What Makes a Good Doctor: For over a century, educators and policymakers worldwide have debated one fundamental question: Who should become a doctor?
From the Flexner Report (1910) that redefined Western medical education to India’s present-day NEET system, the selection of medical students has always reflected society’s evolving view of what makes a “good doctor.”
| The Flexner Report (1910) was a landmark study that transformed medical education in the United States and Canada. Commissioned by the Carnegie Foundation and authored by Abraham Flexner, it exposed the poor quality and lack of standardisation in most medical schools of the time. The report recommended closing substandard institutions and emphasised scientific rigour, laboratory training, and university-based education. Its impact reshaped global medical education models, inspiring reforms that still influence countries like India today. |
But as India produces more doctors each year, a new question emerges: Are we selecting the best healers, or just the best test-takers?
| NEET UG Counselling Guide 2025 | |
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| State-wise MBBS/BDS Counselling Guide eBook 2025 | 📥 Download |
| MCC NEET UG Counselling Guide eBook 2025 | 📥 Download |
| AACCC AYUSH NEET Counselling Guide eBook 2025 | 📥 Download |
However, modern educators argue that good doctors need more than just strong grades. They also need empathy, integrity, communication skills, and professionalism, qualities that are not always easy to measure through exams.
The Indian Context: NEET and the Role of the NMC
In India, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG) has become the single gateway to every MBBS seat, government or private.
Join NEET News 2025 While NEET ensures merit-based and uniform entry, critics argue that it heavily rewards rote learning and test endurance, not qualities like empathy, communication, or ethical reasoning.
The National Medical Commission (NMC), India’s apex medical regulator, acknowledges this gap. Its ongoing reforms, from introducing competency-based curricula to the upcoming National Exit Test (NExT), are attempts to ensure that medical graduates are not only academically strong but also clinically skilled and ethically grounded.
Dr Abhijat Sheth, NMC Chairman, has repeatedly emphasised that “quality must grow along with quantity.”
Read Also: NMC NExT Exam 2025: Why It is Being Delayed?
As Dr Abhijat Sheth puts it:
“We must ensure both quality and compassion, the true hallmarks of good doctors.”
His endorsement of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to expand medical colleges underlines India’s challenge to balance access, quality, and character in medical education.
Read Also: PPP in Medical Education: Models, Funding, & How Poor Will Suffer Most?
Why Selecting Future Doctors Is So Complex
Each year, over 24 lakh students appear for NEET, competing for around 1.2 lakh MBBS seats. Universities must decide who among them truly deserves to enter this life-altering profession.
Two questions guide this decision globally:
- What defines the best or ideal doctor?
- Can we identify these qualities before training even begins?
Beyond Knowledge: The Human Side of Medicine
Modern medicine demands more than intellectual brilliance. A good doctor must blend knowledge with humanity.
| Quality | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Empathy | Connects doctors with patients emotionally |
| Integrity | Builds trust through honesty and ethics |
| Communication | Ensures clear, compassionate care |
| Confidence | Inspires trust through competence |
| Respectfulness | Promotes dignity for every patient |
| Adaptability | Helps doctors stay calm under pressure |
| Self-awareness | Keeps ego in check and learning alive |
As one study notes:
“Becoming a good doctor requires more than knowledge-based achievement alone.”
What Makes a Good Doctor?
A global survey of patients identified seven essential traits:
- Confidence
- Empathy
- Humanity
- Personal connection
- Honesty
- Respect
- Thoroughness
These results mirror what Indian patients also value: a doctor who listens, cares, and communicates clearly, not just one who prescribes efficiently.
Global Standards Defining the “Ideal Doctor”
Medical councils across the world have formalised what they expect from doctors:
- CanMEDS Framework (Canada): defines seven roles, from Medical Expert to Health Advocate.
- General Medical Council (UK): stresses empathy, ethics, and professionalism.
- AAMC (USA): prioritises integrity and adaptability.
- Australian Medical Education Study: highlights confidence, compassion, and self-insight.
India’s NMC, through its Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) guidelines, is aligning with these global standards, but the focus still needs to move from knowledge to character.
| NMC’s Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) guidelines mark a significant shift in India’s medical curriculum, focusing on producing practice-ready doctors rather than exam-focused learners. CBME emphasises outcome-based training, where students acquire clearly defined competencies in knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes. The curriculum integrates early clinical exposure, skill labs, electives, and formative assessments to ensure continuous learning and practical proficiency. |
Read Also: India’s Medical Education Revolution: NMC Reforms, CBME, NEXT & More
How Are Students Selected in Other Countries?
Countries like Australia, Canada, and the UK use multi-stage assessments:
- Aptitude tests for reasoning ability
- Structured interviews for motivation and ethics
- Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) for empathy and professionalism
For example, the Joint Medical Program (Australia) combines academic scores with personal interviews, balancing intelligence with emotional intelligence.
In contrast, India’s single high-stakes NEET filters only based on marks, ignoring the softer, crucial dimensions of being a doctor.
The Missing Link: Students’ Own Perspectives
Surprisingly, the voices of Indian medical students are rarely considered in reform discussions.
Studies show that first-year students often enter medical school with idealism, valuing compassion and service, but over the years, competitive pressure and exam-centric culture dull those values.
The NMC’s role here is pivotal: it must ensure curricula, mentorship, and evaluation systems that nurture these human qualities rather than suppress them.
Read Also: NMC Chief Proposes Medical College Rating System to Enhance Education Standards
Balancing What Can Be Taught, and What Cannot
Some traits, like empathy and integrity, are innate; others, like communication and teamwork, can be taught and reinforced.
Medical institutions must, therefore, decide:
- Which traits to test at admission?
- Which ones to develop through education?
India could consider psychometric or situational testing as part of NEET UG counselling or medical college admission, ensuring a more holistic selection.
Choosing Doctors, Not Just High-Scorers
Medical education shapes the soul of a nation’s healthcare.
India’s journey from MCI’s regulatory chaos to NMC’s reform era is promising, but incomplete unless we redefine what success means in medicine.
As the global medical community continues to evolve, one truth remains constant:
The ideal doctors are not only those who know the most – but those who care the most.
Read Also: NMC Just a Rebranded MCI- Lancet Report Slams after CBI Probe
