If you have dreams of one day becoming a great doctor then it is important that you know what you should be aspiring to. Regardless of whether you are still in education or looking to go back to school to study to be a doctor, there are certain characteristics which great doctors possess which you will need to have. Alongside my partner Rich Soper MD, we speak to a huge amount of students each year talking through career choices and being a doctor is something which many people dream of dedicating their career to. In order to be the best, here are the characteristics you need to have, attributes which Rich Soper MD most certainly possesses.
Passion
Rich always talks first and foremost with the budding students about the importance of having real passion for the medical profession. He says this not as some easy remark to make, but because being a doctor is damn hard, it takes years of hard work and study to even begin to practice medicine and then you are required to work long hours in a high pressure and emotionally challenging job. Without passion you simply will not be able to stay the course and that is why Rich always tells students just how important it is that they have real passion.
Communication
You may think that communication skills are important in just about every job on the planet but when it comes to being a doctor you can times that importer by 1000. The accuracy of communication is vital because of the consequences of getting things wrong, which have huge impacts on the lives of those who you are supposed to care for. Communication with patients is also absolutely essential because they don’t know what you do, and you need to be able to inform them properly as to what is going on.
Team Work
Rich often talks to me about how under valued team work is in the medical profession and how without it, the industry just wouldn’t be fit for purpose. Doctors, even in the case of local GPs, must be able to work well with their colleagues in the best interests of the patients. In some case doctors may have to work with surgeons and specialists in order to reach diagnoses and decide on treatment options, which is why they cannot afford to be a bad team player.
Intelligence/Memory Retention
Unfortunately, many of the people who Dr. Soper and I meet who do wish to be doctors, just don’t have the level of academic intelligence that is required. You cannot ‘fake it ’til you make it’ as a doctor, you must be able to learn huge amounts of information about the human body, disease, illness, disorders and treatments, and that requires a high intellect and an outstanding ability to memorize information and draw on it when required.
Being a doctor is one of the most noble professions in the world and if this is what you want to do then these are the skills which you will need.
