26/02/2025
๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐โ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ?
When Dr. Santosh G. Honavar asked me to present on โ๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐, ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ at AIOS Empowerโthe All India Ophthalmological Society conference on practice developmentโI wasnโt sure what to talk about. So, asked him. He casually said, โJust share your storyโwhy you chose to practice in a small town and how you made it a success.โ
That was a relief. Storytelling comes naturally to me.
I enjoyed making the presentation and even more while delivering it. My plan was simpleโpresent, then catch the earliest flight back from Bangalore to Chandigarh. But guess what? This turned out to be one of the most insightful CMEs Iโve attended.
The hall was packed, and most attendees stayed throughout. The sessions covered everything except clinical topicsโ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐จ๐ฐ, ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐, ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โthe very foundation of running a hospital successfully. And to my surprise, I enjoyed these sessions even more than presenting my own talk!
I actually felt awful for leaving early.
For someone like me, who never formally studied management, these discussions were invaluable. Hats off to the AIOS teamโDr. Honavar, Dr. Samar Basak, Dr. Namrata Sharma, Dr. Lalit Verma, Dr. Senthil, and the entire teamโfor curating such a brilliant session.
So, it got me thinkingโshould doctors learn business? Or more broadly, should any professional who is also an entrepreneur learn business?
Not everyone needs an MBA, but understanding leadership, finance, and strategy makes us better doctors, better employers, and ultimately, better at serving patients.
Would love to hear your thoughtsโhave you faced this in your journey?
