More than fifteen years ago when I joined a medical college as young staff, there was hardly any undergraduate psychiatry class!! First, there were nothing called regular staff and secondly, undergraduate students would not attend the session as psychiatry was not mandatory!! Attendance in psychiatry was never counted, all the more reason for students to skip them. It was in this unease that my mind was in distress. I wrote a long letter to my alma mater on my state. Well, nothing much happens, unless we take it personally and initiate action.
It may sound crazy but I put up print out , A4 black& white, on all notice boards about including those in hostels that psychiatry classes are scheduled and topic listed. There was no hype about social media then but the notice boards were the available social media. Just a step more and I mentioned, “irrespective of which batch, anyone one can join the class”. And bingo!! The psychiatry class began with more than 80 students. It’s a matter of pride, over the years students from the institution went to win all psychiatry quiz programs over years at every level!! one of the students from the very first batch of winners went to take up psychiatry at national institute. That was just the beginning.
(The above article has appeared in a previous issue Volume 13, Issue 8, August 2023)
Dr. M Kishor
Professor & Head
Department of Psychiatry
JSS Medical College, Karnataka
