Career Counseling Guidance Seminar held at KEMU/MHL in Collaboration with WPA,PPS,SAARC,PAPANA
Career Counseling Guidance Seminar at King Edward Medical University
Academic Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital Lahore in collaboration with World Psychiatric Association (WPA), Pakistan Psychiatric Society (PPS), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Pakistani American Psychiatric Association of North America (PAPANA), KemPsych (Psychiatry Interest Group KEMU), Zain Haq Counselling Program (ZHCP), Medical Student’s Association Pakistan KEMU LC and Living not Surviving organized a session on “Career Counselling for Medical and Allied Health Sciences Students” on Monday, 9th October, 2023 at King Edward Medical University to mark World Mental Health Day on October 10 .
Vice-Chancellor King Edward Medical University, Prof. Dr. Mahmood Ayyaz was Chief Guest at the occasion. Prof. Dr. Bilquis Shabbir, Chairperson Department of Medicine and Dean, Faculty of Nursing, Fatima Jinnah Medical University was Guest of Honor. Prof. Dr. Ali Madeeh Hashmi, Head of Department and Prof. Dr. Nazish Imran, Chairperson, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry were panelists for the discussion.
Students from all public and private sector medical colleges of Lahore as well as interns and students of clinical psychology and speech pathology attended the session. The session was chaired by Vice Chancellor KEMU Prof Mahmood Ayyaz and began with recitation of Holy Qur’an. Dr Khaula Fatima then introduced the panel of experts. Each panelist shared brief accounts of their personal experiences while navigating through their student life and choosing a career for themselves.
Prof Dr Nazish Imran presented some slides on Choosing Psychiatry as a career and introduced the audience to the World Psychiatric Association’s Working Group on Medical Students. Pro Vice Chancellor KEMU, Prof Dr Ijaz Hussain also shared words of wisdom with the participants. Prof. Dr. Ali Madeeh Hashmi shared the vision and recent achievements of the Academic Department of Psychiatry KEMU and the career pathways open to medical and allied health students in the USA.
Vice chancellor prof mahmood Ayyaz opened up a lively debate on how to choose a career , and then to attain excellence in it , he quoted Persian verses related to achieving excellence in careers , and stressed the need of lady doctors becoming surgeons and told them that this the best possible career to adopt to become rapidly successful in future life .He also emphasised to create a life work balance . This was followed by a Q & A session where each panelist answered questions related to their field of expertise.
The participants not only submitted questions beforehand but also utilized the opportunity at hand to ask live questions from the panel of experts. Specific topics addressed included a student’s role in research, how to create a balance between personal and professional life as a working woman, and the availability and utilization of various scholarship programs, among others. The participants appreciated the efforts of King Edward Medical University and especially the Academic Department of Psychiatry to provide guidance and assistance to medical students, allied health science students and young medical and allied science graduates in advancing their careers both in Pakistan and abroad. The session ended with a vote of thanks.