JOY OF SERVICE

It is an often encountered and sometimes tiring part of the medical profession. I am talking about people expecting you to rejoice in providing a service to humanity. Often painted in black and white a doctor ranges from a demi god who with a pill and prick saves you from death, to a greedy devil who is out to only bleed you dry(metaphorically speaking). Speaking exclusively of those the public views as demi gods the perception goes that the greatest joy they experience is service to mankind. While the service is good and adulation nice, the thing I most experience enjoy is the joy in practicing good medicine. The fine intricacies of medicine, the fight against the most complex of natures creation, the skill guts and pure intelligence involved in making a decision which may kill or save a life, and the joy in getting it right. Knowing you made a right choice. Knowing you have done the best possible. That is the ultimate joy. The greatest joy I experience as a doctor. The joy of service.....