Want to be a doctor? Check these qualities in yourself before choosing medicine

Most students who finish Class 12 in the science stream dream of a career in medicine. Doctors are given the status of gods, and the field has always been considered prestigious. But the question arises whether one can become a good doctor merely by memorising books or scoring well in physics, chemistry and biology, or whether other qualities are needed.

Many students begin preparing for NEET UG under pressure from parents, relatives, teachers and friends. If there is a doctor in the family or a close friend is studying medicine, that profession will not necessarily be perfect for you too. It is therefore wiser to decide whether to become a doctor by looking at your own interest and the reality of the work.

A doctor's life is not like the movies, where one injection cures a patient at once. Long shifts of 24 to 36 hours are common in hospitals. If even slight tiredness makes you irritable, or you cannot work without a night's sleep, this field can be stressful. The syllabus during studies is enormous, and a strong mind is needed to handle emergency cases.

Doctors often face frightening or painful situations that can leave an ordinary person shaken. The ICU or emergency ward of a hospital is an atmosphere of bloodshed, pain and death. If you are very sensitive, get scared or emotional over small things, you will not be able to sit in a doctor's chair and take quick and correct decisions. Handling a situation with a cool head is the greatest skill here.

Many think that studying ends for good once the MBBS degree is earned. But medical science is an ocean that changes every day. New diseases, new viruses, modern technology and new medicines arrive every day. To be a successful doctor, one has to spend an entire life like a student and always be ready to learn something new. If reading books and looking up new research seems boring, this profession will suffocate you.

Now to the shortcomings that should keep someone from becoming a doctor. The first is the desire for shortcuts or quick money. If your only aim is to get rich overnight, think twice before entering medicine. Success here takes a long time and years of hard work.

The second shortcoming is a communication gap. The bridge of communication between doctor and patient must be strong. If you avoid talking to people or cannot explain your point properly, half of the patient's treatment stops right there.

The third shortcoming is ego or arrogance. Showing empathy to patients and their frightened relatives is most important. Society never accepts doctors who are arrogant by nature.