Learning to perform ultrasound takes a long time and a lot of practice. It’s also something which is not yet routinely practiced on the wards or in clinic. This means getting access to perform scans and then feedback on your scanning is difficult. This also means most people either never start the learning journey or drop out of learning early on. But if you are willing to persist, if you can delay the gratification that comes with learning this skill, for as long as it takes, the skill is yours to own.

If you learn to do the difficult stuff which most people can’t do, then very soon, people will start asking you to do it regularly. This makes you one step closer to being indispensable. Being indispensable gives you choices, job offers, promotions and job security.

So persevere. Put in the time. In this world “discretionary effort is King”. Sometimes entire careers are built during lunchtimes and after hours.