Paint a verbal portrait of an ideal physician and tell us about experiences that you have had which have helped to shape this ideal.

As a professional, an ideal physician should have all of the knowledge and skills necessary to be a physician. He/she should be a paragon in medicine who possesses the skill and commitment to educate patients about disease processes and the principles of good heath. Besides that, he/she should be willing to apply his knowledge towards research, to find better methods for patients’ treatment. A physician should use reasons in all actions. Each step in diagnosis and management should be thoughtfully considered. Communication skill is an important characteristic which every physician should possess. Every physician should take the time to listen to the patient and have an unbreakable will to help the patient to get well. A physician enters into the field of medicine to help people and he/she should never forget that thought process. Each patient is as important as the other, and a physician should treat them with the full extent of his/her knowledge in hopes to relieve whatever pains the patient.

As a humanitarian, an ideal physician should feel empathy for every patient who is encountered. A physician should be caring and truly love helping people. This love of the profession should come from the desire to help those in need. He/she should be unselfish and do everything in his/her power to aid a patient in recovery, without putting personal gain before the welfare of the patient. An ideal physician should never have any notions of prejudice towards patients, whether it would be by race, color or any other attributes. He/she should have respect for all patients and bring himself/herself down to the patients’ level. The most important trait that a physician should possess is compassion. He/she should have true, genuine interest in each individual case he/she works on, making sure that the patient’s needs are met.

 Being a physician is more than just a job, but also a devotion to the betterment of human life. A physician is a person who improves both the physical and emotional lives of his patients. I think the characteristics I mentioned above best exemplify the qualities of an ideal physician. I believe that the experience of going to the National Youth Leadership Forum Program on medicine and meeting so many physicians have helped me in shaping my concept of an ideal physician. I intend to incorporate those traits in myself while working towards my career goal to become a physician.