Being a doctor
Being a doctor can be an exciting career but is is a lot of hard work and you need to be sure this is really what you want to do.
"Medicine is about helping people - treating illness, providing advice and reassurance, and seeing the effects of both ill health and good health from the patient's point of view. You have to examine the symptoms presented by a patient, and consider a range of possible diagnoses of their cause. You must test your diagnosis, decide on the best course of treatment, and monitor progress. This demands an enquiring mind, the capacity to acquire and maintain high levels of knowledge which have to be constantly up-to-date, and the ability to relate to people as individuals each with their own health needs."
Personal qualities
Comments from doctors and students suggest that these are some personal qualities you may need to draw on. You don't necessarily need them all, but do you recognise something of yourself here?
- A concern for people
Do you care about the people around you and what happens to them? - An enquiring mind
Do you always want to find out more about things that interest you? And do you analyse and update the knowledge you already have?
- An interest in people
Are you curious about how other people think and feel? Do you generally like other people and take an interest in what they say and do? - A rational approach
Are you keen to establish facts, test ideas and find out how things work and why they go wrong? Do you approach problems in a logical way? - An open mind
Do you get along well with people whose attitudes and background are very different from yours? Can you see things from other people's point of view? - Imagination
Can you see around problems to find new solutions? Do people look to you for ideas? - Ability to handle pressure
How have you coped with pressure situations such as the build-up to exams? Does it affect your behaviour significantly or can you handle it? - Hard work
Can you cope with hard work over sustained periods? - Patience
Do you get impatient with other people easily, or are you willing to go along at their pace? - Determination
If something doesn't come right first time, do you give time and effort to sorting it out? - Decisiveness
Do you make decisions with a fair degree of confidence, based on what you know? - Humility
Are you comfortable with recognising the limits of your ability and knowledge, and willing to look to others for help?
Skills and personal qualities
A doctor should:
- have scientific ability and be able to absorb and draw on large amounts of scientific and technical information
- have excellent communication skills
- have an enquiring mind
- have the ability to put people at their ease and inspire their trust and confidence
- have compassion, but with some detachment to cope with emotional stress
- be able to work well in, and lead, a team
- be able to work under pressure and make quick, clear decisions
- work consistently to high professional standards
- be prepared continually to update knowledge and learn new techniques
- have a logical approach to problem solving.
Interests
It is important to:
- have a keen interest in healthcare and science
- be concerned about the care and well-being of people.
Other options you may be interested in:
The University of Bristol runs a number of highly regarded science subjects including immunology, anatomy. You may also be interested in careers such as dentistry, nursing/midwifery, clinical psychology, social work and physiotherapy.