If
you’re a medical student trying to prepare for the future of medicine, here are
5 skills that you’re going
to need to stay ahead of the curve.
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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash |
1) Patient
design
For
decades, the medical community has left the single most important player out of
every major decision regarding healthcare: the patient.
Medical
students and doctors should understand and embrace the idea that the patient is
at the center of our universe. No matter whether it’s about developing a new
drug, designing a new treatment path, or shaping the blueprint of a brand new
hospital building, patients should be involved in the highest level of decision-making. Even the FDA has a patient
engagement advisory board!
2)
Lead the way in digital health
Credibility
is crucial. As a doctor, you cannot say to a patient to live a healthier life
when you smoke like a chimney and sit in front of the TV with snacks every
night. Medical students, physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals
should try health apps, fitness
trackers, and wearables themselves to understand and be able to recommend them to patients.
3)
Be at home in the digital jungle
The necessity for digital literacy is evident. Knowing how to search for, find, and
assess information is key. The use of online media, even Facebook, Twitter or
Linkedin gives me wings for doing my job. With their help, I can always stay on
top of the current trends and innovations.
But
social media can also be an active part of our job as a medical professional.
In the case of rare diseases and medical mysteries, specialized forums can be
incredibly useful to solve the
puzzles.
There are no boundaries
anymore to hold us back from taking the extra mile. And with the rise of empowered patients, we also have a duty to
meet them halfway.
4)
Focus on soft skills
No
matter how A.I. will progress in the future, there’s always going to be a need
for a human touch. Especially for
patients who might feel lost and vulnerable.
As technologies advance and gain a bigger role in healthcare, simply paying
attention and turning to patients with
compassion will become an increasingly valuable asset. Chatbots, smart
algorithms and other technologies will probably make a lot of human contact unnecessary, but they will create a world
where visiting a human doctor might even be more expensive than technology.
5.) Improving
cognitive capabilities
I
cannot stress enough the importance of the constant improvement of cognitive capabilities.
According to new research, complex problem solving and critical thinking will
be the most required skills on the job market.
And
while A.I. might help us out with diagnostics, the one thing where we will
always be able to stay relevant in the future of healthcare is our ability to
take all the available information and come up with a creative solution on how
to heal patients.
The takeaway from all this is that we can’t stop the
impending technological revolution and
we shouldn’t either. It will make healthcare infinitely better and easier.
And
the medical profession will definitely change but we shouldn’t be afraid to
lose our jobs. We simply have to adapt. We have to work on the skills that make
us exceptional human beings.
So
when it comes to a battle between technology and us, we have the right upgraded
skills to find our new place in healthcare where we let technologies support
what we do.
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