Updated 3/31/20.
Doctors influence many people. Your patients are the first to benefit from your skills, your expertise, and your character. But, your best qualities also inspire everyone around you. You may even be the reason someone chooses a career in medicine.
In honor of Doctor’s Day, we asked physicians to tell us about the doctors who inspired them. Their answers may even remind you of a physician who made a difference in your own life.
Inspiring Doctors Put Patient Care First
Patients talk about how doctors inspire them through missionary work
“I am inspired by doctors who serve as medical missionaries: using their energy, finances, and time and sacrificing family life—all for the sake of love toward those who are in need overseas; people they have never met or known.”
—Eugene S.
“Gustavo Laabes is a physician who has been providing free medical services to the west area of Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria hit us on September 20, 2017. We had no food, water, communications, roads, electricity, medications, or equipment. It was a very difficult time that changed our lives. Nevertheless, after the impact, he organized such a wonderful clinic at the parish house in the church. More than 3,000 patients were seen with the help of other volunteers. Everything was done thanks to donations and professional volunteers. He is an angel to our community.”
—Iris V.
“My father, Dr. S. Jayanty. He served as a physician in the British army for 70,000 soldiers on the front line in Java. He was fearless and crossed the boundaries to help even the enemy. His superiors ignored that, as they recognized that he was a person truly dedicated to taking care of the sick, irrespective of color or nationality. He believed in being a citizen of the world, not judging other people, whoever they are. He always told me to do good, sincere work and that money and fame would follow. At the age of 80 he was still visiting a senior center and discussing health questions there. He was truly an amazing person. Every day while I take care of patients he is beside me in spirit, even though physically he is no longer with us.”
—Lakshmi M.
Making The Workplace Better
Healthcare workers strive to create a workplace that's balanced
“Dr. Issam Maalouf, pediatrician. Great role model, great teacher, great bedside manner. He was my idol during training. His thought process has inspired hundreds of doctors in training.”
—Joseph S.
“Gordon Schutze. When Dr. Schutze was a residency program director, he saw the future colleagues in his trainees and strived to send them well prepared into the world, not only at the clinical and professional level but at the humanistic level too. He remains the mentor of many, many physicians, and his passion for this job made many follow his path.”
—Aline T.
Listening to Patients
Inspiring doctor talking with their patient.
“The physician who inspired me was a family doctor in a deep rural district of my native country, Jamaica. Dr. Gaucher was my primary care physician until I was 18. He had a nurse practitioner working with him and he would designate each week medicine week or injection week. Every Thursday the pharmacist and Dr. Gaucher would travel from the main hospital about 200 miles away to our clinic in the rural hills of Jamaica. I wondered how Dr. Gaucher amassed such a tremendous body of skills to diagnose all these medical problems in such a hectic, real-time basis. When I was 10 I gathered enough courage to ask him why a doctor would designate one Thursday medicine week and another injection week. He said, “Son, most of these people are coming in with stress and poverty related issues. All I am giving them are vitamins, either in a bottle or in a syringe. What is important is to listen to the patients and with an air of confidence prescribe, and their faith in you usually heals most of them. This is the art of doctoring and I hope you will do well in school so that one day you can take my seat at this desk and do just what I am doing.” Dr. Gaucher's words and deeds would guide me as I navigated medical school and the current medical landscape, in the sense that almost 80% of primary care visits remain primarily stress and poverty related.”
—Trevor L.
Here’s to all the physicians who help and inspire others. We know you inspire us!
If there is a physician who has inspired you, let us know in a direct message on Instagram or tag us in your post. Follow us for more docs and healthcare workers who are inspiring us, study tips, and more!
