Today, the voice of our article comes from Virtual MedSociety’s very own members; a group of inspirational students who have provided their thoughts on the quality of a doctor that truly speaks to them. Continue reading to find out how these students have answered this intriguing interview question.
“Doctors play a vital role in the welfare of a society. They also shoulder countless responsibilities. They are the ones who we turn to when there is any kind of health issues. Got an ear infection? We go to the ENT specialist. Acne or skin problems? We turn to the dermatologist. A bone fracture? We seek help from an orthopedic specialist. Due to this, being a doctor can be very overwhelming, especially during this current pandemic. This is why, I think, curiosity is the most important quality for a doctor to have. Curiosity is the driving fuel to search for answers, find diagnosis and better and more efficient ways to help and treat patients. Without curiosity, your passion and motivation will run out and being a doctor will be more of a compulsive thing to do, as opposed to doing it because you actually want to. Medicine is an ever-evolving field, and there is so much we don’t know about the human body. Every doctor should have the hunger and quest to find answers about the unknowns of the human body.”
-Jessica Raju Chakramakil, 2022
“It goes without saying that the most important quality for a doctor to have is compassion. While compassion can mean extended pity and concern for others, a compassionate person also implies someone who would go out of their way to help other people. These types of people empathize with those who are in pain and do what they can to make them feel better. This quality is the most crucial for a profession in medicine, since a doctor should innately feel the need to improve the wellbeing of their patients, rather than seeing them as merely a way to earn money. This also ensures that the doctor is happy with his/her job, and happier doctors lead to healthier patients. Compassion not only for patients, but also for fellow staff can immensely improve the teamwork and competence of a medical team, once again leading to a good workplace atmosphere, meaning more satisfied patients and staff. In conclusion, a doctor should definitely be compassionate, since it is essential and greatly beneficial for the welfare of patients and workers alike.”
-Avantika Saaish, 2022
“Doctors, throughout their medical practice, need to exhibit certain qualities such as teamwork, empathy, communication, leadership, patience, determination, hard work and time-management in order to do justice to the field of medicine. While all these skills play a major role in giving their patients the best suitable care, I believe that empathy is the most important skill that is instilled within a good doctor. Empathy is the quality of a person to be able to understand the other person’s perspective or feelings. An empathetic doctor will be able to provide their patients with mental support and compassionate care. Besides treating the problem that the patient is suffering from, doctors are responsible for the overall well-being of their patients. Hence, it is essential for a doctor to address the ideas, concerns and expectations of their patients. This would only be possible if the doctor is able to empathize with their patient and understand what the patient is going through and expecting out from their treatment. Whilst being in a difficult situation such as breaking bad news, which any health care professional might witness during their practice, the quality of empathy is what helps the doctor ease the situation for their patient. It helps in maintaining a positive outlook for the patient which is vital for their further treatment. Hence, according to me empathy would be the most important quality for a doctor to have.”
-Anooshka Chiddarwar, 2023
“I always thought that the skills make a good doctor, you know what they do with their skilled hands, how they do surgeries, how they make medicines, how they basically treat people. But then I started to realize that there is more than what meets the eye. There is more psychology to a good doctor than there is biology. You see, biology is what people can see, as in surgeries or treatments or medicines, but then psychology is what you do not see but perceive with your mind, like empathy. Now, empathy is basically putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and trying to understand what they are going through. At the hospital, the doctor tries to understand what the patient’s family is going through and talks and conducts himself/herself in that way. Before treatments they also must make their family comfortable enough to open up about the possible causes and symptoms of the patient’s problem to aid in better understanding and thus better treatment. So, to conclude, a good doctor needs skill, definitely, but more importantly they need to have better empathy skills.”
-Syed Liaqatuddin Ahmed, 2022