What makes a great doctor: a physician reflects

I have been fortunate enough to find a home in academic medicine. Most of that time I’ve spent in oncology — working with residents, fellows, and colleagues on projects, whether they be chart-based or prospectively designed trials. I’ve lectured a ton, and written even more. Yet, my experience in academia has also allowed me to help choose future medical students, residents, and fellows, and this has perhaps been one of the most important aspects of the profession. See, each time I am asked to interview a candidate, the same question goes through my mind: What will make a good doctor? What am I looking for? I suppose it dates back to when I was in college, knowing I wanted to be a doctor but not sure I had “the goods” to become one. I was a good student at a great university (go Rochester!), but I wasn’t top of my class, and perhaps worse, I really didn’t like some of the sciences, like chemistry and (especially) physics. What I loved were the humanities: English literature and religious studies. But, I thought, a doctor has to be human too, right? Application time came and went, and among the dozens of applications I sent out, I only got a handful of interviews. Obviously, this did nothing for my confidence. I still remember my first interviewer: he was an anesthesiologist and wanted only to discuss my performance on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and my science grades. As I left the room, he offered a piece of advice: “Even if you get in to m...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Medical school Oncology/Hematology Source Type: blogs