From a Private University Grad to a Government Post Grad

- Mariam Khalid Mehmood

From a Private Graduate to 

a Government Post Graduate; 

The good, the bad and the ugly. 

This is a tricky topic to provide a perspective on, as in my opinion it is more of a double edged sword. Nonetheless, I will share my experiences, both bitter and sweet, having had the opportunity of experiencing both setups. 

I can still recall the anxiety and palpitations associated with taking the MDCAT to ultimately NOT ending up in the public sector, hence directing me towards the private sector. However, with time I realized that the overall experience wasn’t so bad after all.

My undergraduate dental education at a private sector had its own highs and lows, teaching me valuable life lessons for the future. The best thing I gained out of my stay were mentors who would always catch me before I fell.  At that time it was important for me to work hard as I was well aware of the competition the future held in store for me, considering the amazing graduates, not just from public but other private colleges as well. My dental hospital had almost everything in adequacy, from sterilization, armamentarium, dental assistants to hygiene and cleanliness etc. Almost every facility was available and the mentorship provided by my professors was pretty direct in nature. I evolved into a dentist there, knowing that the key to professionalism lies in the environment and the type of surroundings one grows up in, regardless of it being a government or a private setup. 

I obviously wasn’t fully aware of the differences between private and government sectors until I ended up in one for my postgraduate education. 

I was ecstatic after getting accepted to a residency program at a public sector hospital. I was excited to finally get the opportunity of being able to experience learning and working in the government sector. However, after having been groomed and seasoned in a private institute for a good five years, I did not anticipate the possible unforeseen challenges in a government setup.

So here comes the part where the most obvious comparisons sprout. 

To begin with, the aura of a government institute is very distinct to which their own graduates are already well accustomed, but it most certainly hit me hard on my very first day.  Secondly, the staff, is definitely not your average staff that is just hanging onto their wages. These people know that while others may come and go, they are there to stay. That is the type of attitude they possess. Next comes the authority of the hospital. The rank and grade of person is clearly evident from the way they behave and is hard to miss. Then comes the paperwork; if you’re good at that you will survive the system. In a private setup things are relatively straight forward and simple. However I found myself drowning in a pile of papers, waiting to be signed and attested by every person in each corner of the institute, only to end up discovering that I had messed something up and would have to repeat the tedious process. Then comes the department itself. There are certain particulars associated with each and every person there and you would have to keep those in mind while dealing with them. Nobody here is simply categorized as a senior or junior similar to how it is at private sector. 

In the public sector I came across a variety of categories and ranks, form Postgraduate (PG) seniors, PG juniors, PG/MO seniors, PG/MO juniors and MOs of different grades in addition to the Head of department as well as his favorites. You keep these factors in mind while interacting with them, not because you are biased towards them but because they don’t think and behave alike and demand exclusive treatment. On the clinical side, it was daunting for me in the first few months. I had no chair side assistance, no ideal isolation, no proper reception and the number of patients was ten times greater than the private hospital. You just cannot get a moment of peace when working in a government hospital; the next patient is already waiting while you are still finishing off the previous one’s work. As far as supervision was concerned, it wasn’t the same as my undergrad nor did they have the same number of mentors as they did at my private college. There was a hierarchy according to which the senior most residents learnt from the supervisor and were then supposed to share and transmit that knowledge to the junior residents. They taught the juniors with the same amount of passion and enthusiasm as any supervisor would. The senior residents were always there to help even if my supervisor wasn’t available at times. Hence I never felt left out or unattended. Coming to the lack of chair side assistance; though it’s always ideal to have an assistant but trust me not having one helped me become so independent and versatile, doing everything myself. I myself became a four-handed dentist like many others around me. I never dreaded the idea of having to do things on my own thereafter. 

Lastly, I would like to highlight my fear of being an out caste there, as I thought that the crème de la crème wouldn’t accept me and would hold a grudge against me considering I came from a private sector dental college. Rather, on the contrary, they embraced my presence with open arms, never singling me out, in fact they helped me ‘amalgam ‘ate into the system so well. This speaks volumes about both the place itself and the nature of its people. 

My advice to everyone facing a similar dilemma would be to ensure that they explore all avenues and possibilities, never fearing the unknown. The more exposure you get, the better you learn to deal with all kinds of circumstances, thriving in any condition. 

If you are a private graduate who is set to get enrolled into a government institute soon, you should be well aware of the differences, embrace them while continuing to remain patient and overcome all fears and hurdles. Don’t question anything or criticize the environment, because even though the private hospital you came from must have had it all, the experience of working in a public setup has its own valuable benefits, eventually boosting your professional value, making you resourceful, experienced and also literally ‘four-handed’. Good luck!