What’s Up, Doc?

“Dad, its Sunday. Can I have my allowance, please? Oh, and may I have an extra RM200 since it’s my birthday week?” Those phrases about money magically appearing in our bank account without us putting in any effort perhaps only happens in movies.

If it happens, you definitely shouldn’t treat your parents like an ATM machine.

Thus, the reason most graduates aim for high income salary careers.

According to popular belief, one of the most sought-after careers is in the healthcare industry as it provides job satisfaction, security, growth potential and competitive earnings.

While these jobs are in high demand and can pay very well, they also involve a lot of stress. Burnout is a major risk.

Thankfully, after a long wait, about 4,000 contract health workers have gotten permanent positions recently.

Congratulations, all of you! Khairy Jamaluddin also mentioned that the Health Ministry plans to absorb at least 1,500 contract staff each year onwards.

After showcasing academic and mental perseverance and diligence, what other criteria could possibly fulfil this role? Perhaps it is about time to polish on your soft skills.

What’s the use of high IQ without a good balance of EQ or EI? Emotional Intelligence and soft skills.

Soft skills are the difference between adequate candidates and ideal candidates.

The communication skills of physician impacts patients’ satisfaction and is an effective step of making effective relationship between doctor and patient.

A physician who does not have soft skills or emotional intelligence, trustworthiness and approachability are not very highly regarded by their patients, seniors and supervisors.

In my case, I’ve had a fair share of good and bad experience at both public and private hospitals.

The cold look, blatant replies and prejudiced treatments are among the things I am most remorseful about.

However, the empathic, flexible and critical thinkers are the ones I always look forward to.

A doctor takes on a lifelong learning lifestyle. As a doctor, you might have to put on different hats at a given time; a lecturer, clinician and researcher.

According to Dr Nadzratulaiman Wan Nordin, “The trend of students taking up medicine due to family request or pressure is quite common. This results in a realisation that medicine is not as glamorous as it seems nor it is financially lucrative.”

“Getting work-life balance is a tremendous challenge, as doing research and being committed to family requires flexibility and quick priority shifts daily. It can be a stressful environment to work in especially for junior doctors to adapt,” she added.

“However, with true passion for the profession, right intention complimented with logic and relevance, they will soon be highly rewarded after working in the field for about 4-5 years,” the obstetrician and gynaecologist concluded.

To top that off, a government healthcare worker from Perlis mentioned, “Currently, patients are on the rise, there is definitely not enough manpower, most healthcare workers are exhausted and this will lead to stress as most of us have to work for more hours and sometimes take double shifts”.

“The healthcare industry might seem insecure and could lead to frustration after us tirelessly giving back to the society. Nevertheless, it could still be rewarding knowing that after we are done with years of servicing, there are ample opportunities beyond; we can work at private hospitals or even abroad,” she continued.

“All that matters is that you have to pick a specialty or subspecialty that you’re truly interested in,” she finished.

So, we need to level up.

In the corporate world, most organisations including large corporate hospitals have started investing a great deal of time and effort in elaborating training programmes designed to improve soft skills.

You should too.

Keep working on your soft skills.

SYAZUIN SAZALI is a Subject Matter Expert in English language and soft skills. She aims to continuously advocate for progressive growth in education. Linkedin & Instagram: @syazuinsazali, Email: [email protected] The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Sinar Daily.