You do not have to be the best, but you do need to be good. A state that sounds reasonable enough but, in fact, can remain elusive; particularly with any degree of consistency. Rather than being the best, certainly in preference to being mediocre, strive to always do good.
I say “strive” with some reservation because, although striving seems inherently part of life, I believe it is counterproductive. Everything worthwhile takes effort and perseverance, patience and persistence, sure. While tenacious striving may be a way to excel, in the short-term, it can not be sustained over a lifetime of work and, ultimately, leads to burnout and disillusionment.
That is why one ought to treat their career, as well as their life, as a marathon not a sprint; something to be managed with diligence and patience.
Of course, moments arise in which you need to switch gears, emergencies to contend with. But, notwithstanding, aim for a gradual steady purpose to your disposition. The trick to being a good doctor is maintaining equanimity and equipoise while forever remaining in the present—in the now—so that you remain steadily progressing yet “charged”, ever ready to act.
When you live in the moment, you are alive to everything that goes on around but, crucially, pick and choose what or who you respond to. You remain judiciously selective. There is an important distinction here: the one between reaction and response.
Most of what you do should operate at the level of response. A response is a premeditated action that follows a period of deliberation. It is a measured and considered action.
A reaction, on the other hand, is an instinctive, reflexive act. Reactions are often evoked in emergency situations, and can often prove life-saving. Certainly, a reaction will buy you time to then consider the most appropriate response. But you should not underestimate also the chance to reason and respond even in the midst of an emergency. While in life the general rule is that there is less time than you think, because of the intense focus evoked in emergencies, the opposite can often be the case in the way we perceive
Listening (obviously) is another critical consideration because, in medicine and in life, most patients will volunteer to you the information that you need. In simply what they say, or how they say it, most patients betray the diagnosis.
Yet different folk may say the same thing in an altogether different way. You need to learn how to listen to different types of people—to all kinds of people. No two patients are ever (ever) the same. No two doctors either.
Another important component of goodness is simplicity: keeping things simple. I would, however, warn against the overly-reductive approach. You need to remember you are dealing with sentient creatures and, therefore, ought to temper your penchant for simplifying everything albeit with an ethical and convivial spirit.
The only thing that should be discriminating is your clinical acumen, and it should be overseen by a holistic approach. What makes a good doctor? Many things. But chiefly it comes down to an attitude and approach.
