The Strengths That Get You Into Medicine Can Break You Once You’re In

Most of us have been told that if a doctor is struggling with organisation, communication or exams, the problem is effort, attitude or resilience. But what if the very traits that got them into medical school, the hyper focus, the attention to detail, the sheer persistence, are the same ones that leave them exhausted once the job demands teamwork, small talk and juggling ten things on a ward round? What if the anxiety, the time off and the failed exams you’re seeing are the symptom, not the cause? And what if the fix is less about diagnoses and paperwork than about being curious?