Before I joined my MD Psychiatry residency, I had heard a lot of things about how this period of three years was going to be. A few said its extremely tough, some said it sucks the joy out of you while others described it as something that can only be understood by the ones going through it. With such an unclear picture in my mind, I entered residency in 2019 after working for that coveted PG seat for almost 3-4 years, spending sleepless nights during my internship year to prepare for the dreaded NEET-PG and then fighting hard for the seat because of the new obstacles thrown at our batch by government. As a starry-eyed 24 year old who thought he had finally entered the big leagues, residency brought my ego back to the ground pretty hard and fast. I still remember the initial few days wherein everything at work seems alien and your batchmates seem as clueless as you. Every resident remembers the first time they face the infamous ‘Jhaap’ by their seniors or bosses. I think it’s a rite of passage and residency’s way of saying, ‘Welcome kid, you have finally made it!’.

I feel its funny how every senior (me included) expects a newbie to know all the responsibilities, expectations and core values needed in a first year resident but its also beautiful how almost every junior (me included here as well) ends up learning these, and much more along the way. All you need to do is keep your eyes and ears open and say yes to chances and opportunities that residency presents. There are 3 entities that help you in this process, the first being your batchmates with whom you shall spend more time than your own family, form bonds for life and eventually become a family away from home. Like every family, there might be an odd-ball here and there, a colleague who is difficult ,who makes you want to pull your hair but I remember one of my bosses saying that dealing with such individuals is also a part of the residency training (and a part of life). Most of us have laughed, cried, questioned our decision to join residency while being with our batchmates and its beautiful how going out together after work suddenly makes all this go away and you are back to the grind the next day. If you are lucky, you might find love as well, it could be your batchmate you see in the ward daily or someone you met by chance in an unexpected posting. If not, you could just watch your friends struggle to manage their relationship along with managing residency.

The other entities are your seniors and your bosses. These guys have been in your place earlier, have gone through what you have and have years of wisdom in their arsenal. There is always going to be a boss you don’t like or a senior who gives too much work but you must look beyond that and remember why you joined residency – to learn. Find someone who teaches, mentors and makes you work hard to learn along the way and you will see that work becomes fun. I have had the pleasure of working with incredible people (my registrars and my bosses) who have not only taught me Psychiatry but also mentored me to become the person I am today.

Residency also means a lot of serious business. You are accountable for people’s lives and everyone knows that with great power comes great responsibility. This means working when you are unwell, when you feel physically and mentally exhausted, covering for your batchmates when they aren’t around and putting you patients over everything else, maybe even your own self. You are a part of something much bigger, a very small but important cog in a huge machine and I feel it’s important we realize this early on. You are going to have days that are great wherein you have diagnosed or treated a case beautifully or performed a great surgery but you will also definitely have days where you have made errors, you have gotten yelled at by your bosses and even been given all sorts of punishments. This is the norm and if this happens to you, don’t feel afraid, don’t feel disheartened or alone. Everyone goes through this and what you must realize is to not repeat the same mistakes. Your interaction with your seniors, juniors, bosses, hospital staff and patients, all of these different experiences and opportunities and the work you do these 3 years is going to be a part of your overall growth as a doctor and a person which I now realize when I am indulging in nostalgia.

As a Psychiatry resident, I have seen a lot of my friends and colleagues suffer mental health issues during residency because of various reasons, some took treatment and got better while others chose to suffer in silence. I would like to say this that it is okay to take help to end the suffering and that your friends from the department of psychiatry will always be there for you!

Looking back at those 3 years, I have had multiple ups and downs, learnt a lot, treated thousands of patients, worked with amazing people and made friends for life. I had entered the hospital as Somil, a young guy looking for a purpose and meaning and I leave as Dr Somil Savla (TheShrinkSays), that Psychiatry guy and I shall forever remained indebted for this.