Being a physician requires a combination of seemingly contradicting traits.
You need to be confident enough in what you think and do, and yet humble enough in front of your patient.
You need to constantly master an endlessly growing base of knowledge, yet realize that it is only the edge of the iceberg.
You need to do everything possible to avoid mistakes, yet be ready to honestly admit those that you do.
You need to fight for success, yet not be devastated by inevitable failure.
You need to be compassionate and understanding to every form of human suffering, yet not succumb to the endless suffering of others you encounter each day.
30 years ago, when I first decided that I want to be a physician, I didn't realize any of that.
When I was asked in the interview, why I wanted to be a physician, I confidently (and naively) answered-"because I want to have the best tools to help other people". I did not know then that most of those tools are the edifice of character I will have to build within myself.
When one of my teachers said that in order to become a good physician you need to have some humbling experiences, I did not know that I will have the opportunity for the most humbling experiences one could ever ask for (not that I did, or wish such experiences on any one else).
You need to be confident enough in what you think and do, and yet humble enough in front of your patient.
You need to constantly master an endlessly growing base of knowledge, yet realize that it is only the edge of the iceberg.
You need to do everything possible to avoid mistakes, yet be ready to honestly admit those that you do.
You need to fight for success, yet not be devastated by inevitable failure.
You need to be compassionate and understanding to every form of human suffering, yet not succumb to the endless suffering of others you encounter each day.
30 years ago, when I first decided that I want to be a physician, I didn't realize any of that.
When I was asked in the interview, why I wanted to be a physician, I confidently (and naively) answered-"because I want to have the best tools to help other people". I did not know then that most of those tools are the edifice of character I will have to build within myself.
When one of my teachers said that in order to become a good physician you need to have some humbling experiences, I did not know that I will have the opportunity for the most humbling experiences one could ever ask for (not that I did, or wish such experiences on any one else).
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