The Doctor career is one of the most challenging occupations in The Sims 4. Simmers with the Get To Work will get to enjoy this active career, where players can join their Sims for a day of work and actually control what happens. Beware, though: being a doctor is anything but easy.
As a doctor, a Sim must accurately diagnose patients’ sicknesses. There are eight illnesses, from mild to deadly, which the Sim must know about. If they get it wrong, their job performance will be severely affected, thus threatening their future (not to mention patient lives). Here’s a list of all the illnesses a doctor Sim should be familiar with.
While The Sims 5 isn’t quite here yet, there’s still many overlooked gameplay features in The Sims 4 that fans might not have tried. The active careers are one such feature, which is why we decided to update this list of illnesses with one additional tip to help a doctor Sim in their diagnosis.
9 Rashes
Rashes are often associated with specific types of illnesses. However, the kinds of rashes will often tell you more about what kind of illness it might be. The game introduces three different types of rashes that patient Sims can have.
One has a swirly appearance, another covers the Sim’s body with spots of orange and green color and the third one looks like stripes similar to that of a tiger. Generally, if a patient has a rash, it means they are definitely very, very sick and you can ignore the Not Sick option.
8 Bloaty Head
It sounds obvious, but Sims with Bloaty Head will be experiencing a headache. You should be able to see a faint line around their head, almost like a kind of aura. The aura, in this case, is pain. Poor guys. They might also have steam coming out of their ears, and the two together is a sure sign that they have Bloaty Head.
Literal steam coming out of your ears sounds pretty intense. Is this the Sim version of migraines? Whatever it might be, you can treat it by giving the patient a shot. Sounds a little extreme for a headache, but you got to do what you got to do.
7 Sweaty Shivers
Sims may also release steam from their head if they have Sweaty Shivers; it indicates that they’re feverish. They could also have spots on their body, which tend to be a sickly orange or green. Weird.
Another symptom is itchiness, so if you catch a patient scratching themselves take note. The last possible sign is a thought bubble appearing above them, showing a thermometer. If they show all these symptoms, you can place your bets on them having Sweaty Shivers. Dose them up with a vaccination and they’ll be right as rain in no time.
6 Gas-and-Giggles
This illness is pretty much what it says on the tin; the afflicted Sim will be giggly… and gassy. They will laugh at random times, sometimes uncontrollably. They’ll pass gas every now and then as well. With all that gas in their gut you might catch them rubbing their tummy, and they could show signs of having a fever (wiping their brows or thinking of thermometers).
To top it off they could also have a rash on their face – one that resembles a tiger’s stripes. There’s a medication for Gas-and-Giggles that should put a stop to all that tittering and trumping. The last thing you need in a hospital is more patients getting sick from bad smells.
5 Starry Eyes
Starry Eyes sounds like it should be referring to someone who’s head over heels in love, but alas that isn’t the case for our Sims. It’s a lot less fun than that – if your Sims have Starry Eyes they’ll be feeling pretty rough. Stars will spin over their head, indicating dizziness. They’ll look a bit like cartoon characters who’ve been whacked on the head – perhaps that’s how they feel, too?
As if to match, they might also have spots on their body that look like little swirls. You’d almost think it was a weird new makeup trend if you didn’t know they were sick. Starry Eyes can be treated with medication to help sickly Sims find their feet again.
4 Llama Flu
You might be wondering how on earth Sims manage to catch the flu from a llama. It sounds ludicrous, but it’s never explained, so we may as well focus on how to help them out. In fact, there are several references to llamas throughout the games; a fan favorite insult that Sims could use is ‘imply mother is a llama’. Interesting. But it seems llamas are more dangerous than we might think if they can give Sims diseases!
Patients with Llama Flu will have the green or orange spots all over their bodies. They might also be sneezing or coughing. Whatever happened to the common cold? Stay away from llamas, folks.
3 Itchy Plumbob
Itchy Plumbob may be a funny name, but for the Sims who get it it’s anything but fun. In fact, it’s so serious it actually requires surgery to be treated. Having said that, the afflicted Sims themselves don’t seem to be aware of how bad it is – you’ll often find them laughing as they would do with Gas-and-Giggles.
As the name suggests, the patient will also be itchy. And they could have a rash, which shows up either as the tiger stripe rash or the colored spots. It may not sound that bad all in all, but nonetheless surgery is needed to get your patient back to normal.
2 Triple Threat
This disease comes with a lot of potential symptoms. The patient could feel dizzy, with stars spinning above their head. Sneezing and coughing are also possible. They can experience itchiness, to add to their discomfort. And finally, you might notice any type of rash on them: tiger stripes, the spots or whirly shapes.
It can be tricky to diagnose Triple Threat when the different sicknesses share so many symptoms, but if you notice the patient experiencing many of these at once, chances are it’s one of the more serious ones. If your Sim performs surgery on a patient with Triple Threat, it should clear right up.
1 Burnin’ Belly
It’s unclear what causes Burnin’ Belly – perhaps Sims are too eager with the spicy curries, or maybe they’ve even consumed something they weren’t supposed to. Either way, having a ‘burning belly’ doesn’t sound good. Sims with this illness will rub their tummies, and you might see a thought bubble above their heads with a bottle of Pepto inside it.
The only other symptom is the occasional release of steam from their ears, as they’ll have a fever. It’s the only illness where they will rub their bellies apart from Gas-and-Giggles, so if you also notice a fever, you’ll know it’s Burnin’ Belly. Get them into surgery stat, and their belly will burn no more.
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