Three C’s

It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick.  Mark 2:17

This month Randy and I had the privilege of attending the graduation of our nephew, Scott, from the University of South Carolina at Greenville Medical School.  He received his doctorate in two tremendously impressive ceremonies.  Although, it was unsettling to hear the Gamecock  Train Whistle while in Columbia, we accepted it with a Bulldog Bark.

The speakers helped me remember the respect with which doctors should be treated, and the enormous job they face each day according to the Hippocratic Oath by which they live.  That oath covers just about everything, and many of its words are words that should apply to every profession.

The speakers were doctors themselves, but they chose to impart their words in a practical way rather than confuse the issue with terms the normal person could not understand.  I took away three C’s.

A professional should first be competent.   It’s not enough to walk away from a university with a degree, one must be able to show others that they know what they are doing in their chosen field.  All the degrees in the world don’t make one competent to do a job.

A professional should do their job with confidence.  Confidence comes with experience, but I know I wouldn’t want to go into surgery, a courtroom, a classroom, or follow a leader that didn’t have confidence in their ability to do the job.  Intimidation or second guessing yourself can’t be healthy for doing a task.

A professional should also exhibit compassion.  The speaker talked about how important it is for a doctor to call a patient by his or her name, look into their eyes when speaking, take time to listen, and hold that person’s hand when you deliver news.  These are the most important things to me – who wants to be treated as a number?  The same is true of a teacher, a lawyer, a coach, a minister, or any other professional.

As an illustration, the speaker used a cancer patient waiting for the diagnosis of her future from her doctor.  Before the doctor spoke, she said, “I want you to weigh the words you will use in the next five minutes carefully because they will change my life.”   This can be said of a student, a defendant, a player, a parishioner or others.

Jesus referred to himself as the “great physician” or doctor.  I’m thankful for all the doctors in my life, and for the many times they have made a difference with their competence, confidence and compassion.

Congratulations Scott and Ashley!