29/07/2025
THE SENIOR JUNIOR MISCONCEPTIONS !
𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐃
During my house job rotation in General Surgery, I was once assigned to give a presentation on the step-ladder pattern of pain management. Everything was going smoothly until I reached the slide discussing aspirin, where I stated that aspirin is an NSAID.
One of the senior registrars immediately interrupted, visibly infuriated. She stopped the presentation, accused me of coming unprepared, and insisted that aspirin is not an NSAID. In front of the entire team, she humiliated not just me, but also my registrar (the leader of our group).
She said:
“𝑨𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒏 𝑵𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑫, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒎𝒊𝒕 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 1000 𝑷𝑲𝑹”
I was stunned by the reaction.
Later, I showed my registrar credible sources confirming that aspirin is in fact classified as an NSAID. He acknowledged the error, cancelled the fine, and apologised on her behalf.
Only later did I find out that her response had little to do with my presentation; it was actually due to a personal conflict with our registrar, and I had simply been a convenient target. Sadly, she never apologised to me or my registrar for this behaviour.
This experience reflects a deeper problem in the medical training system in Pakistan, a culture where hierarchy is prioritised over humility, and humiliation is too often used as a teaching tool.
In contrast, during my clinical attachment in the UK, I found a completely different approach. My supervising consultant would often say things like,
“𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒈 𝒘𝒆 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒕?”
And if I didn’t know, we would simply search for it together on the internet.
There was no shame in not knowing, only a shared commitment to finding the right answer. That culture of mutual respect, open discussion, and lifelong learning was truly empowering.
This contrast highlights a crucial need in our healthcare training systems to move away from blame and intimidation, and towards a more supportive, respectful, and collaborative environment. Medical education should nurture curiosity, not fear. Because in the end, we’re all still learning and that should be okay.
