Courses and Colleges after 10th After 10th, What Next?
Introduction: Career as a Physiotherapist
“From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” – Arthur Ashe.
We can obtain all the riches and attain the greatest successes in life, but in the end, our crowning glory is how we’ve positively impacted the lives of others. Carrying this axiom forward CIGMA INDIA interviewed Dr. Sonal Bondre, to inspire and motivate those million students who are aspiring to become prominent doctors.
About Dr. Sonal Bondre:
Dr. Sonal Bondre is a successful physiotherapist , who has her private clinic at Dadar, Mumbai. She graduated from J.N Medical College in Belgaum, Karnataka in the year 2001.
At the advent of her career she worked in prestigious hospitals such as Nanavati Hospital and Ramakrishna Mission Hospital in Mumbai. Later she also worked under a very senior, experienced and renowned therapist Dr. Saroj Sanghavi, at his private clinic.
Currently she is also working as a visiting therapist at 2 maternity nursing homes where she teaches the expectant mothers antenatal and postnatal exercises and care. She specializes in joint mobilization and manipulation techniques.
We had a few questions to ask Dr. Sonal Bondre about her career keeping in mind that it benefits the million odd aspirants in India who want to become doctors. Here is what she replied.
Q. What motivated you to take up this career as a Physiotherapist?
A. Being a science student, my main interest was in the field of Biology. At the time, this was a relatively unexplored field with lots of potential to grow.
Q. How did you start your career and what is it that you think has made you successful throughout?
A. After completing my degree and internship, I worked at the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai for a few months to gain a hands-on experience. Thereafter, I practiced at a private physiotherapy clinic in South Mumbai. After having gained good experience & confidence at these prestigious institutions, I started my own practice in 2009. Till date, the one thing that has made me successful through-out is being consistent with work no matter what ( with a private practice there are bound to be ups and downs in relation with the work flow) and keeping updated with the latest developments in our field of physiotherapy practice.
Q. Which college did you graduate from?
A. I completed my degree and internship from J.N Medical college, Belgaum, Karnataka State.
Q. What is the expected salary for a Fresher in your field ?
A. It can vary from anything between 5K to 20K depending on the type of hospital and hours of working & the academic qualifications/specialisation.
Q. What are the daily challenges you face?
A. The most common problem in this field is a lack of awareness about this field in general. People or patient education becomes the most important challenge. Physiotherapy may not add years to life but it adds quality life to those years.
Q. What are the pros and cons of working in your field?
A. The Pros would be having flexibility in your working hours if you are in a private practice , no emergencies in work ( as seen in other medical fields like surgery, orthopaedics etc.)
B. The Cons would be there is a lot of physical effort involved as in mobilizing the patients which can get you physically tired. That may limit the amount of work you may be able to do in a day.
Q. What are some other ways people in this field can get started?
A. Fresh graduates can take up a job in a hospital , a private set up such as nursing homes, they can also take up jobs in fitness institutes.
Q. What qualities and skills are essential for success in your field ?
A. Being updated with the latest techniques in our field and having lots of patience as we mostly have to deal with patients having pain syndromes, disabilities or other chronic medical conditions .
Q. Did you ever feel like giving up this job / career ?
A. Never
Q. Do you have other career interests / Job ?
A. No, but I would love to be involved in patient’s / people education programs which would take care of preventive aspect of health issues.
Q. How do you keep yourself motivated?
A. The immense satisfaction that i get from helping people to get relief from their chronic painful conditions & helping them to get back to a healthy life is a big motivating factor.
Q. What would you say has been the most significant metric for your success?
A. Being consistent with work, keeping updated with the latest happenings in the field and being a strong motivator to my patients.
Q. If you could give one piece of advice to budding aspirants in your field, what would it be?
A. Be passionate and sincere in your work, more so because we are in a medical field. Give that extra human touch that is needed and stay updated and success & satisfaction will surely follow !
Was the interview usefull?? Yes, it should have been.
