What Makes a Good GP Doctor?

• Doc 109
• 29 March 2021
• Uncategorized
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Are you planning to become a GP doctor? If yes, then you must be wondering, ‘what makes a GP doctor stand out?’ Working as a GP doctor is not just a respectable job but it’s also extremely fulfilling. However, it’s not for everyone. Obviously, no doctor can be perfect, but there are certain characteristics that must be there in a person to become a good GP doctor.

Good Communication Skills

Most GP doctor’s spend their time consulting with their patients, so it is really important to have good communication skills. Usually, patients discuss important issues with a GP doctor that they have not even spoken to anyone else about. As a doctor, it is your responsibility to make the patient feel comfortable and build a healthy rapport with them. Besides that, it is very important that you adapt your communication skills according to each patient. The way you’ll communicate with a teenager patient will be very different as compared to the way you’ll deal with an elderly patient.

Open-Minded and Non-Judgemental

When you become a GP doctor, you will meet a number of patients with different backgrounds, many of whom you’d never meet normally. There will be a lot of diversity. Those people will be from all religions, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds. If you want to give the best care, it is important to remain open-minded and non-judgmental.

Ability to Deal with Uncertainty

A GP doctor has to face a lot of unknowns as compared to other specialists. Literally, a patient with any problem can walk in and you are expected to figure out what’s going on. However, it’s alright if you cannot come up with a definitive diagnosis every time. Some GP doctors stress out if they fail to find out what’s going on. If you are a GP doctor, you will face uncertainties on daily basis, so make sure you keep yourself comfortable while dealing with such issues.

Ability to Work Independently

Many specialists often work together as a team to provide care to their patients. However, this is not the case with GP doctors as they have to work independently. This can feel extremely stressful as you are the only one who is responsible for all the decisions you make. Plus, it can also become quite lonely, as you have to spend hours by yourself. As a GP doctor, it is important that you have the ability to work independently.

An Interest in Continued Learning

As a GP doctor, you truly are a generalist and must know little about everything. Medicine is continuously evolving that’s why you need to work hard to stay up to date. This will require dedication, regular courses, and reading a lot of journals.