Blinded By The Lights | Sungjoy

Act 4 - Chapter 85: A Good Doctor

"By becoming good doctors."

Joy nodded approvingly towards the student. "By becoming good doctors," she said musingly. "But even good is subjective. What does it mean to be a good doctor? Being confident in one's skills? To be able to save as many people as you can?" Joy shook her head. "Let me tell you what I think it personally means to be called a good doctor.

"When you stand and put on your white coats for the first time as doctors, you and your cohort will be required to pledge an oath. Your cohort may choose to create their own or to use the Hippocratic or Declaration of Geneva. Whatever you may choose, each oath shares common features that will define your professional responsibility as doctors."

Joy raised a finger. "Number one: the needs of the patients and public come over our own. This is a visible display of our altruism and empathy." Joy raised another finger. "Secondly, we are going to share our knowledge with each other. From your professors in med school to your future colleagues, you are going to embark on a lifelong cycle of teaching and learning. What you are learning now can be considered cutting edge but ten years from now, you may be learning an entirely new system. Some of you may even find yourself teaching on this very stage in the future.

"Remember, the Greek origin of the word 'doctor' doesn't mean practitioner of medicine. It means 'teacher.'"

--

"... it means 'teacher.'"

Sitting high in the seats, Sungjae felt Joy's words resonate with him as he watched her literally embody the Greek meaning of the word as she navigated through the student's loaded question.

Joy had no doubt prepared for this question extensively. After all, according to what she had told him, she had witnessed Yeri order Director Cha to be taken away from the hospital grounds. She had probably spent hours, no, days preparing for this exact moment.

And yet, she hadn't shied away from it. Instead, she took advantage of the situation and used it to help shape the mindset of her charges.

Sungjae's mouth twitched. Once more, he wondered if he was being overly sensitive to the Greek meaning as he continued to listen to Joy passionately encourage her students to stand strong amidst all the temptations that were bound to try and ensnare them.

--

"... your patients will trust you with their most vulnerable moments, their most precious secrets because you have earned that responsibility," Joy told them in a strong tone. "It has nothing to do with your own personal achievements or the MD that you will attach to your name. It all starts with good relationships, good communication with your fellow human beings. Don't try to get to know someone just because you believe that they will be able to benefit you in the future but get to know them because you value them."

Joy paused for a moment to let her words sink in the audience. She looked left and right, up and down, and spotted a familiar figure sitting in the back. She gave him a little wave and a smile, letting him know he had been caught before she returned to her students.

"If there is anything that you can take away from my time on this soapbox, let it be a reminder to build strong principles. No matter where you end up, stand by those principles. For the sake of your patients, family, friends, and the public, make sure that you keep those principles close to you.

"And don't forget the money," Joy joked, eliciting laughter from her students as she clapped her hands twice to signal the end of the lesson. "You'll make more than enough money to not have to worry about your finances."

--

The auditorium slowly began to come to life as the students around Sungjae began to gather their belongings before slowly shuffling towards the exit. Below, several older-looking students, presumably Joy's team of teaching assistants, had gathered around her, listening dutifully to her before they bowed and dispersed into the throng of leaving students.