6 MINUTE READ

From Luke’s Journal May 2025 | Vol. 30 No. 1 | MIMBY

I look at my watch. It’s 4 pm; 2 hours until the end of my self-allocated six-hour shift. As a final year medical student on my Emergency Department rotation, I’ve spent most of my day seeing patients independently, working them up, and creating management plans under the guidance of a resident. 

You should go home and enjoy the sun. Your freedom is not going to last. The weary voice speaks into my right ear.

It’s my resident. He’s not wrong. I’ve come to the placement with a purpose. Tick off as much of my logbook as possible, fulfil my attendance requirements, (learn to be a good doctor, of course!) – and then leave and enjoy life outside medicine.

Similar to my medical school placement, we, Christians, have a mission in life. We have been clearly commanded by Jesus to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). In the secular world of medicine, I know the comfortable option for me is to separate my Christian identity from my medical career, while waiting patiently for the wedding feast. Paul himself expresses desire to ‘depart and be with Christ, which is better by far’ (Philippians 1:23 NIV). It is a choice – just as Paul chooses to be an inspiration to the first churches, to make the most of our medical careers by evangelising to our peers and colleagues.

Just from observing my colleagues climbing the junior doctor ladder only a few years ahead of me, I am coming to realise that, as medical professionals, it is easy for our identities to be rooted in our profession. They say that medicine isn’t a career – it’s a lifestyle. It’s not only the hours and the shift work (a resident is so-called because of how long they spend in the hospital after all!) – it’s the extra-curriculars, the research, the conferences, the grind. It’s the mindset of achieving one’s potential no matter what. Even in medical school, this solidarity is astounding, unparalleled amongst university degrees.

“It’s the mindset of achieving one’s potential no matter what. Even in medical school, this solidarity is astounding, unparalleled amongst university degrees.”

This commonality, however, also confers benefits in our mission of sharing the good news of Christ. As my medical school years come to an end, I am realising that one of the most accessible mission fields in our lives is lying right here in our backyards – it is amongst our colleagues, peers and friends – the people we reside with.

Firstly, medical professionals have a lot in common. When we’ve been given a task to do, we are motivated to achieve it to the best of our ability – that’s our God-given quality. And while it shouldn’t be about numbers, I’ve been so blessed to have discussed the topic of faith with more than 50 of my medical school peers about faith over my four years at medical school so far. These conversations have ranged from being very superficial – as simply as identifying what religion they follow if they have one, to having deep conversations about existence, morality and purpose. Through every one-on-one conversation, I have gotten better at talking about the saving grace of Jesus, purely through practice.

“Through every group conversation, I have learnt how Christians can support each other in our covert but crucial mission.”

Through every group conversation, I have learnt how Christians can support each other in our covert but crucial mission. If we can put our minds to passing OSCEs, we can also put our minds to completing the task that has been bestowed upon us.

Through these conversations, I’ve observed that some have a natural curiosity for new ideas, while others have well-thought-out ideas of their own. Others still don’t have faith as a priority in their lives, preferring to focus on their career. Nevertheless, I’ve noticed a general culture of respect amongst my peers, who are tolerant, loving people despite the diversity of beliefs. This should embolden us to speak the truth of Christ.

“I’ve noticed a general culture of respect amongst my peers, who are tolerant, loving people, despite the diversity of beliefs. This should embolden us to speak the truth of Christ.”

I’ve also been blessed to be able to fellowship and debrief with my medical Christian colleagues after such conversations. This shared intersectionality between the most central element of our identity, paired with another key facet of our identity, has helped me to grow deeply in my personal faith.

Secondly, the resident who spends years in the hospital will eventually, on the most part, move on. They will become a registrar and eventually a specialist. They will gain a sense of stability not seen in their junior doctor careers – and, parallel to this – their lives will get even busier. Priorities may shift because of relationships and family – all part of moving onto the next life stage.

Therefore, time is of the essence. Our friends and colleagues may never hear about Christ in their lives ever again. The opportunities we have early in our careers, sometimes purely through the amount of time we spend together socialising in medical school or residing in the hospital, may fade.

Finally, it is so tempting for me to think that the work of bringing people to faith is my doing. You’ve never failed before, and suddenly you think you’re mediocre because you’re only in the middle of the cohort is an idea our faculty has drilled into us. We are perfectionists – and when we don’t achieve according to our standard, we blame our inability. When we do achieve what we want, we innately praise ourselves and our abilities, forgetting it is God who has given everything to us. The beauty of Christianity is that it is our holy, sovereign God who changes people’s hearts, just as it is He who physically heals the patients we see, and who has given us the blessings of healthcare and medicine. It is thus of the utmost importance that we completely rely on him through prayers for the lost. 

During my shifts in the ED, I discharged many patients – some home, and some to the ward. However, unlike the patients in the Emergency Department who come and go within the required 24-hour targets, it is we, future residents, who share in each other’s lives in the corridors of the hospital. Therefore, until we sit at the heavenly banquet prepared for us, let us make the most of the opportunity and fulfil our mission by welcoming those camping in our backyards into the warmth of our permanent homes.

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