Good Communicator
Healthcare professionals must have good communication skills. Not only do they need to listen to the patients to determine what is wrong, but they also have to be able to explain treatments and procedures to the patients and their families in a way that they will understand. They need to use their communication skills to help motivate the patients to follow their treatment plans and to keep patients from becoming too scared about what could happen to them.
Nurturing
Because they deal with patients in a very vulnerable state, healthcare professionals need to be nurturing. They should truly care about their patients, and they should seek to show this through both word and action. Healthcare professionals must encourage their patients to stick with treatment plans when patients feel like giving up. They must provide a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold during rough times.
Able to Handle Stress Well
Working in healthcare brings about a great amount of stress. Those seeking to work in the healthcare field need to be able to handle stress well if they don’t want to fall prey to the high burnout rate often seen in the healthcare field. Healthcare professionals need to be able to process the stress in healthy ways so they do not take it out on their co-professionals, their patients or their families.
Works Well With Others
From other doctors to patients to patients’ families, healthcare professionals must work with lots of people every day. For this reason, healthcare professionals must get along well with others. They must be team players who are willing to work together for the good of the patient instead of pushing for their own agendas.
Adaptable
One challenging but motivating aspect of a job in healthcare is that the work is never the same from one day to the next. Healthcare professionals see a wide variety of people with an even wider variety of medical issues every day. Their schedules change routinely and technology is always advancing, bringing in new procedures and protocols. Healthcare professionals must be able to adapt.
Attentive to Detail
Healthcare professionals must also be attentive to detail. One missed detail such as an unsafe medicine combination or an incorrect number in a chart can be a matter of life or death. Healthcare professionals must be very careful not to make mistakes and to fix mistakes immediately if they are found.
Quick on Their Feet
Because healthcare professionals often need to deal with life or death situations, they need to be quick on their feet. They must be able to react quickly and appropriately in a crisis situation to ensure that their patients get the care they need immediately.
If these are all traits you possess, a career in the healthcare field might be a good fit for you. Take a few classes at a local college or volunteer at a nearby hospital to see how it goes. You will be helping people before you know it!
Further reading:
50 Great Career Resources for Women in Healthcare Administration and Management
