The First Step Career Skills describe the knowledge, habits, and perspectives that help learners succeed in health care and other helping professions. These skills include communicating and acting with empathy, collaborating effectively with others, thinking critically about science and information, adapting to new challenges, and learning from people with different perspectives. As learners build these skills, they'll develop strengths that support academic success and help prepare them for future opportunities in medicine and beyond.
Professional Competencies
Teamwork and Collaboration: Work with others to reach common goals. Depending on the situation, sometimes take the lead and other times follow. Share information with the team and encourage others to do the same. Give and accept feedback to help the team do better.
Ethical Responsibility: Always tell the truth and do the right thing. Think about different ideas and values when making choices. Follow rules and do what is right even when it’s hard. Stand up against doing wrong things. Encourage friends to be honest and do the right thing, too.
Interpersonal Skills: Understand that your actions, words, and feelings affect how others act, speak, and feel. Think about and choose respectful behaviors and words when interacting with others to build strong relationships. Treat others kindly, politely, and with respect.
Reliability and Dependability: Take responsibility for your actions and duties. Complete tasks on time and do them well. Understand that there are consequences for not doing your work or keeping promises.
Service Orientation: Care about helping others and making a difference. Work hard to do things that help the community and meet people’s needs. Show dedication to making the world a better place.
Solving Problems With Science: Use knowledge about people, how they think and behave, and how living things work to solve problems. Understand how our bodies and minds work, from tiny molecules to big systems like organs. Know how to use science to figure things out and make things better.
Analytical Reasoning: Use logic and math to think through problems, identify strengths and weaknesses in different solutions, and explain things happening in the world. This helps in making smart decisions and understanding how things work by considering all possible options and using numbers to get clear answers.
Clear Communication: Share information clearly when speaking and writing. Listen carefully to understand what others are saying and why. Notice when there are misunderstandings and explain things better if needed. Write messages that are easy to understand.
Commitment to Learning and Growth: Consistently try to learn and get better by setting personal goals and working towards them. Think about what went well, what was hard, and any mistakes made, then look for ways to improve. Ask for feedback from others and use it to grow.
Resilience and Adaptability: Keep trying even when things are hard, stressful, or unclear. Change how you act when new things happen or when things don’t go as planned. Ask for help when needed. Bounce back from difficulties and learn from mistakes. Take care of yourself while also handling your responsibilities.
Empathy and Compassion: Understand and care about how other people feel and what they are going through. Be kind and thoughtful towards others. Choose to help others and make them feel better.