Dr Inam always believed that surgery as a field was not his passion, he was fascinated by being a pilot as a child. It was just presumed of him to become a surgeon with his father being one and that's why he chose the profession as well. Looking back, he says it was one of the most important and positive decisions he has ever made in his life and encourages students to follow suit. He hailed surgery as a very emotionally satisfying profession and said he would not want to do anything else after experiencing the fruits of being a surgeon now.
He was adamant on students to understand that there are no shortcuts to being a surgeon. It is unlike almost all other professions with it being extremely physically demanding and calls for an immense sacrifice to a person's social life and commitments. It's difficult having a life and maintaining a balance in those initial stages of being a surgeon. However, he added that the high you get after successfully operating on a patient's life-threatening condition is unmatchable and extraordinary. Totally worth the struggle
Trauma Surgery was discussed with Dr Inam saying it is an exciting and intense field that requires rapid turnover and rapid outcomes. It is merging with Acute Surgical Care and it is a growing field with Pakistan needing more Trauma Surgeons in the future.
When asked about his interests outside his work, Dr Inam Pal, who has been trying to learn the Sitar for 20 years, said that he goes trekking trips to Northern areas every year that have fuelled his ever-increasing passion for photography. He emphasizes the importance of finding a healthy balance between one's personal and professional lives.
Dr Inam Pal then addressed a topic that many students require guidance in: the pathway to residencies abroad. He explained his journey, being trained in the UK, which, currently, is not the most popular choice for students, and discussed the pros and cons. He also shed light on why one aims for residencies abroad, and what training abroad means.
Surgical training at AKU is not a commonly explored path either, and Dr Inam Pal laid down many reasons why one should consider it. He talked about the training, patient load and academics at AKU, which allow excellent growth as a surgeon. Some ways training could improve, such as with exposure to the international environment, were also discussed. In all, for most subspecialties of surgery, training in AKU is a great career (or perhaps lifestyle) choice.
Talking next about research, Dr Inam explained what is currently lacking in surgery research in Pakistan. He laid down the current scenario in research, and emphasized that more laboratory and molecular research work needs to be done in General Surgery, while clinical research is growing.
The pandemic, he mentioned, has inevitably affected the residency program, with less patient load and less elective surgeries conducted in the past months. Highlighting the importance of practice, he stated that residents will have to put in more time to make up for this loss, especially those in their last few years of training.
When asked for some final words of advice, he told students, “be honest with yourselves”. He encouraged them to ask themselves the bigger questions and answer them with honesty to help them on their journey. Explore the reason you want to become a doctor, and a surgeon, he recommended. This list is what one can gain strength from in trying times during one’s journey: Why are you doing what you are doing, and why have you chosen surgery as your lifestyle?
