In November 2022, AIIMS Kalyani had invited us to speak with the I MBBS students who were going through the Foundation Course. This was an online lecture. Every medical college has been conducting this course since 2019. The objective is to sensitize fresh medical students about the required knowledge and skills for their professional environment. It stresses on the medical graduate preparing to be a lifelong learner and developing strong leadership and communication skills.
In December, the Grant Medical College & JJ Hospital, Mumbai invited me to offer the lecture for its Foundation Course. This was a live session, held in their prestigious Anatomy Hall, a charming old construction. While in the recent years, this hall became famous via the movie “Munnabhai MBBS”, it is a matter of pride that many eminent doctors from all over India and the world have addressed medical gatherings here. I personally cherish the opportunity of having spoken in this hall more than once.
As I had done for the AIIMS Kalyani talk, I stressed on the need for reading beyond textbooks. I explained about journals and other resources. I then introduced them to the “structured fundamentals” of online searching. I gave them a bird’s eye view on how tagging search terms and using Boolean operators could make a difference. The good thing about a live session is that I could make students answer questions and ensure that they understood these fundamentals. I shared with them about how they could learn much more by enrolling in our courses.
More importantly, I believe I have sown the seeds of interest in research. I told them that while they had an option of pursuing research as a career choice, it was vital that they understood research, in order to do good practice. That I believe is a great contribution. I have in the last many years, interacted with students, who mentioned that they wished they had had been told more about research in their early years. I made them aware of it in their first month. I hope the seeds I have sown, result in all of them understanding research well!