Dr. Kunal Meena
I am someone who got to work in a government setup for 1 full year, and honestly that one year felt more like 3... in a good way. It was a rotational post, which meant I had to shift across wards, ICU, OT, and even casualty — no chance to get too comfortable in one place. Every few weeks brought new responsibilities, new types of patients, and yeah, new kinds of pressure too.
In casualty I saw a lot — from road traffic injuries to sudden breathlessness, fevers that wouldn’t come down, old patients just collapsing... and you don’t get time to overthink, you just act. You learn fast where to focus. I also handled geriatric OPD and that was a different kind of challenge. Older patients need more listening, more patience. Most come with multiple issues — joint pain, sugar, BP, digestion, insomnia — and sometimes they just want to talk too. You realize pretty quick that care isn’t only treatment.
ICU postings taught me to stay alert all the time. Alarms don’t wait. I had to assist in serious cases, learn to track vitals, respond to sudden dips, push meds under supervision. OT experience was equally hands-on... mostly assisting but you pick up the flow of surgical steps, sterilization rules, emergency prep and post-op care that textbooks just can’t really explain.
What I liked most about that whole year was the exposure — I wasn’t limited to one age group or one type of disease. From paediatric fevers to elderly fall injuries, from asthma attacks to appendicitis — saw a bit of everything. And the system might be hectic, but it teaches you how to function under pressure and still think clearly.
That year gave me the kind of foundation you can’t just study. It was about real people, real-time decisions, and not just following protocol but also figuring out what works when there’s no perfect setup. Definitely made me sharper, more grounded, and honestly more ready for whatever comes next in clinical life.