The 3-Year Perspective
DNB training is a temporary phase. Your colleagues will change, your hospital will change, but your degree and career will last a lifetime. Choose peace over conflict.
The Hidden Energy Drain in DNB Training
Ask any DNB trainee about their biggest stressor, and you might expect to hear about exams, thesis deadlines, or grueling duty hours. But dig deeper, and a pattern emerges:interpersonal conflicts with juniors, seniors, and faculty drain more mental energy than any textbook chapter ever could.
This anger, resentment, and constant friction doesn't just affect your mood—it directly impacts your learning, exam preparation, and ultimately your career trajectory.
The Real Cost of Workplace Conflict
Mental Bandwidth Lost
Replaying arguments, planning comebacks, and nursing grudges consume cognitive resources that should go to studying
Sleep Quality Impacted
Anger and resentment follow you home, affecting sleep quality and next-day performance
Learning Environment Ruined
You avoid asking questions, skip teaching sessions, and miss learning opportunities
Exam Focus Destroyed
The biggest goal—passing in first attempt—takes a backseat to petty daily battles
Common Conflict Triggers in DNB Training
1. Conflicts with Juniors
| Trigger | Your Reaction | Better Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Junior doesn't complete assigned work | Anger, confrontation, complaining to seniors | Delegate clearly, follow up once, then focus on your own work. Their career, their problem. |
| Junior shows "attitude" or disrespect | Taking it personally, holding grudges | Remember you were once a junior too. They'll learn. Not your job to fix their personality. |
| Juniors don't respect the "hierarchy" | Frustration, trying to establish dominance | Hierarchy is overrated. Focus on being competent, not commanding. Respect comes from skill. |
2. Conflicts with Seniors
| Trigger | Your Reaction | Better Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Senior dumps their work on you | Resentment, passive-aggressive behavior | Do it efficiently, learn what you can, and know your turn will come. Every case is learning. |
| Senior takes credit for your work | Anger, complaining to others | Your knowledge stays with you. Focus on learning, not recognition. Results will show in exams. |
| Senior is rude or dismissive | Taking offense, holding grudges | Their behavior reflects their character, not your worth. Stay professional, stay focused. |
| Senior resident gets more opportunities | Jealousy, complaining about unfairness | Your time will come. Use this time to build fundamentals. Opportunities favor the prepared. |
3. Conflicts with Faculty
| Trigger | Your Reaction | Better Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty humiliates you in front of patients/staff | Shame turning to anger, avoiding that consultant | Note the knowledge gap, fill it. In 3 years, you'll never see them again. Your degree will remain. |
| Faculty plays favorites | Feeling victimized, giving up | Focus on what you can control—your preparation. DNB exams are external; no one can bias that. |
| Faculty doesn't teach, only criticizes | Resentment, complaining to batch-mates | Self-study is the DNB way anyway. Find online resources, form study groups, read textbooks. |
| Faculty blocks your thesis/leave/opportunities | Frustration, considering quitting | Document everything, escalate through proper channels if needed, but stay focused on completion. |
The Forgiveness Framework for DNB Trainees
Recognize the Temporary Nature
This is a 2-3 year stint. These people will likely never be part of your life after training. Is this conflict worth carrying forward?
Calculate the Opportunity Cost
Every hour spent in anger is an hour not spent studying. Every sleepless night from resentment is energy stolen from exam preparation.
Focus on the Bigger Goal
Passing the exam in first attempt. Setting up your practice. Building your career. These matter. Daily ego battles don't.
Practice Strategic Indifference
Not everything deserves a reaction. Some things are best left ignored. Save your emotional energy for what truly matters.
The Math of Resentment
Let's do some simple calculations:
91 days. That's 3 months of dedicated study time lost to workplace conflicts. Enough time to complete multiple textbook revisions. Enough time to solve thousands of MCQs. Enough time to be the difference between passing and failing.
Practical Strategies for Maintaining Peace
Daily Practices
- Morning reset: Start each day fresh. Yesterday's conflicts don't carry over.
- The 5-year test: Will this matter in 5 years? If not, let it go now.
- Limit venting: Complaining to batch-mates feels good but keeps the wound fresh. Vent once, then move on.
- Physical outlet: Channel anger into exercise. A 30-min workout is better than 3 hours of rumination.
Mindset Shifts
- "They're also stressed": Everyone in DNB is under pressure. Bad behavior often comes from their own struggles.
- "This is training": Learning to deal with difficult people is part of medical training. You'll face worse patients later.
- "I choose my response": You can't control others, but you can control how much space they occupy in your mind.
- "My energy is currency": Spend it on what gives returns—studying, family, self-care—not on conflicts.
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
After DNB, you will have:
- ✓ A prestigious degree recognized globally
- ✓ Freedom to practice independently
- ✓ Option to work anywhere in India or abroad
- ✓ Higher earning potential
After DNB, you will NOT have:
- ✗ That annoying junior
- ✗ That arrogant senior
- ✗ That difficult faculty member
- ✗ Any memory of who you fought with
A Message to DNB Trainees
"You are not here to win arguments. You are not here to establish dominance. You are not here to prove who's right. You are here to become a specialist doctor. Everything else is noise."
The colleagues who frustrate you today will be strangers in 5 years. The faculty who seems unfair will be a distant memory. The hierarchy that feels oppressive will dissolve the moment you complete your training.
But the exam you fail because you couldn't focus? That stays. The extra year of training because you didn't prepare well? That's real. The opportunities you miss because you were too busy fighting? Those don't come back.
The Final Word: Be Forgiving
Forgiveness isn't about them. It's about you. It's about freeing up mental bandwidth for what matters. It's about sleeping peacefully. It's about walking into work focused on learning, not on yesterday's drama.
DNB is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't waste your energy on people and conflicts that won't matter once you cross the finish line. Stay focused. Stay calm. Pass in first attempt. Then build the career and life you deserve.
Remember: The best revenge against difficult colleagues is success. Pass your exam, build your practice, live your life. That's the ultimate victory.