Is Becoming a Doctor the Right Path for Me? Pros, Cons and Necessary Traits

The medical profession is a much-vaunted career path, being a noble discipline with far-reaching impacts on individuals and wider communities.

But becoming a doctor is not an easy path, and there are many things to consider before locking into studying. What are the pros and cons of becoming a doctor, and what traits should a budding doctor possess? 

Becoming a Doctor:The Pros

Becoming a doctor is, in many ways, its own reward. The compulsion to study medicine stems from a desire to help others, and to contribute meaningfully to medicine – whether through frontline care or through the development of new processes and strategies.

The ability to make a real, tangible impact on the lives of others can make becoming a doctor a profound experience, and a career path peerless in its positive impacts.

Learning medicine is a long and rigorous endeavor and one which can equip you with a great deal of specialized information – as well as transferable skills to a number of key industries.

The options available to a fully certified doctor are wide-ranging and diverse, from opening a GP surgery to taking lucrative consultancy positions in other industries.

Both as frontline practitioners and through wider career opportunities, doctors are well-recompensed and secure in their careers. 

The Cons of Becoming a Doctor

But becoming a doctor is not without its difficulties and pitfalls. For one, the process of qualifying as a doctor is especially long and can be prohibitively expensive for those on low incomes without the right financial support.

Even after qualifying as a doctor, the road to an established career can be rocky – especially with hospitals taxed as they are by the coronavirus pandemic.

There is also the possibility of civil action to contend with. Healthcare is a high-pressure profession, and one with little or no room for error.

In the event that you make a mistake, you may find yourself open to medical negligence claims from patients that have suffered injury as a result. In worst-case scenarios, these could significantly impact your future in healthcare.

Key Traits to Possess

Of course, the positives vastly outweigh the negatives for the many that choose a career in healthcare.

That said, those that succeed in healthcare possess specific traits that not every medical school applicant has.

The following two traits are incredibly desirable in doctors and can help budding healthcare professionals make their mark in a positive way.

Initiative

As a frontline doctor, you will find yourself directly responsible for the care and treatment of patients.

In some cases, specific patients will need immediate intervention – requiring assertive action to remedy their condition.

As such, you will need to take initiative in their care and have conviction in your choices. There is little room for second guesses in healthcare. 

Resilience

You will also need to be incredibly resilient. Working in a hospital will see you putting in long hours and seeing multitudes of patients.

The work is not only mentally demanding but also physically demanding; for both, you will need to display special resilience in the face of difficulty.

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