Organisational membership and professional excellence among medical practitioners

Abstract

Professional organizations play indispensible role among medical practitioners ensuring gold standard medical care and treatment. Organisational membership effectuates expression of clinical work, scientific understanding and ardour for distinction. Considering ever-exceeding scientific unfurling in clinical horizon and organisations’ role in upholding therapeutic excellence, it was decided to construe membership status among certain doctors inter-alia, reckoning allied benefits, if any. Study was conducted among 72 doctors selected semi-purposively from certain consenting medicos connected to scholar through various links during August’ 19 - October’ 19 incorporating medicos from diverse age-groups, specialities and functional domains. Sample size was calculated on basis of membership percentage observed in pilot study. Structured pre-tested questionnaire was formulated including participants’ personal attributes and parameters related to their membership in professional organisations with benefits ensued there-by. Questionnaires were circulated online, collected, analysed and tabulated.Majority (44.4%) belonged to 41-50 years and overall 59.7% availed organizational membership. Most were male (66.7%), post-graduate (52.7%), private practitioner (30.6%) with 47.2% harbouring 21-30 years expertise. Many benefitted by ‘relevant information’ (74.4%), ‘professional acquaintance’ (55.8%) and publication (51.1%). Personal reason (27.9%), scarce time, routine commitments (23.2% each) represented common pretexts for missing membership errands. Post-graduate, middle aged, experienced, male, private practitioners found significantly endowed with wealth of clinical information, publications, clinical acquaintances, professional knowledge and interactive confidence being associative.Study elicited precious information about elite professionals elucidating orientation towards model clinical society. Further research is recommended to explore factors that could play important role in professional lives to achieve excellence.