Category: Medical culture
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“We all sat at the same table.”
When resources are scarce and medical professionals are few, one gets overwhelmed with the physical needs of patients needing care. Emotional, spiritual and community care seem like a luxury. Yet the challenge is how to make a long range impact in these communities. Here is an example from the Hopkins Medicine journal which shows…
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Listen up!
Young doctors learn an old practice!
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Love in action
In SIM we think a lot about how to integrate faith and good deeds. In our Western mindset these are often separate. One of our missionaries returned home this week and told us that in her country, Christian medical doctors put “faith” and “work” in separate categories. So it is difficult for them to imagine…
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What should characterize public health done by Christians?
Public health skills are powerful tools to promote flourishing of communities; they complement medical care of individuals. Christians also want to promote human flourishing, since this demonstrates the goodness of God. What will characterize public health done by Christians? Some of the ancients were inclined to treat disease and plagues in terms of supernatural forces…
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Why health is more than medical care
Why is health more than just medical care? Here are some reasons: Medical care tends to address matters of the body but not of the spirit. As medical professionals we are trained to diagnose, treat and manage medical conditions. We seek to apply scientific evidence to our craft. And yet health is something more than…
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Too much to do? Time to re-examine our own assumptions!
Stress and burnout are recognized themes in medical missions. One source of stress is the sheer magnitude of physical needs; one billion people in our world have no access to a trained health worker and healthcare workers often stand in the gap. In the face of overwhelming need how do we maintain healthy margins? Overextended,…
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Finding meaning as a Christian in mission
Kathryn Butler is a trauma and critical care surgeon who recently left clinical practice to homeschool her children. She teaches at Harvard Medical School, and has contributed to the literature on surgical critical care and medical education. She and her family live in the woods north of Boston. This is her journey from medical mission…
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Third culture leadership
Mission leadership should include ‘bridge people’ who embody the diversity of our pluarlistic world.
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Zeal without Burnout: Seven keys to a lifelong ministry of sustainable sacrifice
We want zeal in healthcare missions, but a zeal from being called, not driven. Here are some quotes from a helpful book.
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Are we losing our compassion?
When we reflect on the reasons to come alongside those who are hurting physically and serve them around the world, compassion must be the #1 reason. It was the foundation of the early church’s response to human suffering around them, even before medical care became more professional. The prophet Malachi exhorts God’s people to “do…