My name is Emily Lu and this is my blog about realizing my dream of building a better healthcare system–one that really listens and responds to the needs of its patients, which is financially sustainable and a positive influence on its community.
Becoming a doctor is not the straightest path towards making an impact on one’s community. In fact, the profession doesn’t really make it easy to do so: what with the mountain of student debt, the increased prestige for subspecialty physicians and the incredible amount of bureaucracy and paperwork associated with running a practice. So why is there so much material out there about applying to medical school, studying for MCATs/boards, surviving residency, and so little about meeting the greatest and most important challenge of all: becoming a great physician who is making a great difference in his or her community?
I don’t have all the answers. I’m traveling this road just like anybody else, but I do feel strongly that prospective physician-changemakers could use a lesson from the millennial nonprofit professional community: we’re not the emerging leaders of tomorrow, but the leaders of today. We can make an impact on our communities, even before we graduate medical school, and take those lessons with us to make a real difference in the issues that we are passionate about.
Please feel free to contact me at a.single.drop [at] gmail [dot] com or catch me on Twitter at @a_singledrop.
Pingback: Purpose Statement | Medicine for Change