Message from the Dean
Becoming a Physician
College transforms all students. For students aspiring to be physicians, medical school is the next pivotal step in preparing them to interact with others in a fundamentally different manner.
“The tradition of society is to bestow the title of ‘doctor’ not only on individuals while working in the ambulatory or inpatient setting; rather, the title is given to the person themselves, believing that the transformation from lay person to physician has occurred," stated Dr. Lawrence Smith from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in a recent article. He notes that society assumes this transformation has taken effect, meaning that we and all medical schools accept responsibility for this transformation. Indeed, we cannot take it for granted.
A recent essay by Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel palpably illustrates this fact. He wrote of the complicity of the Nazi doctors in eugenics and euthanasia despite their medical school training that specifically included ethics. Wiesel asks how these physicians could have willingly participated - even led - the horrors of the Holocaust, while their colleagues, “doctors without instruments or medications," worked desperately to relieve the suffering of their fellow prisoners in the death camps. He concludes by challenging today’s physicians to guard the highest ethical principles on which our profession is built.
What lies at the crux of the seminal transformation that will prepare new physicians to meet the highest ethical standards? At the very least, the physician must put the needs of the patient first and be up to date on best practices in medicine. But it is just as important to provide care that is for and about patients rather than simply providing care to them. This means going beyond listening to anticipating, caring about and responding to the patients' feelings of fear, helplessness and sometimes outright despair.
At our recent graduation, I was confident that each of our students was ready to shoulder the profound social responsibility of being a doctor. My confidence is bolstered by our competency-based curriculum that requires students to demonstrate their individual transformation. It is further bolstered by the many wonderful reports documenting the generous and caring service of our students to their patients.
One faculty member recounted the pleasure that a student had voluntarily given many patients at LaRue Carter Hospital through numerous piano recitals throughout the year. This hospital serves those with profound mental health disorders. Just think about the positive effect this kind act had on the quality of their lives. This student’s spontaneous act of caring speaks volumes.
All of us have experiences from our training and practice that illustrate the principles and responsibilities of medicine. Those experiences are gifts from our patients who play an immeasurable role in teaching us how to live as physicians. We need to commit to heart the conclusion of Mr. Wiesel’s commentary: “For the ill, doctors still stand for life. And, for us all, hope.”
D. Craig Brater, MD
Dean and Walter J. Daly Professor
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