DBMCI: INDIA’S FIRST COACHING INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ENTRANCE EXAMS PREPARES FOR FUTURE WHILE CONTINUING THE GURUKUL PARAMPARA
Established in 1996, Dr. Bhatia Medical Coaching Institute is the first center across India to start classes for the Medical PG Entrance Exam (PGEE). The founder, Dr.Mukesh Bhatia, and the CEO, Dr. Nachiket Bhatia, DBMCI, together, have made this educational institute a success story.
Over the years, DBMCI has made its mark on the educational front by assisting medical students in their post-graduation entrance exams. The exemplary results of the students over the last decade can confirm their best efforts. However, like every business has its share of challenges and rollercoasters, this one had it too. The business suffered a heavy loss, but it was not long before DBMCI stood back on its feet and turned it all over. By 2022, it is a successful journey of more than 77 crores and is on its way to inspiring many.
THE RESOURCEFUL ETHOS OF DBMCI
As a new-age institute, DBMCI places a premium on innovation but prioritizes its employees above all. After all, their versatile knowledge and unwavering dedication keep the wheels of DBMCI in motion. Besides being subject matter experts, the team is creative enough to unfold new ideas to address complex topics. Some of their inherent qualities include social expertise, communication skills, professionalism, honesty, and integrity that foster confidence, reliability, teamwork, and self-awareness. Cutting it short, DBMCI prefers employees that can be an integral asset to the team, and in turn, the institute provides a responsible environment to keep up their motivation and morale.
Dr. Nachiket Bhatia also believes in open communication and openness to nurture trust and keep the team focused on its objectives. Their unity has helped DBMCI weather multiple storms. Although COVID-19 took a heavy toll, DBMCI maintained transparency and was operational through internet channels throughout the period. Remaining transparent, praising efforts, and staying connected through innovative channels keep the team motivated and makes them feel valued.
STRENGTH & GOALS OF DBMCI
Every organization has its unique selling proposition, something that makes it stand out from the rest of its competitors. DBMCI’s strength is bringing flexible, affordable, quality online and regular medical learning to individuals around the globe. Being an MBBS student, Dr. Nachiket was well versed in the needs and requirements of a medical student. After much evaluation, he realized that to provide the next generation with career-fulfilling opportunities, DBMCI needed to acquire the technology-driven attributes to adapt and thrive in the imminent world.
The CEO further added, “It was the quick understanding of the proliferation of digital learning that today, DBMCI, with its ed-tech venture, eGurukul, has been able to expand its wings across India. Our students are outperforming in the entrances over the last decade and we have been able to maintain a competitive edge in the market all the while providing only quality education at a much more affordable price to our students.”
It is clear that the education industry is constantly changing and at every step, there is a hurdle that they, as an organization, need to overcome. To stay in line with the market dynamics, DBMCI had to grow after steep curves and introspect the disruptive consumer needs. Their short-term goal is to foray into new fields like nursing, NEET-UG, UPSC-CSE, etc. to bolster market resiliency and nurture more talents from different walks of life. And their long-term goal is to become a pre-eminent medical institute that aims to work for the holistic enhancement of society by empowering the young and bright minds of the country.
COMPETITIVE EDGE IN THE MARKET: e-GURUKUL & SCHOLARSHIP
A constructive, conceptual and integrated teaching method differentiates DBMCI from other ed-techs. With its modern, intuitive ed-tech venture, eGurukul, DBMCI delivers an unmatched learning experience. It extends high-quality learning experiences to students in every corner of the country using e-books, innovative test analytics, fast track T & D to help students stay focused, and satellite and postal coaching among others, all at affordable prices.
“ Taking into account the diverse needs of aspirants, despite the shared goal of qualifying for the entrance exams, we have designed several courses to meet their unique requirements. The courses, as described, can be taken individually or in combination to enhance your efforts in reaching your goals. Along with the privilege of learning remotely, you get access to an ocean of knowledge as you connect with 300+ industry experts who have substantial experience in the field. From efficient workflows to our extensive community of practice, DBMCI offers an ideal combination of education and technology and that is what gives us a competitive advantage in the marketplace of this booming sector” emphasizes Dr.Nachiket.
With its digital platform, “e-Gurukul”, DBMCI has carved a niche in teaching medical aspirants in India. “As Nachiket explains, Understanding the spread of e-learning in medical settings and working side by side with this revolutionary technology was the driving reason for the creation of e-Gurukul.” The pandemic opened up avenues for digitization and innovative propulsion to glide through the pandemic. With e-Gurukul, DBMCI has successfully made online its predominant mode of education. Their dedicated and competitive faculties upgrade their techniques and make even the most difficult concepts crystal clear.
DBMCI is a center stage for aspirants willing to become holistic doctors. Through e-learning, the institute is not only making medical education accessible but also providing free classes. DBMCI also provides scholarships of Rs. 2 crore under the Dr. Bhatia Scholarship Fund to the underprivileged and a 2.5 Cr. scholarship to students who have lost their parents during the pandemic. They are also giving free coaching to students who are affected by the Ukraine-Russia war. In the course of very limited time, they’ve managed to help more than 1000 financially challenged students because learning should never be restricted by anything. All of its efforts focus on developing the conviction that “I Can Also Do It and I Will Do It.”
PANDEMIC AND CHANGES OVER THE YEARS
The Covid-19 pandemic caused significant disruption in several industries, including the education industry. DBMCI considered this and introduced personalized learning via its ed-tech venture, eGurukul, which was one of the most transformative changes that occurred in DBMCI. It has made virtual learning an asset for many students and will continue to do so in the long run. eGurukul was introduced and developed to make education accessible beyond geographical and economical barriers. Over the years, DBMCI has achieved a lot as a first-of-its-kind modern methodology-based institution for preparing serious and dedicated aspirants to take up the challenges of medical exams.
By incorporating data insights, eGurukul can aid the core competencies of students preparing for the medical entrances. This advancement in education technology has supported both instructors and students, where teachers have benefited from a more elaborated range of resources to impart education and students from learning at their own pace.
Dr.Nachiket shares, “To make sure learning never stops for our students even in these gruesome times, we offered a scholarship of 2.5 Cr for students who lost their parents due to covid pandemic. The pandemic helped us to evolve from supplementing offline learning with online which is more interactive and user-friendly. The transition created a phase of adaptive learning wherein learnings are personalized and nurture space for innovations that will change the traditional learning and teaching methods.”
Today’s technology has compelled education to become more adaptable, inventive, engaging, and collaborative. The introduction of education technology may have been the need of the hour two years ago, but today by the constant, future-fit evolution of its multifaceted tools and services, the ed-tech ecosystem is ensuring an excellent education for all.
CREATIVE THINKING AT DBMCI
We live in a world where people always search for uniqueness, so it becomes necessary to come up with creative ideas every day. At DBMCI, employees are encouraged towards innovative thinking, and making them feel comfortable in an inclusive environment is required. Celebrating wins and acknowledging team effort is a must to generate more willingness in employees to suggest new ideas and foster a healthy creative environment against focusing only on solutions that guarantee success.
“I believe that employees foster creativity when provided with a stimulating environment. Also, when an employee puts forth an idea, we must make them feel heard and acknowledged and provide feedback on their ideas. It will further motivate them to contribute more creative ideas. A good leader knows the key catalyst to turning their team into a creative powerhouse is by establishing freedom in the organization. Empowering teams is all about clearing a space for innovation, where new approaches are encouraged and failures are just learnings” asserts the CEO.
GENERATING IDEAS AT DBMCI
The R&D team at DBMCI is always on the lookout for new ideas and opportunities to incorporate those ideas. The role that R&D plays in any company is crucial, from spending resources on an investigation to testing and developing ideas and ways of doing things. Before bringing up a new product or service, thorough research is necessary, and that is what the R&D department aims to execute. The team works on new product development and improving the existing product and services.
At DBMCI, the best ideas derive from employees as their proximity to the processes, products, and customers allows them to identify potential for improvement and innovation. The faculty and R&D team is always alert and keeps an eye out for any technological advancements or amendments in the field of education.
MISSION, CORE VALUES, & VISION
The CEO shares, “I believe that for DBMCI, mission, core values, and vision, all three merged, are important to achieve our goals. It is difficult to achieve a mission or a purpose without a clear vision, and this is the most important building block.”
He also shares that a clear vision is what propels one forward. It is imperative to clearly depict what it will look like when one arrives at the goal pursued through descriptive means. The mission comprises building blocks, vision comprises the fuel that drives one forward and core values are what keep one going. All three cannot function properly without the other.
As far as a company’s mission, vision, and values are aligned, everyone from prospective clients to potential employees will know who you are, what you do, and what you stand for. At DBMCI, they try to inculcate mission, vision, and values into the company’s personality, depicting who they are and what they aspire to be.
COMMUNICATING THE CORE VALUES THROUGH THE LEADERS
Business leaders communicate values through action. For any organization to be able to achieve its goals and objectives, what’s necessary is to display the core values on a stage, in a bright spotlight for everyone to see. This leads to good internal communication. As a leader, Dr.Nachiket believes that it is of paramount importance that the employees are reminded of the organization’s core values often so that they can work hard towards fulfilling those values.
“We can create presentations or speak about the values all we want but what makes a difference is a live example of an action. To effectively promote these values throughout your organization, you must integrate them into every employee-related process, from how and who you hire, to what performance management systems you put into place, to the criteria for promotions, and the dismissal policy. When you take the time to consider how your core values are being applied in the day-to-day running of your business, you will allow your employees to understand what management is looking for and why it is important to the success of your organization” confirms Dr.Nachiket.
THE ADVICE OF THE CEO FOR THE ONES HEADED IN THE SAME DIRECTION
Dr.Nachiket advises, “To all those who want to set off in a similar direction, my only advice is to extract the right potential and understand the niche. These efforts will not only help you sustain the business but will also pave the way for achieving a lot more in a matter of years.”
Over the years, they have seen many ups and downs, from suffering negative reputation among students and loss of 5 Cr. in 2018 to being in the forefront with one of the pioneers in the field with 77 Cr. in 2022. But Dr.Nachiket was always determined towards building a learning ecosystem that puts students at the center of everything. It was the constant hustle for delivering quality education at affordable prices that today all the DBMCI divisions deliver distinct, market-leading products and services that respond to different learning needs around the world. All this led to incorporating e-gurukul in DBMCI and resulting in ‘Bhatia hai to bharosahai’ making rounds in the market. This is what understanding the know-how of your field can lead you to.
ADVICE FROM THE CEO TO THE READERS
“In this time of change and uncertainty many look at the world as it is, while many others look at the world as it could be. My only advice to readers is that we must be among those who see the world as it could be and should get motivated by its imperfection. It will redouble our efforts to build a better future for ourselves and others.”
– Dr.Nachiket Bhatia
