Lisa Christy
Class of 2018,
I am so proud of you all! It is has been an honor to watch you grow personally and professionally over the past several years. I have had the pleasure to see the heart of many of you and am so proud of the doctors you will become.
Please always remember:
Humanity is the real key. Humanity doesn’t look at color, background, orientation, circumstance, abilities or positions, but rather the heart and soul of individuals. It allows us to be mindful that we are all created uniquely special. We don’t have to always agree in order to support and respect of basic rights we all deserve.
While we cannot control the actions of others, we can control how we react. Be humble, thoughtful, self-reflective and ever growing as a person in this privileged role.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting, just removing the burden of another’s actions from your shoulders. Take heed of the great things you have experienced and let go of the negative, you are the writers of your life, only invite those collaborators who build you up and speak the truth!
You are just a small part in an individual’s team of care. If you allow those who have also trained to be experts in their field to work to their ability as you would want to do; together you will achieve collective competency in your approach to patient and self care. This will nurture and challenge you to take hold of continued learning with and from patients and other team members.
True leaders are modest enough to see the value of surrounding themselves with people who know more in certain areas than they do. They are also smart enough to see that this approach sets everyone up for success and allows for continuous improvement. “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed”.
Lastly; look in the person’s eyes, treat them as a family member and as I always say; People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
It is my hope that you will continue to reflect on why you wanted to be a doctor in the first place, and continue to know the importance of caring for your patients.
Thank you for the privilege!
Lisa S Christy
Director, Medical Service Learning
