By Samira Larbie
Accra, Feb 22, GNA – Dr Kwesi Nyan Amissah-Arthur, Medical Practitioner, has encouraged upcoming doctors to always think more about what to offer, rather than what they can get as they journey through life.
He said, “Work hard on your added value proposition and ensure that it shines through so that everyone who encounters you will know that you are a unique individual who brings extra value to the table.”
Dr Amissah-Arthur, who doubles as a Senior Clinical Lecturer and Consultant Vitreoretinal surgeon, University of Ghana Medical School, said the extra value could be simple or complex, it could be life changing or just a way to keep a smile on the face of a sick old lady.
“However this extra value you give is displayed, the most important thing is that it is delivered and the person who met you leaves knowing that there was an extra touch, he added.
Dr Amissah-Arthur made the call during the Accra College of Medicine (ACM) nineth matriculation to officially welcome its new students for the academic year.
The event saw the administration of matriculation oath and ACM Honour Code to the 2024 batch of 27 students from Ghana, Cameroon, Canada and Nigeria.
He said as doctors, the key things patients and colleagues would require were their knowledge and skills, however a lot of other values and skills that could make a tremendous difference in a person’s healthcare journey.
These skills, he said included the ability to listen, comfort, explain, and to console.
“These skills are just as important as making the right diagnosis or as operating safely and effectively. Will your patients only say that you were the best physician or surgeon, or will they add that: you listened with utmost attention, comforted when no one would mind them, explained when no one had time, and consoled when all had left at the end of their shift.
“These skills at often are the things that patients, relatives and colleagues remember the most about their encounter with you! These soft skills are the start of the extra value that good doctors bring to the table,” he added.
Professor Afua A.J Hesse, the President of ACM, while welcoming the students to the ACM family reminded them of the journey ahead, which would require a lot assuring that the college would continue to do its part.
She urged the upcoming doctors to imbibe in them the ACM core value of integrity throughout their stay on campus.
Prof Hesse speaking on how far the college had come in its nineth year was grateful for the successes adding that four of their student batches were already practicing in various health facilities across the country.
She urged students who want to become doctors in future to work hard and come out with satisfactory results to gain admission to study medicine.
GNA