high-quality care.
Jeremy Linneman and his physician preceptor,
Dr. Russell Williams
After all (as we’ve been told our whole lives), we are
special, and nothing will get in the way of our dreams!
Third, we Millennials tend to wonder if our physicians are more interested in their own gain than in our
health and well-being. My generation has been taught
to think holistically and we’re typically open to forms
of alternative medicine. As a result, we can wonder
if doctors are trying to preserve themselves by only
pushing procedures and prescriptions. But while this
may be occasionally true, we don’t tend to acknowledge
that alternative medicine is now a large, fast-growing
industry in itself. And there are certainly better ways
to get rich quickly than by going through four years of
undergraduate education, four years of medical school,
and three to seven years of residencies and fellowships—
all to deal with stingy insurance providers and complex
social programs.
motivation.
HOW CAN PHYSICIANS RESPOND?
As I said, I don’t tend to identify with my generation’s angst and
skepticism toward physicians. I have an absolutely wonderful primary care physician—Dr. Shannon Lynn in the Highlands—so
that tends to help.
But I also have an immense amount of respect and appreciation
for physicians, and I suspect more Millennials than expected share
my admiration. Those of us who genuinely know physicians know
them to be wonderful people with a strong sense of calling in their
work. Having spent the day with Dr. Russell Williams (general
surgery), I’m reminded again of the high calling of medicine and
the innumerable skills and qualities that it demands.
So if I may, I’d like to encourage you physicians in your vocation.
I do believe the practice of medicine is just that—a vocation.
In seminary, we learned that the pastorate was a sacred calling or
vocation. The word “vocation” comes from the Latin vocatio, which
suggests that “the divine voice” had invited us into our careers. But
it’s not just pastoral ministry that qualifies as a calling; all work is
a calling when pursued with a sense of higher calling and inner
Whether or not you believe in God, the meaning of vocatio is edifying. You are not a doctor simply because you chose to be, and you
are not in medicine only for yourself. Instead, you have been invited
into a community of servant-leaders dedicated to helping others,
promoting human flourishing, and cultivating the common good.
As a result, you can have an internal voice reminding you not
take anyone’s perception too seriously—whether too high as to
cause pride, or too low as to cause frustration or despair. (After all,
behind the Millennials’ skepticism is our crippling fear of failure and
mediocrity. Thanks Mom and Dad!) The calling of the physician is to
care for human life—body, mind, and soul—regardless of whether
or not that care is returned with due gratitude.
To my local physicians, as a member of the community, I want
to state my deep appreciation of you, your hard work, and your
profoundly important profession. Indeed, it’s not just a profession;
it’s a calling.
Jeremy Linneman is pastor of community life at Sojourn Community
Church. He participated in the 2015 Wear the White Coat program.
(More from participants on page 18)
2015 ALUMNI
Rick Blackwell - Metro Council
David Buchanon - Republic Bank
Larry Clark - State Representative
Timothy Findley, Jr. - Kingdom Fellowship/Life
Development Corp.
Joe Fuller - Kindred Healthcare
Cheri Bryant Hamilton - Metro Council
Jeremy Linneman - Sojourn East
Steve Magre - Metro Council
Irv Maze - Court of Appeals
Remy Noble - Humana Foundation
Dave Parks - Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Parks & Weisberg Realtors
Rip Rippetoe - Kentucky State Fair Board
Barbara Shanklin - Metro Council
Glen Stuckel - Metro Council
Mary Woolridge - Metro Council
JANUARY 2016
17