Good Example Of Essay On Skills Needed To Be A Doctor

Being a doctor is one of the most challenging career paths one can possibly tread. With the Hippocratic Oath comes an enormous burden, and enormous sacrifice is required. Three essential ingredients are necessary in order to become a doctor: medical training, communication skills, and a compassionate soul.
The training to become a doctor is long and arduous. To venture into the medical field and eventually earn a medical degree requires years of preparation, in terms of study. A solid work ethic must be the touchstone of any potential doctor. Early on, students will need to take courses in the sciences, especially chemistry, physics, mathematics, and English. These courses of study are the foundation of any medical education. Also, the prospective student must prepare to take several important tests. Once out of high school, it is necessary to take a college entrance exam such as the ACT or SAT. Once in college, a student must make extraordinary sacrifices if one choose to continue through medical college and pursue medicine as a career objective. For example, dedication to studying and consulting with advisors consistently is an important part of a pre-medical education. Studying, completing necessary homework, and test-taking are important skills. Early in a student's undergraduate education, they will want to begin researching which medical college to which they would like to be accepted. Of course, a student needs to keep up a competitive GPA (of at least 3.5). Even at such an early time, the prospective medical doctor must participate in science clubs and medical societies. Once the student takes the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), and receives acceptance to a medical school, the hard work has really just begun -- on the path to becoming a doctor.
A medical doctor must also have immense communication skills. A doctor must be able to articulate his ideas via speech and writing. Perhaps more importantly, a doctor must have excellent listening skills. These skills will form what is known as a "bedside manner". For example, if a patient comes into one's office complaining of chronic migraines, the doctor must listen thoroughly to his patient's description of his symptoms. Moreover, the doctor must be able to "listen" to the sounds of the body, such as the heartbeat, and breathing. Indicators of underlying pathologies can be discovered in the setting of an office -- before referring a patient out to other specialists and further testing. An additional listening skill that comes in handy for a doctor is the ability to speak and understand other languages -- especially Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and/or French.
Lastly, one of the most important attributes that a prospective doctor needs is compassion. In order to become a practitioner of medicine, a doctor needs to be genuinely concerned about his patients' health and well-being. Without this attribute, all of the technical know-how and communication skills in the world are virtually useless. For a doctor, compassion is something that is almost innate -- a type of ingrained personality trait that is reflected by the way one cares about others -- not just patients. Empathy is a part of compassion, and doctors must be able to put themselves in others' places. This ability helps the doctor foster the growth of his compassion for people, especially his patients. A doctor must take the Hippocratic Oath seriously. "First, do no harm" is the veritable hallmark phrase of a person who operates from a position of compassion and concern. Once all of the technical skills, communication skills, and the requirement of compassion are satisfied, the prospective physician must be patient before people begin calling him "Doctor".