When you begin to think about entering medicine as a career many things cross your mind. Sometimes those thoughts are as straight forward as having the need to help others and sometimes it is as complicated as knowing you have been called to this profession. But whatever initial thoughts you might have had, one thing usually holds true and that is the knowledge that a life in medicine can bring meaning and purpose to every day.

The life of a physician is always a challenge. That challenge begins the day you think about yourself as a physician. From then on, the way you look at the world changes. You know that even with the most difficult days, you are learning something that will make you a better doctor. One thing I repeatedly say to medical students is that every terrible thing you go through makes you a better physician. Because when you face your own reality, you begin to understand the reality of others. Facing death, illness, violence, discrimination or hatred helps you to see through the eyes of the patient. There is a depth of understanding that comes with life's challenges that is hard to discover otherwise.

The best physicians have a sense of purpose and a sense of self. They know their own strengths and weaknesses and they readily learn from those around them. They are on a continuous journey of reflection, of reaching out to others and of living the altruistic life. The best physicians are not perfect souls but souls that seek to be better people. They do not know all there is to know about medicine but they do know they can't know it all and ask for the help of the other talented members of the health care team. They are centered on the relationship with the patient, with the families and communities they serve and they create a respectful environment that encompasses all those they touch.

To be a physician is to seek to bring healing into the lives of others through our presence, our dedication and our love of what we do. It is a calling and it is an essential part of who we are as human beings. Every day asks us to care more and learn more and give more. Every day asks us to give more than we think we can and love more than we thought was possible. But the rewards are great. The impish smile on the face of a two-year-old, the grateful handshake from a patient that has survived their cancer, the hug from a long time patient that says more than words can say and the knowledge that this day we will make a difference in someone's life because we decided to become a physician.