Why does a great doctor master soft skills?
Soft skills often get little attention from medical students, but soft skills genuinely help future doctors be more responsive to the needs of patients and colleagues.
Patients are often much more forgiving of and loyal to a doctor whom they feel listens to them and cares. More importantly, hospital recruitment nowadays pays more and more attention to making sure a doctor’s soft skills fit in with the rest of the health team as it is critical to keep turnover low and a win for everyone.
A doctor who has positive and constructive interactions with staff and colleagues is also much more likely to have a favorable reputation and be considered for promotions and new opportunities. If a doctor wants to move up in his or her career, mastering soft skills is essential in the increasingly complex healthcare industry.
What are soft skills?
Also known as “people skills” or “interpersonal skills," soft skills are subjective and reflect the human side. They’re subjective, intangible, personality-driven, behavioral, and trans-situational – versus hard skills, which are rule-based, tangible, objective, and teachable.
● Communication: strong communication skills are essential if you want to establish meaningful, trusting relationships with your patients and cooperative, respectful relationships with the other members of your health team.
● Collaboration: doctors who know how to collaborate effectively with the other members of the health team can enhance the quality of care their patients receive. This soft skill requires doctors to understand their own and other team members’ skills and encourage the sharing of everyone’s insights.
● Empathy: empathy is often included as a component of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is generally defined as the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions (self-awareness) as well as the emotions of others (social awareness). Emotional intelligence can influence patient satisfaction and compliance. But rather than just the recognition of other’s emotions, empathy includes the ability to understand and share those emotions.
- Patience
- Confidence
- Commitment
- Flexibility
- Trustworthiness
- Respect for others
- Motivated
- Problem-solving skills
- Time management skills
- A good listener
- Ability to work under pressure
- Leadership skills
- Ability to communicate via different modes
- Ability to accept constructive criticism and feedback
How to develop your soft skills?
- Personality Tests:
- Books on Soft Skills:
