Teen doctors in town

An 80-strong group of young teenagers in white coats walked into the conference hall with an air of confidence. This group of Std. IX students chosen from different parts of Andhra Pradesh and other States recently completed the four-day Young Doctors Camp 2012 at Yashoda Group of Hospitals in the twin cities.

Great career

Having been selected from amongst 4,000 applicants these students felt privileged to be medical professionals on the job in various departments of the three healthcare centres of Yashoda Hospital. Each were selected on the basis of a 500-word essay they had written on why they would like to be part of the Young Doctors Camp. The main purpose of the camp was to offer young students who are on the brink of making a career choice, to have an understanding of what it takes to be a doctor and what the challenges of this field are.

Lectures and demo's

The camp consisted of lectures by prominent doctors, screening of surgery videos and quizzes interspersed with some fun activities. The students were also shown the facilities within the hospital premises such as In-patient wards, Nursing stations, Diagnostics, Operation Theatres and other areas.

Nishal of St Josephs says, “Since Std. V I have been interested in medicine but after this camp I am convinced that I will become a doctor. We watched a live ENT surgery of tonsil removal and I am inspired by this profession. I have also decided that I will become a Cardiologist as the heart is the most vital organ in the body.”

Having spent time in the Oncology Department, Lasya Reddy of DRS Kompally aspires to be a surgeon in the same department. “The keyhole surgery we watched was fascinating,” she says.

Parents part

While her mother felt this camp helped clear a lot of myths they had about the medical profession. Parents tend to discourage children from taking medicine especially if they have doctors in the family. Some opt out due to the struggle to obtain a medical seat and the intense study involved.

However, most of these young doctors of the camp came to the decision that although the medical profession demands a lot of one’s time and energy, one is amply compensated in terms of job satisfaction and the opportunity to serve society.