Join us on the shores of sunny St. Vincent as Dr. Paryus Patel, Corporate Chief Medical Officer of Prime Health, shares his inspiring journey from Africa to the U.S., how he climbed both literal and professional mountains, and what it takes to succeed as an international medical graduate.
In this episode, Dr. Patel talks about:
✅ Building one of the largest community-based residency networks in the U.S.
✅ How his passion for pulmonary research took him to the world’s highest peaks
✅ Insights on balancing work, research, leadership, and life
✅ His perspective on AI in medicine and his advice for future doctors
Whether you are a future doctor, an IMG, or simply love an inspiring story of resilience and mentorship, this is one you will not want to miss.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Med
School Minutes podcast, where wediscuss what it takes to attend
and successfully complete amedical program.
This show is brought to you bySt James School of Medicine.
Here is your host, kaushik Guha.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Thank you so much for joining us for another episode
of Med School Minutes.
Today we decided to mix it up alittle bit and we're filming
from the shores of sunny StVincent.
Our very special guest is DrParas Patel.
He is the Corporate ChiefMedical Officer of Prime Health,
which is a chain of 53hospitals, and he personally
oversees nearly 250 residencyslots.
(00:41):
We're going to talk to himabout his journey and how he
became as successful as he isbeing an IMG.
So, without further ado, let'swelcome Dr Paras Patel.
Welcome, dr Patel to sunny StVincent.
It's wonderful being here.
Yes, this is a unique.
This is not our usual studio,so it's a breath of fresh air
(01:02):
air.
But I just really wanted tostart the whole interview by
really asking you and tell uswhy don't you tell us a little
bit about yourself and yourbackground?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
so I have a very interesting and a fascinating
life that I have led so far.
I started as born and raised inAfrica, spent my high school.
Always was intrigued by the artof medicine.
Doctor's office was myfascinating places to go.
That was my driving passion.
Over time, as I evolved into Iactually diversified because of
(01:36):
the change in condition, climateand political environment in
Africa.
I moved to India okay, where Iact, finished the medical school
earlier phases, which was aunique and a very astonishing
experience that you can neverget.
It was bland, cultural, plan,diversity of disease, so it
(01:59):
actually got me more eveninterested into pursuing that
field.
I shifted from there to UK,finished my clerkship portion in
UK, southampton, and where Ilearned a different part, though
it was all traditional Britishmedicine but it was hands-on
clinical science, clinicalfundamental medicine.
(02:20):
I finished at a very young,early age.
At that time I did not feelthat I wanted to kind of go into
practice and it was a funnystory that my first day I was
identified as a little kid andnot as a doctor.
So it made me change to goahead and do research.
I went into research for WHOand those areas back in the
(02:43):
early 70s they were coming upwith tuberculosis medication and
treatment.
So I worked with WHO on TBtrials and TB and that somehow
got me interested in pulmonarymedicine.
Subsequently, back in 85, Imoved to United States In 85,
(03:03):
after that I continued andpursued my passion for research.
I signed up with UC Irvine inSouthern California, did some
research while I was gettingready for reciprocating exams
that I had to take as a foreigngrad.
Unfortunately I wasn'tgrandfathered into anything, so
at that time the exams weredifferent, but it was similar to
(03:24):
step one, step two and stepthree.
So while I was doing that ittook me about two and a half
years in the same time period totake those tests.
I continued my research andthat established a strong
fundamental understanding ofwhat United States research
protocols are, started myresidency as an emergency room
(03:45):
physician After a year.
I actually loved the medicinepart, but what was missing was
the follow-ups.
I mean you treat, you did.
I was at least curious of whathappens to this patient.
So to satisfy my drive, Ishifted over from emergency room
to internal medicine, whichgave me the fulfillment I wanted
(04:07):
to pursue After internalmedicine.
Doing two years of internalmedicine, one year of it I was
appointed as the first foreigngraduate chief resident in
history of USC Okay of USC.
(04:31):
Usc being academic high academiccenter, used to have about 180
to 190 intermedicine slots.
When I became the chiefresident I decided to expand the
program.
I kind of came with acurriculum and didactics, the
core that trained them to be afundamental, better clinician.
So we grew the program fromalmost double it to 260, which
included primary, intermedicine,med-ped and optional of
(04:53):
transitional medicines forcertain graduates who did not
know whether the intermedicinewas the right way.
So transitional year allowedthem to actually decide where
they want to be and transitioninto that Ended up doing
pursuing that education, endedup doing the Pomeroy fellowship,
critical care fellowship,trauma fellowship, sleep
(05:14):
fellowship and transplantfellowship.
So that was my eternal largeacademic career.
So it transitioned to me afundamental knowledge.
At the time I was veryinterested in looking at the
efficiency and cost of doingthis test of medicine.
That's where I transitionedinto looking into options and I
(05:35):
subsequently went into privatepractice model in Westside of
Los Angeles where Senella wasone of the hospitals that had
gone through a lot of changesback in 2007.
Prime came and bought it over,where I always had played a
leadership role, where I wasappointed to become, help them
manage the clinical aspects as atitle called CMO, where it all
(06:01):
normally regulated the help withthe emergency rooms, help with
the clinical protocols,standardization of care.
How do we deliver high level ofcare, how do we optimize the
best care at the least possiblecost and efficiency in
expediting care.
So that's kind of a role that Istarted with.
Subsequently, as the Prime grew, I've grown with time and now
(06:23):
Prime owns 53 hospitals that I'mappropriate CMO.
I directly supervise almost 36of them.
The rest I indirectly assist.
Also, my second role waseducation right.
So when Prime started thisprogram we all pushed and Dr
Reddy, who's the chairman andand CEO, had the same vision.
(06:44):
So we started expanding intointernal medicine bread and
butter residency programs.
Initially I was the PD butgiven the time, circumstances
and my schedule, we appointeddifferent PDs.
So now what we do is starteddevelopment.
So from 12 programs we went to24 programs.
We went to 24 programsgoverning almost 250 plus
(07:09):
residents in the medicine slotsand our ambition is to even take
it larger as we acquire morehospitals.
Not all hospitals are capable ofresidency because you have to
provide certain level of care,certain volume, certain clinics,
some outpatient rotation, soour larger hospitals, or
bringing a cluster of threehospitals and adapting.
So we have started doing that.
Last year, within the last twoyears, we opened up six programs
(07:34):
right.
So it is an ambitious goal, butthat's what we want to do is
pursue more further education.
Going back to the second pieceof it, as a program director
there's a huge amount ofresponsibility, not just the
item of selecting candidates andother, but giving them the
right amount of education, andthat takes infrastructure.
(07:56):
So we are creating thatinfrastructure with a
community-based medicine.
The difference between auniversity teaching setup and a
community-based setup is, eventhough universities participate
in a great amount of research,they have a very structured
organization, but 70 to 80percent of patients are treated
(08:17):
in the community hospital.
So it is important that weestablish this community-based
teaching programs where majorityof the physicians who are
trained well will end up servingthe community.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
So I just want to quickly summarize.
Can you just tell us how manyresidencies and how many
fellowships you have?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
again.
So I actually didresidency-wise I did emergency
room and I did intermedicine andI did fellowship in pulmonary
critical care, trauma transplant, sleep so that's four
fellowships and two residences.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
My god, that's.
That definitely speaks volumesof the passion, right,
absolutely.
And then you moved from Englandand you were a physician,
practicing physician in England,that's correct.
And then you moved to theUnited States.
What drew you to the UnitedStates?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
So a couple of things .
One was most of my family hadlived in some part of the family
, but my immediate family hadall migrated to the United
States.
So my brother was here, mysisters were here, so it was
more of a family attraction.
But at the same token I wantedto establish a different style.
(09:32):
I wanted to learn.
What I heard was a differentway of practicing medicine,
because British medicine wastraditional medicine, which is
nothing wrong.
I think they delivered a greatlevel of care.
But I think the family bond andmy pursuit to have a higher
level of education was thereason I moved to the United
States.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
So this is something I always ask people, especially
people, and there are very, veryfew people like you who've
literally seen both aspects ofnationalized medicine and
privatized medicine privatizedbeing in the United States.
What were your biggest cultureshocks, if you will, when you
came to the United States?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
So the impression was nationalized medicine evolved
with serving everybody, servingevery population.
But they had to be conservativeon the resources.
So the question is first, howdo you select?
That that becomes an ethicaland a medical dilemma of who
gets what, and one suit doesn'tfit everyone.
So it's a challenge.
(10:30):
Not necessarily it has workedfor them.
It has a different way oflooking at it.
But when I moved to the UnitedStates, privatized medicine was
a whole different way To someextent.
I thought it was probably overexpensive, even though the
resources and things wereavailable.
(10:51):
The ultimate product is,besides the expense, you want to
look at the outcomes and thatdefinition of a good medical
care is morbidity, mortality,care, outcomes, preventive
medicine which preventivemedicine was a missing gap in
this country when I came here.
It's become a lot more better.
We have done, but how weeducated we were.
(11:13):
What I noticed was thedifference culturally was here.
We were tempted to treat ratherthan prevent.
Initially, even though theconcept was there, it was not
very well reinforced, but it hasevolved.
Now it's changing the fields aswe have learned over time.
The second part of cultural wasunderstanding privatization.
Privatization meansunderstanding the business
(11:35):
aspect of medicine, businessaspect being where the peer
sources?
Who funds for that?
What is covered, what is notcovered?
What resources are you limited?
How do you appeal for thoseresources?
So that was learning atdifferent resources rather than
in a medicine where you were innationalized services.
You were given a set oftoolboxes where you utilize.
(11:57):
So that evolved me into thebusiness aspect of understanding
and self-learning medicine.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
And now, in your current role as a CMO, obviously
you've mentioned that this is alot more administrative.
Is there certain aspects ofbeing more academic that you
actually miss?
Speaker 3 (12:17):
So fortunately I had the luxury and I think at the
prime we don't have a schedulethat you are purely become a
patchwork or a pencil pusher.
I still have an active medicalpractice, that I practice
Pongwei medicine, so I've leftthat academic part going.
I still love teaching so I doincorporate rotations.
(12:38):
Even though it's subspecialty,intermedicine, I do encourage
them to rotate to the ICUs,advanced teaching and the same
in the pulmonary clinic.
So that passion of teachinghasn't gone yet.
Okay, awesome.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
So I do want to let our audiences know about some of
your research.
Over the last couple of days,you've told us about the
endeavors that your research hasactually taken you, or
literally the summits that youhad to skip to fulfill your
research.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your pulmonary research?
Speaker 3 (13:09):
so, um, the research in the pulmonary medicine, uh,
what I wanted and originallystarted with the tb trials and
when I came, so that was in theuk, uk, yeah, um, when I came to
this country, tuberculosis wasnot a major rampant disease or
something that it existed, butit was never that.
So At the time the way UnitedStates was focusing more on was
(13:31):
more core, what we call asfundamental basic research.
That was driven by academicbasic science driven reason.
Clinical research is required,a clinical orientation.
Lung disease, heart disease werevery prevalent in my passion
for lung disease.
So I participated in a researchstudy that talked about
(13:55):
delivery of medicine into thelung.
How does it get into the lung?
What's the right size of theparticle, what's?
There are tons of inhalers andhow do we deliver?
That goes to the maximumefficiency of treating the lung
properly.
So that kind of was myfascination, though it was a
bensize.
Over the time I rewound intomore of a microbiological
(14:18):
research of lung particles andother things that are complex
sciences but talks about howdoes lung heal, how does lung
regenerate, how does lung damageget repaired, how does smoking
affect lung.
So those are the differentaspects that actually enticed me
to learn into the extensiveresearch part of pulmonary
medicine and this research.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
you obviously melded it very well with your passion,
which is mountaineering Right.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
So as I was already an outdoor person, I wanted to
establish and accomplish what wewant to do.
So in one of my fellowshipresearch was at high altitude,
effects of hypoxia, low oxygenand climbers Right, and that
actually made me start kind ofclimbing mountains.
So events like there aremountains that are 14 to 15 000
(15:09):
feet in los angeles incalifornia that I climbed eight
or ten years just to do pomeroyresearch, that drove me.
But even before that, as a kidI always loved the nature and
outdoor and mountains.
I liked it to test myself, sostarted climbing k2, went to the
base of Everest, did part ofNanga Parbat.
(15:30):
Then I shifted to United Stateswhere I count McKinley I was
counting the same winds Then Iended up in Machu Picchu and
Havana Picchu ended up inPatagonia.
So my avid passion for outdoors, mountains, is always done, a
passion that I love to do.
It gives me the zen, the moment, but it also blends in a
(15:53):
calmness, a serenity, as we workin this world of medicine and
stress.
It ties in of understandingwhat the outdoors is for you.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
So, with two residencies, four fellowships,
so much of research, you'vestill managed to maintain a
passion that needs a fair bit ofpreparation, time and time
investment, which is modern plan.
I mean, obviously, when I talkto a lot of students, they keep
(16:23):
saying that this is a verydemanding field.
I don't have time to do this, Idon't have time to do this, I
don't have time to do that.
How did you manage to do all ofthis?
And you still do.
You're here with us in StVincent.
You're CMO of a really largehospital chain.
How do you make time?
Speaker 3 (16:42):
So time waits for no one.
There's a split amount of timein the thing.
How you time manage becomesvery crucial, and you have to
manage time with efficiency.
The most people that actuallypush their limits and boundaries
are very efficient at timemanagement.
How do you decide what takespriority, prioritizing the time.
At the same token, never forgetthat unless you have the time
(17:08):
that drives that passion, youwill never succeed in anything.
So it is not just a balance ofpursuing a career or career
oriented.
You have to balance that outwith lifestyle.
What we look now towards iswhat are the things that gives
you motivation?
Climbing a mountain gives thatecstatic joy and probably
adrenaline rush, but that rushcreates a creative mind.
(17:29):
That when you are even back inyour office working away, that
rush and that energy drives thatpassion to accomplish more.
And time is something you makeof it.
Time is not going to wait foryou.
That means there is always atime.
You just have to figure outwhen, where and why.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Right, right, right.
So what are your thoughts on?
Like, especially a lot ofyoungsters spending so much time
on social media and shortvideos.
Basically, right.
What's your view?
Speaker 3 (17:59):
on that.
So there may be some part of itwhere there's a way I call it a
communication channel.
It's a part of it, and I thinkit should not be your entire
communication channel, becausewhat I call it is a glorified
chit-chat box and it's apersonal opinion.
So what it misses out is, yes,you may be able to drive the
(18:21):
content or exchange some ideas,but then we are humans.
We miss out on the human tohuman interaction.
There is a kind of emotion,there's a feel, there's a touch,
there is kind of highexpression, there's language
which gets masked by the socialmedia.
You cannot.
So to some extent it hasextensive communication system,
(18:45):
but then, as I look over thesocial media, what is a
meaningful conversation ismissing out.
It becomes basically more of agossip, chit-chat he said, she
said, kind of thing.
So part of it may be good tocommunicate, but when you're
looking at higher education orsome more of a education that is
(19:06):
established to help you buildyour career or growth or
something, there has to be ahuman-to-human interface.
Right, you get to a small group, get together, have some
probably nice food, probablydrinks here and there enough to
socialize and chill out andunderstand each other in a
different environment.
That, I think, is crucial foryour growth.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
So this is a good segue into the next section that
I'd like to talk about.
Obviously, I feel like we're inthe middle of an information
technology revolution and, fromthe academic standpoint, I can
tell you, academics generallyacross the board, moves at a
glacial pace, whether it's theLCME, whether it's our
accreditation board, whetherit's general the trend of
(19:54):
education, however, it seemslike hospitals are far more
adept and I feel like almost theresidency programs through the
program directors are focusing alot more on efficiency for the
student, not necessarily from anacademic level.
How do you think AI has changedyour profession and generally
(20:17):
residents in education as yousee it, and how do you think it
will?
Speaker 3 (20:22):
continue to change.
So AI is a big umbrella.
It inclusive of multiplesegments, the most commonly AI.
We put it in a simple basket,but there's machine learning,
natural language processing,large language model and then
gen AI.
These are all four majorconcepts we talk about.
(20:45):
Each one has a different aspectof how we look at AI, how we
use AI in medicine.
Ai is not something that hasjust evolved because there are
some other issues that will comeup as we perfect this medicine.
Ai definitely is helpful inproviding a large amount of data
source in a very comprehensivepackage, because human brain,
(21:06):
over looking at three, fourhundred years of our time,
learning medicine and researchand a lot of things that come
out humanly possible to read andreach out to that data
information is practicallyimpossible.
But how do we implement the keysalient features?
So the comprehensive data oftime?
How do you come past thatinformation used to betterment
(21:28):
of patient or patient care?
So that is a great aspect of AI.
It has started.
There are technologies of howwe reduce our mundane manpower
and use them for a betterment.
I'll give you a perfect example.
If I'm sitting in an office andseeing a patient, I'm asking
questions, I'm directingquestions.
How do I use that as a toolthat actually I don't have to go
(21:52):
finish and go back and theneither dictate or type that
thing, the technologies that aremedically driven technologies.
You leave your cell phone ordevice open, it will translate
into what you're talking into,generates a note for them.
If I'm prescribing certainmedication, it will actually
prescribe while I'm actuallydoing so.
(22:13):
I don't have to go out andre-prescribe.
So there is some optimizationor machine processes that AI can
use.
At the same time, it makes memore efficient that I'm not
going out and typing another.
Second set of note.
It allows me to treat morepatients, probably even with a
better advancement.
Also, when I'm out and Iactually did say I prescribe
(22:35):
patient a Marxism though it saysit will counteract and says
patient's allergic, even thoughI forgot, I don't have to look
it up it will allow me to selfcorrect.
So it makes me more efficient.
So that's kind of a basic AIEfficiency-wise.
So it improves your time andefficiency.
The second piece of it is if Iam looking for something or
(22:55):
there's a complex patientcomplaints, how do I assemble
them into a multi-database withhis understanding, or how do I
encompass that?
He has seen five differentdoctors and each one has
prescribed anything, unless thepatient brings it over.
How do I encompass this?
That he has seen five differentdoctors and each one has
prescribed anything, unless thepatient brings it over?
How do I encompass all thedetail and say, hey, this is
most likely, this is happening,so it allows you to better
communicate?
So I think AI may change how wepractice medicine, how we
(23:19):
actually assemble data, how weactually will evolve into
diagnosing disease or using AIas what's the best possible
option.
Even precision medicine, whichis an individual patient to
twins with asthma or both haveasthma.
What works for one, whatdoesn't work for one, right,
(23:41):
they may be genetically same butdoesn't mean they have some
changes in their genome or otherthings that we understand.
And then also ai to doprecision medicine of what?
What precision medicine?
That dna or gene technology orother things that will ring up.
So we are in this infancy but itwill evolve very rapidly and it
is coming okay so, uh, what?
Speaker 2 (24:03):
what if a lot of students come and tell me oh,
you know, anesthesiologists aregoing away, radiologists are
going away because of AI.
Is that founded on anything?
Speaker 3 (24:14):
I think it's just misunderstanding what human
capabilities are Talk about wheninternet came in and we said
we'll be actually communicatingeverything by there.
There'll be less paper wastage,we'll be cutting down less
trees, we'll be doing less moreWe'll be doing less, more.
We'll be postal communicationand UPS will go away and other
things.
Well, they've grown bigger.
Right, we're using more paper,more printers, more cutting down
(24:38):
more trees.
We are using that.
Give birth to Amazon.
Right Now we are able to do so.
Not necessarily.
Human brain is a very evolvingbrain.
It will figure out.
So I don't think.
Yeah, even if radiologists area certain spill, but they'll be
doing something different.
Progress to medicine neverstops, right.
Disease will are always there.
(24:59):
No disease we have erratic.
It may have suppressed some,but we have never got rid of any
disease.
It will same thing.
Disease will evolve and change,and how we treat and address
them in different field willevolve.
What we are traditionally doingfor 50 years may change how we
approach it, but I don't thinkanything's going away right,
right, awesome, and what is yourview on?
Speaker 2 (25:20):
so, again, from the education standpoint, if you go
talk to a professor, a vastmajority of them, or an
overwhelming majority of them,despise AI.
They don't want students to useAI.
They don't want students usingAI because you know essentially,
and you know in all likelihood,a lot of students use it as a
(25:41):
shortcut, not necessarily toincrease efficiency.
Now, keeping that in mind,during, you know, since you run
so many residency practices, doyou have tools in place that are
constantly policing incomingstudents that hey, did they
write their personal statementthrough AI and all of that?
(26:03):
Or is this something that youknow will flesh itself out
during the interview process?
Speaker 3 (26:07):
so there are three ways of looking in the interview
process.
Right, one is if I'm the pd orif I'm the evaluation committee,
the things that I'm going tolook into, starting with um.
But I was giving an example of,for 12 residency or 15
residences part, I may get 3 000.
How am I going to stream thatout?
Right?
So the screening tool typicallylooks at their scores.
(26:30):
So what my advice to most ofthe residents would be focus on
clinical medicine.
Forget all this other issuesthat are evolving around
technology.
Focus primarily on first step.
Usmle is now pass or fail, sothat's become okay, but the
(26:51):
visibility of Belker or theinstitution side still exists.
And then, if you particularlyare focusing currently what we
look into, scores of 240 or plustells you that you have enough
fundamental core clinicalknowledge that you grasp the
subject, that you understoodenough basic sciences to be
forthcoming Because the reasonwe look at this core clinical
knowledge, that you grasp thesubject, that you understood
enough basic sciences to beforthcoming.
Because the reason we look atthis is it's not because three
(27:13):
years span in an intermedicineresidence is not enough to train
a good doctor.
So you have to have a strongfundamental core to grasp things
that come to you.
The second thing we look into isif they have some advancement,
that they have looked into theirpassion, their drive of what
they want, why they want to be adoc, why they will actually
(27:33):
really have done, besides beinga doc, of affiliated thing,
voluntary services, thataffiliated medicine, that their
dedication to community orthey've done some other things
that are not just purelymedicine but in the pursue that
they are not just one box shopkind of students.
Other things that we look isthat probably creative skill of
(27:56):
whether it's an AI generatedletter.
It is a well framed letter, mayavoid some grammatical errors
and correct strangers, but yousee some of the reputations, you
see patterns.
That actually tells you thatthis is not a heart-driven or
soul-driven letter.
Right, it will take us a whileto be that creative enough, but
(28:18):
it tells you that we look forthe drive.
What are the birds' stories ofwhat they?
It may be a little lengthy butit tells you that what led them
to be a doctor as a passion, notjust because they want to serve
the community.
That is a generic statement.
We look at the uniqueness ofindividual examples.
So those are the patterns, howwe filter out, because
(28:39):
ultimately for 15 slots.
I'm at the ability to interviewmaybe 60 or 70.
So the immense task is what welook as creative abilities of
that.
So AI, when you start lookingat the trend, if everybody uses
JetGPT or other for JAMA or anyother things, there's a common
repetitive thing that you pickup so that I would strongly
(28:59):
discourage.
You can take that as advice,but still drive your own labs,
right, right, right.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
Okay, that's good.
And what about students usingAI for study tools?
Do you feel that that'seffective?
Like I know, a lot of studentsare using AI for mnemonics.
Create something for me thathelps me remember it.
Do you wholeheartedly thinkthat that's a better way?
I personally think that that'spretty ingenious.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
I think everyone has their own understanding.
We used to make mnemonics inthe good old days of medicine,
paper and pencil, how toremember this right For diseases
or sick days, and some of themwe kind of linked it with some
foods and other colors and otherthings.
That's how we used to rememberit right.
So using AI to create yourpersonal mnemonics if that helps
(29:51):
you to remember or understandthings better, I don't see any
problem with that.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
All right, awesome.
Well, one thing that I've alwaysa lot of students ask me is you
know I want to be a physician,but I don't really want to
necessarily see patients on aday-to-day basis, want to change
the system, and you know youwere telling me a little bit
(30:16):
about how this position of a cmois a relatively new position,
at least as compared to a ceo.
Um, what do you think a studentshould really do to become a cmo
?
And I genuinely think that youknow, in hospital settings,
having a ceo who is not aphysician is a disservice, in my
(30:37):
opinion, which is the vastmajority of hospitals that is
the case.
But I think, looking at primeas an example and looking at
some of the other hospitals thatdon't necessarily have, uh, the
, the structure that prime hasend up struggling.
And we read it in the newspaperall the time hospitals going
(30:58):
bust, hospitals being taken over, um, what are your thoughts on
physicians going into medicine,going into residency, something
it may even be family or, uh,something more generic and then
coming out and becoming CMOs,maybe even CEOs?
Is this a trend, do you think?
Speaker 3 (31:19):
So interestingly so nobody will probably understand
medicine as good as a physician,right?
So the traditional medicine,where the CEO is nothing wrong
with them, it was a structurethat was designed but now it's
an evolving field that physicianleadership are getting into
leadership that are getting moreinto management, understanding
the complexity of disease andrather than some non-physician
(31:42):
who has a difficultyunderstanding the physician flow
.
So that field is definitelyevolving and as you see more and
more to be a CMO.
There's a couple of thingsthere's no course.
There's nothing that's going toteach you they Be a CMO.
There's a couple of thingsthere's no course.
There is nothing that's goingto teach you.
They'll give you someprinciples.
You can do Sigma 6 and otherthings which allow you the
efficiency models, but you haveto learn.
(32:03):
It boots on the ground.
You have to be a good clinician.
You have to understand, youhave to be a people person.
You have to be a team player.
You have to understand theother specialties.
You have to understand and teamwith them.
How do you actually?
Because ultimately you'll haveto grow into that position.
There is no didactic coursethat will make you.
Even if you did MBA in healthmanagement, you may understand
the concept.
(32:23):
But you're dealing with a groupof individuals who are highly
educated, highly trained, highlysophisticated.
How do you have them come in?
Make sure that they buy in.
That respect has to be earned.
You cannot learn by a book.
So if they want to go, yes, youcan take para courses while
you're doing your residency, youcan do some health
(32:45):
administration managementcourses or you can do MBAs after
you're done, but unless youunderstand the clinical bread
and butter medicine.
But unless you understand theclinical bread and butter
medicine essentially of a goodCMO.
Most of the CMOs in thiscountry have done that.
Some of them have nowgrandfathered later on but
relinquished their practices andnow gone to.
But each one has worked and puttheir blood and sweat as a
(33:07):
doctor.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Okay.
So basically, if a studentcomes and asks me I want to be
an administrator essentially aCMO Right the advice should be
stick to your residency, getyour residency.
Student comes and asks me Iwant to be an administrator
essentially cmo right the adviceshould be stick to your
residency, get your residency,be a good clinician right, and
then the path will right itselfabsolutely on its own.
All right, well, but thank youso much, dr patel, for your time
pleasure it was, uh, amazinghaving you here in st vincent.
(33:31):
I hope you enjoyed yourselfwhile you were here.
I hope you got a chance to seeour school and see what our
school is all about, and we hada blast having you and we hope
you can come back and talk toour students periodically.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
Pleasure.
It was wonderful seeing StJames.
I love the mission that you aredriving through.
I love the passion that youhave created, growing into 25
years, how you have encouraged agood education within a small
community, involving thecommunity, and I think you have
leaps and bounds to come forwardand I will be happy to support
(34:07):
that cause.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Thank you so much, dr Patil.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you so much, dr ParasPatil, for giving us such
valuable insights into yourjourney and especially your time
management skills, where you'vemanaged to maintain some
hobbies that are reallydemanding of time.
I hope our audience is asinspired as I have been, and
(34:30):
thank you so much for your timeand visiting us in sunny St
Vincent, and remember there isno shortcut to becoming an MD.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Thank you so much for tuning into our show.
We hope you enjoyed anotherepisode of Med School Minutes.
If you like our content, pleasefollow us and receive
notification when a new show isposted.
This podcast is brought to youby St James School of Medicine.
For a video version of thispodcast, please check us out on
sjsmorg slash video.
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Med
School Minutes podcast, where wediscuss what it takes to attend
and successfully complete amedical program.
This show is brought to you bySt James School of Medicine.
Here is your host, kaushik Guha.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Thank you so much for joining us for another episode
of Med School Minutes.
Today we decided to mix it up alittle bit and we're filming
from the shores of sunny StVincent.
Our very special guest is DrParas Patel.
He is the Corporate ChiefMedical Officer of Prime Health,
which is a chain of 53hospitals, and he personally
oversees nearly 250 residencyslots.
(00:41):
We're going to talk to himabout his journey and how he
became as successful as he isbeing an IMG.
So, without further ado, let'swelcome Dr Paras Patel.
Welcome, dr Patel to sunny StVincent.
It's wonderful being here.
Yes, this is a unique.
This is not our usual studio,so it's a breath of fresh air
(01:02):
air.
But I just really wanted tostart the whole interview by
really asking you and tell uswhy don't you tell us a little
bit about yourself and yourbackground?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
so I have a very interesting and a fascinating
life that I have led so far.
I started as born and raised inAfrica, spent my high school.
Always was intrigued by the artof medicine.
Doctor's office was myfascinating places to go.
That was my driving passion.
Over time, as I evolved into Iactually diversified because of
(01:36):
the change in condition, climateand political environment in
Africa.
I moved to India okay, where Iact, finished the medical school
earlier phases, which was aunique and a very astonishing
experience that you can neverget.
It was bland, cultural, plan,diversity of disease, so it
(01:59):
actually got me more eveninterested into pursuing that
field.
I shifted from there to UK,finished my clerkship portion in
UK, southampton, and where Ilearned a different part, though
it was all traditional Britishmedicine but it was hands-on
clinical science, clinicalfundamental medicine.
(02:20):
I finished at a very young,early age.
At that time I did not feelthat I wanted to kind of go into
practice and it was a funnystory that my first day I was
identified as a little kid andnot as a doctor.
So it made me change to goahead and do research.
I went into research for WHOand those areas back in the
(02:43):
early 70s they were coming upwith tuberculosis medication and
treatment.
So I worked with WHO on TBtrials and TB and that somehow
got me interested in pulmonarymedicine.
Subsequently, back in 85, Imoved to United States In 85,
(03:03):
after that I continued andpursued my passion for research.
I signed up with UC Irvine inSouthern California, did some
research while I was gettingready for reciprocating exams
that I had to take as a foreigngrad.
Unfortunately I wasn'tgrandfathered into anything, so
at that time the exams weredifferent, but it was similar to
(03:24):
step one, step two and stepthree.
So while I was doing that ittook me about two and a half
years in the same time period totake those tests.
I continued my research andthat established a strong
fundamental understanding ofwhat United States research
protocols are, started myresidency as an emergency room
(03:45):
physician After a year.
I actually loved the medicinepart, but what was missing was
the follow-ups.
I mean you treat, you did.
I was at least curious of whathappens to this patient.
So to satisfy my drive, Ishifted over from emergency room
to internal medicine, whichgave me the fulfillment I wanted
(04:07):
to pursue After internalmedicine.
Doing two years of internalmedicine, one year of it I was
appointed as the first foreigngraduate chief resident in
history of USC Okay of USC.
(04:31):
Usc being academic high academiccenter, used to have about 180
to 190 intermedicine slots.
When I became the chiefresident I decided to expand the
program.
I kind of came with acurriculum and didactics, the
core that trained them to be afundamental, better clinician.
So we grew the program fromalmost double it to 260, which
included primary, intermedicine,med-ped and optional of
(04:53):
transitional medicines forcertain graduates who did not
know whether the intermedicinewas the right way.
So transitional year allowedthem to actually decide where
they want to be and transitioninto that Ended up doing
pursuing that education, endedup doing the Pomeroy fellowship,
critical care fellowship,trauma fellowship, sleep
(05:14):
fellowship and transplantfellowship.
So that was my eternal largeacademic career.
So it transitioned to me afundamental knowledge.
At the time I was veryinterested in looking at the
efficiency and cost of doingthis test of medicine.
That's where I transitionedinto looking into options and I
(05:35):
subsequently went into privatepractice model in Westside of
Los Angeles where Senella wasone of the hospitals that had
gone through a lot of changesback in 2007.
Prime came and bought it over,where I always had played a
leadership role, where I wasappointed to become, help them
manage the clinical aspects as atitle called CMO, where it all
(06:01):
normally regulated the help withthe emergency rooms, help with
the clinical protocols,standardization of care.
How do we deliver high level ofcare, how do we optimize the
best care at the least possiblecost and efficiency in
expediting care.
So that's kind of a role that Istarted with.
Subsequently, as the Prime grew, I've grown with time and now
(06:23):
Prime owns 53 hospitals that I'mappropriate CMO.
I directly supervise almost 36of them.
The rest I indirectly assist.
Also, my second role waseducation right.
So when Prime started thisprogram we all pushed and Dr
Reddy, who's the chairman andand CEO, had the same vision.
(06:44):
So we started expanding intointernal medicine bread and
butter residency programs.
Initially I was the PD butgiven the time, circumstances
and my schedule, we appointeddifferent PDs.
So now what we do is starteddevelopment.
So from 12 programs we went to24 programs.
We went to 24 programsgoverning almost 250 plus
(07:09):
residents in the medicine slotsand our ambition is to even take
it larger as we acquire morehospitals.
Not all hospitals are capable ofresidency because you have to
provide certain level of care,certain volume, certain clinics,
some outpatient rotation, soour larger hospitals, or
bringing a cluster of threehospitals and adapting.
So we have started doing that.
Last year, within the last twoyears, we opened up six programs
(07:34):
right.
So it is an ambitious goal, butthat's what we want to do is
pursue more further education.
Going back to the second pieceof it, as a program director
there's a huge amount ofresponsibility, not just the
item of selecting candidates andother, but giving them the
right amount of education, andthat takes infrastructure.
(07:56):
So we are creating thatinfrastructure with a
community-based medicine.
The difference between auniversity teaching setup and a
community-based setup is, eventhough universities participate
in a great amount of research,they have a very structured
organization, but 70 to 80percent of patients are treated
(08:17):
in the community hospital.
So it is important that weestablish this community-based
teaching programs where majorityof the physicians who are
trained well will end up servingthe community.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
So I just want to quickly summarize.
Can you just tell us how manyresidencies and how many
fellowships you have?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
again.
So I actually didresidency-wise I did emergency
room and I did intermedicine andI did fellowship in pulmonary
critical care, trauma transplant, sleep so that's four
fellowships and two residences.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
My god, that's.
That definitely speaks volumesof the passion, right,
absolutely.
And then you moved from Englandand you were a physician,
practicing physician in England,that's correct.
And then you moved to theUnited States.
What drew you to the UnitedStates?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
So a couple of things .
One was most of my family hadlived in some part of the family
, but my immediate family hadall migrated to the United
States.
So my brother was here, mysisters were here, so it was
more of a family attraction.
But at the same token I wantedto establish a different style.
(09:32):
I wanted to learn.
What I heard was a differentway of practicing medicine,
because British medicine wastraditional medicine, which is
nothing wrong.
I think they delivered a greatlevel of care.
But I think the family bond andmy pursuit to have a higher
level of education was thereason I moved to the United
States.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
So this is something I always ask people, especially
people, and there are very, veryfew people like you who've
literally seen both aspects ofnationalized medicine and
privatized medicine privatizedbeing in the United States.
What were your biggest cultureshocks, if you will, when you
came to the United States?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
So the impression was nationalized medicine evolved
with serving everybody, servingevery population.
But they had to be conservativeon the resources.
So the question is first, howdo you select?
That that becomes an ethicaland a medical dilemma of who
gets what, and one suit doesn'tfit everyone.
So it's a challenge.
(10:30):
Not necessarily it has workedfor them.
It has a different way oflooking at it.
But when I moved to the UnitedStates, privatized medicine was
a whole different way To someextent.
I thought it was probably overexpensive, even though the
resources and things wereavailable.
(10:51):
The ultimate product is,besides the expense, you want to
look at the outcomes and thatdefinition of a good medical
care is morbidity, mortality,care, outcomes, preventive
medicine which preventivemedicine was a missing gap in
this country when I came here.
It's become a lot more better.
We have done, but how weeducated we were.
(11:13):
What I noticed was thedifference culturally was here.
We were tempted to treat ratherthan prevent.
Initially, even though theconcept was there, it was not
very well reinforced, but it hasevolved.
Now it's changing the fields aswe have learned over time.
The second part of cultural wasunderstanding privatization.
Privatization meansunderstanding the business
(11:35):
aspect of medicine, businessaspect being where the peer
sources?
Who funds for that?
What is covered, what is notcovered?
What resources are you limited?
How do you appeal for thoseresources?
So that was learning atdifferent resources rather than
in a medicine where you were innationalized services.
You were given a set oftoolboxes where you utilize.
(11:57):
So that evolved me into thebusiness aspect of understanding
and self-learning medicine.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
And now, in your current role as a CMO, obviously
you've mentioned that this is alot more administrative.
Is there certain aspects ofbeing more academic that you
actually miss?
Speaker 3 (12:17):
So fortunately I had the luxury and I think at the
prime we don't have a schedulethat you are purely become a
patchwork or a pencil pusher.
I still have an active medicalpractice, that I practice
Pongwei medicine, so I've leftthat academic part going.
I still love teaching so I doincorporate rotations.
(12:38):
Even though it's subspecialty,intermedicine, I do encourage
them to rotate to the ICUs,advanced teaching and the same
in the pulmonary clinic.
So that passion of teachinghasn't gone yet.
Okay, awesome.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
So I do want to let our audiences know about some of
your research.
Over the last couple of days,you've told us about the
endeavors that your research hasactually taken you, or
literally the summits that youhad to skip to fulfill your
research.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your pulmonary research?
Speaker 3 (13:09):
so, um, the research in the pulmonary medicine, uh,
what I wanted and originallystarted with the tb trials and
when I came, so that was in theuk, uk, yeah, um, when I came to
this country, tuberculosis wasnot a major rampant disease or
something that it existed, butit was never that.
So At the time the way UnitedStates was focusing more on was
(13:31):
more core, what we call asfundamental basic research.
That was driven by academicbasic science driven reason.
Clinical research is required,a clinical orientation.
Lung disease, heart disease werevery prevalent in my passion
for lung disease.
So I participated in a researchstudy that talked about
(13:55):
delivery of medicine into thelung.
How does it get into the lung?
What's the right size of theparticle, what's?
There are tons of inhalers andhow do we deliver?
That goes to the maximumefficiency of treating the lung
properly.
So that kind of was myfascination, though it was a
bensize.
Over the time I rewound intomore of a microbiological
(14:18):
research of lung particles andother things that are complex
sciences but talks about howdoes lung heal, how does lung
regenerate, how does lung damageget repaired, how does smoking
affect lung.
So those are the differentaspects that actually enticed me
to learn into the extensiveresearch part of pulmonary
medicine and this research.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
you obviously melded it very well with your passion,
which is mountaineering Right.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
So as I was already an outdoor person, I wanted to
establish and accomplish what wewant to do.
So in one of my fellowshipresearch was at high altitude,
effects of hypoxia, low oxygenand climbers Right, and that
actually made me start kind ofclimbing mountains.
So events like there aremountains that are 14 to 15 000
(15:09):
feet in los angeles incalifornia that I climbed eight
or ten years just to do pomeroyresearch, that drove me.
But even before that, as a kidI always loved the nature and
outdoor and mountains.
I liked it to test myself, sostarted climbing k2, went to the
base of Everest, did part ofNanga Parbat.
(15:30):
Then I shifted to United Stateswhere I count McKinley I was
counting the same winds Then Iended up in Machu Picchu and
Havana Picchu ended up inPatagonia.
So my avid passion for outdoors, mountains, is always done, a
passion that I love to do.
It gives me the zen, the moment, but it also blends in a
(15:53):
calmness, a serenity, as we workin this world of medicine and
stress.
It ties in of understandingwhat the outdoors is for you.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
So, with two residencies, four fellowships,
so much of research, you'vestill managed to maintain a
passion that needs a fair bit ofpreparation, time and time
investment, which is modern plan.
I mean, obviously, when I talkto a lot of students, they keep
(16:23):
saying that this is a verydemanding field.
I don't have time to do this, Idon't have time to do this, I
don't have time to do that.
How did you manage to do all ofthis?
And you still do.
You're here with us in StVincent.
You're CMO of a really largehospital chain.
How do you make time?
Speaker 3 (16:42):
So time waits for no one.
There's a split amount of timein the thing.
How you time manage becomesvery crucial, and you have to
manage time with efficiency.
The most people that actuallypush their limits and boundaries
are very efficient at timemanagement.
How do you decide what takespriority, prioritizing the time.
At the same token, never forgetthat unless you have the time
(17:08):
that drives that passion, youwill never succeed in anything.
So it is not just a balance ofpursuing a career or career
oriented.
You have to balance that outwith lifestyle.
What we look now towards iswhat are the things that gives
you motivation?
Climbing a mountain gives thatecstatic joy and probably
adrenaline rush, but that rushcreates a creative mind.
(17:29):
That when you are even back inyour office working away, that
rush and that energy drives thatpassion to accomplish more.
And time is something you makeof it.
Time is not going to wait foryou.
That means there is always atime.
You just have to figure outwhen, where and why.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Right, right, right.
So what are your thoughts on?
Like, especially a lot ofyoungsters spending so much time
on social media and shortvideos.
Basically, right.
What's your view?
Speaker 3 (17:59):
on that.
So there may be some part of itwhere there's a way I call it a
communication channel.
It's a part of it, and I thinkit should not be your entire
communication channel, becausewhat I call it is a glorified
chit-chat box and it's apersonal opinion.
So what it misses out is, yes,you may be able to drive the
(18:21):
content or exchange some ideas,but then we are humans.
We miss out on the human tohuman interaction.
There is a kind of emotion,there's a feel, there's a touch,
there is kind of highexpression, there's language
which gets masked by the socialmedia.
You cannot.
So to some extent it hasextensive communication system,
(18:45):
but then, as I look over thesocial media, what is a
meaningful conversation ismissing out.
It becomes basically more of agossip, chit-chat he said, she
said, kind of thing.
So part of it may be good tocommunicate, but when you're
looking at higher education orsome more of a education that is
(19:06):
established to help you buildyour career or growth or
something, there has to be ahuman-to-human interface.
Right, you get to a small group, get together, have some
probably nice food, probablydrinks here and there enough to
socialize and chill out andunderstand each other in a
different environment.
That, I think, is crucial foryour growth.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
So this is a good segue into the next section that
I'd like to talk about.
Obviously, I feel like we're inthe middle of an information
technology revolution and, fromthe academic standpoint, I can
tell you, academics generallyacross the board, moves at a
glacial pace, whether it's theLCME, whether it's our
accreditation board, whetherit's general the trend of
(19:54):
education, however, it seemslike hospitals are far more
adept and I feel like almost theresidency programs through the
program directors are focusing alot more on efficiency for the
student, not necessarily from anacademic level.
How do you think AI has changedyour profession and generally
(20:17):
residents in education as yousee it, and how do you think it
will?
Speaker 3 (20:22):
continue to change.
So AI is a big umbrella.
It inclusive of multiplesegments, the most commonly AI.
We put it in a simple basket,but there's machine learning,
natural language processing,large language model and then
gen AI.
These are all four majorconcepts we talk about.
(20:45):
Each one has a different aspectof how we look at AI, how we
use AI in medicine.
Ai is not something that hasjust evolved because there are
some other issues that will comeup as we perfect this medicine.
Ai definitely is helpful inproviding a large amount of data
source in a very comprehensivepackage, because human brain,
(21:06):
over looking at three, fourhundred years of our time,
learning medicine and researchand a lot of things that come
out humanly possible to read andreach out to that data
information is practicallyimpossible.
But how do we implement the keysalient features?
So the comprehensive data oftime?
How do you come past thatinformation used to betterment
(21:28):
of patient or patient care?
So that is a great aspect of AI.
It has started.
There are technologies of howwe reduce our mundane manpower
and use them for a betterment.
I'll give you a perfect example.
If I'm sitting in an office andseeing a patient, I'm asking
questions, I'm directingquestions.
How do I use that as a toolthat actually I don't have to go
(21:52):
finish and go back and theneither dictate or type that
thing, the technologies that aremedically driven technologies.
You leave your cell phone ordevice open, it will translate
into what you're talking into,generates a note for them.
If I'm prescribing certainmedication, it will actually
prescribe while I'm actuallydoing so.
(22:13):
I don't have to go out andre-prescribe.
So there is some optimizationor machine processes that AI can
use.
At the same time, it makes memore efficient that I'm not
going out and typing another.
Second set of note.
It allows me to treat morepatients, probably even with a
better advancement.
Also, when I'm out and Iactually did say I prescribe
(22:35):
patient a Marxism though it saysit will counteract and says
patient's allergic, even thoughI forgot, I don't have to look
it up it will allow me to selfcorrect.
So it makes me more efficient.
So that's kind of a basic AIEfficiency-wise.
So it improves your time andefficiency.
The second piece of it is if Iam looking for something or
(22:55):
there's a complex patientcomplaints, how do I assemble
them into a multi-database withhis understanding, or how do I
encompass that?
He has seen five differentdoctors and each one has
prescribed anything, unless thepatient brings it over.
How do I encompass this?
That he has seen five differentdoctors and each one has
prescribed anything, unless thepatient brings it over?
How do I encompass all thedetail and say, hey, this is
most likely, this is happening,so it allows you to better
communicate?
So I think AI may change how wepractice medicine, how we
(23:19):
actually assemble data, how weactually will evolve into
diagnosing disease or using AIas what's the best possible
option.
Even precision medicine, whichis an individual patient to
twins with asthma or both haveasthma.
What works for one, whatdoesn't work for one, right,
(23:41):
they may be genetically same butdoesn't mean they have some
changes in their genome or otherthings that we understand.
And then also ai to doprecision medicine of what?
What precision medicine?
That dna or gene technology orother things that will ring up.
So we are in this infancy but itwill evolve very rapidly and it
is coming okay so, uh, what?
Speaker 2 (24:03):
what if a lot of students come and tell me oh,
you know, anesthesiologists aregoing away, radiologists are
going away because of AI.
Is that founded on anything?
Speaker 3 (24:14):
I think it's just misunderstanding what human
capabilities are Talk about wheninternet came in and we said
we'll be actually communicatingeverything by there.
There'll be less paper wastage,we'll be cutting down less
trees, we'll be doing less moreWe'll be doing less, more.
We'll be postal communicationand UPS will go away and other
things.
Well, they've grown bigger.
Right, we're using more paper,more printers, more cutting down
(24:38):
more trees.
We are using that.
Give birth to Amazon.
Right Now we are able to do so.
Not necessarily.
Human brain is a very evolvingbrain.
It will figure out.
So I don't think.
Yeah, even if radiologists area certain spill, but they'll be
doing something different.
Progress to medicine neverstops, right.
Disease will are always there.
(24:59):
No disease we have erratic.
It may have suppressed some,but we have never got rid of any
disease.
It will same thing.
Disease will evolve and change,and how we treat and address
them in different field willevolve.
What we are traditionally doingfor 50 years may change how we
approach it, but I don't thinkanything's going away right,
right, awesome, and what is yourview on?
Speaker 2 (25:20):
so, again, from the education standpoint, if you go
talk to a professor, a vastmajority of them, or an
overwhelming majority of them,despise AI.
They don't want students to useAI.
They don't want students usingAI because you know essentially,
and you know in all likelihood,a lot of students use it as a
(25:41):
shortcut, not necessarily toincrease efficiency.
Now, keeping that in mind,during, you know, since you run
so many residency practices, doyou have tools in place that are
constantly policing incomingstudents that hey, did they
write their personal statementthrough AI and all of that?
(26:03):
Or is this something that youknow will flesh itself out
during the interview process?
Speaker 3 (26:07):
so there are three ways of looking in the interview
process.
Right, one is if I'm the pd orif I'm the evaluation committee,
the things that I'm going tolook into, starting with um.
But I was giving an example of,for 12 residency or 15
residences part, I may get 3 000.
How am I going to stream thatout?
Right?
So the screening tool typicallylooks at their scores.
(26:30):
So what my advice to most ofthe residents would be focus on
clinical medicine.
Forget all this other issuesthat are evolving around
technology.
Focus primarily on first step.
Usmle is now pass or fail, sothat's become okay, but the
(26:51):
visibility of Belker or theinstitution side still exists.
And then, if you particularlyare focusing currently what we
look into, scores of 240 or plustells you that you have enough
fundamental core clinicalknowledge that you grasp the
subject, that you understoodenough basic sciences to be
forthcoming Because the reasonwe look at this core clinical
knowledge, that you grasp thesubject, that you understood
enough basic sciences to beforthcoming.
Because the reason we look atthis is it's not because three
(27:13):
years span in an intermedicineresidence is not enough to train
a good doctor.
So you have to have a strongfundamental core to grasp things
that come to you.
The second thing we look into isif they have some advancement,
that they have looked into theirpassion, their drive of what
they want, why they want to be adoc, why they will actually
(27:33):
really have done, besides beinga doc, of affiliated thing,
voluntary services, thataffiliated medicine, that their
dedication to community orthey've done some other things
that are not just purelymedicine but in the pursue that
they are not just one box shopkind of students.
Other things that we look isthat probably creative skill of
(27:56):
whether it's an AI generatedletter.
It is a well framed letter, mayavoid some grammatical errors
and correct strangers, but yousee some of the reputations, you
see patterns.
That actually tells you thatthis is not a heart-driven or
soul-driven letter.
Right, it will take us a whileto be that creative enough, but
(28:18):
it tells you that we look forthe drive.
What are the birds' stories ofwhat they?
It may be a little lengthy butit tells you that what led them
to be a doctor as a passion, notjust because they want to serve
the community.
That is a generic statement.
We look at the uniqueness ofindividual examples.
So those are the patterns, howwe filter out, because
(28:39):
ultimately for 15 slots.
I'm at the ability to interviewmaybe 60 or 70.
So the immense task is what welook as creative abilities of
that.
So AI, when you start lookingat the trend, if everybody uses
JetGPT or other for JAMA or anyother things, there's a common
repetitive thing that you pickup so that I would strongly
(28:59):
discourage.
You can take that as advice,but still drive your own labs,
right, right, right.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
Okay, that's good.
And what about students usingAI for study tools?
Do you feel that that'seffective?
Like I know, a lot of studentsare using AI for mnemonics.
Create something for me thathelps me remember it.
Do you wholeheartedly thinkthat that's a better way?
I personally think that that'spretty ingenious.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
I think everyone has their own understanding.
We used to make mnemonics inthe good old days of medicine,
paper and pencil, how toremember this right For diseases
or sick days, and some of themwe kind of linked it with some
foods and other colors and otherthings.
That's how we used to rememberit right.
So using AI to create yourpersonal mnemonics if that helps
(29:51):
you to remember or understandthings better, I don't see any
problem with that.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
All right, awesome.
Well, one thing that I've alwaysa lot of students ask me is you
know I want to be a physician,but I don't really want to
necessarily see patients on aday-to-day basis, want to change
the system, and you know youwere telling me a little bit
(30:16):
about how this position of a cmois a relatively new position,
at least as compared to a ceo.
Um, what do you think a studentshould really do to become a cmo
?
And I genuinely think that youknow, in hospital settings,
having a ceo who is not aphysician is a disservice, in my
(30:37):
opinion, which is the vastmajority of hospitals that is
the case.
But I think, looking at primeas an example and looking at
some of the other hospitals thatdon't necessarily have, uh, the
, the structure that prime hasend up struggling.
And we read it in the newspaperall the time hospitals going
(30:58):
bust, hospitals being taken over, um, what are your thoughts on
physicians going into medicine,going into residency, something
it may even be family or, uh,something more generic and then
coming out and becoming CMOs,maybe even CEOs?
Is this a trend, do you think?
Speaker 3 (31:19):
So interestingly so nobody will probably understand
medicine as good as a physician,right?
So the traditional medicine,where the CEO is nothing wrong
with them, it was a structurethat was designed but now it's
an evolving field that physicianleadership are getting into
leadership that are getting moreinto management, understanding
the complexity of disease andrather than some non-physician
(31:42):
who has a difficultyunderstanding the physician flow
.
So that field is definitelyevolving and as you see more and
more to be a CMO.
There's a couple of thingsthere's no course.
There's nothing that's going toteach you they Be a CMO.
There's a couple of thingsthere's no course.
There is nothing that's goingto teach you.
They'll give you someprinciples.
You can do Sigma 6 and otherthings which allow you the
efficiency models, but you haveto learn.
(32:03):
It boots on the ground.
You have to be a good clinician.
You have to understand, youhave to be a people person.
You have to be a team player.
You have to understand theother specialties.
You have to understand and teamwith them.
How do you actually?
Because ultimately you'll haveto grow into that position.
There is no didactic coursethat will make you.
Even if you did MBA in healthmanagement, you may understand
the concept.
(32:23):
But you're dealing with a groupof individuals who are highly
educated, highly trained, highlysophisticated.
How do you have them come in?
Make sure that they buy in.
That respect has to be earned.
You cannot learn by a book.
So if they want to go, yes, youcan take para courses while
you're doing your residency, youcan do some health
(32:45):
administration managementcourses or you can do MBAs after
you're done, but unless youunderstand the clinical bread
and butter medicine.
But unless you understand theclinical bread and butter
medicine essentially of a goodCMO.
Most of the CMOs in thiscountry have done that.
Some of them have nowgrandfathered later on but
relinquished their practices andnow gone to.
But each one has worked and puttheir blood and sweat as a
(33:07):
doctor.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Okay.
So basically, if a studentcomes and asks me I want to be
an administrator essentially aCMO Right the advice should be
stick to your residency, getyour residency.
Student comes and asks me Iwant to be an administrator
essentially cmo right the adviceshould be stick to your
residency, get your residency,be a good clinician right, and
then the path will right itselfabsolutely on its own.
All right, well, but thank youso much, dr patel, for your time
pleasure it was, uh, amazinghaving you here in st vincent.
(33:31):
I hope you enjoyed yourselfwhile you were here.
I hope you got a chance to seeour school and see what our
school is all about, and we hada blast having you and we hope
you can come back and talk toour students periodically.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
Pleasure.
It was wonderful seeing StJames.
I love the mission that you aredriving through.
I love the passion that youhave created, growing into 25
years, how you have encouraged agood education within a small
community, involving thecommunity, and I think you have
leaps and bounds to come forwardand I will be happy to support
(34:07):
that cause.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Thank you so much, dr Patil.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you so much, dr ParasPatil, for giving us such
valuable insights into yourjourney and especially your time
management skills, where you'vemanaged to maintain some
hobbies that are reallydemanding of time.
I hope our audience is asinspired as I have been, and
(34:30):
thank you so much for your timeand visiting us in sunny St
Vincent, and remember there isno shortcut to becoming an MD.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Thank you so much for tuning into our show.
We hope you enjoyed anotherepisode of Med School Minutes.
If you like our content, pleasefollow us and receive
notification when a new show isposted.
This podcast is brought to youby St James School of Medicine.
For a video version of thispodcast, please check us out on
sjsmorg slash video.
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