Shaping doctors who listen

The Star

25-05-2025

With soft skills now crucial in modern medicine, experts urge medical schools to embed community-based learning into training
AS healthcare continues to shift from doctor-centred to patient-centred practices, soft skills are becoming increasingly vital for future doctors.
From communication and medical ethics to empathy and cultural sensitivity, these skills play a crucial role in ensuring the overall quality of care patients receive – beyond just clinical treatment.
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Experts say the way forward is to embed community-based learning into medical training, enabling future practitioners to strengthen and apply these competencies.
One such approach, according to Universiti Malaya (UM) Faculty of Medicine Service Learning Malaysia-University for Society (Sulam) coordinator Assoc Prof Dr Nur Amani @ Natasha Ahmad Tajuddin, is to make service learning a mandatory component of the medical curriculum.
'Unlike generic community service activities – such as a group of medical students planting trees in a garden, which is not part of the medical syllabus – service learning requires students to integrate knowledge from their curriculum, along with both soft and hard skills, into the community.
'It also provides solutions to issues identified within the community,' she told StarEdu.
Dr Nur Amani
This approach, she said, equips medical students with more relevant and up-to-date skills.
'It empowers and strengthens their knowledge, offering more benefits upon graduation, as they will be able to plan similar or other relevant community-based programmes in the future,' she explained.
Citing UM's 'Henti! Elak! Basmi Asap Tembakau!' (HEBAT) Sulam programme as an example, Dr Nur Amani said it trains medical students to plan and implement health-related community projects, such as smoking prevention, mental health, child safety, and healthy lifestyle campaigns.
'After learning about smoking and vaping in the syllabus, they apply that knowledge to help prevent teenagers from becoming smokers or vapers, and provide tips or solutions for managing cravings and withdrawals during the process of quitting tobacco products.
'Through these projects, students develop essential soft skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication, adaptability, problem-solving and financial management – while balancing academics, gaining feedback and critically analysing their work so they can apply their experiences to serve wider communities beyond the university,' she shared.
She added that to build rapport and trust in multicultural communities, UM medical students adapt by learning the local language, dressing appropriately to avoid hierarchical barriers, and pushing themselves to communicate effectively, fostering stronger engagement and preparing them for real-world patient interactions.
Weighing in, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)-Merican Community Engagement Programme (CEP) chairperson Prof Dr Aziah Daud said medical students often face challenges in developing essential soft skills needed for effective and compassionate care.
Prof Aziah
'Some students focus more on diagnosing than actively listening to patients, which can lead to missed concerns and non-verbal cues, resulting in miscommunication. Others struggle with respecting cultural beliefs, especially in rural areas where traditional practices are common.
'Additionally, many students find it difficult to remain patient, resilient and effective in teamwork, particularly in high-pressure, community-based healthcare environments,' she said.
Community-based learning programmes, Prof Aziah noted, are transformative encounters that reshape medical students' perspectives.
'These programmes expose students to real-world challenges – from early disease detection in underserved villages and addressing patients' reluctance towards modern care, to managing emergencies in resource-limited settings and tackling health issues rooted in social determinants,' she said.
Highlighting the USM-Merican CEP, she said the experience deepens students' commitment to compassionate, patient-centred medicine while sharpening their clinical, communication and problem-solving skills.
'One future surgeon, initially focused solely on procedures, embraced holistic care after treating a diabetic patient with limited nutritional knowledge, shifting towards educating and empowering patients to manage their own health.
'Another student who initially struggled with patient interaction gained confidence after learning the value of active listening and culturally sensitive communication while helping an elderly woman reluctant to take her medication,' she shared.
Skills for life
Dr Nur Amani said good communication is crucial as it ensures effective collaboration with colleagues and superiors, accurate patient case presentations, clinical diagnosis and quality care for individuals from diverse backgrounds.
'Time management, critical thinking and strong work ethics are also vital for doctors to handle high patient loads efficiently while ensuring accurate documentation and honest communication, as even small mistakes can have serious consequences,' she added.
She also stressed that adaptability is just as essential in the ever-changing medical environment, as it helps doctors navigate new teams and responsibilities with professionalism and resilience.
Adding on, Prof Aziah said empathy is a fundamental soft skill for medical students.
'Medical students must understand and connect with patients' experiences, emotions and challenges to provide compassionate and patient-centred care.
'By developing empathy, medical students can foster trust, enhance communication, improve diagnostic accuracy, and deliver holistic care that addresses patients' physical, emotional and social needs,' she said.
Prof Aziah emphasised that soft skills training in medical education must be practical, continuous, and reinforced through real-world exposure, feedback and reflection.
She added that soft skills such as empathy training should also include patient shadowing, storytelling, role-playing, and ethical discussions, allowing students to experience patient perspectives, reflect on real narratives, practise difficult conversations, and explore diverse viewpoints in complex care situations.
'To achieve this, outreach programmes like the USM-Merican CEP provide medical students with exposure to community service, supported by ongoing assessment, reflective journaling, and recognition of excellence in patient-centred care,' she shared.
Breaking down barriers
Given the demanding day-to-day schedule of the medical curriculum, Dr Nur Amani noted that some students may initially resist participating in service-learning programmes, often viewing them as unimportant.
'Balancing curriculum demands with service learning poses significant challenges for medical students, who must plan and execute programmes amid full-day clinical attachments and academic classes, often requiring ad hoc meetings during lunch or after hours,' she said.
She added that other hurdles include navigating limited budgets, securing transportation, obtaining official permissions, building community trust on sensitive topics, handling logistical issues, maintaining consent and confidentiality, supporting students' emotional preparedness, and ensuring project sustainability despite rotating student schedules and shifting locations.
'As a clinical lecturer, I stand firm in guiding students through Sulam, reminding them that their future may extend beyond clinical work and that this is their only opportunity to serve as part of the UM team while embracing the core principles of family medicine – comprehensiveness, person-centred care, continuity, coordination and holistic care,' she shared.
Describing the world ahead as unpredictable and tough, Dr Nur Amani urged medical schools to equip students with skills, ethics, empathy and resilience through dedicated clinical and pre-clinical training – shaping them into holistic doctors who not only survive challenges but also give back meaningfully to the community, honour the knowledge gained, and practise kindness towards themselves and others.
Prof Aziah acknowledged that balancing academics and community service is challenging, but emphasised that such programmes offer invaluable real-world experiences that enhance clinical skills, empathy, communication and adaptability – all qualities essential for becoming a competent and compassionate doctor.
'Volunteering not only strengthens time management and enriches learning beyond textbooks but also boosts your portfolio for future opportunities, potentially sparking interest in public health or rural medicine.
'You don't have to sacrifice academics for community service, as both go hand in hand. Start small – join a weekend outreach event – and you'll see how much you can learn beyond the classroom,' she concluded.
Dr Wong, a recent medical graduate from Universiti Malaya, is a former participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star's Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team.
Lessons in compassion
Eng
An incident that has left an indelible mark on me was during my paediatric posting, when doctors had to break the news to parents about their child's terminal condition.
The professionalism, compassion and psychosocial maturity shown by the paediatric team were admirable as they explained the disease's progression, listened actively and offered comfort in response to the family's concerns.
This experience underscored the importance of compassion and the integration of soft skills in clinical practice.
As Sir William Osler said, 'The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.'
I aspire to carry the mantle of the humanities throughout my clinical training and future practice, ensuring care that is both competent and deeply human.
Universiti Malaya fourth-year medical student Eng Pink Huey
Oon
It was during my ENT rotation that I encountered a lesson in medicine no textbook could teach.
A 70-year-old man with end-stage cancer lay before me.
His family surrounded his bed – his eldest daughter gently wiping his forehead, another daughter adjusting his pillow, and his wife caressing his hands.
They reminded me that I wasn't dealing with a textbook case, but a human being in need of my attention and empathy.
When the nurses arrived for his feeding, they weren't just completing a task; they were connecting with his humanity.
Soon after, the doctors arrived to discuss his care plan.
They asked not only about his pain levels but also about his comfort, wishes and fears.
I watched as the family spoke with the doctors, their familiarity creating a sense of comfort.
In that moment, I understood that medicine at its finest is not just science – it's love in action.
Universiti Sains Malaysia fourth-year medical student Oon Jun Jie