What Are Characteristics of Good Doctors?

Pawida Netiwuthisarn Institute of Medicine

What are characteristics of good doctors?

"I don't want you to be only a doctor but I also want you to be a man" This statement said by Prince of Songkla, Father of Thai modern medicine. Thai doctors should always remember it to use for their profession. To be a good doctor consists of several things. From the statement, he did not hope a doctor only has ability and knowledge to treat patients. The doctors need to have a humanism, ethics for themselves, their patients and community. A doctor must be an expert at their field of study and also must be a humble person, to be able to learn a new science as always and ready to apply to their patients completely. Consequently, society has always honored the word "doctor" as a smart person and a supporter of their community. For the Medical Ethics that every doctor should have, First of all is “Sacrifice” because doctor is the profession that doing a lot of benefits to others, especially in the rural area, there are many poor-patients that suffer from diseases. The rural-doctors have to help many people without caring themselves because there are lots of lives who are waiting for hope.

Second is “Empathy”. Not only the doctors have to take care of patient’s physical health but they also need to look after patient’s mental health, feeling of their family. The doctors should pay attention to them more than the word “Patient”, sometimes they may be like a part of patient’s family as well. When the doctors are in emergency, the third is they must have a “Confident decision”. I believe that if the doctors are confident, the feeling of their patient will be better too. The other things of this situation are they should also be “careful” and have a “consciousness”;