Crazy Socks 4 Docs - Chat with Dr Sanjeev Bandi

1.    Can you please outline your career to date?  

Graduated from school in Chennai, India in 1977.

Went to Madras Medical College in Aug 1978 and graduated with an MBBS in March 1985 as the 150th batch. 

Passed my FRACS Part 1 in Kuala Lumpur in March 1987 and obtained my Fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland  in Nov 1989. 

 Arrived in Australia on 26th Dec 1990 to take a post as the 3rd Surgeon, Deputy Superintendant and A/E Consultant at Swan Hill Hospital in Victoria Jan 1991-Dec 1991.

Got into the Urology Training Program in Australia as the first non resident on merit in 1992 but was forced to do a year of Accredited General Surgery in Bendigo in 1992. Completed my FRACS UROLOGY training at Wollongong( 1st year), Concord Hospital(2nd year), Royal Prince Alfred( first half of 3rd year) and Austin and Repatriation Hospital( 2nd half of 3rd year). Graduated as the first FRACS Urology non resident in Australia in Oct 1995.

Consultant Urologist - Dubbo Base Hospital 1996-1998

Consultant Urologist at MATER Private Hospital in MACKAY from Sept 1998 till date, worked at MACKAY Base Hospital from Sept 1998-April 2004 and at Townsville Hospital as VMO 2004-2006 and at Townsville MATER from 1998-2020

2.    What has been the greatest challenge of your career, and how did you overcome this?  

Getting into the training program in Australia on merit by challenging the establishment and proving that I was good enough to defy the odds . I became the first brown-skinned person to qualify with an FRACS in urology in this country without being a resident or a foreign government-sponsored candidate. 

3.  What do you do to stay well at work?   

I have a very organised schedule and make time to meditate everyday and spend half an hour each day in undertaking some form of physical exercise or strength training. I practise yoga to help with my posture and breathing and try and keep fit. I will be 62 in July 2023 and weigh 74 kg with a height of 178cms and a BMI of 23.4 and waist circumference of 83 cms. 

4. What advice can you give doctors in training to support their own wellbeing, and to support their colleagues?  

Our profession has multiple stresses and involves long hours at work and preparing mentally for the strenuous journey is important and each individual needs to have some ‘me’ time to  destress and relax and using sport. Exercise, music, meditation, yoga, walking or running to keep fit in body and soul is very important. It is also important to look after your peers and colleagues and follow the ALEC principles - Ask, Listen, Encourage action and Check in.

5. Have you ever experienced burnout? What did do to manage this? How should doctors approach this?  

I have averaged 95-120 hours a week as a specialist urologist in regional Australia since 1996 and it has had its toll as I have been part of two failed marriages, the first one lasting 21 years and the second, six years. Managing a work/life balance in a profession with very few [urologists] in regional Australia is extremely challenging and is a constant work in progress. I have experienced symptoms that could be attributed to some form of burnout but I have always tried to learn from it and try and negotiate a way to rebalance my life. 

6. What are your passions and identity outside of medicine?  

I am a strong patient advocate and have been at the forefront of medical mobile app development for 17 years. I have 27 mobile apps and have pioneered the use of virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence in healthcare. I teach kids to code and run the CoderDojo in Mackay and was awarded Advance Queensland Community Digital Champion for Mackay and Whitsunday in 2018 by Queensland Government. 

I have been writing poetry since the age of eight and have more than 2,000 poems in my folder and also relax by creating digital artworks for family and friends. I have been a strong advocate for men’s health and wellbeing and am a Movember Community Ambassador since 2012 and Australia’s Highest Individual Fund Raiser for Movember in 2015-2022.