From Vision to Victory: Celebrating ESRA-DRA Success

Aspiration to pursue ESRA-DRA certification was indeed a turning point in my career. The quest to change my curiosity to competence drove me through this journey. Facing a whole new deeper world of regional anesthesia after the completion of my Masters in Anesthesiology in 2017 made me realize that I was superficial in my skill base and knowledge . Thanks to my current stint in Rashid Hospital-Dubai, a high-volume government Polytrauma Centre, my desire to reach the depth of science in the field of regional anesthesia got reinforced. Working in such a Centre accelerated my pursuit for competence in regional anesthesia .It was at that point I found ESRA-DRA as the perfect  launch pad for my quest to learn not only the “how” but the “why” behind the science of regional anesthesia.

Initiated the journey by registering with ESRA and got the opportunity to explore their vast video archive. There extensive educational repository not only deepened my insight and understanding of complex blocks but also provided tips for my daily practice. There expansive teaching collection gave the right gain and focus into my practice. To top it up, participation in comprehensive, pragmatic and funfilled ESRA workshops was a bonus to my confidence and  zeal during my successful journey. This compounded with what I learnt from my senior colleagues in my Centre fast tracked my progress.

Spending endless hours scanning patients, volunteers, tweaking my techniques, implementing the learnings from ESRA and my senior colleagues was no longer an arduous task . Prep work was demanding but incredibly rewarding. As a testimony of the hard work and dedication poured, I secured excellent result of a 3+3 in ESRA-DRA part 2A and 2B. ESRA-DRA part 2A viva reminds of the anxious fun I had while rattling through the limited time. I still remember how my examiner Dr Peter Merjavy appreciated my performance when we met in ESRA conference following the exam, that I spoke one hour’s content in a 4x speed.

Having succeeded in my personal desire to learn the nuances of regional anesthesia, I strongly feel that sharing the knowledge gained is the best way to consolidate my grounding in this field. Through this voyage many of my colleagues and trainees reached out to me for guidance to ESRA-DRA examination. Their keenness to pursue ESRA-DRA certification and looking forward to my guidance and support reflects the respect and recognition the course commands globally amongst the Anesthetists fraternity. I feel overwhelmed by this calling . Being passionate about teaching, successful completion of the course is bound to help in my endeavors of guiding the trainees in their anesthesia learning.

Having qualified in EDAIC and FCAI exams earlier and having trained international anesthetists for these exams , achieving the ESRA-DRA  has opened another door to participate as regional anesthesia workshop faculty at international conferences. I am incredibly grateful to my department heads – Dr Mansour M Yousef , Dr Hany F Greiss, Dr Osama Sami M Alani and senior colleagues for their encouragement and support through this journey.

Reaching this milestone would have been impossible without the enduring support of my husband, parents, sister and kids. Their unconditional love, encouragement and belief in me boosted to surpass every challenge enroute. A special shout out to my dear friend Dr Amrita Rath – her teaching, support and preparing together was phenomenal and receiving the ESRA-DRA certification together felt like a shared victory. I am deeply thankful to Dr Elayavendhan Kuppusamy for his meticulously prepared presentations and masterclass.

Overall it’s just not about earning the diploma but the overall rewarding experience in this journey of mine. I hope my journey with ESRA motivates my fellow anesthesiologists to push their limits,enhance their knowledge base , improve patient care, share their valuable insights and embark on achieving ESRA-DRA certification for a better TOMORROW.