If you’re considering entering medical school and becoming a doctor, it helps to assess your skill sets and decide, before you even apply to schools, if you’re cut out to be a physician. Here is just a small sample of the skills needed to be a doctor:
1.Verbal communication skills. A doctor needs to be able to speak clearly, hear well and observe patients to effectively diagnose their ailments. You’ll need to be able to describe patients’ moods and attitudes by observing body language, and to communicate effectively with other co-workers as well as patients and their families and any member of the health care team.
2. Motor skills. Doctors need to have a high degree of hand-eye skills to be able to safely and effectively examine patients, use instruments like the sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, otoscope and ophthalmoscope, as well as a wide range of diagnostic equipment. You’ll need to have motor skills appropriate to perform general and emergency medical care to patients.
3. Intellectual skills. As a doctor, you’ll need to be able to calculate, analyze, and quantify information vital to the health care of your patients. Problem-solving must be done in a timely fashion, and under sometimes stressful conditions.
4. Social skills. To effectively care for patients, doctors must be emotionally healthy, mature, sensitive and honest. You’ll need to be able to exercise good judgment and compassion when diagnosing and treating patients, and be able to handle the physical, emotional, and mental demands of the profession.
5. Observational skills. To work effectively as a doctor, you’ll need to be able to observe demonstrations in complex procedures by teachers and other physicians, and accurately observe patients so that you can assess and evaluate patients’ conditions. You’ll need to use your judgment and all of your senses to adequately care for patients.
6. Physical skills. Healthcare involves a lot of walking and standing, and you’ll sometimes be required to maneuver patients in or out of bed, into chairs, onto gurneys and even up off the floor. You’ll use your hands for a wide variety of tasks, and you’ll need to be able to communicate – through word, touch and body language – with patients who may be in pain or otherwise unable to easily comprehend what you’re saying.
7. Written skills. Doctors must be able to note patient information on charts, make notes about medications and patient behavior, leave easy-to-comprehend notes for nurses, pharmacists and aides, and write detailed care plans for patients. A very basic ability to write is essential – the better your skills, the better doctor you’ll be.
8. Computer skills. Your schooling will involve a certain degree of computer use in labs and when writing papers. In the profession, you’ll find that computers have become a common tool in health care, and you’ll need to feel comfortable updating patient information on computers.
9. Continuing education skills. The knowledge of your profession won't stop when you graduate from medical school. You must be able to continually stay abreast of developments in your profession through conferences, classes, and journal reading.
10. Business skills. Whether you choose to practice in a hospital or a private care setting, your ability to understand basic business procedures is essential, especially in light of the paperwork required by the insurance industry. Knowledge of how professional life works will be quite helpful.
Doctors are some of the most respected individuals in the world, and if you have the desire to become a part of this field and these skills, you're well on your way to success.
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