¶ … Psychology on a Medical Radiologist's Career
As a medical radiologist I will most likely find myself working within a hospital environment where I will deal directly with patients. I see dealing with patients as one of the most important parts of my work. My studies of psychology will help me to deal with these patients effectively. My studies of psychology will also help me be aware of my own thinking, with this able to help me work more effectively and cope with work stress. Finally, I will have to work with supervisors, peers, and eventually, my own subordinates. Understanding psychology will help me in managing all of these relationships. These uses of psychology will now be looked at in detail, considering how they will impact on the five areas noted.
A major part of my role as a medical radiologist will be dealing with patients. This will include a wide range of patients and studying psychology will help me to deal with these patients effectively, regardless of their differences.
In psychology I learnt about human emotions including how they are caused and how they can be seen. This included realizing that the emotions that are immediately obvious are not necessarily the real emotions being experienced. For example, a patient may appear as angry. With an understanding of the psychology of emotions I can understand that this outward anger is really a product of them being nervous. Rather than respond to their anger, I can respond to their nervousness and assure them that everything will be all right. I can also recognize when people are confused about what is happening and in this case, I can explain to them what is going to happen to put them at ease. Many of the patients I come into contact with may be under stress or emotional because of medical conditions. Studying psychology has taught me how these stresses impact on a person's emotions and actions. Understanding how these patients are feeling and how they respond to their emotions will help me to realize that any negative reactions are not something I am responsible for. This will ensure that I do not take things personally and instead remain professional, while also helping to reduce stress and make patients as comfortable as possible.
Many of my patients may also be children. My study of psychology has involved studying child development and child psychology. One of the best ways I will be able to manage treating children will be to communicate with them and make them feel comfortable with me. My study of psychology has taught me how children think differently at different ages. Understanding this will allow me to alter my communication methods for different age groups, to ensure that my methods suit each individual child. This will help me to manage the child patient so their experiences are as pleasant and stress free as possible.
My role in the hospital environment is also likely to include interacting with patients from all social and cultural backgrounds. Part of studying psychology involved understanding perceptions and how different people see situations in different ways. Understanding this, I can realize that all patients are not the same and do not view the situation the same. The attitudes of each patient will be different and recognizing this, I can alter my own actions to suit each patient.
Studying psychology has also helped me to understand my own thinking processes and to be aware of how I am acting and how other people respond to my actions. This will be important in ensuring I send the right messages to patients. One of the things I realized is that my body language tells people a lot about what I am thinking. I will need to...
If I am at all nervous, I need to make sure I do not show this nervousness in my body language. Most patients will expect an attitude that shows confidence from a medical professional. If I ensure that I am perceived this way, I will be able to help patients feel comfortable with the experience.
A also need to be aware of my own emotions and learn to control my emotions in the workplace. I realize that I must remain professional at all times. At the same time, I am aware that outside influences and certain situations do cause changes in my mood. For example, I am aware that after several hours of working, I do tend to become irritable and this may cause me to overreact to things or to appear angry. To stop these emotions from impacting on my mood, I need to be aware of my emotions and make an effort not to let them effect me. In the study of psychology I learnt about cognition and how what I am thinking impacts on how I am feeling. I also learnt how certain events trigger certain emotions and how cognitive therapy can be used to control these emotions. I will be able to control my own emotions just by being aware of my thinking process. I can be aware when my mood begins to change and take action to get my emotions back on track. I can also use a form of cognitive therapy myself, by listening to my thought processes and altering them. For example, if I find myself thinking "it is only noon and I am fed up, I just want to go home" I can rethink my thoughts and replace this with, "it is noon, just four hours to go." This type of thinking will keep me in a positive mood and remaining in a positive mood will ensure that I appear positive and professional.
Studying psychology also taught me about stress, including what stress is and how it can be managed. In a hospital environment, I am expecting that stress will be a major part of my work life. My job is a responsible one where people will rely on me to do my job properly. I recognize that this type of stress is not bad stress, but can be used for good. I can remind myself of the importance of my job to keep myself focused. I am also expecting that there will be negative stress and I will have to learn to cope with this and not let it effect my ability to do my job. I have learnt that there are certain factors which create stress. If the negative stress is caused by something in the environment, such as having the staff book in too many patients, rather than become stressed, I can take action on this. I can inform the staff of the problem so it can be resolved. In other situations, such as dealing with a difficult patient, I will have to focus on not reacting to the situation, rather than trying to change the situation. I recognize that stress is going to be part of my working life and that I will need to manage this stress effectively. This involves distinguishing between what can be managed and what must be coped with and finding ways to cope with the stress that cannot be avoided.
While working with patients is going to be a major part of my working life, working with other staff in a hospital environment is just as important. My studies of psychology will help me to work more effectively with these staff, including supervisors, peers, and subordinates.
Firstly, the relationship with my superior is going to be important. My studies of perception, personality and behavior will help me to manage this relationship. I can consider how my superior is perceiving situations and adapt my behavior to meet the requirements of the superior. I can use empathy to understand my superior's position. This will help with developing…
