For South Asian Heritage Month, this This Doctor Can blog post focuses on the life and career of Dr Ravi Madhotra FRCP.
When I was 10 years old, my father took me to see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon in a local hospital in Delhi for acute tonsillitis. The equipment in the clinic room and the doctor’s headlamp mirror sparked my curiosity enough to distract me, and the doctor’s careful examination and smiling reassurance left a lasting mark on me.
While studying medicine in Shimla, a beautiful Himalayan city, student life was hard but instilled resilience and determination.
As a good science student, I was faced with the choice between a career in medicine or engineering. Ultimately, my childhood experience at the hospital led me to choose medicine.
While studying medicine in Shimla, a beautiful Himalayan city, student life was hard but instilled resilience and determination. After graduating, I began a postgraduate degree course in internal medicine. My professor was a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), which inspired me to start preparing for the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test and Membership of the RCP (MRCP(UK)) exam. Just before coming to the UK, a sudden illness in the family required my savings for private treatment. This meant I had to borrow money from a small group of friends for plane tickets and exam fees. This experience strengthened my desire to work in the NHS as it is publicly funded and free at the point of delivery.
I still remember the goosebumps followed by immense joy on the day I found out that I had passed the PLAB. My first job as a senior house officer (SHO) was challenging, particularly in keeping up with the English idioms and jokes. Within a year, I passed my MRCP(UK) and became a specialty registrar (SpR) in gastroenterology. I enjoyed the next 5 years in clinical training as well as doing research. In my final year, I was selected for an advanced gastrointestinal fellowship in Charleston, USA. This was a highly enriching clinical experience and gave me an insight into a two-tier healthcare system.
As a consultant for 18 years in Milton Keynes, I find my job very fulfilling as it offers a blend of clinical, teaching and professional leadership roles at local, regional and national levels. At my trust, I was clinical director and eventually divisional director for medicine. I have served as a regional specialty adviser, member of the Clinical Services and Standards Committee (CSSC) at the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and secretary of the regional gut club at Oxford. It has been surreal to be an examiner for MRCP(UK), the very exam I once dreaded. I am privileged to serve the RCP as regional adviser and am grateful for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Her Majesty The Queen during the RCP’s quincentenary ceremony in 2019.
Alongside a successful NHS career, I have faced a fair share of challenges, barriers and disappointments, including some due to unconscious bias, but the cultural values of hard work and perseverance from my Indian heritage helped me overcome these. I am thankful to our NHS for the opportunities and supportive professional environment it has offered. My journey has been fulfilling and I am now using my experience to support and mentor junior medical and nursing colleagues. In my leadership roles I am now giving a voice to black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) colleagues and international medical graduates in local and national forums, and helping to improve diversity and equality to the benefit of NHS. I will encourage the young doctors to work hard with a collaborative teamwork approach in improving patient care, but also keep a focus on their professional development and leadership skills.
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