People always doubt that it would be difficult to pass DNB. Then people doubt getting good job Oppurtunities after DNB. To answer these persistent doubts there is no better person than Dr Vikas Jain who has passed his Theory exam in General Surgery from Apollo Madurai and has also presented 10 research and scientific papers at state and national level. He is travelling to Hong Kong for a paper presentation on 5th november but before that he chose to answer some key questions about Apollo hospital ,Madurai and job opportunities after DNB For the sake of DNB aspirants.
As told to – Dr Jateen Ukrani, DNB Resident – VIMHANS Hospitals
Where did you do your DNB Surgery from?
Iam doing my DNB surgery from Apollo Hospital, Madurai. I have passed my theory exam and currently waiting for my practicals.
How many consultants are there in Surgery department and what are the work timings.?
Total 4 general surgery counsultants plus consultants in other specialties.Out of 4 consultants Dr. A. SURESH KUMAR is an expert laparoscopic surgeon who trained us a lot in basic and some advanced laparoscopic surgery.Oncosurgeon and urosurgeons are intensely involved in DNB programme.Work timings are not fixed and depends on the number of OT cases that are posted.Usual work timings are 8am to 2pm.
How is the exposure to surgical cases?
This was the only branch having DNB here in Apollo hospitals so we were exposed to all specialities here i.e from renal transplant to sebaceous cyst excision. As hands on number of cases are overloaded and we are well trained in laparoscopy work.
Here is a list of surgeries that i have done in my course duration
- Local procedures + mastectomy
- Laparoscopic appendectomy
- Lap. Cholecystectomy
- lap hernioplaaty(TAPP)
- Piles n fistula surgeries
- Lap assistant in vaginal hysterectomy
- CAPD catheter insertion
- Av fistula
- Split skin grafting
- Lap oopherectomy
- Intestine resection anastomosis….
That’s All I remember at the moment.Another highlight is that we get enough time for self study as all paper work is too be done by nursing staff and duty medical officers.
How are the academics?
Academics are on demand,I mean when we asked they arranged classes in second year with once a week case presentations so all exam oriented cases are discussed once but not that frequent. To compensate for lost academics we were allowed to attend all CME conferences in city,state and national level. No restrictions to this even when there is no other pg in hospital and these were partially sponsored by the hospital. I have presented 10 papers and posters at state and national level because of this freedom.We have no immediate seniors but still we managed to pass because of the guidance that we got from our Consultant who himself is a DNB pass out from Apollo hospital and further went on too pursue Mch in pediatric surgery. He guided us at each moment throughout the course.With his help i even presented one paper at Pediatric surgery conference. Also test were held frequently for our academic perfromance.
How did you prepare for your final exam?
There was no plan as such. We did the past year question papers.We have DNB general surgery group on whats app for the entire india (50 member limitation) which helped alot.All PGs remained in touch regarding CME and conferences.Doubts on Any topic where to read,what to read everything was discussed in detail which was very helpful.
What was your rank and why you chose Apollo , Madurai ?
My rank was 1782 in july session and my colleagues was before me , i don’t remember his exact rank .
I took Apollo as per suggestion of proffesor in SMS medical college Jaipur, my mentor from a long time. He recommended it as its a brand name which gives recognition plus recent exposure is more important than hands on but luckily we got good hand on too. Apollo Hospitals usually have all recent advances which makes us more competetive in this everchanging world.
How are other branches? Have they started DNB in other branches?
Yes , They have started 4 anesthesia seats in Jan session. DNB in Anaesthesia is particularly good in Apollo Madurai. There are regular classes from first semester onwards. Thesis guidance is given for new students. Emergency medicine seats are also starting now. Unfortunately DNB surgery didn’t get Accreditation this time due to minor issues. I think management is dealing with them and it might get accredited soon.
People say its difficult to get SRship after DNB,Whats your take on that ??
I joined a hospital as SR even before my practicals , whose consultant has been honoured with padma shri. But I just left because of personal reasons. May be govt set up has politics but private people prefer DNBs, another SR there was also DNB and he has been working there since last 8 months.
What about Job as assistant professor in Medical colleges? Is it easy to get ?
Yeah,it may be, at least in private colleges .Iam saying this becuase my consultant has been asst professor in annamalai university medical college. Mci has objection timely, but not permanently and that too varies from state to state. I’m not much exposed to that condition and iam not interested also in becoming Assistant prof before doing mch.
How is the accommodation and stipend ?
Accomodation is free, single room with free electricity and all facilities, regular cleaning,housekeeping just like hospital
Stipend was 17000/- when we joined, but now increases to 22000/-& 27000/- which is over the state stipend.
Sir for a north Indian, will the language pose barrier while choosing DNB in south Indian institutes?