The New Giants in Our Professions
Despite the best educational preparation, I expect—and actually hope—you have some trepidation as you prepare to take your first real steps into your chosen profession. I encourage you to remember what that hesitation feels like and never lose sight of it. You must never become complacent. Health care is an ever-changing profession and you must forever be a student for the sake of your patients and your profession.
The uncertainty I’m describing is normal, but I assure you that you have the ability to succeed and we—the giants upon whose shoulders you stand today—are certain you will become some of the best clinicians, no matter where your career takes you.
Today marks the beginning of your new identity. No matter what you choose to do, whether you see patients or take care of athletes, teach students, work in a research laboratory, or draft health policy, being a member of your profession will forever remain a part of your central identity. Over time, it will likely become the most important part of who you are.
And no matter how hard you try to avoid it, you will be recognized. At the grocery store, the church, the barber shop, the hair salon, football games, shopping malls, your children’s school plays, your son or daughter’s athletic event, on the beach—someone will come up to you and say, “That’s Gary Jones, he’s a PA,” or “Let me introduce you to my daughter, Nikita Wells, the nurse practitioner.” There will be no escape. So my advice is, embrace it.
It defines you not just to your patients, but to your family and friends who will consult you first for every health issue, whether it’s in your field of expertise or not. They may not always believe or accept what you tell them, but they will always consult you. Even more, it will define you to society as being someone who is quite distinct, someone who has the highest integrity and someone they can trust.
The diploma you receive today is a symbol of a deep commitment to promoting our expectations of professionalism, humanism, and compassion. From this day forward, it no longer is exclusively or even most often about you. All of your experiences to this moment have raised you up as a giant for your patients, your colleagues, your profession, and everyone you will come into contact with from this day forward.
You must remain committed to maintaining life-long learning skills, to putting the interests of your patients above your own, to striving to treat patients with the highest possible standards, to respecting the values, culture, and dignity of every patient, and to working respectfully with other health professionals to ensure the best care for your patients.
Let me bring my remarks to a close with a few thoughts about the current challenges your professions face today.
Despite the increasing use of diagnostic technologies and advancements in therapeutic abilities, we are witnesses to increasing disparities in the delivery of health care.
Despite spending more on health care than many other developed nations, we have one of the highest percentages of uninsured citizens, leading to increased and preventable diseases.
The threats of medical liability are ever present. Reimbursement isn’t always what we feel it should be.
These challenges lead some to become disillusioned and cynical. Be aware of those pitfalls, and always remember, whether you’re in the emergency department, the urgent care center, the orthopedic clinic, the surgical suite, or an exam room and it’s just you and your patient—yours is a profession of compassion, integrity, and service.
As Alan Kay, an American computer scientist, researcher, and visionary, once said, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Therefore, I ask you to go out and face the challenges head-on and do your part to provide the best quality care to all citizens. America’s health care and that of the world is depending on each of you to make an impact. They are poised to stand on your shoulders to see further and to do more than ever before.
And now for the two words you have been waiting for: In conclusion, let me share with you a quote from my favorite professor—a giant in his own right—Dr. Seuss, who said, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.”
Best wishes and Godspeed.
