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Showing posts from November, 2025

Unconscious Bias: Why it Happens and How to Unlearn It

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Before you finish reading this paragraph, your brain has already made a judgment about someone.  Their accent , their appearance , their profession, or the way they expressed an idea.  You did not consciously choose to judge — and that is exactly how unconscious bias works. Unconscious bias refers to the automatic assumptions and mental shortcuts our brains use to process the world quickly. These biases are shaped by culture, media, upbringing, education, and personal experiences. They exist everywhere — across countries, professions, and social systems . The uncomfortable truth is this: even kind, educated, well-intentioned people have unconscious bias. What matters is not pretending we don’t have it, but learning how to recognize and unlearn it. “We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.” This article explores common examples of unconscious bias seen globally and practical ways anyone can overcome them. What Is Unconscious Bias?  Unconscious bias is not ...
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Choosing the Right Surgical Training Institute: A Personal Guide

My Personal Journey & Lessons Transitioning into a completely different field is never easy—and in my previous blog, I shared how I unexpectedly stepped into a job far from what I had originally trained for. If you haven’t read it yet, please check it out for the full background  https://faithfatigueandthefuture.blogspot.com/2025/11/starting-over-in-pediatrics-learning-to.html Adjusting to a New Job and a New Environment The first one or two weeks were difficult. Everything felt new, different, and sometimes overwhelming. But slowly, things began to settle. I made new friends, my colleagues were supportive, and the overall work environment was friendly. I even started enjoying the work. I was working evening shifts, which came with both benefits and drawbacks. Benefit : waking up comfortably in the morning, no rush. Drawback : the entire day practically disappeared. I used to leave home around 2 PM and return at 10:30 PM—exhausted. After that, I had no energy left for studying ...
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Starting Over in Pediatrics: Learning to Adjust in a New Job You Never Planned For...

Sometimes life places us exactly where we never thought we would be.  As a doctor, you imagine your journey going in a straight line— “I’ll get a surgical job, I’ll train there, I’ll grow there.”  But reality often surprises us. I recently joined a renowned institute as a Paediatric Medical Officer , not because it was my dream field, but because something is better than nothing. In medicine, staying stagnant feels heavier than taking an unexpected step forward. I didn’t plan for this path. Yet here I am—stepping into paeds general and paeds hem-oncology , treating tiny patients and navigating a new system with anxiety, hope, and gratitude all mixed together. And that is where this journey begins. Feeling Fear and Gratitude at the Same Time On one side, there is fear . On the other, there is hope . I have some past experience in paediatrics—six months—and that gives me confidence that I’ll eventually settle. The environment is surprisingly warm,  the staff, the system, ev...
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Life After FCPS Part 1, MD, MS, PLAB or USMLE: A Doctor’s Reality

My Struggle With Residency, MOSHIP, and the Fear of Falling Behind I opted for FCPS Part 1 in surgery but alot of students who have given MD MS PLAB USMLE exams and not securing a training position anywhere, can relate to my story.   Clearing FCPS Part 1 in Surgery in my first attempt—after just 1.5 months of preparation—should have felt like the biggest breakthrough of my career. And it did…  for a moment. But what came after was something NO ONE warns you about: the silent gap, the waiting, the rejections, and the fear of falling behind while everyone else seems to be moving forward. I applied to all the major teaching hospitals and well-known institutes in my city. I walked into every induction test with hope, confidence, and my freshly passed FCPS exam. But the result was the same everywhere— I didn’t get selected for residency training in surgery . And that’s when the panic began. Sometimes the gap isn’t empty; it’s where growth quietly happens. -The Confusion That Foll...
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Choosing a Career After House Job: How to Decide Confidently

Choosing a Career After House Job: The Confusion, The Pressure and the Courage to Choose the Correct Path When I was doing my house job / internship, I often found myself standing in the operation theatre thinking: “Is surgery really for me?” On some days, the adrenaline excited me — the rush, the focus, the responsibility. On other days, the environment drained me — the hierarchy, the pressure, the unpredictability. I kept telling myself: - Surgery is a male-dominant field… - Sources matter more than skills… - Branches are limited for women… - Training in government setups is hard to get and you have to be resourceful to get it … These thoughts weren’t just passing doubts — they were real fears, the kind many young doctors feel but rarely say out loud. The Reality We Don’t Talk About Choosing a career in medicine, especially in Pakistan , isn’t as straightforward as passing MBBS and completing your house job.  These feelings synchronize with almost every student who walks ou...
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After MBBS House Job: A Reminder While Preparing for the Next Step

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When the Journey Feels Heavy, After MBBS House Job/Internship : A Reminder for Every Doctor Preparing for the Next Step There comes a point in every doctor’s journey when the exhaustion becomes louder than ambition. You finish MBBS , survive the house job , go through extensions, spend months buried in books for FCPS , and just when you think the hardest part is over… another mountain appears: - Residency . - Competition . - Oversaturation of the field . - Expectations — from family, from society, from yourself. And suddenly your mind says, “I can’t study anymore.” Your heart whispers, “I’m tired.” And your soul quietly sighs, “ Allah will take care of it.” If you’re in this phase right now — feeling stuck, drained, unproductive yet still holding on to a small flame of hope — this blog is for you. Because the truth is:  every in process doctor goes through this silent battle, but very few talk about it. Maybe your heart is tired today, but tomorrow it will beat with purpose again....
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