IIHMR Bangalore: Interview with Samriddhi Srivastava (Alumni)

IIHMR was established in 2004 in the city of Bangalore in Karnataka. The full form of IIHMR Bangalore is Institute of Health Management Research Bangalore. It is a private management college. The institute is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). IIHMR Bangalore is accredited by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA). The institute offers only postgraduate level degree programmes in management.

Careers360 brings you an exclusive interview with Samriddhi Srivastava, Team Lead at Cognizant Technology Solutions, Bangalore, India. She is an alumni of IIHMR Bangalore. She did her PGDM in Hospital and Healthcare Management in 2019-21. In this interview Samriddhi has shared her experience and life at the college. What is life like inside IIHMR Bangalore? How did she choose her career path? And other things about the institute. To know more about the experiences of an Institute of Health Management Research Bangalore alumni read the full interview of Samriddhi Srivastava with Careers360.

Careers360. Tell us about your domain and your work profile. At the professional level, did you pursue the same field you were interested in, or did you switch?

Samriddhi Srivastava. I am currently working as a Team Lead with Cognizant Technology Solutions, Bangalore, India. In the Digital Operations domain. I am working in the same field that I was interested in, after gaining foundational, organic, on-ground experience working in a leading medical equipment manufacturing firm Poly Medicure Ltd.

Also Read: IIHMR Bangalore Courses & Fees

Careers360. Can you briefly tell us about your career path so far?

Samriddhi Srivastava. My subjects in class 12th were Physics, Chemistry & Biology. Then I pursued my BSc in Medical technology from Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, Pune. I did my PGDM in Hospital and Healthcare Management from IIHMR, Bangalore and got selected among the top surgical devices company named Poly Medicure Ltd. After working almost a year here, I realized that growth is quite important, so I switched to my current company named Cognizant, healthcare IT as a Team Lead, enabling myself a vertical as well as horizontal progression.

Careers360. Is the Industry work different from what you learned at IIHMR Bangalore?

Samriddhi Srivastava. No, the industry work is different from what I learned at college. This course has equipped me well to develop relevant core and supplementary skills and holistically take up various roles in healthcare companies. All the sequential career choices of mine set me up on an express trajectory where I was driven by a desire to ultimately go ahead in the business sector to realise my objective of precipitating meaningful socioeconomic change and development via healthcare.

See Also: IIHMR Bangalore Admissions

Careers360. How do you think your time in college has added value to your life, both professional and personal?

Samriddhi Srivastava. My time in college was all about integral and multifaceted development. Professional and Personal development went hand-in-hand, proactively influencing each other. Peer interaction was one of the most valuable experiences that the college provided. The entire faculty-student-alumni ecosystem felt like a close-knit, interactive community. Everything from classroom lectures to alumni interaction events were highly-participative and enabled an enriching exchange of ideas and experiences. My time there transformed me from a shy student and quiet worker to an initiative-taking, imbibing leader. It helped me sharpen and refine my interpersonal skills esp. my communication skills and socio-emotional maturity, which still lend me a distinct edge in every sphere of personal and professional life.

Careers360. What was your initial thought process when you joined the college?

Samriddhi Srivastava. I found the PGDM in Hospital and Healthcare Management to be an ideal intersection of my academic salience and aspirational expansiveness, a degree that will provide me with managerial oversight as well as techno-practical insight. IIHMR was the obvious choice, being by far the best and most specialised place in the country to pursue my desired degree, providing a holistic facilitation system, impressive in every aspect from the infrastructure to alumni base to direct industry exposure.

Quick Link: IIHMR Bangalore Placements

Careers360. You must have had a memorable time at your college. Do you miss being a part of it? Share a few good memories.

Samriddhi Srivastava. Yes, I miss the freedom, diversity, social interactions, and creativity that the college atmosphere provided, as well as the excitement and thrill of paving the stepping stones of one’s career. I have fond memories of strolling amid the lush greenery of the campus, listening to chirps of birds and admiring the flower-laden shrubs swaying in the wind. At times, I also reminisce with a grin how friends used to devise pun-laden mnemonics to memorise important principles and terms during our late-night group-study sessions.

Careers360. Briefly take us through your life at the campus, the activities you used to do, and your routine life.

Samriddhi Srivastava. My daily life at the campus started at 7 AM and took half an hour to freshen up going through my morning routine before heading for a short run. After having my breakfast in the college canteen and going through my to-do list for the day, I’d walk to the class, where in between attending lectures and presentations and taking part in various classroom and practical learning activities. Post-class evenings would either be reserved for assignment completion, student society activities or self-study but I would love to try my hands at a new thing each week from playing badminton to attending a creative skill-learning workshop in the city to street-food-hopping. I would spend the early part of the night watching videos, scrolling through social-media feeds, or reading articles on the web to catch up on topics of interest, before having dinner and going to sleep at around 11 PM after listening to some soothing music.

Other Important Link: IIHMR Bangalore Facilities

Careers360. Apart from academics, what were the other activities you were involved in and how did they enrich your life?

Samriddhi Srivastava. In college, I actively participated in the organisation of cultural festivities and celebrations. This broadened my worldview. It helped me experience the unity in diversity of India. Being an animal lover, I used to visit a local veterinary facility and interact with recovering cats and dogs there. Another activity that I enjoyed at the campus was playing badminton. Despite loving singing, having a supportive circle of faculty helped me overcome my fears, boost my confidence, and take the centre-stage to pursue this hobby of mine publicly. I remember hosting conferences, foundation day and inauguration day of our juniors.

Careers360. How did you keep updated with the industrial requirements and what was the role of the institute in it?

Samriddhi Srivastava. The institute’s extensive library and digital portal enabled me to access a plethora of academic literature, references, research material, and news sources, enabling me to broaden my knowledge and awareness of the latest developments in the industry. The faculty frequently elucidated latest industry case-studies during their lectures which helped us keep in-touch with the industry even in the classroom. Further, the institute’s extensive and highly-distinguished alumni base was a copious source of valuable updates and insights from the industry. My seniors and super-seniors working in leading positions across a variety of firms in the sector provided invaluable mentorship helping us know the ins-and-outs of the professional sphere and anticipate the transformative phenomena driving change in the industry.

Careers360. You are a proud alumnus of this top College. What is the best part of the Institute from a student's perspective?

Samriddhi Srivastava. As a student, the best part of the institute was its perfectly-balanced and diverse curriculum that naturally engaged and interested me as a multidimensional learner. The course structure was highly optimal and proportionate and naturally made it easy to manage my academics and study time. The learning of theoretical principles was well-complemented by a host of case studies, hands-on application, and practical real-world insight. The modules seemed assorted yet well-integrated as a course. Everything from the wide-spanning Foundation Courses to the Research Component challenged and interested me, sharpening my problem-solving skills and evolving me into an efficient, multi-skilled professional.

Careers360. What is your suggestion/guidance for MBA aspirants?

Samriddhi Srivastava. The ultimate goal of undertaking an MBA course is holistic personal and professional development which can only be achieved by gaining a diversity of experiences in breadth and depth. In order to become a good leader, one has to be like a steadfast tree whose roots stay deep and firm in the ground and whose shoots proliferate in all directions, reaching out to the sky. An efficient manager needs to have multifarious insights into the dynamic frontiers of leading developments yet retain a coordinating, supervisory oversight of all ground technicalities. Interpersonal skills are indispensable. One should take an integrated approach to learning, stay active and adaptive to change, and take initiative to transform themselves.

I would recommend learners to view the education-industry complex as an integrated ecosystem where all the parts work in tandem and synchronisation. Such a comprehensive approach is essential to have a smooth career path and excel in leadership roles in the sector.

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