Here are 4 qualities of being a doctor.

(1) Teamwork

Doctors work in places with a strong team-working element. In the multidisciplinary setting, doctors must have the ability to cooperate with surgeons, nurses, physiotherapists etc so to deliver the best possible care to patients. Thinking from the perspective of a patient, isn't it more comforting to know there’s a team of healthcare professions working to help you rather than just one doctor taking care of you?

(2) Be honest

Honesty forges the doctor's patient relationship. It is important to bear in mind that if patients don’t trust doctors anymore they might hide critical information from doctors which might lead to misdiagnosis. According to one of the medical pillars (autonomy),  doctors should be as transparent as possible when comparing different treatments so that patients can be fully informed when choosing how they want to be treated. 

Doctors are human too and humans make mistakes at times. Therefore, it is vital for doctors to admit mistakes and open up to patients of what they have done wrong and apologise properly. Hiding mistakes will definitely do harm to patients because they will eventually find out. Be honest at first place so that the multidisciplinary team can come up with solutions or rehabilitation programmes which are suitable for the patients.

(3) Knowledge

According to one of the GMC guidelines, one should always keep his/her professional skills and knowledge up to date. Due to rapid medical advancements, it is very crucial for doctors to learn about new medical technologies and medications so that safe practice is ensured. This can be done by attending conferences, participating in lectures and reading medical news articles on a regular basis.

(4) Be empathetic

Often people get confused between the term empathetic and sympathetic and sometimes this comes up as an interview question, so make sure you are able to define the two terms and use examples to demonstrate your understanding of the two terms. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in others’ shoes while sympathy is feeling sorry/ pity towards someone. Being an empathetic doctor  means you understand your patients’ concerns and issues and think from their perspectives. It is crucial to fully appreciate your patients’ values and priorities so that you can provide them with the best possible treatment. Also, medicine can be very emotional at times so being empathetic allows you to have a clear mind so that you are not interfered by feelings when it comes to making important decisions.