- Communication skills
Communication is important in every career, but none more so than in medicine. Interacting with patients and colleagues will form a huge part of your day-to-day program, and if you have poor communication skills, then not only will it make your job harder, but it can also put people’s lives at risk. For example, communication is a key part of initial diagnosis. Tests and scans can confirm or rule out certain theories, but to understand what is going on with a patient, you need to be able to ask the right questions, read between the lines with their answers, and convey to them in simple terms what your thoughts are.
2. Emotional intelligence
In a similar vein, the ability to display tact and sensitivity – especially with patients – is another key skill. Unfortunately, it is a harsh reality of the job that, sometimes, you are going to have to deliver bad news, either directly to patients or their close relatives. Often, it will be news that the recipient does not want to hear, and you need to have the emotional maturity to remain professional and level-headed and explain to people what the best course of action is.
3. Problem-solving skills
It’s said that much of medical diagnosis is essentially detective work, gathering clues and evidence and then working towards a cause and solution; therefore, it helps if you are a natural problem-solver.
4. Attention to detail
When dealing with drug doses, patient histories, allergies, physiological differences, cultural customs, and every other single aspect of a busy hospital ward, it’s naturally imperative that you don’t neglect the little things. In other words, attention to detail is an essential skill for any medical professional. It’s not just about getting dosages right or being aware of drug contraindications, either; it’s about noticing red flags and leaving no stone unturned in your initial patient interactions.
5. Decision-making skills
When it comes to patient care, all final clinical decisions are the remit of doctors; therefore, you’re going to need to be comfortable taking responsibility and making tough calls. This means managing and overseeing patient treatment plans, as well as having to explain and justify them to relatives – this can be difficult if they are not cooperative with your ideas.
6. Professionalism
Dealing with the public isn’t easy at the best of times, but when they are stressed, sick, emotional, or all three, things can turn chaotic very easily. You must be able to remain professional at all times and not put yourself in a position where your ability to treat is compromised.
7. Teamwork skills
One of the key requirements for any medical professional is the ability to collaborate and work as part of a wider team. This might be in an acute setting, such as in a trauma team or an out-of-hospital setting, or it could be within the wider treatment system where you are giving and receiving input from other professionals such as psychiatrists or oncologists.
8. Leadership skills
As previously touched upon, at some point you are going to be the go-to person when it comes to clinical calls. This might be in the middle of a volatile and highly-charged acute emergency or it might be in regards to a particularly complex ongoing case. Either way, people will be looking to you for guidance and answers, so you need to step up to the plate.
9. Resilience
Admittedly, resilience is not so much a ‘skill’ as a ‘quality, but it’s still possible to train yourself to be more robust; you will need to, as well, as becoming a doctor means exposing yourself to things that will undeniably have an impact on your worldview and your sensitivities.
10. Capacity for learning
Throughout medical school and, indeed, the rest of your career, you are going to be taking on and absorbing massive amounts of technical information. If you’re not particularly ‘book smart’, then there’s a high chance that, at some point, it’s going to catch up with you and you’re going to fall by the wayside.
You’ll never truly leave the classroom, either. Medical discoveries and technologies move quickly, so even as a highly qualified professional, you will need to be up to date and aware of the latest treatment developments and trends.
