There are few career paths that are as rewarding as that of medicine. Here’s what I love about being a doctor–a 15-year practicing physician: the patient-physician relationship has always been the most important and rewarding part of my job. This relationship has many different facets that I enjoy. From balancing between the art of managing human emotion and the skill of applying scientific knowledge to the lessons I learned from my patients and was able to apply to my own life, being a doctor was both fulfilling and humbling.
The other part of the relationship that I love is hearing the patient’s story. Every patient has a story which is an essential part of understanding the diagnosis and in recommending treatment. Knowing the story was important if even for just the power of being able to offer the right words of comfort, which is all that healthcare is sometimes.
Caring relationships have as much to do with treating patients as does objective medicine. As doctors, we are on the front lines of healthcare and in a unique position to improve care and save lives. With healthcare now focusing on data-driven solutions, it is more important than ever to balance our focus on data with the need for better communication with our patients.
Samant Virk, MD is the CEO and founder of MediSprout.