Importance Of Soft Skills For Medical Professionals

• April 29, 2020
• kupplinadmin
• no comments

So you have crossed one step of your medical dream i.e, graduating with a medical degree. You studied many aspects of medical science in all those years when you were taught about diagnosing illness and disease, reading medical histories, performing surgery, removing a limb, using different kinds of medical equipment, and whatnot.

And then you start working at a medical facility, you attend many patients daily, you are making a good amount of money.

But then one day you see your colleagues doing much better than you in terms of earning patient’s trust, making them happy, getting popular among people, etc.

What’s the reason?

Importance Of Soft Skills in Healthcare

The hidden reason & the keyword you’re looking here for is “soft skills”. Soft skills are always universal irrespective of the field you’re in, the work that you do, and the place where you live.

“Soft skill is an ability to work well with colleagues and to recognize the impact one has on others.”

Soft skills go well beyond patient care. They are the qualities, habits, social acumen, and even attitude – things that are intangible.

In any healthcare environment, the mental state of the patient as well as his guardians is usually intense.

During the treatment, a great doctor would always communicate in a way so that the situation is eased out in their minds.

There are many situations where even the patient with mild illness can get highly anxious and worried which leads to medical depression. And then there are situations where a patient can overcome the biggest illnesses like cancer just with the help of a positive mindset & environment around him.

Research has found that physician empathy improves clinical outcomes for patients

Soft skills complement hard skills, so you probably won’t find them on a CV but they’ll become obvious from a candidate’s storytelling about their work.

Many medical schools are now training doctors in literature and art for this same reason. Harvard launched a new initiative in 2015 to use more drama, dance, and literature to help medical students become empathetic and reflective doctors. “Efforts like these don’t aim to make doctors into artists,” said Dr. Kenneth Ludmerer, a professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine who studies the history of medicine. They are “a tool to help doctors understand people and their conditions.” They help doctors see beyond the disease, the “narrow biological aspect,” to the illness, which includes anxiety, fear, and the whole human experience of being sick, says Dr. Ludmerer.

Soft Skills Every Doctor Needs

• Excellent communication
• Emotional Intelligence
• Self-Motivation
• Commitment
• Initiative
• Leadership
• Responsibility
• Teamwork
• Compassion and patience
• Flexibility, adaptability, and emotional stability
• Humility
• Proactive, ethical, and responsible nature
• Critical observation
• Decisiveness
• Strong work ethic
• Time management

All of the above skills help in making you a complete doctor. You will be able to make sound decisions, be receptive around the patient & their guardians, be able to communicate effectively, etc.

In healthcare, having these soft skills will allow you to work under stress, perform efficiently, identify & manage people’s emotions, be able to share respect & appreciation, etc.

We wish you the very best ahead in your medical career. If you need any guidance through healthcare jobs, you can always head to the job board at Kupplin Worldwide.

Sources:

https://blog-tf.doximity.com/beyond-clinical-qualifications-what-are-soft-skills-and-what-they-mean-in-physician-recruitment