I will tell you about how I imagine a doctor should be.
My impressions of a what makes a good doctor.
I have kind of been thinking about why there are doctors and healthcare. I always came up with the same answer. That is, for the sake of the patient. However, somehow, this answer is not enough. They are not just for the sake of the patient; I have come to think that they for the sake of people (everybody). This is because I don’t think a doctor’s job is not just to heal illnesses. I have come to think that the important job of a doctor is protecting people’s health.
Recently I have been thinking about why there are doctors and healthcare. Inevitably I come up with the same answer each time and the answer is to help a patient. However, this answer is incomplete. I have come to the realization that doctors and healthcare are for the sake of all people (everyone) not just those who need medical attention. I believe that the most important job of a doctor is prevention and protecting people’s health, not just curing illness.
So then, what can we, as doctors, do for people to protect their health? I thought about a lot of things. There is one thing that there is no mistake about. When you are dying, being able to say, “I had a good life!” is the the best thing there is. That is a good way to die. In order to die well, you have to live well. When I think about this, I remember my grandmother.
As a doctor what are our options to help people protect their health? I have pondered this question and have come to at least one conclusion of which I am certain of. The absolutely best feeling a person can have is to be near death and be able to say “I have had a good life!” Being able to say that at the end of your life is a good way to die. It can be explained like this, “In order to die well, you must live well”. That reminds me of my grandmother’s life.
My grandmother ran a small fish market called, “Nakasada.” Even though it was a just small fish market, it had a long history of almost 50 years. My grandmother loved me with all her heart. When I came home, she brought over some delicious fresh fish and said, “Let Masaya eat this.” Even this grandmother’s health is deteriorating recently, and she has had to go to the hospital a lot. So, finaly, the doctor advised her to stop the hard work of being a fishmonger. My grandmother once followed the doctor’s advice and stopped working. However, four days after her shop was closed, my mother went to my grandmother’s house and there were fish piled all over the shop. My mother was surprised. My grandmother said, “I couldn’t sit still for four days. Even if it shortens my life by one year, that is fine. I will be a fishmonger.” And so, the fish shop Nakasada was back in business after being closed for four days.
My grandmother ran a small fish market called, “Nakasada.” Although it was a small fish market, it had a long history spanning almost 50 years. My grandmother loved me with all her heart. When I would come home, she would bring over some delicious fresh fish and would say, “Let Masyaya eat this.” My grandmother’s health has been deteriorating recently and she has been making frequent trips to the hospital. Eventually the doctor advised her to stop working the difficult job of being a fishmonger. Initially my grandmother followed the doctor’s advice and stopped working. However, four days after the shop had closed, my mother went to my grandmother’s house and there piles of fish all around the shop. My mother was very surprised. My grandmother said, “I couldn’t sit still for four days. Even if working shortens my life by a year, that’s fine, I will continue to be a fishmonger.” And so the fish shop Nakasada was back in business after only being closed for four days.
My grandmother was set on living life on her own terms. She gave me courage because of the way she lived her life. She gave me the confidence to believe in myself. I want to be a doctor who is able to help people and live a good life. I am obsessed with becoming a doctor that is more concerned with how people can live a satisfying life than making them live as long as possible.
My grandmother was set on living her life on her own terms. Her life example has given me the courage and confidence to believe in myself. I want to become a doctor who is able to help people and live a good life. My greatest goal is to become a doctor that is concerned with helping people to live satisfying lives rather than striving to make the live as long as possible.
