On the Virtue of the Medical Profession

When it came time to pick a college major, my mom made her opinion clear: “Go become a doctor.” I didn’t take her advice. Since I wince during Grey’s Anatomy scenes, I didn’t think I could take the blood. But, like my mother, I hold the medical profession in high regard. And I am very thankful for my friends who’ve made it their career.

Unfortunately, some of my friends in the profession are bordering on burnout. And it makes sense considering that it can be lonely, stressful, demanding, and draining all at the same time. So, to my friends in the profession or to those considering it for themselves, let me take this opportunity to encourage you with why your work matters and why it’s worth pursuing. 

Medicine Aims at the Good

Though easily distorted by personal ego, success in the medical profession isn’t primarily measured in dollars or recognition. Instead of navel-gazing, you put others’ needs before your own for a living. True success in medicine is measured in someone else’s well-being. That’s commendable. 

But the practice of medicine is noble too, because when rightly applied, the entire endeavor is aimed at promoting intrinsic goods in relation to human life. This is evident by the fact that you choose to spend your days attending to the sick, ushering new life into the world, giving relief to the suffering and dying, restoring bodily integrity, and maintaining ongoing health. These are not merely useful outcomes; they are goods worth pursuing for their own sake. Generally speaking, you spend your day actively engaging with problems the rest of us try to avoid—so that people can enjoy life as it’s supposed to be. 

In a sense, the practice of medicine mirrors God’s own love and actions toward the world. He himself used medical imagery to describe his own mission to save sinners, saying, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). In doing so, he dignified the posture of medicine. To move toward the sick and suffering to offer relief reflects divine love. 

The Hard Questions Need You

One cause for consternation among medical professionals is the abundance of moral complexity in the field—from beginning of life issues to end of life issues, from pain management to experimental trials. Given all this, it’s no surprise many feel exhausted, or that some may choose not to enter the field at all. 

But consider what hangs in the balance. When a hospital ethics committee debates whether to continue care for a patient in a persistent vegetative state, somebody in that room needs to be able to articulate why human life retains dignity and value independent of productivity. As the medical community weighs the bounds of transgender ideology, someone needs to model compassionate care while holding the conviction that “our bodies are an inseparable aspect of our true selves and are a good gift from God.”[1] And when a fellow physician feels pressured to provide physician-assisted suicides, somebody must help him remember that his role is to relieve the suffering—and he can’t guarantee death will be better.    

A medical professional who holds to a Christian worldview is uniquely capable of fulfilling each of these roles. Our perspective—that every person is created in the image of God and has intrinsic value—is more than just religious jargon; it provides the grounds for substantive philosophical positions pertinent for modern medical debates. 

My point is that as the medical field grapples with increasingly complex moral issues, Christian influence is needed more than ever. So don’t let moral complexity dissuade you from the field—let it be a reason you press further in.

Presence Is the Medicine

But most Christian medical professionals’ influence likely isn’t located in some boardroom out there—it’s in the room with a patient at the local hospital. The rooms aren’t fancy, the work isn’t pretty, and most conversations go unnoticed. But for an individual patient receiving care, the impact of an attentive doctor or nurse or medical provider whose practice is aimed squarely at the good is incalculable. 

My wife and I have spent quite a bit of time in doctors’ offices—and not because we like the aesthetics. We were there because we were searching for help, so we know firsthand the value of a good doctor. We know what it’s like to walk in afraid, and out with a spark of hope. 

For people dealing with medical circumstances leaving them scared and vulnerable, a doctor who dignifies them can make a world of difference. Often, people who are tempted toward morally wrong or questionable practices and procedures do so from a place of desperation. Their medical condition has stolen away their sense of dignity or internal peace. And for people in that position, having a medical professional spend time with them, look them in the eye, listen to them, and speak honestly with them is just as valuable as medical expertise. 

The practice of medicine is demanding and often exhausting, but it’s also deeply meaningful and vitally necessary. If you’re a Christian who currently practices: thank you. Your work is significant and valuable. And if you’re considering it for your future: though it may seem arduous, it’s a calling worth pursuing. 

Works Cited:

[1] Christian Medical & Dental Associations, “Transgender Identification Ethics Statement,” accessed April 30, 2026, https://cmda.org/article/transgender-identification-ethics-statement/.