Who thrives in healthcare: 5 out of the 20 fastest growing industries

April 2021, my parents got Covid. Unexpected. They both had their first doses of the vaccine. Anyway, we frantically started looking for doctors who could advise us on what to do. We connected with a few of them. The same list showed up - Fabiflu, Ivermectin, Zincovit, and more...

Now Covid treatment has a standard protocol- pretty much. So how did we decide which doctor to go with??

For any budding healthcare worker, especially doctors, a must-watch movie is ‘Patch Adams’ played by Robin Williams. Based on the true story of Hunter ‘Patch’ Adams, the movie revolves around the story of a young medical student whose “people-centric philosophy” towards the profession clashes and challenges the conventional wisdom that patients need a doctor, not a friend. Yes, the famous Bollywood movie ‘Munnabhai MBBS’ was inspired by ‘Patch Adams’!

Which side is actually right then? Are doctors judged purely on their technical skills? Or do “people- skills” matter? With advances in healthcare, as we continue breaking the life expectancy barrier every year, jobs in this sector are also on the rise. The US Labour Department has forecasted that the healthcare and social assistance sector is expected to add the newest jobs with 5 out of the 20 fastest growing industries being in these sectors. The entire gamut of the medical sector - the doctors, the nurses, the physicians are part of this new surge in demand.

Like many other professions, the medical community is highly demanding in terms of the technical skills a practitioner is expected to fulfill. These skills are constantly taught throughout the rigorous curriculum the students are subjected to through lab assignments and clinical visits. Yet, the medical profession goes beyond mastering these technical skills - seen as the barometer of a good healthcare worker - to adopting and honing certain other skills which are equally important to be involved in the profession. Skills such as having excellent communication skills, patience, compassion, strong work ethic, time management, and emotional intelligence are some of the most crucial skills that need to be worked over a period of time to deliver the best possible experience to a patient and to become one of the better-known doctors or nurses.?

For my parents, not consciously, but we too picked the ones who exhibited compassion, the ones who had the ability to communicate clearly and confidently even in the most stressful of the moments. In fact, the doctor we ended up trusting the most was the one who could sprinkle humor and make my parents laugh through the pain. While all of them were very good in their “technical” skills and experience, the difference showed up in their ability to handle and manage our emotions, their ability to think fast and make decisions, and their ability to articulate their thoughts clearly.?

Unlike technical skills, these skills are harder to acquire as they cannot be easily taught in your everyday human anatomy classroom. These skills need to be developed over a period of time, preferably from a young age, as they contribute to your overall character. In the modern-day and age where machines are capable of doing most of the “tasks”, these human skills are increasingly being acknowledged in the medical community for their importance in improving patient satisfaction and care.?

With millions of freshly minted doctors every year, who gets the best reviews on apps like Practo and other doctor-review platforms around the world? With the growing job demand in the healthcare sector, the earlier you develop and sharpen these human and people skills, the better chances you have in standing out while competing with others with the same degree and education. To thrive in this growing and promising sector, learn the right skills to become the doctor that people can trust even when standardized treatments are administered.?

Finally, it is a tough job to be a healthcare professional. So thank you :) Thank you for your kindness, for your warmth, and for all your hard work.?

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