What does it mean to be a competitive person?
Definition
At its core, being a competitive person means having a desire to be more successful at something than others. For example, it can mean that you are not satisfied with doing okay, but want to outperform your peers on exams.
Competitiveness synonyms
Other words that are not exact synonyms, but related may be used to describe aspects of a competitive personality are:
- Ambitious
- Driven
- Diligent
- Determined
- Aggressive
- Eager
- Motivated
- Zealous
- Keen
- Fierce
Do I need to have a competitive personality to go to med school?
It’s no secret that medical school (the same goes for DO, PA, or nursing school) comes with a lot of challenges and pressure. Having a competitive streak can be a helpful asset that pushes you to your best performance throughout school: from the highly selective admission processes until your final licensing exams and job search. Thriving on competition and getting motivation from wanting to excel can give you confidence and drive to keep your eyes on your goal and pursue it with determination.
However, having a competitive personality is not a requirement for any healthcare studies. Competitiveness can be a strong driver for motivation, but you can find your motivation, your “why,” in many other ways than wanting to excel over others.
Maybe you strive to do better than you did yesterday every day, maybe you set yourself numerical goals or your grades depending on your strengths and weaknesses, maybe you work toward becoming an expert in your field to help people.
Find your “why” that keeps you going – it does not have to involve comparing yourself to others.
The competitive nature of medical school and how it can affect you
The healthcare field is notoriously competitive. From getting into the schools in the first place, to having to pass difficult exams and being directly compared to peers in clinical test situations, to competing for top ranks, medical residencies, the most desirable nursing jobs, etc…
It’s hard out there, and being naturally competitive and feeling motivated rather than overwhelmed in a competitive environment can help you navigate all this more smoothly.
Unfortunately, not all of us thrive in this kind of pressure. The intensity can exacerbate stress, leading to anxiety and burnout. You might feel pressured to become a much more competitive personality than you inherently would be, which can lead to frustration and feeling demotivated, or even give you impostor syndrome if you feel out of place among peers who place a lot of value on “winning” while you don’t feel the same.
Moreover, students who were typical “golden overachievers” in their undergraduate studies might struggle with no longer being the best in their class, which can be a significant blow to one’s self-esteem and mental health. When you’re used to being the best, everyone around you suddenly being just as successful can send you into an identity crisis.
Last but not least, the focus on individual success sometimes overshadows the ultimate goal of healthcare professions: Working as a team for the benefit of patients. It’s important to keep this in mind and balance competitiveness with qualities like empathy, cooperation, and altruism—traits equally important in healthcare professions.
How to be competitive
Being effectively competitive in healthcare education involves more than striving to outdo others. You can not only hone your competitive streak, but also make it more effective and sustainable, by:
- Setting personal goals: Make sure you don’t get lost in comparing yourself to others only. Keep your main focus on personal growth and learning, and keep your goals specific and “SMART”.
- Seeking constructive feedback: Use feedback not as a measure of comparison but as a tool for improvement. Actually process the feedback and evaluate how it can help you become a better healthcare professional, rather than only taking it in as a “win” or “loss” compared to your peers.
- Maintaining professionalism: Winning at all cost does not make you a better healthcare professional. There is something to be said about trying to improve the culture of teamwork and mutual respect in healthcare teams. Only if the team stays respectful to each other and collaborates effectively despite the pressures and competitiveness, can patients receive the quality care they deserve. Compete in a way that respects your peers and contributes positively to the learning environment.
- Gamify it: If you feel like being more competitive would help your motivation, but you aren’t naturally competitive, you can try applying gamification methods to your studying. This does not mean taking your studies less seriously, but approaching them with a few habits that tickle our playful sense of competition.
How to be less competitive
If you find that your competitiveness is taking a toll on your mental health or social relationships, consider the following strategies:
- Reflect on your values: Understand what truly matters to you beyond grades and rankings. What made you choose this path in the first place? How can you define success in your career without comparison to others?
- Foster collaboration: Embrace team projects and study groups to shift focus from competing to sharing knowledge and skills. Actively find opportunities to help others and get help from others, and experience how this can lead to better outcomes overall. Celebrating others’ successes on top of your own can even lead to a greater sense of fulfillment than only looking at your own achievements. You’re in this together, after all.
- Practice mindfulness: Engage in mindfulness exercises to reduce stress and keep your competitive nature in check. Try to reflect on your behavior and thoughts leading up to an exam, for example. Where did your focus lie? What drove your reaction to feedback or a result that you received? Shift your focus from comparing yourself to others toward the content of the feedback, the areas you did well in and the areas you need to improve to better yourself.
Conclusion
Competitiveness in healthcare education is a double-edged sword—it can motivate you to excel but also push you toward unhealthy levels of stress. By understanding what drives your competitiveness and how to manage it effectively, you can harness it as a force for good.
