Lucky are those whose life is largely driven by purpose. And, if one has found his/her mission to live by, chances are that they have found the map of treasure for a lifetime.
Yes! the path won’t be easy, but knowing what one really wants always keep them motivated to do everything that needs to be done.
In a world filled with an infinite number of purposes, one that really stands out is serving society. As known globally that nurturing humanity and serving society’s betterment may not only make the world a better place but also lead the globalized village into a harmonious community. And, there are numerous ways and professions through which an individual can serve society.
One profession that enables an individual to be at the service of society all the time is the healthcare profession. The healthcare professionals these days are working with the utmost dedication to heal the community from all kinds of diseases and keep them well informed as well.
In our quest to find such extraordinary healthcare professionals who are driven by a purpose to be at the service of people, we came across Kidist Amare, MD. She is currently working as a General Practitioner and Medical Marketer at Lancet Health Services.
We had an opportunity to interview Kidist, where she spoke all about her journey, purpose, and passion for helping the community through her profession.
Let’s know more about Kidist in her own words.
Please shed some light on your leadership journey in the healthcare space.
I believe we can all advance in our careers if we can identify our purpose and make the most of our strengths and weaknesses. I consider myself fortunate to have discovered what I’m passionate about earlier in my career path, and I’m grateful for enjoyable and fulfilling work that allows me to help patients and my community overall.
For me, the leadership journey has been an unexpected but life-changing experience that has allowed me to learn and grow in a range of ways. It has helped me acquire the various skills required to execute projects, inspire teams and colleagues, and drive the hospital’s growth and patient satisfaction.
Prior to being promoted to a marketing managerial position a year later, I started out as a member of the marketing team at Lancet General Hospital and focused largely on the digital marketing aspect while also maintaining my clinical practice as a general practitioner. I enjoy preparing medical posts that help promote health and raise awareness for the hospital’s 30,000+ Telegram group members and other social media platform followers.
In addition, I am serving as the secretary and associate director of the hospital’s CPD (Continuous Professional Development) Center. I genuinely enjoy engaging with people, expanding my knowledge, sharing what little I know, and educating others who might benefit from what I know.
What was the inspiration that prompted you to venture into the healthcare niche?
Perceiving the impact that diseases, in general, and particularly non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, had on my family and community inspired me to enroll in medical school and begin my career as a health professional.
But after completing my medical school studies and venturing into the medical field for practice, I came to the realization that caring for individual patients is insufficient to have a significant impact on our society’s well-being, and that is prompting me to devote more time to the public health sector and health promotion.
Being the General Practitioner and Medical Marketer at Lancet Health Services, how do you envision growing your network operations into the healthcare niche?
Our team is working tirelessly to provide comprehensive specialty services to patients who seek our help and support day and night. In the short time it has been in operation, Lancet has managed to grow from a specialized medical and surgical center to a general hospital and has expanded its services significantly.
I believe this growth is owed to the vision and mission it carried from inception and the dedicated staff that helped in realizing them. And in order to continue growing, we intend to continue utilizing natural structural network features that necessitate effective information transmission as well as social and professional interaction within and across networks.
From initiating your career as a medical intern to a medical marketer, what were the challenges you faced, and enlist us the professional hacks that helped you become the grand success that you are today?
I was just starting my journey of self-discovery after completing my internship, so the first thing was, of course, confusion. The only thing I knew about myself was that I was a physician who wanted to learn and grow as a person to become the best version of myself and that I was leaning toward a career in public health. So, I did not know where to begin, like most of us, I’m sure. And when I was unexpectedly presented with the opportunity to become a medical marketer, I took it with a little hesitation, not sure where it would lead me.
One of the challenges I faced earlier was not knowing how to develop and implement medical marketing strategies with the limited knowledge I gleaned from minor online courses. But over time, with the help of my seniors’ guidance, the sharing of experiences, and constant trial and error, my team and I have tried and succeeded in developing the hospital’s brand and growing exponentially.
The other two significant challenges I can identify are
- a) the occasional indecision between pursuing other public health initiatives and continuing my clinical practice; and
- b) the ongoing struggle to maintain social and work balance as my work requires extra time and dedication. But because I’m an ever-growing and evolving person, I’m taking the challenges one day at a time.
The following are some hacks that I can share with all of my medical marketers, health care leaders, and healthcare professionals:
- Dedication is key. Devote your time, energy, and resources if you would like to evolve both professionally and personally.
- Learn your trade. Stand out from the crowd.
- Ask questions and keep learning without holding back.
- Always focus on the bigger picture.
- Join professional organizations- as this provides an excellent opportunity to connect with people who can provide valuable advice and endorsements at critical points in your career.
- Attend conferences and events – as these offer the opportunity to mingle with a wide range of peers, which can be a powerful networking tool.
- Finally, and most importantly, determine your passion and purpose.
What were the lessons from your initial professional years that made you ramp up your growth curve?
What I believe has helped ramp up my growth curve is the realization that is undertaking the challenges and continuing to work through the difficult times when I had little or nothing to show for the effort and time I was putting in helped in the completion of the tasks I was working on. So, I will continue to work hard and persistently by completing each task one at a time until I get results.
As a successful leader in the healthcare niche, what is your opinion on the future of medical research and medical PR, which is currently grabbing the global spotlight?
I believe the future of medicine relies heavily on clinical research, as it is a fact that research broadens evidence-based medicine and also leads to patient care optimization by offering physicians a chance to practice the latest and most innovative cutting-edge treatments.
And let me cite a remark I previously found on the James Lind Institute website, which I think captures the advantages of clinical research perfectly, and it goes, “Participation in clinical research gives first-hand experience in medical advancement and fulfills the quest for intellectual curiosity, growing research provisions, and supporting career advancements.”
This also helps individuals in the healthcare niche advance their careers in the sector while giving them the platform to bring about major impact for their community and people around the globe.
When we proceed to healthcare PR, the “love” for searching for medical information online is one of the most significant trends that has emerged alongside the exponential rise of digital adoption–thus using this to an advantage to communicate with the general public , health institutions can benefit a great deal.
Please give us your valuable input about the future of the healthcare niche for the budding enthusiast aspiring to venture into the medical niche.
The healthcare sector is one that is vast and untouched. I know it has given me a great deal of pleasure to deal with my patients, treat them, and see them get well. At the same time, it has made me vulnerable. It has led me to embrace my emotions, develop more empathy and humility, and helped me get in touch with my feelings and emotions as well; it has helped my personal growth significantly.
But like I said, the health sector is vast and also evolving, so for anyone who is planning to venture into the medical niche, all I can tell them is that it’s a field that gets them to help their family, friends, community, and the world and also, at the same time, helps them to have multiple options to advance their careers. So I say, go ahead! Find your passion and go for it!
And finally, I’d like to extend huge gratitude to the Insightcare team for having me. This interview was honestly an experience of a lifetime.
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