When patients meet with you for their consultation, they probably have a lot of questions regarding the procedure and your practice. They will also want to get to know you better, and one way they might determine whether you are a good fit is by asking this question: What is your greatest weakness? Here are a few suggestions to answer this question with confidence and reassurance.

1. Honesty

The most important thing is honesty. Perfection is impossible, and your patients will appreciate your recognition of your weaknesses. Maybe you do strive for perfection, but does that ever get in the way of your ability to trust others or perform your best since you fear making a mistake? Take a quick, intuitive moment to think about real weaknesses you struggle with but are trying to overcome; that shows confidence and commitment. Remember that you are not only representing yourself as a doctor, but you also want to create a genuine human connection.

2. Pick an Unrelated Weakness

If your patient comes to you for a surgical procedure, you don’t want to say that one of your weaknesses is something related to your ability to perform that surgery. Instead, consider an honest weakness you have in other areas of your practice. For example, maybe you are not great at talking on the phone, so your tone sounds a bit more negative or short than you intended. Be honest with your patient and pick a weakness that you personally deal with.

3. Personal Weaknesses

If you want to build an even stronger human connection, look to your personal life for weaknesses. Maybe you are introverted and that held you back from taking risks in school. Whatever your weakness is in your personal life, it likely carries over to some degree in your professional career so this is a great way to be both honest and choose a weakness not directly related to your abilities as a doctor.

4. Think About Your Support Team

Acknowledging the people who have helped you grow shows that you are self-aware of your ability and can look to other people for a second opinion or assistance. Consider the person who inspired you to attend medical school, a professor, or a coworker you admire.

5. Give Examples of Your Improvements

Everyone has weaknesses, but not everyone has the ambition to work on them. Being aware of your weaknesses allows you to learn new skills and improve yourself to fix the traits or abilities you might be lacking in.

Once you pick your weakness, practice answering the question so that you can exhibit confidence and reassure your patients of your medical and bedside skills. Make sure your confidence doesn’t come off as arrogance and be honest with yourself and your patient.

Marketing Advice from DLM

Highlighting your strengths as a doctor or medical practitioner is one of the best ways to promote your business. Let us utilize those strengths to build your brand with a personalized webpage, social media account, and more! For more tips or to learn about our services, visit us online or read our blog.