The long-term goal of a doctor is to build a personal connection with the patients

Question from the Internet:

“What is your long-term goal as a doctor?”

Regarding a “long-term” goal, I would say the goal is to constantly improve your knowledge base and skills and, most of all, your sensitivity and empathy towards the patients.

These might sound “high and mighty”, but on the one hand, we need the widest possible “toolbox” to use; on the other hand, we need to adjust our knowledge and tools to each and every specific patient.

There are no “routine cases” as each patient is different, and most of the time, the main component in any “medical condition” is the patients' and their families' psychological and mental state.

many times, even if the outcome of the treatment is not the most optimal — according to external measures — when there is a true, positive and ongoing connection with the patients and their families, the patient still “heals”.

Otherwise — as I can tell you based on over 30 years of experience — there are no “long-term goals” since every day and every patient is different. If something can go wrong, it usually does. The more experienced and “knowledgable” the doctor becomes, the more perplexed one also becomes with each and every condition and state, and the textbooks or journals do not work most of the time.

At the end of the day, only the doctor’s personal connection to the patient remains and provides guidelines for the most optimal treatment.