In defence of discipleship

It is with great excitement that I can announce that I’ll be pursuing internal medicine at the University of Alberta. Edmonton is a very special city for me. 7 years ago, I had a physician from Edmonton say, for the first time, “I’m going to do everything I can do to help you succeed”. She sat down with me and we discussed everything from pre-requisites for medical school to how to handle relationships in residency. That same year, she was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer and she passed away 3 years later. At the risk of sounding over-dramatic, even on her deathbed, she made it a priority to make sure I was still heading the course. I owe that physician everything and the way that I chose to honour the memory of her is to do for others what she did for me.

And now, I have been called back to Edmonton, in some senses as a fulfilment of this promise. In light of the exciting transition ahead, I’ve started thinking about medical mentorship, or, one step further, medical discipleship. Removed from its religious context, what more is a disciple than one who accepts to be trained and mentored by another to eventually take on the same mission. I’ve always felt that in medicine more than any other profession, skills are obtained through modelling and not simply teaching. There is a unique relationship between the teacher and the student grounded in the fact that the student will assume the very same role as the teacher in the near future. In that sense, the relational aspect of discipleship really comes through.

Much of my own personal learning has come from specific individuals and not from lesson plans. These past 4 weeks on the CEEP elective have been no different. The many clinics with Dr. HPK were prime examples of how medical knowledge and skill is transferred from a wise teacher to his student. But the beauty of discipleship extends beyond the clinical setting. Perhaps in light of the CARMS match, many of the discussions I had with my supervisor were not medically related at all. For example, on this one occasion, after clinic had ended, the attending and resident shared about the struggles of owning a home in the city of Toronto. When one looks beyond medical mentorship, one will see that medicine is about embracing a lifestyle, walking a journey. Simply put, discipleship is about choosing to walk this journey with another person, and simply teach on the way.  What an incredible journey it is. 

~CW