While doing my rotation, I followed my attending to the door of a patient’s room in his small town clinic. Under his long white coat he wore dark jeans, polo shirt and wingtip boots; he looked like a local, like he belonged here. As he pushed the door open, his velvety voice quietly permeated the space, "And that's the sound of sunshine coming down..." The patient’s expression opened into a broad smile. The doctor’s convivial hello illuminated the room like a burst of light. I was surprised by his cheerful energy as we had been up the night before, delivering a baby.
When his patient spoke he sat quietly and listened, giving her a chance to tell her story, gently focusing her efforts. He treated the patient, finished his chart and walked out the door within the scheduled time.
This is how nearly every visit of every day went; it wasn’t a façade simply for the benefit of the patient. Once out the door, no matter what had happened in the room we just left, a quiet song created a balloon of tranquility that enveloped us in an atmosphere of care. As its notes drifted away and he opened a door to the next unknown, it was as if he transcended whatever malady he had just treated only to begin the same cycle again. Before the end of the day he would pause during a chance encounter with his nurse and thank her for her meticulous work.
On the weekend I invited his children to rock climb with me. He calmly and firmly supported his young children as they faced their fear of trusting their belayer and the rope. When they cried he climbed up to support their back and hold their feet so they could learn how to rappel securely. He whistled as he walked along the climbing area, stopping to chat with the other climbers in the area, exchanging fishing-hole secrets and coming back from his conversations to cheer on his wife who was taking her turn on the climb.
The experience fundamentally changed my idea of professionalism. I no longer associate stark dress code and rigid rules with professionalism, but think of it as fluid and ever changing to meet the demands of each circumstance and individual. It’s like monitoring a heartbeat and responding as needed, moment by moment. Professionals dress according to the culture so as to reach those around more effectively; they conduct themselves in a way that is respected both in and out of the office; and they likewise give respect to all those who touch their lives. What gives professionalism its fire and buoyancy are the qualities of humility, compassion and joy. These are the essence of professionalism that gives depth and meaning to every task and interaction.
Professionalism well lived spreads like a contagion from its practitioner. As Thoreau said, "If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see." The doctor never told me what I should do. He never sat me down to lecture on professionalism. The subtle beauty of his influence changed my heart, and in this way I will continue through my days, quietly striving to live the life I have come to admire.
