2010跟隨腳蹤-黃志勤
學校：台北醫學大學 醫學系二
姓名：黃志勤
When I heard complains from physicians and professors on the kind of challenges a doctor face, my curiosity rose. I could not understand how could people feel discontent with the profession I dream of. These are my teachers who I pay great respect and gratitude. Yet, I do wonder if Christian doctors have the same struggling. After the shadowing experience, I can firmly say ‘yes, they do’. Yet, it is the way they deal with it that makes a difference. When I arrived Mackey hospital at the first day, I was surprised by the hospitability I received. Dr. Cheng sat down with me and another student for lunch and shared his wisdom. The doctors I met on the following three days were eager to share too. I could not help to visualize myself in them at older age. I hope I will always remember their example, willing to spend time in the other’s life.
When I come to Mackey Hospital, I want to know how these Christian doctors cope with everyday challenges. I decided to follow the agenda closely, trying to digest everything information from the doctors. To my astonishment, I didn’t find the answer to my question in clinic setting; instead it was in a conversion with Michelle who is currently working on her internship. When we were chatting about how busy doctors’ life are, she said ‘one of the blessing is that doctor’s job is compatible with the teaching of the bible. But, we are still a part of the world. That’s why we still experience big challenge.’ I realize this could be the reason why some doctors are unsatisfied with their profession. They might be looking at their profession with a wrong lenses. Medical profession is a great, but also a challenging one. It is very common to judge a profession based on pay and working hours but satisfaction is often no neglected because it is difficult to quantify. But, I believe the contentment we feel when doing certain thing is priceless. Nonetheless, this is an example of how easily we can be deceived.
I believe the shadowing experience has put me back into perspective. Reconsidering the real meaning of practicing medicine, I was truly inspiring when I saw how these doctors practice medicine and respect it as their privilege. On a deeper lever, this experience has also given me a basic understanding on a few more areas within medical professions. The experience showed how shallow my understanding on ENT and plastic surgery was. Not to mention my contentment because of the unconditional love I received. It makes it easier for me to become a provider to others unconditionally. When I look at the future, I am optimistic. Yet, I hope the important lessons I learned will stay with me and help me endure the tough training time. Thank you very much for all your time and love.