was feeling good about going to med school until I read this...

slopemedstudent · 11-20-2009, 10:25 AM

Letter to a Future Doctor....

HopeandHealing.org - Letter to a Future Doctor

how much of this do you think is true?

Son of Opie · 11-20-2009, 11:53 AM

Depends on who you were before you go in, and how hard you try to prevent the bad parts. I didn't think the letter was bad- just a reminder that what you're about to do is a pretty big deal to people at times.

apumic · 11-20-2009, 06:19 PM

It's a wakeup call. The reality is that objectification of pts is something we need to remain aware of. For many physicians, I have heard this is somewhat true but for many it is not. Many avoid this pitfall -- it is ultimately a decision you will make and one you should be aware of as you make it over the coming years.

bkiersted · 11-20-2009, 09:15 PM

I like the article, but the author is a fanatic Christian.

DocT · 11-20-2009, 09:20 PM

I'm sending to my daughter who is going to med school next year.

apumic · 11-20-2009, 10:09 PM

" I like the article, but the author is a fanatic Christian. "

Umm... obviously a Christian, yes, but I don't really recall the word "fanatic" coming to mind as I read it. He mentioned respecting people as God's creation. Sounds like a Christian belief but not necessarily "fanatic" or "extreme." At least he has something he believes in and that guides his life. It's probably quite a bit more effective at helping him to view his patients are inherently valuable as human beings than would be thinking of them as a mass of complex chemical reactions that you need to give the right environment to to ensure that they follow the correct pathway toward a less disordered outcome.

curmudgeon · 11-20-2009, 11:18 PM

Lot's of references to God, which one should expect from these letters behind his name...G. Scott Morris, M.D., M.DIV, but I didn't see any specific and limiting reference to Jesus Christ.

Here he is.ReachMD - G. Scott Morris, MD, MDiv I think his divinity degree is from Yale.

Here's more . http://www.filmbaby.com/films/3499

Quite the impressive life story. My D would love him. Heck, she might know him.

Quote:

At 14 years old, Scott Morris knew what he was called to do - after medical school at Emory University and Seminary at Yale University, Dr. G. Scott Morris moved to Memphis, TN. to open The Church Health Center for the purpose of bringing healthcare to the working poor. His focus and dedication unwavering, Dr. Morris has been both a hands-on provider of
services and an outspoken advocate for the poor.

He chose Memphis because it is traditionally the poorest major city in the south - and one of the poorest in the country. His purpose was simply to carry out the Biblical mandate to care for the spirit as well as the body and to care for the poor who are sick. Despite being located in Memphis, "America's poster-child for segregation", people of all ethnicities, creeds and religious affiliations come together to serve the poor. With the assistance of the areas hospitals, hundreds of doctors and nurses, over 400 churches and countless volunteers and donors, the Church Health Center takes care of more than 50,000 patients and has a budget of $12 million- without any assistance from the government. But its reach goes far beyond Shelby County, Tennessee. Standing as the leader in its field, doctors, nurses and other professionals come from around the country to study and emulate The Church Health Center. As the largest and most successful faith-based healthcare clinic in the world, many have sought to replicate it. Today there are over 25 clinics around the country based on The Church Health Center's model, with many more in development.

"Getwell" details Dr. Morris' tireless efforts on behalf of those he has pledged to serve. From his daily practice as a physician to hosting the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mike Leavitt; from fund-raising efforts, such as The Concert of Love with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and 7 United Methodist Church Choirs at the prestigous Canon Center to the Center's Housing Project in Memphis' blighted Binghampton community, Dr. Morris puts into practical application what he learned from then-Chaplain of the Yale Divinity School, the Civil-Rights Activist and former-CIA Agent William Sloane Coffin, who said "when Justice is the answer, Charity is a sin".

slopemedstudent · 11-21-2009, 05:45 PM

It seems true to be that some med students become colder while others maintain their sense of call. thanks for the feedback!

Bigredmed · 11-21-2009, 06:34 PM

I think there's some softening of the truth by the posters here. The letter is 100% true. Medical school is a life changing process. It changes the way you think, the way people interact with you, and what you accept as commonplace.

A lot of this transformation is vitally necessary. If you didn't make those adjustments you'd never survive. Your job, every day, is to listen to people's problems, to deal with people when they are at their worst - in pain, emotionally fragile, whatever else - and to handle the baggage they bring to you; some of which you can help, much of which you can't no matter how much you want to. If you don't learn strategies to cope, to compartmentalize, there's no way you'd continue to function at the level of expertise and professionalism required of you to serve your patients...not to mention the detriment to your life outside of work.

Even despite the transformation, burnout and dissatisfaction are certainly significant risks for many physicians.

I can give you a 1000 examples of how frustrating things can be or the unbelievable things I've seen, including a couple from the ER night shift I completed Friday night. From parents who don't have thermometers at home and expect me to believe their claims of fever to patients who show up in the ER at 11:30pm for abdominal pain they've had continuously for months and expect me to "fix" them. That doesn't even encroach on the child abuse cases I've had to evaluate...

That doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue medicine. But you need to understand what the process entails and to recognize that you won't be same person at the end of the journey that you were at the beginning. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but how closely those people match up is dependent on you. However, you will be changed because you must in order to function.

MiamiDAP · 11-23-2009, 09:22 AM

It is perception of one person and everybody has a different one. The article does not seem to tell more than that. It is not clear at all why your decision needs to be influenced anyhow by feelings and perceptions of one individual. Personally, I hope that some of it is true. Yes, there is human life on a line. However, MD is still a job. And in order to help MD needs to be cool headed most of the time. At least, if I am in crisis situation, I hope I will get MD who could approach my problem with cool head under pressure keeping away natural emotions. I hope that my MD will learn how to do it in his medical school. Sick can get words of sympathy from their family, they are looking for professional help when they go to doctor.

corporateflea · 11-23-2009, 04:22 PM

very good read... i am impressed..

i'll remember to try to keep this spirit if i get accepted

Moonglow · 11-23-2009, 08:43 PM

Well said Bigredmed.

slopemedstudent · 11-29-2009, 08:08 AM

I think losing that sense of call is what I'm most concerned about, but this discussion has been helpful. I agree that I would want a very professional, clinical doctor -- not one who is overly concerned with moral issues (esp. when they are seeing me!). But still, the moral and spiritual issues are important to me, so I'm looking for people who outline a path for practicing medicine this way.