2 AM emergency call.
You operate for 3 hours.
Senior sleeps on changing room couch.
Your fee: ₹15,000.
His fee: ₹45,000.
For being "present."
This is ghost surgery economics.
You do the cutting.
They do the collecting.
Your skill funds their leisure.
Your exhaustion pays their EMIs.
"But junior, this is how you learn!"
Learn what?
That your hands are worth less than their name?
That 3 hours of surgery pays less than 3 hours of sleep?
Here's what they won't tell you:
Desperation is their business model.
The more you need the "opportunity," the less they pay.
The more grateful you feel, the more they exploit.
Respect seniority? Absolutely.
Fund their lifestyle while you struggle? Never.
Senior surgeons deserve respect.
You deserve fair compensation.
Both can be true.
Before your next "learning opportunity":
Agree on fees. In writing.
Know your worth. State it clearly.
If they deflect? Walk away.
The world isn't fair.
But you don't have to volunteer for exploitation.
Your skills have value.
Even at 2 AM.
Even as a junior.
Even when "learning."
Especially when doing the actual surgery.
Stop funding their comfort with your desperation.
ItsBiswajitDB