Personal Traits Getting Them Right
While writing your personal statement, it is necessary to touch upon a few underlying traits of human personality that you possess and glorify yourself in a manner that does not sound very explicit. Adopting this style will give you a fair chance for your application to sail through the screening process. Some of the personality traits that you need to consider are as follows:
Analytical Ability: As a doctor, the first and foremost quality that you need to possess is that of strong analytical skills. As part of your profession you will need to diagnose the cause of illness in your patients based on a series of tests.
Questioning Ability: One of the primary skills that you need to foster in yourself is that of your ability to question your patients. This is a prime requisite in your success as a doctor while diagnosing the illness in your patients. The more the questions that you put across to your patients, the clearer the picture that you might form about the illness. This is a skill which will supplement and aid your analytical skills.
Listening Skills: You might be aware of the adage that hearing is not listening. It would just not be enough if you were able to question your patients. It is equally important that you lend your ears to see what they have to tell you. For all that you know, you will be able to pick up clues on the illness while listening to them more intently.
Communication: If you were to go and tell one of your patients directly that he was suffering from cancer, it can prove to be even more fatal. As a doctor, it is your responsibility to ensure that your patient is at comfort and then disclose the details of the illness in a smooth and sugar-coated manner. It is important that you provide him with more assurance and prepare him to fight the disease. This is where your ability to motivate can come to your rescue.
Serve as Role Model: Assume that you keep advising your patients all the time not to smoke. And then, one day, one of your patients catches you smoking. This will have a very bad impact on him in terms of the respect he might have for you as a role model. So it is necessary that you lead from the front when taking up any new initiative.
Leadership: As a doctor, you will more often be working in a team or even leading a team while working on a major venture. It will be necessary that you motivate your team to give their best towards the new initiative or venture. This is where your leadership skills in leading people from the front come into play.
Compassion: Health is a state of mental and physical well-being. Your patient has come over to you with a hope that you might help him get rid of his current state. It is important that you show a lot of compassion towards his state and do the needful to help him recover at the earliest.
Sense of Humour: Laughter keeps all illnesses away. It really does not matter if you don the role of a clown in order to make your patients laugh. The moment that they forget their illnesses and start laughing their way out, you can be sure that they are already on the road to recovery.
Good Teacher: Above all, a good doctor needs to be a very good teacher. Patients who come over to you dont understand the complexities and sophistication of medicine and medical illnesses. It is the prime responsibility of the doctor to explain to his patients the reason and the cure behind the illness.
Choosing Them Right
In your personal statement, you can discuss any or all of these personality traits. It is not essential that you discuss them all. You might want to touch those that really represent you. It is always a better idea to be your own self.
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are a UK or Overseas student applying for a place in a UK University, to stand out from the thousands of others, it is essential to have striking Personal Statement, for more information and professional guidance, see www.personal-statement.co.uk
