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Which "people skills" are helpful if you want to work in healthcare??

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Hasan’s Answer

1. Communication: Being able to effectively communicate with patients, family members, and colleagues is essential in healthcare.
2. Empathy: Being able to understand and relate to patients’ feelings and needs is essential in providing quality care.
3. Interpersonal Skills: Building relationships, cooperating with others, and managing conflict are all important interpersonal skills in healthcare.
4. Adaptability: Being able to adjust to changing situations and the needs of patients, staff, and other healthcare professionals is key.
5. Professionalism: Maintaining a professional demeanor and treating everyone with respect is paramount in healthcare.
6. Problem-Solving: Being able to identify and resolve issues quickly and effectively is essential in healthcare.
7. Patience: Being able to stay calm and respond in situations that require patience is necessary in healthcare.
8. Compassion: Being able to provide emotional support to patients and their families is important in healthcare.
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Shannon’s Answer

very good question. you'll need to be able to care about the welfare of strangers. including the ones from different races than you, different religions of all kinds, people who support politicians you hate, people who openly hate you for no reason. you have to put all that aside and just see them as a person with a need. sometimes they cause their own problems. sometimes they fight you. sometimes they cover you with their various bodily fluids. you have to deal with that instantly & keep working. you have to keep your emotions under control when you have to give someone bad news or give a shot to a little kid.
you have to learn how to ask the right questions to figure out what's wrong with them, hopefully without pissing them off. you have to learn to show confidence when you have none. you can't be judgey or feel superior to anyone, not even the meanest drunk or the dirtiest street person. you must show that you give a hoot about them & their problems and be merciful enough to solve as much as you can.
one very hard thing to learn is how to use the resources you have and try to forget about the ones you wish you had, especially in an underfunded facility. another is to give a hoot, but then forget & move on to the next patient. a good example of all this is the first season of 'ER'.
showing kindness & being firm are crucial. you want to teach patients how to care for themselves just enough, without ignoring their bigger problems that need a doctor.
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Jennifer’s Answer

This depends on if you want to work with the general public (patient care) or just with other healthcare professionals. I work in laboratory science specifically microbiology and infectious disease. I do not have any contact with patients and very little in person contact with the nursing staff or providers. Most of my interactions are over the phone or secure messaging. I say I don't like people, but the truth is interactions with lots of people daily exhausts me mentally and physically. My interactions with people are my coworkers (roughly 10) at this current employer. I have worked in smaller labs of less than 10 and larger where my interactions are with 30 or more. So, the people skills I need to have are great communications within my team and with verbal and written communications with others. I have to work with coworkers of different ages, skill sets and personalities so conflict resolution is a big plus. Patience is a plus. Professionalism and Tact will go a long way in a successful career. Other careers areas like Biomedical engineering also have limited patient contact. Many people forget there are so many of us behind the scenes that support the providers and direct care professionals and supporting staff but we do play a vital role in the successful treatment and care of a patient.
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Mary Jane’s Answer

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has identified 15 core competencies for entering medical students, 9 of which are focused on interpersonal skills and professional behaviors and mindsets. While the AAMC focuses on educating future physicians, most of the health professions value these competencies so I share them while working with students interested in any area of healthcare.

The AAMC's pre-professional competencies include:
Service Orientation
Social Skills
Cultural Competence
Teamwork
Oral Communication
Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others
Reliability and Dependability
Resilience and Adaptability
Capacity for Improvement

You can read more about these competencies and explore real-world examples of how students develop their competencies at https://students-residents.aamc.org/anatomy-applicant/core-competencies-resources
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Ralph’s Answer

Assuming that you will be interfacing with people, empathy and when initially meeting the person to listen more than to speak to know why she / he is seeking your counsel. You want this person to be comfortable discussing what could be personal matters with you. And it helps that if you are relaxed / calm and have a sympathetic expression. Hope this provides a few insights.
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Nick’s Answer

Attention to detail, there is very little berth for mistakes when dealing with the health of living beings.
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Danielle’s Answer

Soft skills can vary depending on the position. I would say #1 is customer service, just because even if you're not in a patient facing role, you will likely encounter someone, and their needs/wants/ideals can vary greatly and there's usually a time line/urgency because it's healthcare. You also need to engage people, whether it's making sure you have what you need, informing people of equipment malfunction, helping a patient... Everyone is busy, all the time, so being able to prioritize and communicate is a part of engagement.
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