29/08/2026
Why Do We Hesitate to Hire Fresh Medical Graduates?
An MBBS degree and House Job are important milestones—but they are not the end of clinical training.
From our experience in clinical practice, many fresh graduates enter the job market with significant gaps in practical skills, clinical decision-making, communication, professionalism, and independent patient management.
1️⃣ Clinical & Practical Competence
🔹 History & Diagnosis: Over-reliance on empiric prescriptions instead of structured history-taking, examination, and differential diagnosis.
🔹 Basic Case Management: Hesitation in managing common conditions such as acute gastroenteritis, uncomplicated hypertension, fever, and other routine presentations.
🔹 Emergency Management: Limited confidence in triage, resuscitation, emergency decision-making, and coordinating nursing/paramedical staff under pressure.
🔹 Basic Practical Skills: Reluctance to assist with essential bedside procedures when nursing or support staff are unavailable.
2️⃣ Communication & Counseling
A good doctor needs more than medical knowledge.
🔹 Communicating effectively with patients and attendants
🔹 Handling difficult or aggressive families
🔹 Explaining diagnoses, treatment plans, and prognosis with empathy
🔹 Understanding local cultural and social dynamics
🔹 Maintaining professional respect toward seniors, colleagues, and support staff
3️⃣ Professionalism & Work Ethics
Some new graduates approach their first job primarily as a 9-to-5 position, without fully understanding the responsibility that comes with patient care.
Common concerns include:
🔹 Unrealistic expectations regarding salary and duty hours
🔹 Frequent leave requests before establishing reliability
🔹 Limited sense of ownership toward patients and the institution
🔹 Poor CV, interview, and professional communication etiquette
🔹 Lack of proper follow-up after applying for a position
⚖️ Two Often-Overlooked Areas
Medico-Legal Awareness
Doctors need to understand the importance of proper documentation, informed consent, confidentiality, and the legal implications of managing trauma and high-risk cases.
Beyond Tertiary-Care Dependence
A doctor working in a private or secondary-care setup may not have an immediate specialist, advanced laboratory, or large support team available.
The ability to assess, prioritize, stabilize, make decisions, and take responsibility independently becomes essential.
The Real Issue
This is not an argument against fresh graduates.
Every experienced doctor was once a fresh graduate.
The real question is whether our medical education and House Job system are adequately preparing young doctors for real-world independent practice.
Fresh graduates don't need to know everything.
They need the right attitude, willingness to learn, clinical discipline, communication skills, practical competence, and professional responsibility.
A degree gets you into the profession.
Competence, character, and continuous learning make you a good doctor.
— Dr. Jamshaid Iqbal Anjum
Ghauri Medics, Islamabad
