5 Traits Prospective Medical School Students Needs To Develop

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What prospective doctors need to get into medical school

So maybe you've got the grades and the drive, but do you really have what it takes to become a physician?

Doctors might come from different backgrounds, but they share the same set of characteristics—albeit expressed uniquely by each individual—that are actually requisite parts of the medicine practice, according to US News.

Communication skills. Communicating, not just with the patients, is an integral part of being a physician since medicine relies on the communication of ideas, concepts and orders verbally and nonverbally. Speaking with the correct tone, idiom and language is a must for all doctors, but nonverbal communication is equally important, because it clues doctors in to the patient's engagement, receptiveness and willingness to comply with the instructions.

At the Duke-NUS Medical School, a school of the National University of Singapore, admissions officers look for applicants that possess "traits and skills that will help them succeed as clinicians or clinician-scientists," and these include the attributes such as competent communication and interpersonal skills, integrity, teamwork, altruism, resilience, and critical thinking."

Presence. Aside from communication skills, it's also vital for doctors to be present when speaking with colleagues and patients. This means that physicians must concentrate on what the person is saying first before thinking about how they’ll going to respond. So, no sending emails, surfing the internet, or even texting, and especially letting one's thoughts wander off while in the middle of a conversation.

Critical thinking. A huge part of a doctor's job, regardless of specialty, is to assess truckloads of data quickly in order to form a working conclusion. No two cases are exactly the same, and each patient requires to be evaluated individually. This means that physicians must use their deductive reasoning and inferences based not only on their knowledge, but also on experience.

Compassion. Another trait that goes hand in hand with communication is compassion—showing not just kindness and civility, but also an "authentic sympathy for self, patients, colleagues and co-workers" regardless of the background or personal behavior. More than medical expertise, patients also needs a doctor's warmth and understanding.

Resilience. Life in general can be stressful, but add in a career in medicine, and you're sure to have days filled with ups and downs. Resilience helps to get anyone get through those moments when all things have gone wrong. Build resilience by having healthy coping mechanisms, such as daily exercises, meditating, or even writing poetry.

Recently, the National University of Singapore announced that it has admitted students through a scheme that looks at not just grades, but also on attributes "such as leadership or entrepreneurial skills or talent in the arts and sports, according to The Straits Times report

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