Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

It is our job to change the rhetoric on who physicians are

Simran Kripalani
Policy
June 4, 2020
362 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

A colleague of mine once asked me a question that haunts me to this day: “If you care about social justice this much, why are you in medical school?” I was stunned, and I had no response to offer them. That day, I walked away to preserve my peace, but I have an answer now.

I have an answer for every doubter who believes that it is not a physician’s job to care about social justice.

This is our job.

It is our job to care about lives being harmed. It is our job to feel hurt when there is injustice around us. It is our job to lose a part of us every time we see an innocent life lost to this broken system, perpetuating this unfortunately vicious cycle. It is our job to advocate for people who feel that the system has failed them. Because it has. And it will continue to do so if we do not take a stance, even if it is a small one.

The role of today’s physician is more than to provide your typical definition of health care to a person. This care should never be limited to treating a patient’s symptoms. We were trained to do this well, and I hope that we continue to do so. Let us take this a step further. Let us do this impartially, let us do this together. Let us be mindful and appreciative of a person’s identity. Let us provide better care and stop treating someone’s identity as an offense instead of as a blessing. We have seen enough injustice in society and in medicine to keep this going.

In medical school, we are taught to be compassionate, kind, accepting, and considerate with our patients. We will never be able to do this If we do not accept and respect each person. Every physician should care about these factors because they are known to impact mental and physical health. Adverse childhood experiences, food insecurities, immigration, and other aspects of a person all affect their health and wellbeing. If we ignore this and continue with the mindset that advocating is not our job, how will be practice our life and art “in purity and according to divine law” as the Hippocratic oath we all swore to uphold states.  If we do not and cannot understand the root cause of medical issues, then we are not doing our jobs as health care professionals. We are failing those who need us.

We are currently in a pandemic that has claimed over 100,000 lives in the United States alone. As we know, the lives of people of color have been disproportionately and negatively impacted. Is it not our job to understand what we are doing wrong? If each profession believes that someone else will do it, and if each professional claims that this is not their job, then whose job really is it?

It is ours.

It is our job to change the rhetoric on who physicians are, and what they are supposed to do. It is our job to be a part of the movement. It is our job to use whatever privilege we have to be the voice for people who are continuously unheard. How many more times do we have to hear the words “I can’t breathe,” to take them seriously? How many more lives have to be sacrificed for you to take a stand?

It is our job to advocate for our patients, whether that is in the hospital or in front of our local legislators. This is our job.

Simran Kripalani is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

A medical student perspective on George Floyd's murder

June 4, 2020 Kevin 0
…
Next

Primary care isn’t broken. It needs a better support system.

June 4, 2020 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A medical student perspective on George Floyd's murder
Next Post >
Primary care isn’t broken. It needs a better support system.

More by Simran Kripalani

  • You will be unprepared to face death

    Simran Kripalani

Related Posts

  • Are patients using social media to attack physicians?

    David R. Stukus, MD
  • The risk physicians take when going on social media

    Anonymous
  • Beware of pseudoscience: The desperate need for physicians on social media

    Valerie A. Jones, MD
  • Medicare’s historic proposal to change how it pays physicians

    Bob Doherty
  • When physicians are cyberbullied: an interview with ZDoggMD

    Monique Tello, MD
  • Surprising and unlikely rewards of social media engagement by physicians

    Lisa Chan, MD

More in Policy

  • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

    Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH
  • Health care wins, losses, and lessons

    Robert Pearl, MD
  • Maximizing care amidst provider shortages: the power of measurement-based care

    Tom Zaubler, MD
  • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

    Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH
  • Chronic health issues and homelessness

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • The impact of certificate of need laws on rural health care

    Jaimie Cavanaugh, JD and Daryl James
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Ketamine for mental health conditions: What every primary care physician needs to know

      Carlene MacMillan, MD & L. Alison McInnes, MD | Meds
    • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

      Sarah Samaan, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • 1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

      Patricia Celan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

      Sarah Samaan, MD | Physician
    • Levamisole is good for your dog, but bad for your cocaine

      Robert Killeen, MD | Meds
    • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • PSA screening: What you need to know [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Vague criteria can lead to misdiagnosis and prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • U.S. maternal mortality crisis: a deep dive

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Compassion Is a Learnable Skill
  • When a Video Visit Leads to Real Connection
  • Smaller Lesions, Better Baseline Visual Acuity Bode Well for Submacular Hemorrhage
  • COVID Conspiracies Return; Norovirus on the Hiking Trail; 2nd Pig Heart Transplanted
  • 'Not Clear If the Juice Is Worth the Squeeze': What We Heard This Week

Meeting Coverage

  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • ERS Roundup: Cell Transplant Boosts Lung Function in COPD Patients
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Ketamine for mental health conditions: What every primary care physician needs to know

      Carlene MacMillan, MD & L. Alison McInnes, MD | Meds
    • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

      Sarah Samaan, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • 1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

      Patricia Celan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

      Sarah Samaan, MD | Physician
    • Levamisole is good for your dog, but bad for your cocaine

      Robert Killeen, MD | Meds
    • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • PSA screening: What you need to know [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Vague criteria can lead to misdiagnosis and prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • U.S. maternal mortality crisis: a deep dive

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

It is our job to change the rhetoric on who physicians are
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...