No matter your role within a company, CEO, administrator, clinical director to an entry-level position, soft skills are essential in helping you thrive in the workplace. They are so important that when something isn’t working or feels off, it is often rooted in a soft skillset vs. a technical skill mishap.  They are used and beneficial in any company, in any industry. If you find yourself with new work responsibility or the chance for one, soft skills are often one of the drivers for your newfound success, the reason you were hired, or why someone is trying to recruit you into a position.  #KnowYourStrengths #UnderstandYourWeaknesses #DoTheWork 

Here are some of the top soft skills that recruiters, hiring managers and business owners are looking for to drive success in a remote work environment:

• Accountability: Take responsibility for outcomes. This could be for an action you’ve done yourself, participated in as a team and most importantly, for your direct reports. The buck stops here – and you are the here.
• Assertiveness: Be confident in yourself and allow yourself the grace to not always be right. Don’t let fear of being wrong stop you from sharing and participating.  Acting courageous and enthusiastic with your communications and actions isn’t always easy, and it is often necessary. And don’t forget to balance your newfound assertiveness with respect, it will take you and your good work farther.  If you need to fake it till you become it, practice. 
• Collaboration & Teamwork: Do not be afraid to ask for help or to help others. Some tasks are better done together and partnering can get work done faster. Combine your efforts and resources toward a common goal and be respectful of others if they have a different viewpoint or method of getting a job done. In some instances, you may need to compromise. In others, do not be afraid to swallow your pride if the task gets completed in the desired outcome. It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets credit.
• Conflict Management: Maintaining a healthy relationship with your coworkers is crucial to have a productive work environment. Conflict management is a skillset that helps you compromise and resolve disagreements in a respectful manner. Don’t let little things build up into big issues, and work to solve misunderstandings on a one-to-one basis first, in-person, video chat or over the phone – not in email or text.  
• Practical: Have calm, commonsense thinking. Think realistically when it comes to goals and outcomes and the time it will take to reach them. Setting unrealistic goals in unrealistic timeframes to often leads to failure and disappointment. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dream and push, if simply means that big visions need a level of practically to come true. 
• Creativity: Think, do, and express in ways that are outside of the box. This could be by creating new design ideas, processes or simply variations of current techniques to get tasks done. 
• Critical Thinking: Think in a disciplined manner that is clear, rational, open minded, and evidence based. Looking at problems from different points of view often opens new paths to solutions.  Take the side you disagree with most and argue for it – exercises like that will open your mind and allow you to determine options more openly.
• Enriching Others: Give positive reinforcement and support to those around you. Help create a healthy positive work environment. Be accepting of other’s differences. Mostly, find ways to contribute to the greater good of a project and others.
• Problem Solving: Hone the ability to identify obstacles. Discuss, analyze, and solve for challenges in both conventional and unconventional ways. 
• Productivity: Set and meet goals. Work hard but smart. Prioritize, plan, and manage tasks to knock them out of the way and to achieve your best results.
• Relationship Management: Build relationships with those around you. Be aware of their emotions and take them into consideration if they’re having a bad or unsuccessful day. Stop the often-natural tendency to think the worst and give everyone the benefit of the doubt.  You’ll appreciate it when they do the same for you.
• Self-Assessment: Self-reflect. Determine your strengths and limitations. See where you would add value to a situation or where you could improve and reach out for help. Often understanding your biggest weakness
• Service Orientation: Anticipate and meet people’s often unspoken needs. This can be done by helping them, introducing them to products, or services. Strive to achieve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Show them how you stand out from other places by being attentive and insightful. 
• Stress Tolerance: Be able to endure pressure and uncertainty without becoming negative toward self or others. Be able to handle fast-pace or changing environments or excessive workloads through proper management methods. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help when needed. 

As you read that list, did any skills resonate as talents you feel you may already possess?  How about those that stick out as opportunities for improvement? First, you should identify the soft skills you naturally align with or that you feel you already have mastered. These should appear under Strengths on your resume, during interviews, and as you look for ways to add value to your current team. 

Are you uncertain about what these might be? It’s sometimes hard to understand your strengths, particularly if it is something that comes more naturally.  A good way to identify the skills that should already be listed in your Strengths Column is to ask your current or former boss, talk with coworkers and close friends or take online assessments. Next, to strengthen the skills you feel are important but may lack mastery, read about them, inquire about training that may be available through your current job, or even take an online class. There are many online or in-person classes that vary in length and depth. It is also useful to interview someone who has the skill or skills you’re hoping to start working on. There is a lot to learn from those that are already practicing what you hope to develop.

When it comes time to seek medical care for any ENT related issues, there are some key factors that everyone considers: convenience, experience, skill and expertise, and bedside manner to name a few. What many are less likely to consider is whether you should see a physician or a physician assistant (PA). Many patients are pleasantly surprised to learn the full scope of practice that PAs are able to provide and the increasing number of benefits they bring to healthcare.

Physician Assistants are Medically Trained

The key difference between medical training of a physician and a physician assistant is time. Typically, doctors complete four years of medical school, followed by an internship and residency. PAs finish their training in two years. During that time, they experience many of the same scenarios as their medical doctor counterparts, including surgical procedures. In addition, many PAs choose their career path following a job or training which has already given them experience in the medical field, such as paramedic. In Martha’s case, as you’ll learn, she chose the PA path after completing medical school in Colombia.

Let’s meet Martha Botero-Rivera, PA-C. Martha is currently a fellow member of Florida Academy of Physician Assistants, the American Academy of Physician Assistants and The Society of Physician Assistants in Otorhinolaryngology / Head & Neck Surgery. She brings to the practice over a decade of experience delivering “patients-first” medical care in various clinical settings in the U.S. and Colombia.

Tell us a little about yourself, which PA program you graduated from and when you graduated.

I’m originally from Colombia, where I completed medical school and worked as a primary care physician. After I moved to the United States, I passed the U.S.medical exams, and obtained the Foreign Medical Graduate Certification in 2014. I graduated as a physician assistant from Miami Dade College, obtained the Certification from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and joined the practice of Dr. Nathan Nachlas, MD at ENT and Allergy Associates of Florida shortly after graduation. 

I was one of the first graduates to complete The NFO Certification Program for PA Excellence in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery in 2019. This post graduate program was created by Dr. Nathan Nachlas, MD and Jose Mercado PA-C with the purpose to serve as the foundation for lifelong learning in the ENT diagnostic process. 

What is your current specialty? Why did you choose this specialty?

My specialty is otolaryngology. I chose ENT because the field offers a unique setting. The scope of the field is incredible and encompasses principles of various specialties including primary care, infectious disease, oncology and plastic surgery to name a few.  

What type of environment do you work in (hospital, clinic, administration, or a mix)?

My employment is in an office setting exclusively; however I do support the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU).

What is your schedule like? Do you work Monday through Friday, weekends, holidays, night shifts?

I work Monday to Friday from 8 to 4:40, but there is always extra work to do after hours, so I typically stay in the office till 6pm. Thankfully I do not work weekends or holidays.

Do you take call?

I don’t have to be on a call round with the hospital, which is nice. We do take patient phone calls during the weekend for urgent matters. Most of the time the call is triaged by a medical assistant. If there is something that they cannot handle, then we take care of the patient call.

Describe what a typical day like for you?

I usually start my day at 8 am, unless it is a surgical day were I am assigned to help in PCAU, then my day starts at 6 am. On an office day, I see an average of 10-15 patients. They come with a variety of ENT complaints and we also see post-operative patients.

How autonomous are you, what types of things do you involve your supervising physician for and what do you do on your own? Is this typical for your specialty or more specific to your situation?

I’m 90% autonomous. I usually involve my supervising physicians if there is a case that surpass my knowledge or requires surgical management. I believe this is typical for my specialty.

Do you currently participate in any administrative tasks or have a leadership position, formal or informal? Do you think these augments or hinder your other responsibilities?

I do not participate in any administrative tasks.

What advice would you give to a PA who is considering working in your specialty?

Learning about ENT on my own was and continues to be challenging. Therefore, I strongly suggest doing a postgraduate program in ENT or enroll in a fellowship for PA’s in ENT.

What is the one thing you wish PAs in other specialties knew before calling or referring to your practice?

I wish they had a better understanding of how to properly examine the ears.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I will say to the PAs that want to work as ENT PAs, they should look for any opportunities to learn. For example, continuing education is a great tool during the learning process. It is an investment of time and sometimes money into improving yourself. It will make them more qualified for advanced work and increase confidence in the evaluation of patients.