Whether you’re trying to find a good doctor or studying to become one, there are some essential qualities you need to look for. These traits are what presumably draw patients to physicians and help them build successful practices. They are also what will ensure their longevity in the field, along with the highest salaries. But what are these desirable qualities we should look for?
Compassion
Many people that enter the medical field do so because they already have a sense of compassion. They care about seeing people healed and pain-free. But the stress and demands of the job can often weaken that quality in a doctor. It’s important for them to remember, however, that doctors should be good companions for people. They should respect everyone, offer support, stay humble, and give objective advice. Staying compassionate will not only keep a doctor in business, but it will also remind him or her of why they started.
source: rd.com
And the need for compassion doesn’t just fall on the shoulders of the doctor. If a patient visits an OB/GYN office in Flemington, NJ, for example, she should be treated with compassion by everyone on the staff. The nurses, orderlies, and receptionists are all part of the opinion a patient forms about a doctor.
Confidence
If you’ve ever been to a new doctor who second-guessed his every move, you know the importance of confidence. A doctor should present information in a way that lets you know they are sure of what they’re doing. And if they’re not sure about a fact, they shouldn’t offer it. This is not to say that they can’t ever say they don’t know the answer to something. It just means that when they do offer diagnoses or medical opinions, they should be backed by their confidence as a professional.
Communication skills
Communication is key, especially in a profession that relies on understanding a patient’s symptoms and ailments. And according to many professionals, much of the patient dissatisfaction today is because “many doctors tend to overestimate their ability in communication.” Effective communication is what helps establish the doctor-patient relationship and find solutions to the problems patients are facing. Active listening will ensure that a doctor doesn’t miss an important health problem by not listening to the small details a patient might be giving.
Passion
Without passion for the career, it is difficult for a doctor to even get through medical school. And it’s even more difficult to spend decades of their life devoted to it. For a doctor to be successful, he or she will research new studies, listen to patients’ problems, and caringly devise solutions. And doing this day in and day out requires some level of passion for medicine. It requires a desire to keep learning and to keep caring.
source: today.com
Thoroughness
Mistakes are often made when doctors overlook aspects of a patient’s health they should have seen. This is why attention to detail is so important. A physician should thoroughly examine all the possibilities and collect every bit of data they can when diagnosing an illness. They should ask a lot of questions and follow up when needed.
And part of being thorough is obtaining all the knowledge they can about their profession. A podiatrist in Beachwood, OH, for example, should be the most knowledgeable person in the area about podiatry. He or she will study the field extensively and likely ignore training in other specialty areas, such as obstetrics and gynecology.
All these physician traits are what build strong relationships with their patients. And in some cases, they can even save their lives.