Physicians are some of the most sought-after medical professionals in America in 2023. Even with the amazing amount of bargaining power they have in the hiring process, however, there are still certain skills that they need to demonstrate to land quality jobs. There are ten skills, in particular, that every physician candidate needs to have on their resume in 2023:
1. Emotional Intelligence
If you want to connect with your patients, you’ll need high levels of emotional intelligence. Making a patient understand their diagnosis takes more than proper medical lingo, after all. For this reason, many employers are seeking out physician candidates that have a high level of emotional intelligence. While looking for a physician job, you can expect to fill out an EQ test as part of many applications for this reason.
2. Specialized Medical Knowledge
To stand out amongst other physician candidates, you’ll need specialized medical knowledge. A ton of different hyper-specific medical professionals are needed across the US right now, so it’s a prospective employee’s market. The more you bring to the table, the stronger your already-strong bargaining power will become during the interview (and salary discussion) process. Bear this in mind since you’ll have to protect your interest as a physician as well. For those that have been looking for an ideal opportunity to jump into a new type of physician career, the time to act is now.
3. Scheduling Flexibility
Unfortunately, the lack of qualified and filled staff roles across the US right now is creating a healthcare crisis. As this crisis continues, many medical professionals are being asked to work more, and longer, hours. For this reason, having a highly flexible schedule, and being willing to work less concrete hours, is ideal. This helps with new hires, especially those who will be expected to work longer upfront hours to adjust to their new work environments.
4. Teamwork Skills
If you want to work in the medical field, no matter what your profession is, you need to have incredibly strong teamwork skills. Diagnosing, caring for, and treating patients requires many different professionals working in sync, after all. Being able to demonstrate your knack for teamwork during your interview will immediately make you more qualified and desirable than candidates that fail to do so – so make sure to put a ton of effort toward proving your team player attitude!
5. Solid Mental and Physical Stamina
Medical work, even in more relaxed settings, tends to be chaotic and consistently demanding. For this reason, medical professionals need to be in great physical and mental health to perform their job effectively. Having great mental and physical stamina ensures you can stay on top of your tasks and that you won’t be burnt out shortly after beginning your job as a physician. If you can showcase your physical and mental stamina during an interview, you’ll be a shoo-in for the job you’re applying for.
6. A Hunger for On-the-Job Learning
Even after spending nearly a decade in medical school, physicians are likely aware that they will never truly stop learning about the medical field they’re dedicating their lives to. With this in mind, you need to emphasize your hunger for on-the-job learning during your interview process. When an employer believes a physician is dedicated to expanding their craft at their facility, they will be much more interested in potentially hiring said candidate for the role they’re looking to fill.
7. Problem-Solving Skills
Medical professionals have to make snap decisions and discover problems in complex situations every single day. For this reason, they need to have incredible problem-solving skills to excel. Patients deserve medical professionals who are willing to responsibly find unique and effective solutions to their healthcare needs, after all. For interviews, it’s important to have an anecdote about a time when you’ve solved a complex, immediate problem during your past medical work.
8. Communication Skills
Since physicians are often the “director” role for the other medical professionals treating patients, they need stellar communication skills to ensure everything works as intended. Doing so helps to keep the patients safe, and ensures that every medical pro on their team has a clear, precise task to handle at any given time during the work day.
9. Lab Interpretation Skills
If a physician wants a high-paying job, they’ll need to have strong lab interpretation skills. Candidates with this skill set can save facilities money on simple-interpretation professionals, after all. The value that this skill can pack onto a physician’s resume is simply hard to overstate.
10. Up-to-Date Medical Research Knowledge
Alongside continual on-the-job training, physicians must keep themselves up-to-date with current medical research in their areas of expertise. Doing so ensures they can effectively and safely treat their patients. This skill is important in 2023 and will never stop being important for physician candidates.
