As students studying medicine aspiring to become successful physicians, it is no
secret to you that theoretical information is not the only type of knowledge
you are required to have a tight grasp over. As to-be physicians, there are
certain vital traits you will need to inculcate within yourself to excel in the field.
Keep reading for 8 such essential qualities of a physician:
● Thoroughness
Firstly, one of the essential qualities of a physician is being completely thorough
in your examination. Use all the comprehensive knowledge gained through
years of education and hard work and apply it where it’s needed. Make sure to
run ample tests to eliminate doubts or uncertainty before expressing your
judgement or prescribing medicines or procedures.
● Listening skills
Being a good listener is one of the essential qualities of a good physician. Make
sure you attentively and calmly listen to the patient’s description of their
problems. This will prevent you from getting a wrong understanding of their
ailments and jumping to any conclusions too soon.
● Confidence
As someone dealing with people’s health, believing in oneself and being
confident in your understanding of the human body is an excellent quality to
possess. If you are sure of your judgement and deliver it with conviction, only
then will the patients place their trust in you and pay heed to your instructions.
● Empathy
There is nothing worse than an insensitive and inconsiderate physician.
However, more often than not, doctors have to deal with people who are at
their lowest, emotionally overwhelmed or in great pain. And so, being
empathetic and compassionate towards your patients at all times, even when
you think they might be being a little tricky, is of great importance.
● Professionalism
Just like in any other line of profession, they are practising professionalism is a
must when you are a physician. An ideal physician is polite, courteous,
well-spoken, well dressed and punctual. He/she/they maintain appropriate
workplace behaviour, have a good work ethic and are ready to face new
challenges every day.
● Organizational skills
As a physician, you will be dealing with multiple patients having completely
different diseases and varying levels of severity within a matter of hours. So,
having developed top-notch organizational skills will come in handy for times
like these. Learn to prioritize based on the degree of urgency, so every patient
receives the amount of care they require and deserve.
● Communication skills
Communicating the patient’s predicament to them or their relatives in an
understandable, clear and concise way is one of the best qualities a doctor can
have. Sometimes there might even be instances where you will need to
carefully and tactfully extract information from a hysteric or differently-abled
patient; soft skills will help you navigate through such situations.
● Stress management
Being a physician, you will have to deal with gore, witness death, long work
hours and more. So, to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed daily, not
having good stress management skills will not do.
Apart from the textbook facts and the practical knowledge from internships,
these are the qualities that will benefit you and your patients, help you move
forward and gain quality experience as a medical practitioner. So, study hard,
work harder to hone these traits and flourish as a physician!
