Looking to maximise the time spent networking and caring for patients? Sort out your doctor email signature once and for all using our guide. 👇
Ever wondered about the impact a well-crafted email signature can have on your image as a doctor?
Maybe you’ve already convinced yourself that an email signature is nothing more than a few simple words.
That’s a lie.
In reality, other doctors in your network, patients, and even employers all pay attention. That’s why it’s so important to have a well-thought-out, customised email signature.
So, are you interested in creating an email signature that reinforces your professional credentials?
This guide will tell you everything you need to know.
We’ll cover:
- Why you need a doctor-friendly email signature.
- What to include in a doctor-friendly email signature.
- How to create a doctor-friendly email signature.
What are the benefits of doctor email signatures?
You’ve worked long and hard to gain your reputation as a trusted medical professional.
Having an email signature is the easiest way to make sure recipients recognise your credibility.
Recipients will be reassured because you’ve provided information that tells them you’re qualified, where you work, and more. (we'll cover this in the next section).
Here's more on why you need a professional email signature:
It's personal 👤
As a doctor, you know about “duty of care”. Patients need to feel like they’re going to be looked after.
That’s why it’s important to have a customised email signature. You can add in something like a professional photograph. You can put a face to a name, and humanise your email conversations.
Recipients are more likely to trust you, as your emails are not impersonal or automated.
It's great for your career 💯
Like any other profession, doctors have aims to develop their career.
You might want to think about opening your own practice. You might want to move and work at another hospital.
It’s not always easy to reach out and see who’s hiring. Yes, there are job search websites. But you might find yourself looking for a long time to find the perfect role for you.
That’s why it’s important to have an email signature. You can display your job status, and tell recipients the type of role you’re after.
It’ll be a much better use of your time job hunting, because conversations will be more targeted towards your requirements.
There’s more on this later in the guide, but CTAs (calls-to-action) are great for achieving these career goals.
It's professional 👩⚖️
An email signature for doctors is essentially a business card.
You’ll be telling people in your network you’re serious about your job. You’ll also be showing people you’re willing to help. This is because you’ve provided ways people can contact you.
There’s more on what makes an email signature professional in the next section. 👇
What should I include in a doctor email signature?
Include basic information 📞
Every good email signature will have three key things:
Before design, layout or anything else, cover these three points.
Include a professional photo 📷
A poor quality photograph can instantly ruin your email signature.
That’s why it’s so important to create a high-quality photo. Recipients are more likely to trust your judgement because the photo has an overall positive effect on your reputation as a doctor.
Here are some rules to follow when taking your photo:
State where you've qualified 🎓
We’ve all heard those nightmare stories about doctors who aren’t qualified. Not people who are studying towards becoming a doctor. We’re talking about people who’ve lied about their licence in the first place.
That’s why it never hurts to state where you’ve studied on your email signature. Just state the name of the med school and the year you’ve graduated. You’re more likely to put recipients at ease when you include information like this.
Follow this order:
What are the best practices for doctor email signatures?
It’s all about tailoring it for your career or business needs as a doctor. If you take on generic advice, your email signature won’t be as effective.
Here’s some advice to follow when you’re creating your doctor email signature.
Choose an appropriate call-to-action ⏭️
Depending on what you’d like to use your email signature for, the CTA you include will vary. Here are some examples you might want to consider.
Clickable Facebook icon:
This is the only general social networking site that’s useful to you as a doctor. Specifically if you’re looking to promote your practice or clinic. You can create a Facebook page for your business and link it in your email signature.
Recipients can view the page and invite others to follow or like the page too. This’ll help drive traffic to the site, and you can get your name out there in the local area. You’ll potentially grow the number of patients on your database.
Clickable icon linking your SERMO account:
SERMO is an online community that helps clinical physicians to connect across the world. It’s a great platform where you can share advice about issues concerning either yourself or your patients.
If you’d like to share your advice or get some help from your peers, then you should sign up to this platform. You can then link it as a clickable icon on your email signature.
If recipients are also on SERMO, they can add you as a contact. You can keep conversations going outside of emails. You’ll be able to help other physicians out with any queries or issues, and vice versa.
Clickable LinkedIn icon:
If you’re looking for your next job, linking your LinkedIn profile is great.
It’s very common for recruiters to contact people about vacancies via direct messages on LinkedIn. This is because they can view your profile and access information like your experience or specialism.
You can also follow these recruitment agencies on LinkedIn so you can generate conversation from both sides. So if you’d like to reach well known medical recruiters like Skilled Medical UK, then have a LinkedIn icon.
A recipient could either work for the recruitment agency, or know someone who works there. They can pass on your LinkedIn profile and let you know of any relevant vacancies.
Also, if you’re in the UK, LinkedIn is really handy because the NHS commonly uses this network to connect with medical professionals. So if you’re looking to work in the NHS rather than privately, it’s really important to share your LinkedIn account.
A recipient could work for the NHS, and know of an opening at a local hospital or GP. They can easily contact you via LinkedIn after having a look at your profile.
Don't just state "doctor" 🙅
If you really want to make the most out of your email signature, it’s important to avoid confusing the recipient. That’s why it’s important to not be generic and label yourself as “doctor”. Be specific. For example, a physiotherapist or paediatrician.
Opt for a simple design template ✏️
There’s no point in trying to be artistic on an email signature intended for a doctor. The information has to be presented in a clear and professional way.
So remember to:
Doctor email signature key takeaways
An email signature that has been created well will help maintain your credible image as a doctor.
Email signatures are professional, personal and great for securing your next career move as a doctor.
A doctor’s email signature should include:
- Basic information.
- A professional photograph.
- A relevant CTA.
- Where you’ve studied/qualified.
It’s important to have a simple, clear and effective design template for your email signature.
It’s important to be as specific as possible with your recipients. So remember to state the type of doctor you are. E.G. dermatologist.
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