3 qualities that you need to be a family physician: 1️⃣PATIENCE As a family doctor, you have to learn to stay in the moment and give your patient your full attention, even if you only have 15 minutes. Let them tell you everything at the beginning of the visit and don’t interrupt. Trust me. It saves time and makes things more enjoyable in the long run. Because even though you can’t address everything at once, your patients want to be heard. And attention equates to caring. 2️⃣NOT BEING JUDGEMENTAL I learned this the hard way when I was a resident and had a patient with sickle cell disease. I resented them for asking for higher and higher doses of opiates, even though they had spent their life going to emergency rooms for pain crises. When they died suddenly, I met their spouse and children at the funeral. I had to reconcile my harsh opinion of them being a drug addict with the outpouring of love I saw from their family. That’s when I realized that I have no right to judge a patient unless I’ve walked a mile in their shoes. 3️⃣KNOWING YOUR LIMITS As physicians, we learn what we need in order to practice during residency. But it’s impossible to know everything, whether you’re in primary care or a specialty. Know what you know and know what you don’t know. Ask for help or refer the patent if their problem is outside your expertise. This will save you heartache and lawsuits. What other qualities are important in family physicians? Follow for more about primary care and finding joy in medicine. #medstudentmotivation #familymedicineresidency #familymedicinephysician #findjoyinmedicine