happen and it leads to frustration. Many people join politics because they want to earn a lot of money quickly.

Anyways life threw many challenges at me and I fared well in most of them. I learnt to be patient. Also, I learnt to fight in life, i.e., fight poverty and fight the unfairness in life. I fought and emerged successful. I fought for honour and for this I can even lay down my life. I learnt to read the GITA and follow it as much in my life as I could. I read the scriptures and became a religious person. I had taken up Sanskrit as a subject in my school as an alternative language. I followed traditions and celebrated Indian festivals. I used to visit the temple regularly and prayed for my family’s well-being and health. I did not ask God for wealth as I had learnt that it comes by hard work. I learnt to respect myself and to respect the man in the uniform.

About the Author:

My alma mater is Delhi University. I studied Medicine at the UG level from Maulana Azad Medical College and then completed my PG from Patel Chest Institute DTCD Delhi University. Further, I did MBA in Hospital Management and Pharmaceutical Management from IIM-Lucknow.

Currently, I am working as a Consultant Physician and Clinical Cardiologist.

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