Match Day marks the start of a new journey for tomorrow’s doctors

Editor’s note: This is a special Match Day edition of AMA Health Care Pulse Report -- a Viewpoint from AMA president, Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH.

This column is adapted from The Class of 1958 Commemorative Lecture that Dr. Ehrenfeld delivered to Harvard Medical School’s graduating MD class on this morning of Match Day.?

By: Jesse Ehrenfeld MD MPH

Match Day is a special time of celebration as we reflect on the past—all of the hard work that has brought you to this moment—and look to a future that is complex, uncertain, yet filled with unlimited opportunities.? ?

This is your day, and your moment. And no matter what happens from here, I assure you it’s a day you will never forget. Twenty years ago, I made the exact same transition you are making from medical school to residency—excited and quietly terrified for what would happen next. Had I made a huge mistake? Was I about to be rejected by my top choices? What if I don’t match at all?? ?

But I had worked too hard and spent far too much on tuition to turn back. I had no choice but to rip open that envelope and see what life had in store for me. So, let me be the first to tell you: You’re going to be fine. No matter where your journey takes you from this moment forward, it’s going to be OK. You’re going to end up—like I did—exactly where you were always meant to be. ? ?

This isn’t the end of your journey, it’s just the next step. And trust me, there are a lot of steps ahead of you. And so, my message to all of you is a simple one: Thank you. Thank you for choosing medicine. Thank you for choosing science. Thank you for choosing to spread compassion and empathy in a world increasingly divided by anger and mistrust.? ?

Thank you for recognizing the incredible public health challenges we face and saying to yourself, “I’ve got this.” Thank you for not only hoping for a better world, but for digging in, rolling up your sleeves, and promising to give everything you’ve got to make it a better world.? ?

Hard moment for medicine?

The truth is being a physician today is not easy. It’s very difficult work—even when everything goes right. And the health care environment you’ll soon be entering is already quite different than when I began my professional career. Twenty years may not be a lot of time in many professions, but it is a lifetime in medicine. The technology is different. The demands on your time are different. The hoops you must jump through to provide compassionate care to your patients are different.??

And this moment is particularly challenging, with global health crises mounting, with political acrimony sowing distrust in medicine and scientific institutions. Society itself feels fragile and unprotected in ways that are unfamiliar to us. There is a weight to our chosen profession that will feel unbearable at times. This is true for all noble pursuits.??

A doctor ages in dog years. But when it’s your turn, I know that each and every one of you will be ready. ?

You will lean on your training. You will lean on your experiences in medical school. And you will lean on one another, your friends and classmates, who will show the same battle scars as you.? ?

I am not one who thinks people are born to be doctors. Some people think that way, but I never have. I believe doctors are made by long nights and even longer days. Doctors are made by intense study and a bottomless curiosity. Why did it happen that way? What’s causing that? Why is this different than before? ? ? Although we are problem-solvers by nature, being a good doctor isn’t about having all the answers. Science and medicine are constantly evolving as we learn more, do more, and understand more. A good doctor listens. She asks questions with an open mind. He counsels patients about all of their health options—and through honest and open dialogue, empowers them to make decisions about their health that are right for them. This sounds easy when you say it out loud, but it is incredibly challenging and complex. ? ?

And every so often, something dramatic happens—like, I don’t know, the U.S. Supreme Court overturns 50 years of settled law and makes it possible for politicians to insert themselves between a patient and physician about the reproductive care they receive. A ruling that stripped rights from patients—removes the most intimate decisions about their health and family planning from them—and, almost overnight, criminalizes the care you provide.? ?

And if it makes you angry when politicians or bureaucrats interfere with medical decisions that belong patients and their physicians, you are not alone. There is an entire community of doctors across this country speaking out on issues such as these, and elevating the concerns of their patients to decision-makers in their state and the nation’s capital. ? ?

Make no mistake: A doctor’s voice is a powerful voice. So use it.?

No one way to lead?

What I’ve come to realize in more than two decades in medicine is that everyone who pursues medicine is an advocate in his or her own way. We might not always recognize it, but we are. That is because each of us has a commitment to a set of beliefs in this world that we care deeply about.? ?

What do you care about? Whose cause will you fight for? Discovering those answers is among the most important things you will ever do in medicine—and in life.? ?

Most people I know who become physicians do so because they want to help people. They are driven to provide compassionate care that makes a real difference in the lives of others, and find that doing so is tremendously rewarding and personally fulfilling.? ?

They help people in small ways—like when a teenager comes out to their family and the parents need guidance and support, or a mother is diagnosed with a rare condition, but in time for a full course of treatment and full recovery.? ?

And they help people in big ways, by being leaders in organized medicine who are fighting to eliminate the tremendous burdens that physicians today face, to address health inequities, or offer guidance—and raise some concerns—about the emerging world of AI in health care. ? ?

Speak up—in the right way?

These are enormous challenges that take more than leadership—they take a sincere belief in your own voice. In your ability to make a difference. As you embark on your residencies, remember that you are now in a place of privilege, and positioned to use your voices for your patients, your communities and your colleagues. How will you use the power of your physician voice???

?? Read the full article ?? for more advice from Dr. Ehrenfeld to new graduates.

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