Practical Tips For New Doctors and Medical Practitioners

Possibly one of the most respectable and difficult jobs out there is being a medical practitioner. There is a lot of pressure, and you must make sure to be 100% accurate in everything you do, after all, lives are at stake. 

Fortunately, despite the hardships involved in this profession, there are many others who went through similar experiences before you. 

From their insights, we have collected a few useful and extremely helpful tips which will ease your journey as a medical practitioner.

1. Be Organized In Everything You Do

By everything, we mean every in and out of the profession. 

You want to make sure you are able to maintain your organized self under the most difficult situations, and for that, you must make it a habit. 

Keep your cabin clean and tidy, and your personal space neat, and maintain an orderly schedule during work hours and after work hours. 

Every adjustment made to make sure you are organized makes your overall day much easier to get by. This decreases one of your stress sources as you already have enough stress from your main job.

However, that’s not all there is to being organized. 

You should make sure you have all the resources you will need based on the patient who is visiting you: 

• First-time consultations require basic check-ups so keep any materials needed for that handy. 
• If it is a regular patient coming in for a visit then you should pre-read their medical history. 
• You should also have a small batch of commonly used tools and medicines in well-arranged medical storage cabinets for quick access when dealing with patients.  

2. Be An Active Communicator

As a medical practitioner, you will be expected to interact with many different people. They could be the staff or patients. 

Being able to appropriately approach people and communicate with them is expected from you as you will be responsible for delivering stressful information.

Validating your patients’ emotions, and their guardians’ emotions during an event is also incredibly necessary. This means you should talk to them, actively listen to what they are saying and respond with appropriate comments.

In times of misfortune like an unsuccessful medical procedure, you must be able to deliver this news sensibly. You must also allow the guardians and visitors to react and let their emotions out (unless they get violent or too turbulent, for such events make sure your staff is nearby). 

You must also be clear to whoever you are speaking with. Not everyone in the hospital setting will understand complex medical terms (office staff, patients, etc.) and so you should be able to explain your information in common terms.

3. Treat Yourself Like A Patient

Due to their busy lifestyle, it is a common tendency among doctors to self-treat their symptoms superficially and get it over with. 

However, you should get a thorough check-up just as anyone else would. When treating yourself you often overlook symptoms intentionally or unintentionally. 

Rather than risking the chance of misdiagnosing yourself, go to a specialist and be a “patient” when you are one. 

This ensures that you are healthy, fit and fine, which will not interfere with your work. Follow the medical tips you would normally give to a patient yourself. 

Also, engage in all sorts of self-care – from regular vitamins, balanced diet food consumption, regular rest schedule, and proper exercise. 

As a doctor you are a role model for your patients, try to emulate what you want your patients to be. 

4. Do Not Ignore Your Social Needs

Being in such a competitive and pressuring profession can become suffocating really soon, and you might rethink your choices many times throughout your career. 

However, in times like these, you must remember your reason for seeking to become a medical professional in the first place.

Keep a personal diary or journal and record your thoughts in it. If writing is a tedious task then make a few doctor friends who may share a similar lifestyle and nurture friendships that suit your professional and personal life. 

Give time to your family and loved ones too. Yes, it will be difficult as you will have a tight schedule being a doctor, but you need your family or partner who can provide you with comfort in times of need.

You should not ignore your needs as a human. Just like everyone else you also have the right to wind down and enjoy your life. 

The more you hold back, the more pent up and stressed you become, which directly and negatively impacts your work. This is something you cannot allow in the medical field especially as you hold the lives of countless people in your capable hands.

5. Teamwork Makes Dreamwork

Yes, the golden “teamwork” mantra!

It applies everywhere in every field of work, especially in the medical profession. 

You should be capable of solo work, but you should be just as much, if not more, capable of teamwork. 

Surprisingly, you might find that many experienced doctors prefer working alone as they have developed their own unique methods, but this also hinders their process as they do not allow helping hands during their procedures. 

Surgeries, medicine administration, patient invigilation, and health check-ups… all of these require multiple fast and capable hands at work for the best possible results for the doctors and patients. 

As a doctor, you have to be able to delegate tasks to all team members based on priority. You shouldn’t bring ego into play when dealing with a patient or any other case. 

Everyone is here for the same cause: to help save and maintain lives. 

Conclusion

There are many hurdles to overcome and bridges to cross on the route to becoming a reliable and experienced doctor. As you go through this journey you must keep yourself healthy, happy and safe. 

As such, these tips and reminders will definitely come in handy depending on the stage you have reached in your career.

Best of luck, Doctor!

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