This question has been in my mind for so long for various reasons.
The moment you introduce yourself as a doctor, the first followup is “What is your specialty?”. - this creates a sense of MBBS not being enough to be called a doctor. It could just be an innocent question to know the background. But, in general the response is “ Oh, only MBBS?”- which makes us feel undervalued after 5.5years of studies.
Even in the medical field, the respect for MBBS graduates is not very welcoming.
In the end, I feel that MBBS is enough for a lot of conditions and doctors are very well eligible to treat people. Unless it is a specific condition requiring further treatment, MBBS is enough
MBBS gave a strong foundation, but it’s not enough if you want to grow, specialize, or stand out. It’s just the beginning of a long journey in medicine.
For non-medics … It a normal question “which doctor” … Because since our school days, we are taught in a way when we different as “doctor for females”, “doctor for babies”, “doctor for stomach pain” etc etc … But never in a way that mbbs means a general physician…
That is the sole reason when I introduce myself to people , there’s a counter question for my speciality… To which I reply “thoda thoda sab kuch”(I know a little about every field)
I personally feel Mbbs doctor/general physicians or RMOs are equally important and it should me a person’s personal choice to choose further rather than society’s pressure to run in the race of specialization…
ABSOLUTE YES!! MBBS doctors are fully trained and capable of diagnosing and managing a wide range of conditions. Specialization is for depth, not legitimacy. MBBS is enough to serve and save lives and that deserves far more respect than it’s given.
I agree, MBBS is enough as its about competence, compassion and continuous learning not just getting more degrees. In the current scenario , specialization adds to your skills and creates more opportunities.