COVER PHOTO: Dr. Ernie Steury and Dr. David Stevens at Tenwek Hospital in the early 1980s.
Editorial
by David Stevens, MD, MA (Ethics) — Chief Executive Officer
Your Legacy
Dr. Ernie Steury is dead, yet he “lives” on through me and the hundreds of others he mentored during his years as a missionary at Tenwek Hospital. He illustrates one of the proverbs I wrote in the book Bert Jones and I recently published, Leadership Proverbs — “Develop leaders; it is the only legacy that will outlive you.” I never heard Ernie call what he did mentoring. He just knew that before anyone would follow his example, they needed to see Christ in him. That didn’t mean he was perfect. The better adjectives to describe him were transparent, humble, loving, compassionate, diligent, approachable, servant-like, conscientious, and disciplined. Those characteristics and his faithfulness were magnetic. He lived to glorify God, not himself, and God gave him “favor with God and men,” (Luke 2:52). He understood that mentoring takes no great skill. It just takes multiple moments of spending time together full of opportunities for interaction and modeling. He did more than look for people to physically or spiritually minister to. He made a special effort to share his life with men and women who made themselves available, teachable, and leadable. It cost him his most precious and limited commodity — time — but he believed the greatest investment of his life was to invest in the lives of others. He modeled Christ, and that shed a warm light on everyone.
I trust this issue on mentoring will help you to be a better coach, mentor, influencer, or whatever you want to call it. We’ve collected a treasury of examples, stories, and principles to guide you on your journey, but it is going to take something more. You may need to reorder your priorities and restructure how you use your time. It takes effort to build a lasting legacy in the lives of others. The good news is that it won’t take as much time as you think. The key is opening your life to those God directs you to invest in. Invite them be part of what you normally do, welcome their questions, and challenge them with yours. Then leave the results to the Lord. As you reflect Him, they will grow more into his character. The beauty is that God will take seemly insignificant moments and use them to profoundly change others. Ernie hired Steven Mabatu, a young Kipsigis man with no training in medicine, to help in the operating room. Previously, he had worked at a local tea-processing factory where laborers were expected to bring their own cup if they wanted something to drink at teatime. Steven didn’t think to bring a cup his first day at Tenwek and was embarrassed at teatime as the surgical staff gathered between morning cases. Ernie, seeing Steven had nothing to drink from, took his own cup, filled it, and told Steven the cup was now his. Steven was overwhelmed that the “Bwana Makuba,” the big man, had cared about him. Decades later, he said, “I knew that day that Dr. Steury was a man I could pattern my life after.” Under Ernie’s tutelage, he learned to administer anesthesia and ultimately was in charge of the operating room staff. Today, Steven is a chief in his tribe. Who does God want you to give the cup of mentorship too? What will your legacy be? ✝
Cell ur Phone 4 CMDA Program A way to recycle old cell phones and raise funds for your local CMDA Chapter! The details of the program can be found at www.cmda.org/cellphone.
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contents Today’s Christian Doctor
VOLUME 42, NO. 2
Summer 2011
The Christian Medical & Dental Associations® – Changing Hearts in Healthcare – since 1931.
14 Principles of Mentoring by David Stevens, MD, MA (Ethics)
Nine principles to use as a guide in mentoring
26 International Medical Education: Do we have a responsibility to help? by James D. Smith, MD, FACS
Make a long term impact on a generation of physicians
17 Be a Barnabas by Larry Frick, MD
Follow the example of Barnabas and make a difference in someone’s life
30 What Are The Arguments Against Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia? by Robert Orr, MD, CM
20 Mentoring Your Children
Special tear-out section to help you in protecting life
by David Holmes, MD
778 miles of life lessons
22 Mentored by a Milker of Cows by Walt Larimore, MD
Be prepared to open yourself to a mentoring relationship
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Progress Notes Advertising Section
Regional Ministries
EDITor
Mandi Mooney EDITorIAL CoNTrIBUTor
New Editor for Today’s Christian Doctor
Robin L. Rudd EDITorIAL CoMMITTEE
Gregg Albers, MD Elizabeth Buchinsky, MD John Crouch, MD William C. Forbes, DDS Curtis E. Harris, MD, JD
Rebecca Klint-Townsend, MD George Gonzalez, MD Samuel E. Molind, DMD Robert D. Orr, MD Richard A. Swenson, MD
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Pulp CMDA is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). TODAY’S CHRISTIAN DOCTOR®, registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office. ISSN 0009-546X, Summer 2011 Volume XLII, No. 2. Printed in the United States of America. Published four times each year by the Christian Medical & Dental Associations® at 2604 Highway 421, Bristol,TN 37620. Copyright © 2011, Christian Medical & Dental Associations®. All Rights Reserved. Distributed free to CMDA members. Non-doctors (US) are welcome to subscribe at a rate of $35 per year ($40 per year, international). Standard presort postage paid at Bristol,Tennessee. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Christian Medical & Dental Associations, PO Box 7500, Bristol, TN 37621-7500. Undesignated Scripture references are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright© 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture references marked (KJV) are taken from King James Version. Scripture references marked Living Bible are from The Living Bible© 1971, Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. Scripture references marked (NIV) are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, by the International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture references marked (The Message) are from The Message. Copyright© 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Other versions used are noted in the text.
For membership information, contact the Christian Medical & Dental Associations at: PO Box 7500, Bristol, TN 37621-7500; Telephone: 423-844-1000, or toll-free, 1-888-230-2637; Fax: 423-844-1005; E-mail: memberservices@cmda.org; Website: http://www.joincmda.org. Articles and letters published represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations. Acceptance of paid advertising from any source does not necessarily imply the endorsement of a particular program, product, or service by CMDA. Any technical information, advice or instruction provided in this publication is for the benefit of our readers, without any guarantee with respect to results they may experience with regard to the same. Implementation of the same is the decision of the reader and at his or her own risk. CMDA cannot be responsible for any untoward results experienced as a result of following or attempting to follow said information, advice, or instruction.
Mandi Mooney joins the staff of CMDA as Editor/ Associate Publisher for Today’s Christian Doctor. With a bachelors of science degree in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism from Milligan College, she has experience working in multiple forms of both print and social media. Most recently, Mandi worked for a retail real estate developer and contributed in the marketing and operations departments. She also assisted with the company’s community service projects, including raising funds for non-profit organizations such as the local United Way chapter. Growing up as a “preacher’s kid,” Mandi lived in several places throughout the eastern region before making her home in East Tennessee. Mandi can be reached by e-mail at: mandi.mooney@cmda.org, or by calling 423844-1095.
Richard E. Johnson, MD, is the new President-Elect Every two years, the CMDA membership elects a new President-Elect. Now serving two years as incoming President-Elect, Dr. Richard E. Johnson will begin his term as CMDA President in 2013 and will continue his service for an additional year as Past-President. The President-Elect announcement came as the passing of the gavel from President, George Gonzalez, MD, to incoming President, John Crouch, MD, took place at the National Convention at Mount Hermon, California. Retired and working part-time as a staff surgeon at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Nashua in New Hampshire, Dr. Johnson’s broad leadership skills have been demonstrated in numerous ways including his work as United States Air Force Clinic Commander in Turkey, church planter in New Hampshire, and chair for the Department of Surgery and Trauma Committee in the Nashua division of Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Speaking out to protect the life of the unborn and elderly, Dr. Johnson has organized and spoken at public forums and addressed the New Hampshire legislature. A member of CMDA since 1982, Dr. Johnson has served on the Marriage Enrichment Commission for the past eleven years, serving as the chair from 2002 to 2005. In addition, he represented his region from 1996 to 2006 in the House of Representatives and has been on the Board of Trustees since 2006. His ministry to others has been demonstrated through leading mission teams in Central America and Africa. Raised in a Christian home and accepting Christ as his Savior at an early age set the direction for a life of ministry. In an excerpt from his testimony, Dr. Johnson says, “The most important call that God has on my life is to ‘show up’ for what He wants to do. I am not ashamed of the Gospel and have tried to live it and speak it in personal relationships over a thirty plus year surgical career. There are times when I do not understand His plans; some have been made clear, others not, but the call upon me is to be available.” Dr. Johnson’s vision and passion is to see students, residents, and practicing physicians and dentists making a difference, because they themselves are transformed. w w w. c m d a . o r g
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Are you feeling lonely as you cope with your children, as you do the grocery shopping and laundry, as you cook the meals, and generally keep the home fires burning — all while your husband works (and works!) and then falls exhausted into bed? Do you wish for fun times as a family or at least some adult conversation? On those rare occasions when you are able to go out into public as a couple, do people stop and speak to your husband but ignore you? You must be the wife of a physician or physician-to-be — and this book is definitely for you! Prescription for the Doctor’s Wife is written using Psalm 19 as the underlying skeleton. It will take you on a marvelous journey of the soul as you work through the chapters, and you will emerge, not just a better wife, but also a better woman. Debby openly and honestly writes about the joys and challenges of being married to a physician. With a tender, humble heart, she shares her life, encourages her readers with biblical truth, and gives practical advice to women who have the special calling of being doctors’ wives. Wives of students, residents, and physicians, are you in need of a mentor? Debby Read may not live near you, but she can lovingly mentor you through her new book Prescription for the Doctor’s Wife. Paperback. 264 pages. $15.99.
Prescription for the Doctor’s Wife: Hope and Help for Your Unique Marriage by Debby Read
Available from CMDA Life & Health Resources: 888-230-2637 or www.shopcmda.org
If you are in an area that has a Side by Side chapter, consider joining it! Side By Side is a ministry to women who are married to medical and dental students, residents, and fellows, as well as staff physicians and dentists. Affiliated with the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, we are a non-denominational, Bible-based ministry that is evangelical in nature. We seek to encourage, support, and minister to women in medical marriages through fellowship, Bible study, and prayer.
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Medical Malpractice Ministry A malpractice lawsuit can wreak havoc on a doctor’s family, career, and emotional and spiritual well-being. The effects can be devastating. CMDA’s Medical Malpractice Ministry is available to intervene with prayer, educational resources, and a commission of doctors who have faced malpractice suits themselves. CMDA has a free Medical Malpractice Ministry kit available to you. This kit contains three compact discs and two printed articles for the doctor and spouse, explaining what they are facing. A legal video is available for loan as well. CMDA recommends watching this video with your attorney to assist with setting up depositions. If you request it, a member of the Malpractice Commission of CMDA will act as a prayer partner and encourager during this difficult time. In addition, you may choose to be placed on the CMDA prayer list. Available Resources The Medical Malpractice Ministry Resource Kit – contains three compact discs and two printed articles to assist physicians and their families during a lawsuit. “The Malpractice Suit: A Survival Guide for Physicians and Their Families” – a rental video to assist in every aspect of a malpractice case. Personal Counseling – carefully selected CMDA members and staff trained to provide confidential medical and spiritual counseling and general legal education. Contact us by phone at: 1-888-230-2637; or e-mail Sandy Huron at: sandy.huron@cmda.org.
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CMDA Member Awards/Recognitions 2011 Educator of the Year Award
2011 Missionary of the Year Award
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” These words from the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV) describe how Dr. Richard G. Topazian has led his life, standing firm and giving fully of himself. Beginning with a Medical Group Missions trip to the Dominican Republic, Dr. Topazian and his wife, Pauline, have participated in more than seventy shortterm mission projects scattered throughout the world. Through the years, Dr. Topazian has been involved in volunteer teaching programs in Moscow, Mongolia, Kosovo, and Albania with Medical Education International, and in India, Volgograd, Russia, Trinidad, and Uganda with Health Volunteers Overseas. Dr. Topazian is a graduate of the Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He was trained in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia General Hospital. He and Pauline served as missionaries at the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore, India for four years. Upon returning to the United States, he began an academic career, first at the University of Kentucky, and then as Chair at the Medical College of Georgia. Later, he served as Chair of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Connecticut. He now is professor emeritus of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. As a member of CMDA since 1958, Dr. Topazian has been a regular participant in CMDA’s mission programs.
Dr. Tim and Mrs. Muriel Teusink’s love for the underserved was demonstrated before they met and has continued throughout their married life. Not surprisingly, both of their grown children are interested in international ministry. Dr. Teusink chose “Family Medicine” as his specialty with additional training in surgery and tropical medicine. He entered the Medical Assistance Program International Fellowship in India during his senior year of both medical school and Family Medicine Residency. Muriel received her bachelors of education in Secondary Education from the University of Calgary in 1971. She served as an educational missionary in Haiti from 1976 to 1983, overseeing the sponsorship projects in the schools and beginning a professional development program for teachers. She and Tim were married in 1983, having met in Haiti. At that time, she joined him in leading teams to rural Haiti, an endeavor he began in 1982. The Teusinks completed two terms of service with Free Methodist World Missions at Kibogora Hospital in Rwanda in 1993. Following their service in Rwanda, Dr. Teusink served short-term at Raleigh Fitkin Hospital in Manzini, Swaziland and again at Kibogora Hospital. In August 2000, the Teusinks moved to Ethiopia with Free Methodist World Missions. In November 2002, Dr. Teusink joined SIM (Serving in Mission) in Ethiopia and has since served as director of SIM-Ethiopia’s HIV/AIDS Prevention & Care Ministries. Muriel is the teacher/librarian at Bingham Academy, a K-12 school for missionary children and others.
Dr. Richard Topazian and his wife, Pauline, accepting the Educator of the Year Award from Dr. George Gonzalez (right) at Mount Hermon, California.
2010-2011 President Dr. George Gonzalez (right) presenting the Missionary of the Year Award to Dr. Tim and Mrs. Muriel Teusink.
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Editor’s Note: These articles are excerpted or adapted from the actual award texts, which may be viewed at: www.cmda.org/2011awards.
2011 Servant of Christ Award
2011 President’s Heritage Award
Teaching and healing have been lifelong passions of Dr. James Smith. His medical career began in 1965 when he graduated from the University of Iowa Medical School. After his internship, he served as a physician in Kenya for the Peace Corps. He completed his residency in otolaryngology in 1973 at the University of Iowa. Since 1973, Dr. Smith has been on the faculty at Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, as well as Otolaryngology Consultant at the Veteran’s Hospital in Portland. His heart for missions and teaching led Dr. Smith to serve as a Visiting Professor and Senior Consultant in Otolaryngology for the National University Hospital in Singapore. He was also a Visiting Professor of Pediatric Otolaryngology at the Beijing Children’s Hospital in China. Dr. Smith first became a member of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations in 1984, when he was asked to be part of the teaching faculty for the Continuing Medical and Dental Education conference in Kenya. The relationship has been a lasting one, with Dr. Smith becoming a member of the CMDE Commission. In 2003, he became the chairman of the COIMEA Commission, which was later changed to Medical Education International (MEI). As a distinguished medical professional, Dr. Smith has been recognized many times for his dedication and tireless service.
Dr. William P. Wilson’s service to God began in 1949 as a Resident in Psychiatry at Duke Medical Center and has continued for sixty-two years. Today, he is still serving as Distinguished Professor of Counseling at Carolina Evangelical Divinity School, and Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Wilson has followed at least three career paths; one as a practicing psychiatrist, one as a professor of psychiatry, and one as the author of more than 160 publications, including articles in prestigious medical journals, books, and audiovisual materials. His career in psychiatric medicine began with an internship at the Gorgas Hospital in Panama, continued with a residency at Duke Medical Center where he became Chief Resident in Psychiatry, and culminated in his becoming Head of the Laboratories of Clinical Neurophysiology at Duke Medical Center. His teaching career, which overlapped his medical career, began at Duke University in 1955 and progressed through the University of Texas at Galveston. He now directs the Institute of Christian Growth and the Life Way Mental Health Associates, both in Burlington, North Carolina. Dr. Wilson believes and teaches that Christianity has a role in psychiatry. In addition to this overwhelming body of work, Dr. Wilson enjoyed a successful marriage to Elizabeth, and they are parents to five children. Dr. Wilson’s work with a variety of mission agencies has allowed him to lecture from a Christian perspective on mental health issues in five African countries, three Asian countries, and five European countries.
Incoming President Dr. John Crouch (right) presenting the Servant of Christ Award to Dr. James Smith at this year’s Convention.
Dr. Bill Wilson (left) receiving the President’s Heritage Award from Dr. J. Scott Ries at the Graduate Commissioning Ceremony at Triangle Christian Fellowship in North Carolina.
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2011-2012 Student T-shirt Now Available
Jim Link joins the staff of CMDA as Vice President for Development. He comes from a stewardship-consulting firm where he helped dozens of hospitals, schools, churches, and social service agencies increase charitable gift revenues. Previously, Jim served as president of a foundation that raises funds for the Coast Guard Academy, as well as vice president for advancement at two Christian colleges. Early in his career, he was a major gift officer at Dartmouth College. In addition to serving in a variety of volunteer roles in his church, Jim chaired the board of directors of the Greenwich Boy Scout Council. Jim can be reached by e-mail at jim.link@cmda.org or by calling 888-230-2637.
Congratulations to the CMDA campus chapter at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio for winning the First CMDA Student T-shirt Design Contest! Wright State University first-year medical student Deanna DuVal submitted the design chosen by the National Student Council as the official 2011 CMDA student T-shirt. You can support Campus and Community Ministries by purchasing one on our website at: www.cmda.org/tshirt.
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Vice President for Development Announced
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from the
CMDA
President
John Crouch, MD
Sharing What We Do With the Next Generation Many discussions of mentoring deal with the mechanics or process of the mentoring relationship. But let’s think for a moment about the content of mentoring. Paul’s letter to his mentee Timothy says, “The things that you have heard from me . . . commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also,” (2 Tim. 2:2). The more experienced believer, Paul, is sharing his God-given experience and understanding of the faith with the younger brother in the faith who, in turn, is to pass it on. Paul and Timothy had very different personalities. Paul knows Timothy’s gifts, talents, and abilities, as well as his family background; he understands how God has made him — how God has designed him. And he knows of the call on Timothy’s life. He is, therefore, sharing what he knows of the faith and what he has experienced to help Timothy fulfill his own destiny. A pretty good pattern for mentoring. Getting to know the ones being mentored so one knows their backgrounds, how God has designed them, their testimonies, gifts, talents, and abilities and then helping each person grow in the faith and fulfill God’s call on his/her life is, I believe, the Paul/Timothy mentoring pattern. Speaking from our experience in the In His Image Family Medicine Residency program in Tulsa, Oklahoma, we have challenged ourselves to mentor the young physician Christians who come to our program. Our residents always have an academic and curriculum advisor but can select and develop a mentoring relationship with one of our faculty also. Very importantly, we have therefore developed a spiritual curriculum, and curricula in the other various aspects of family medicine training. We have organized the twenty-two
elements of the spiritual curriculum into the four categories of our spiritual training, which should also be the content for mentoring our residents. These categories are: Personal Spiritual Growth, Basic Principles of the Christian Faith (a review), Integration of Faith and Medicine, and Finding God’s Call on One’s Life. There are several “elements” in each of these areas, some of which cross over from one to another. For example, we may emphasize any one of these areas in our Thursday night Bible study, known as 2:42, based on that chapter and verse from the book of Acts. In our program, these should not only be curricular elements; they should also be the content of the mentoring relationship. As we try to get to know each young physician and pray for and with him/her for God to place His call on his/her life, we attempt to help each one realize the amazing opportunities that our Father makes available in the sacredness of the physician Christian and patient relationship, as well as how to ethically work within that relationship to bring true, spiritually-integrated, whole-person healing, and counsel. As we share our lives as believers, including what we have learned and experienced, both successes and failures, we continue to grow together. The content of mentoring, therefore, is every bit as important as the process and can best be imparted only through developing that vital mentor/mentee relationship. ✝
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Global Health Outreach (GHO) For InFormatIon about GHo opportunItIes, VIsIt:
www . cmda . orG /GHo
What’s the Biblical Basis for What We Do? by Don Thompson, MD, MPH&TM Director, Global Health Outreach
Should we be doing medical work in missions? Let’s dig into the Scriptures to see if medical service to the needy is ever mentioned. First, service to the needy seems to be a characteristic of the Kingdom of God. Deuteronomy 24:17-22 calls for provision for the needy — the alien, the orphan, the widow — as a reminder that the Lord redeemed us from slavery, and in order that the Lord may bless us in all the work of our hands. Second, medical work is singled out by Jesus as a sign of the coming Messiah. Christ says in Luke 4:17-19 that He is the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 61:1. He preaches the Gospel to the poor
and proclaims release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed, and the favorable year of the Lord. In Matthew 11:3-5, Jesus testifies to the disciples of John the baptizer that He is indeed the Expected One: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them, all on account of His ministry. Third, medical work is singled out as a divinely appointed ministry. In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus clearly says that service to the least in the world is the same as serving Him. He practiced this for three years while teaching His disciples — He
healed many, cast out demons, and raised people from the dead. My interpretation of these Scriptures is that medical missions work is quite appropriate. I feel that we can add to this Great Commandment work by fulfilling Great Commission tasks as well. We seek to use our short-term medical missions — and the impact on changing the hearts of healthcare workers — to make disciples, both here and abroad. We want to provide culturally sensitive, location appropriate healthcare, but we want to do it in an atmosphere and with national partners that lead to disciple-making — on our teams, with the patients we see, and with our national partners.
Medical Education International (MEI) For InFormatIon about meI opportunItIes, VIsIt:
www . cmda . orG / meI
Numbers or Impact? You Decide! from the Director, Medical Education International
Mentoring — it’s vital! Godly Christian doctor-mentors transmit not only skills, but also compassionate attitudes. When others look at us, do they see a godly, compassionate, trustworthy person? Do we deliberately mentor those God puts in our path? How can we best steward our gifts and experience? MEI’s vision is “Teaching to Transform.” Team members model and share their faith with international colleagues and equip them to continue to provide
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improved care after they leave. Too often we take the short-term view. We measure our impact by the number of patients we see rather than by our long-term impact as mentors and examples. One doctor even decided not to teach with MEI out of a desire to “do more cases” himself! We need to take the long view and ask how we can have the most impact rather than focusing on numbers or what we find most satisfying. After all, Jesus could have
healed everyone but spent much of his time mentoring a few. Why? So his impact would continue. How can we do greater works than he did (John 14:12)? By passing what we have learned to those who can teach others (2 Tim. 2:2)! Direct care is important — especially where there are few healthcare professionals. But where we have colleagues, wouldn’t it be wiser to mentor and build them up rather than risk competing with them? What would Jesus do?
Join other Christian women physicians, dentists, students, and residents for a time of fellowship in Scottsdale, Arizona at the Double Tree Paradise Valley Resort!
Plenary Speaker: Patricia Raybon, MA
Plenary Speaker: Priscilla Coleman, PhD
Award-Winning Author and Journalist
in Life-Span Development Psychology from West Virginia Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Bowling Green State University
Sept. 22 at 6:30 pm Plenary: “Moving Our Mountains With Prayer”* Sept. 23 at 8:10 am Workshop: “Finding Your Writer’s Voice: Following God’s Path to Getting Published” Sept. 23 at 10:30 am Plenary: “Race, Love, and Forgiveness: Reflections on Racial Healing” *A copy of I Told the Mountain to Move will be given to each attendee.
Sept. 24 at 8:30 am CME Plenary: “Abortion and Mental Health: Knowledge to Practice” Banquet Speakers: Missionary Panel Women who participated in the 2011 WIMD ministry to House of Hope will share their experiences
Sept. 24 at 6:30 pm “House of Hope: Where Heaven Meets Hell”
For more information or to register, contact Amber Smith at (423) 844-1022 Or email: Amber.Smith@cmda.org Or visit www.cmda.org/wimd and click on “Upcoming Events”
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Principles of Mentoring by David Stevens, MD, MA (Ethics)
Dr. David Stevens (right), working side by side with his mentor, Dr. Ernie Steury.
Mentoring can dramatically change a life.
M
y dad, a superb mentor himself, suggested I spend time with Dr. Ernie Steury, a medical missionary to Kenya, the summer after my junior year at Asbury University. I had felt God’s call to medical missions as a high school student. I was doing well in my pre-med studies but had no exposure to clinical medicine. I still remember Dad’s words, “Of all the missionary doctors I know in the world, Ernie is the finest. Your mom and I have supported them as our missionaries since they went to Kenya in 1959. You should spend some time with him.” Mentoring Principle #1 Find a mentor you respect. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders . . . (1 Thess. 4:12, The Message).
It was an unforgettable summer in 1972. Ernie and his wife, Sue, moved two of their children out of their bedroom to the living room couch so I would have a place to stay. On my arrival, one of his young sons took me on a compound tour describing the birds, fauna, and introducing me to nationals and missionaries alike. I was impressed with his maturity and knowledge. I was part of family devotions in the morning around the table. I followed Ernie around the hospital, watched my first delivery, and learned to hand instruments in surgery as Ernie’s newly trained scrub tech. The recorder of my memory was in HD mode. I can still
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replay scenes — Ernie’s hand on the shoulder of a woman laying on the operating table as he prayed with her before a C-section; his head buried in the hospital generator helping a national mechanic with repairs; his sweet spirit as we got up again and again, night after night; a wife grabbing his hand to say, “Kongoi mising, Doctari,” after he had saved her husband’s life who had a gangrenous sigmoid volvulus; Ernie leading a dying Masaii man to Christ; going on their family vacation, an unforgettable hunting safari, to kill meat for the hospital patients. As I boarded the plane back to the US, not only was my call confirmed, I had a new goal. I wanted to become a doctor just like Ernie Steury and to come back to help him carry his tremendous workload. His skill, servant mentality, and passion for the gospel had captured my imagination and moved my heart! Mentoring Principle #2 Let someone “follow you.” . . . and immediately they left . . . and followed him (Matt. 4:22, NIV). My heart moved me to action. I immediately made application to World Gospel Mission, with whom Ernie served, and was put under preliminary appointment the next year. After my third year of medical school, my wife, Jody, and I went back to Kenya to stoke the fire of our call. I spent more time with Ernie during a month’s rotation overseas the last year of my family practice residency, but my real
Mentoring Principle #3 Make your mentee part of your daily life. . . . his disciples were with him (Luke 9:18, NIV). Mine and Ernie's relationship was much deeper than teacher/student. Ernie made it an increasingly intimate one as time went by. He shared his feelings, frustrations, problems, dreams, ideas, and advice. He began to ask my opinion in difficult situations and when appropriate, take it. I became his confidant and he mine. He encouraged me to be open with him about all aspects of my life. To learn to lead, I needed to wrestle with the problems that he faced, develop coping methods, learn how to communicate well with national staff and fellow missionaries, and develop a joint vision with him of where the ministry should go and what goals it should prioritize. Ernie was letting me know who he was at the deepest level.
Drs. Mark Jacobson (left), Ernie Steury, and David Stevens signing USAID Contract.
Mentoring Principle #4 Build a “questioning” relationship. The disciples came up and asked, “Why do you tell stories?” (Matt. 13:10, The Message). . . . he asked his disciples, saying, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” (Matt. 16:13, KJV). I learned much more about healthcare my first three years in Kenya than I did in my excellent residency program. Ernie encouraged me to ask questions, and he asked me questions as well. He was always learning on the job as well, whether it was from working with a visiting specialist or even a young guy like me fresh out of residency. I can still hear him saying, “What did they teach you about this during your training?” His openness and inquisitiveness gave me the green light to ask questions about everything. In a good mentoring relationship, both the mentor and the mentee are stimulated, and that is manifested by a freedom to ask questions.
Principles of Mentoring
in-depth mentoring started once I arrived at Tenwek Hospital as a full time missionary physician in mid-1981. I had graduated AOA and was chief resident during my training, but I was in many ways starting a whole new specialty as Ernie taught me missionary medicine — mastering new diseases, adjusting to seeing seventyfive or more inpatients a day, learning how to work cross-culturally, and so much more. He did almost all the surgery and needed help, so he started my missionary surgery residency teaching me general anesthesia, orthopedic procedures, how to remove a prostate the size of a grapefruit, and many other techniques. Ernie’s spending time with me went way beyond work. He was at my children’s birthday parties, took our family on a camping trip with his family, and he and Sue regularly invited us over for dinner. Ernie delivered our third child, Stacy, in 1984, and I still remember Sue sleeping all night on our couch holding Stacy on her chest to keep her quiet until Jody woke up from her sedation.
Mentoring Principle #5 Develop an intimate relationship with a mentee who holds promise. Now Jesus wept (John 11:35, The Message). Filled with compassion, Jesus . . . (Mark 1:41, NIV). Iron sharpens iron. Ernie was doing more than creating an assistant to help him carry his heavy load. He was preparing me to fill his shoes. He was doing more than educating me with knowledge and helping me to develop skills. He was building my integrity and grounding my virtues as he shared, encouraged, and helped me to become the man God designed me to be. Mentoring Principle #6 Teach, train, and coach your mentee not only in what they need to do but who they need to be. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves (Luke 22:26, NIV). As a good coach knows, it is important to continue to stretch each player. The best way to do that is to continue to give each team member more challenges during practice and games. Ernie did that to me. He understood my eagerness to bring positive change, solve problems, and make a difference. Within two years of my arrival, he asked me to start the community health outreach program for the hospital. He turned me loose but was there to encourage, advise, empower, and to assist as needed. When I had success, he was the first to applaud. When I made mistakes, he gently corrected me. He did not feel threatened by my accomplishments, but instead found great satisfaction in them.
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When Ernie finally returned after a long delay, the mentoring continued for the many years that followed. Even after I came back to the US to lead World Medical Missions and then CMDA, Ernie was always available to answer questions, give advice, and encourage me. Mentoring may wax and wane depending on the circumstances, but the relationship is on-going and can be intensified whenever needed. Mentoring Principle #9 Leave the mentoring conduit open for the long term. And surely I am with you always . . . (Matt. 28:20, NIV).
Dr. Steury examining a patient.
When I returned from my furlough after our first three years of service, he took me to a whole new level of responsibility as he went on his home assignment. He put me in charge of the whole hospital. Mentoring Principle #7 Steadily increase the mentee’s opportunities and challenges as they develop. . . . he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick . . . (Luke 9:1-2, NIV). Ernie had prepared me in many more ways than I realized. He worked hard to make me known by his network of government officials, local tribal leaders, and church officials. He knew that, in order to lead well, I needed to know and have the respect of the local Member of Parliament, the Provincial Medical Officer, the Moderator of the national church, and many others. If they visited the hospital, he always made a point to introduce me and laud my accomplishments. He would take me with him on business trips to meet key individuals and teach me how to get things done. He opened the doors to important relationships that had taken him years to develop. It was an invaluable aid to me when my year of leading the hospital turned into a much longer period than expected when Ernie was diagnosed with colon cancer. Nothing had to be put on hold, waiting for him to return. Mentoring Principle #8 Open doors so your mentee can access your networks. . . . a local official appeared . . . Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along (Matt. 9:18-19, The Message).
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The best way to learn to mentor is to be mentored yourself. What Ernie had done with me, I began doing with new missionaries, visiting residents, and students, as well as national staff in varying degrees. As my dad said to me, “The greatest investment of a man or woman’s life is to invest it in the lives of others.” I found my greatest satisfaction came through influencing people and watching them grow to heights they never thought possible. Ernie died from a brain tumor a few years after he retired from the mission field, but his legacy lives on in me and many others. More important than the healing he brought to hundreds of thousands of people, are the people whose minds and hearts he touched. I was privileged to be one of them. Whether you call it mentoring, discipling, or coaching, it boils down to some simple truths. • God works through people to affect people. • God designed us for deep relationships. • Everyone needs at least one person who is deeply investing in them and someone they are investing in. • Outside your family, mentoring will be your most enduring legacy. ✝
David Stevens, MD, MA (Ethics), is the CEO for CMDA. From 1981 to 1991, he served as a missionary doctor in Kenya helping to transform Tenwek Hospital into one of the premier mission healthcare facilities in that country. As a leading spokesman for Christian doctors in America, Dr. Stevens has conducted hundreds of television, radio, and print media interviews. He holds degrees from Asbury College and the University of Louisville School of Medicine, and is board certified in family practice. He earned a master’s degree in bioethics from Trinity International University in 2002.
Be a Barnabas by Larry Frick, MD
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arnabas is a man in the book of Acts who Christian doctors and others in the medical professions should look to as an example. First of all, his name means “son of encouragement,” and we should always strive to be an encouragement to our patients. Sometimes when patients are walking through difficult times, encouragement is the most important thing we can give them. Barnabas is an example to us for another reason; he is a model of being a mentor or discipler. As we look at Barnabas in the book of Acts, we see that he was the biggest influence on Paul in his early Christian walk. What an important ministry he had, preparing the apostle Paul for his future ministry. Let’s notice four things that Barnabas did for Paul. 1. He believed in him. The disciples in Jerusalem were understandably skeptical of Paul after his conversion. After all, he had been their greatest opponent prior to his Damascus road experience. It was Barnabas who took Paul under his wing, vouched for him to the other disciples, and introduced him to the group (Acts 9:26-28). 2. He set an example for him. The Bible describes Barnabas as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. New disciples need to spend time with mature disciples to learn to live a life of faith in the spirit (Acts 11:24).
3. He gave him opportunities in ministry. When the apostles in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch to evaluate the new church there, Barnabas saw much potential in the church. He wanted to stay and teach and disciple the believers there. But, he didn’t do it alone; he sent to Tarsus for Paul (Acts 11:25). Paul was there with him, learning how to minster to the church in Antioch. No doubt the experience Paul received under Barnabas at Antioch helped him immensely in later years as he planted new churches across Asia and Macedonia. 4. He turned him loose in ministry. In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas set out on their first missionary journey. During the course of this journey, Paul continued to progress and use the giftedness God had given him. Barnabas freed him to fulfill his full potential, even if it meant taking a lesser role himself. What does this have to do with us? We each have people in our lives who need a Barnabas. I’m blessed to work with some doctors in Lexington, Kentucky who have answered the call to be a Barnabas by spending time with medical students. The call began as a vision in the hearts of students to be able to connect with Christian doctors in the community. In March 2009, the students hosted an evening called Connect the Docs to bring together medical students with doctors in the community. CMDA CEO Dr. David Stevens came and gave a challenge to those attending to get involved in the lives of students. That night, thirty-six doctors took the challenge to begin meeting with students at some point. During the 2009-10 school year, twenty-six students were provided mentors. It is a blessing to be able to see the impact they make in the lives of young people. Let’s see the impact that being a Barnabas has had in the lives of some medical students and their mentors.
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Be a Barnabas
Allie Dailey is a fourth-year student at University of Kentucky College of Medicine and helped organize Connect the Docs. She shares about her mentor: “My Connect the Docs mentor, Dr. Nancy Burandt, has had an incredible impact on my life and growth as a student and as a follower of Jesus. We meet together regularly throughout the year to discuss topics such as balancing family commitments (marriage and children), finances, how to run a practice, a physician’s role in the community, specialty of interest, residency, our faith, the stressors in medical school, and anxiety concerning my future. She intently listens to me while also sharing wisdom from her life experiences. Each time we meet, Dr. Burandt asks how she can pray for me — something I cherish. She later follows up with my prayer requests, a builder to her faith as well. In times when I have needed counsel concerning which specialty to choose or other concerns, she has met me in my time of need, given me contacts of other physicians to speak to, and prayed over me. Throughout this year, I feel that we have become very close. As a female medical student, I have had the opportunity to discuss with her my fears about balancing a family and a medical practice. She always encourages me to pursue Christ and my career, giving me hope that God will provide
Allie Dailey (left) and her mentor, Dr. Nancy Burandt
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everything I need. I am thankful for her mentorship and treasure the bond we have made as daughters of the King and Great Physician.” Marlena Mattingly is also a fourth-year student at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. She says of her mentor: “I was blessed to be mentored by Dr. Josephine Glaser, a lovely Christian physician who also attends the same church I attend. We met about once every one or two months at her house on Sunday afternoons after church. God used our time together to show me a beautiful illustration of what walking after Christ in all areas of life looks like through the example of my mentor. First, God showed me what it looks like to be a Christian physician. Dr. Glaser is a family physician, and she truly cares for the whole person and addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of her patients. Through our open conversations, she shared with me how she shows Christ to her patients through her words, actions, and attitudes. On many occasions, she asked me to pray for her ministry, that God would guide her interactions with patients and give her the words that they need to hear during their visit. Even though I never saw patients with her in her office, she definitely modeled to me the heart of a Christian physician.” Marlena felt blessed to observe Dr. Glaser’s interaction with her family and also leadership role in the local CMDA council. However, she says about her experience that: “. . . the greatest impact that Dr. Glaser had on me through her mentorship was her personal investment in my life. We started the study Practice by the Book, which explores what it means to be a Christian physician. She asked me about school, rotations, and specialty choice, and provided Christian counsel when I needed it. More importantly, she asked me about my relationship with Christ — how much time I was spending in the Word and lessons He was currently teaching me. She kept me accountable and challenged me to spend more time with Christ and to remember my priorities and purpose in the busy world of medicine and school. She prayed with me and for me, when we were together and apart. She poured into my life in countless ways, and God used her sacrifice to fill me up so that I will be better prepared to pour into others.”
Mentoring is a positive experience for the mentor as well. CMDA member Dr. Nancy Burandt, a Lexington anesthesiologist, shares about the experience she and her husband, David, an orthopedic surgeon, have had as mentors. “My husband and I have been involved with the CMDA medical students at the University of Kentucky for a few years. We have had them in our home on several occasions and attended events in which they were involved. Recently the mentoring program has given me a chance to get to know a few CMDA women medical students on a more personal level. We usually meet for coffee and share what is happening in our medical and personal lives. The women medical students need to see examples of how Christian women physicians have managed their careers, marriages, and families. The details of how to deal with medical school, select a specialty, have children, be on-call with children, and practice with young children are issues that are real to them. God gave me the ability to go to medical school. I consider it a privilege to be able to visit with these students and, with a Christian perspective, help them in ways that their parents, friends, or professors might not be able.”
Be a Barnabas
Marlena Mattingly (left) and her mentor, Dr. Josephine Glaser
Dr. Josephine Glaser, a Lexington family physician, adds: “The mentoring experience is a journey of faith in living out what it means to follow Jesus in one’s daily life. It is a blessing from the Lord to motivate and equip me to come alongside each medical student and love them the way He loves. It is a humbling experience because I must strive to be on the look-out to overcome selfish pride as I mentor the students. It is a joyful experience to observe the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in each medical student’s life as He teaches them to integrate His ways into their whole lives, not just into their training to become doctors. Mentoring is a refreshing reminder of God’s faithfulness to do what He wills to do in my life for His glory. I am happy I answered His call to serve as a mentor because He remains the best mentor EVER!!!” These stories show that, just like Barnabas in the book of Acts, you can have a profound impact on someone in your life as a mentor. You can make a difference in the life of a colleague, staff member, church member, or medical student. Please consider especially mentoring a medical student. There is no one on the earth who can make a difference in the life of a medical student like a Christian physician. To get started as a mentor, go to the CMDA website at www.cmda.org/mentor. You can sign up online or contact CMDA Field Staff in your area. ✝
Larry Frick, MD, serves as Director of Medical Missions for GO InterNational, leading short term medical teams to minister with GO’s partners to the poor of the world who have little access to medical care. He is developing GO’s Community Health Evangelism ministry and also serves as volunteer associate staff for CMDA in the Lexington, Kentucky area. He has ministered with GO in Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Bolivia, Russia, Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia. Prior to coming to GO, he practiced family medicine for fourteen years in Chillicothe, Ohio. He and his wife Marci live in Nicholasville, Kentucky and have a tenyear-old daughter Hannah.
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Mentoring Your Children by David Holmes, MD
778 miles of life lessons
“D
o hard things” is a goal I tend to encourage my kids to accomplish. It’s also the name of a Christian book written for teenagers by teenagers, Alex and Brett Harris, that I gave to each of my teenage sons, Nathan (16) and Joshua (13). The main message of the book is to live out your faith and make a positive difference in this world by caring about others and, like the title says, doing hard things. In an effort to put this philosophy into practice, my sons and I decided to transform our summer biking trip into a “bike-a-thon” fundraiser for missions. As the faculty advisor for CMDA at State University of New York at Buffalo (UB), I value the importance of missions and encourage students to go on mission trips. The goal of these trips is to help as many medical and dental students as possible see the tremendous needs of people in developing countries. As a result, the students enjoy the intrinsic rewards that come from helping to meet those needs, both physically and spiritually. These kinds of experiences are usually life changing for students. Many return home with a strong commitment to continue serving the poor, both locally and internationally, when they become physicians and dentists. As part of our fundraising for the bike-a-thon, we were fortunate that many generous people sponsored us by making donations to the CMDA of Western New York scholarship fund to assist UB medical and dental students in going on mission trips. In addition, some people sponsored us through the UB Foundation, which has a similar scholarship fund. During planning for the trip, my wife Lucy and I hosted a surprise thirteenth birthday party for our son, Joshua. In
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Dr. David Holmes with his sons Nathan and Joshua
the invitation, we asked his friends not to bring gifts, but to instead consider sponsoring Joshua on the bike-a-thon. More than $2,000 was raised just from that party, a true blessing and encouragement. In total, more than $5,000 was raised and donated to support the mission trips. On Saturday, July 24, Nathan and I left Clarence to meet up with family medicine doctor, Mark Hagan, MD, and otolaryngologist, Mark Hoeplinger, MD, who joined us on the trip. (Joshua joined us in Erie, Pennsylvania following a soccer tournament.) They are both active in CMDA and are long time friends and classmates from UB med-school. Dr. Hagan has progressive supranuclear palsy (an incurable Parkinson’s-like disease) and has a life expectancy of only one to two years. His mind and strength are still intact, but his tremors make it difficult to steer a bike. Therefore, he rode on a tandem bike behind Dr. Hoeplinger. The two made a great team and were hard to keep up with on the road! Dr. Hagan said he has certain things that he wants to do before his disease takes his life, and this bike trip was one of them. We learned a lot from Dr. Hagan who has a strong faith and a very positive attitude about life. His main goal, in the time he has left, is to do what he can to positively impact others. In fact, just before the bike-a-thon started, he returned from a CMDA GHO medical mission trip to Haiti. At a time when he could be focusing solely on himself, he is reaching out to others in need. Needless to say, Dr. Hagan was a very inspiring person to have join us on the bike-a-thon. The trip took two weeks and saw the five of us bicycling from Buffalo to Pittsburgh to Washington, DC to the northern Virginia coast — 778 miles in all.
For our family, life is usually quite comfortable. Biking and camping took us away from our usual comforts and forced us to rely more on God for basic needs like food, shelter, and stamina. It was a difficult but fun trip. We biked on roads for about half the trip — some rural, some urban. For the other half of the trip, we followed a very long bike path. The Great Alleghany Passage (a rails-to-trails bike path) connects Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cumberland, Maryland. This trail then becomes the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath, an equally beautiful trail with the canal on one side and the Potomac River on the other. We rode this path all the way into Washington, DC. Arriving in Washington, DC and riding down the National Mall from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol was thrilling! It’s such a beautiful and meaningful part of our country, and it was fun to see it by bike. However, five scruffy looking guys with bikes loaded down with equipment did look a bit out of place compared with all the other tourists and groups who were walking the Mall. After two weeks of biking, reaching the Atlantic Ocean at the end of the trip was also a wonderful feeling! During the trip, we camped along the way and carried our camping gear, food, and personal belongings with us on our bikes. The long steep hills, hot temperatures up to 102 degrees, saddle sores, four crashes, and sixteen flat tires made it particularly challenging. These challenges helped us learn about perseverance, teamwork, and relying on God’s strength — valuable lessons to be used on a bike trip and in life. In the evenings, we conducted devotions together and
Mentoring Your Children
Drs. Mark Hoeplinger (left) and Mark Hagan with their tandem bike.
each took turns leading them. Hearing from Dr. Hoeplinger about his encounters with the Holy Spirit and from Dr. Hagan about his coping with a terminal disease were inspiring moments for my sons and me. I was also very moved when I heard my sons each lead devotions. At home, I usually lead our family devotions, which take place after supper. I know my sons are Christians and possess Bible knowledge, but I didn’t realize how deep and mature their faith was until I heard them lead the devotions. They taught and inspired me on this trip in ways I didn’t expect. As a result, we’ve changed the way we do devotions at home. Now we all take turns leading them, even my eight- and ten-yearold daughters share in the responsibility. This has made family devotions more enjoyable and meaningful for all of us. This adventure vacation started out as a fun and effective way to raise money for a good cause while also helping to reinforce a life lesson in my teenagers. In the end, the bike-a-thon helped to build character for my sons and also served as a way for me to bond with them on a deeper level. It wasn’t just my teenagers who were learning how to “do hard things.” The lesson passed on to me as well and helped me get into better shape — both physically and spiritually. ✝ Author’s Footnote: Individual rider totals varied due to individual scheduling conflicts. All riders rode a distance between 630 and 778 miles.
David Holmes, MD, is a family physician and clinical associate professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has served as CMDA faculty advisor at the university since 1996. In addition to seeing patients, he directs the third-year clerkship and fourth-year electives in family medicine. He is married to Lucy Holmes, MD, a pediatrician who is also on faculty at the same university. They have four children, Nathan, Joshua, Naomi, and Esther. Dr. Holmes received his BA at Stanford University and his MD at the University of Vermont. He has fond memories of the CMDA group in Vermont and would like to thank his CMDA faculty advisor, Ray Milhous, MD; his wife Ruth; and former Regional Director, David Biebel, DMin, for their service and godly influence in his life. Dr. Holmes received his residency training in family medicine at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
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Mentored by a Milker of Cows by Walt Larimore, MD
God can use you to help someone else
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knew I needed a mentor. I was busy with my career as a physician — too busy for my family. My priorities were out of whack. I needed someone who would encourage me and keep me on track. So I asked the pastors who came through the hospital, “Who’s the one layperson you know in this area who looks most like Jesus?” When I heard the name Bill Judge multiple times, I said, “This is a guy I’d like to meet.” I called Bill and asked if he would mentor me. I was taken aback when he quietly said he would meet with me once and decide. Early on a Tuesday morning, more than twenty years ago, I shared with Bill about my life and struggles. He responded by saying he wanted to pray about whether we would spend more time together. (I felt like I was waiting for a medical school application or something, to see if I’d be accepted!) What I later learned was that Bill was considering committing himself to me in an unusual way, even getting up an hour before our early morning sessions to pray for me. Although his experiences of raising five daughters and nearly going through bankruptcy before committing his finances and farm to God were rich and extremely valuable to a young man like me, he wanted to bring more to our relationship than what he had done. Bill wanted to teach me about the Creator, the Father God, and His Son, Jesus. He wanted me to understand
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what the blood of Christ and the resurrection meant. He wanted me to be indwelled and overflowing with the Holy Spirit. He wanted me to discover my gifts and to bask in the joy of seeing the Lord produce fruit in my life. So he wanted to pray about it first! When he called back, he said yes . . . with conditions. “The first is that we’ll meet at 5:30 in the morning, usually at Joanie’s Café in downtown Kissimmee, for breakfast. And bring your Bible.” Next, “The first Tuesday of each month, I want you to bring your checkbook and your credit card bill so we can go through them together. The second Tuesday, I want you to bring your schedule, so we can discuss the stewardship of time. “Before our meeting on the third Tuesday of the month, I want the freedom to be able to call your kids, Kate, and Scott, so that you and I can talk more meaningfully about what type of dad you are.” (My kids loved those phone calls! Imagine trying to discipline your little boy, and he says, “I’m going to tell Mr. Bill. I’m going to call Mr. Bill.”) It got worse, because before the fourth Tuesday of each month, he said he’d also like permission to call my wife, Barb. She looked forward to that week, and they often had long discussions about our marriage! “And when there’s a fifth Tuesday,” he said, “I’d like to be able to talk to your staff and your business partner. Will you give me that permission?”
Mentoring Basics Here are a few principles for mentoring that Bill brought into our relationship: 1. He took me to God’s Word. We did not have a time together that Bill’s Bible wasn’t there and open. He lived the principles and promises in God’s Word, and he taught me their value. 2. He prayed with me. I don’t remember a time we met without prayer. Even now, I can’t call him on the phone from anywhere in the world that he doesn’t tell me that he’s praying for me — and of course he wants to pray with me over the phone. 3. He lovingly monitored my progress. With every three steps forward, there were usually two back (sometimes more!). Through all my failings, I could always call Bill and find a man who was willing to accept and encourage me no matter what.
Mentored by a Milker of Cows
I have to tell you, I thought long and hard about those conditions. That’s where the rubber met the road, and it was a tough deal. But I agreed, and we began the mentoring relationship. Someone has said that mentoring is a brain to pick, a shoulder to cry on, and a push in the right direction. But for me, mentoring began as a brain to pick, a shoulder to cry on, and a kick in the pants! But I’ll never forget that first Tuesday when we were to discuss my finances. I was nervous, because there were some things I wasn’t too proud of. Bill arrived with a little satchel, and he pulled out his checkbook and credit card bill for us to examine. Instead of just requiring me to do it, Bill showed me what it meant to budget, give, and save by sharing honestly about mistakes and victories from his own life. That humility and transparency characterized Bill’s way of working with me. He has never asked me to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself. His relationship with God was honest, vibrant, and fresh. And it changed my life. In recent years Barb and I have been on the road more and more, but Bill and I still talk regularly. The accountability continues. There are plenty of New Testament examples of mentoring. Jesus mentored His twelve disciples, and specifically the three. Peter, one of the three, then mentored Barnabas, who in turn mentored Paul. Paul mentored Timothy and also gave the pastoral admonition to train other men (2 Tim. 2:2). Men mentoring men and women mentoring women — that’s how the church began and spread. Make no mistake, one-on-one relationships are costly and time consuming. And the difficult work of a relationship doesn’t start in a church building. It starts at places like Joanie’s on Tuesday mornings. Early in my relationship with Bill, I asked God to give me one or two men I could pour my life into the way Bill was pouring his into me. The Lord gave me two men, the first people I had ever mentored, to meet with for a year. Eventually those men moved away, and I lost touch with them. Then recently, as I was teaching at Baylor Medical College, about fifty people came up to me as a group. One of them said, “About twenty years ago, you mentored a man for a year. He then started a business, went to seminary, and started a church in our town. He led us to Christ and discipled us. And he sent us here to learn from you and to thank you.” I think that’s what heaven is going to be like if we’ll make the effort, like Bill, to mentor others. You don’t have to be that far down the road. You just have to intentionally get on your knees and say, “Father, would You give me someone I can mentor, and pray for, and love?”
Bill Judge (left) and Dr. Walt Larimore share about their mentoring relationship at a Life Action Conference in 2007.
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Mentored by a Milker of Cows
Bill Judge is a retired farmer and businessman who has been married for 61 years to Jane, in Kissimmee, Florida. They have five married daughters, 14 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. _________________________ The article “Mentored by a Milker of Cows” originally appeared in the Spring 2010 issue of Revive magazine. Used by permission of Life Action Ministries.
Bill and Jane Judge (left) remain close friends with Barb and Dr. Larimore.
4. He protected me. I remember a period when I was wrestling with some movies I’d watch on the road. Instead of judging me, Bill just said, “From now on, when you check in at the hotel, you have the receptionist call me and tell me that he or she has turned those things off.” I’ve witnessed some funny expressions on the faces of receptionists around the country when I checked in! But Bill loved me enough to protect me.
I’ve trusted Walt, and he trusted me, and we’ve just walked together in that with God. First Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” He calls you to do it, and then He will do it. So why are we sweating? It’s Him! It’s Him in us that does it. ✝
Walt Larimore, MD, awardA Word from Bill I milked cows for a living. I tell you that so you will understand how humbling it was for someone like Walt to ask me to mentor him. Walt has a tremendous mind. He is not only a medical doctor who built a successful practice, but he went on to become an author and television medical commentator. What does a milker of cows have to offer a man with that kind of résumé? I certainly didn’t feel qualified to be his mentor. But I’ve since discovered that every person has something special in them that they can communicate to another person. We need each other, and whoever you are — even if you milk cows for a living — God can use you to help someone else move up. I marvel at what has happened through Walt’s and my friendship. As we’ve met together, I’ve just tried to wait on God to give me answers to the questions he asked.
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winning family physician, medical journalist, best-selling author, and educator is one of America’s bestknown family physicians. His latest book TSI: The Influenza Bomb is the second novel in the TSI series. Dr. Larimore holds adjunct clinical academic appointments in family medicine at the In His Image Family Medicine Residency Program in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the University of Colorado Family Medicine Residency Program in Denver, Colorado. He currently serves as the Medical Director at Mission Medical Clinic in Colorado Springs. Dr. Larimore and his childhood sweetheart, Barb, live in Colorado and have been married over 37 years, have two adult children, two wonderful grandchildren, and a cat named Jack. (www.drwalt.com)
International Medical Education: Do we have a responsibility to help? by James D. Smith, MD, FACS
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Filling in the gap by training doctors on a spiritual and personal level
ave you ever thought what it would be like to have recently been married at the age of sixteen, and to now be expecting your first baby, not with joy, but with fear and trepidation? Why the latter? In SubSaharan Africa, residents don’t know that they have a 5% chance of needing a Cesarean section, or that they have a 5% chance of actually receiving that life-saving procedure. All they know is that they had friends in their village die in childbirth. Such are the realties of available healthcare in much of the developing world, but nowhere are healthcare needs as desperate as in Sub-Saharan Africa. They have 11% of the world’s population, 24% of the global burden of disease, but only 2-3% of the Dr. Carl Haisch (center) teaching participants in an ATLS course in Kenya. world’s healthcare workers. In the field of surgery, 30% of the world’s populaleaving for greener pastures in an affluent country? I think tion receives 75% of the world’s surgical procedures, but the reason can be summed up in one word, OPPORTUthe poorer 1/3 receives only 3.5% of all surgical proceNITY! The best students who do stay often choose public dures. In Table 1, you can see the ratio of surgeons per health or infectious disease as the best careers. Why? In population. To bring the numbers into perspective, the those two fields, you have the best chance to land a job population of the US from the Mississippi River to the with an NGO or WHO. These two groups pay two to four west coast, leaving out California, is about seventy-five times as much as government hospitals, and you have the million. Imagine that there are 120 surgeons for all of this possibility of being transferred to a developed country. population, but more than 100 of them live in Denver, Before we are too critical of their choices, we must ask and they only cater to the wealthy and prominent memwhat we would do if we made less than $1,000 a month, bers of society. If you are poor and live in rural North had to worry about our personal safety or that of our famDakota, what are your chances of receiving even lifeily, lacked basic medicines and were short on surgical saving emergency care? supplies if we had any at all, and were then approached So much for the need. You may be asking, don’t they by a recruiter from a developed country with an opporhave medical schools and train other healthcare workers tunity that would solve all of those problems. Would you such as pharmacists, nurses, and so on? They do, but there and I stay? Of course not. is that little problem, “the brain drain.” Zambia retained The reasons are myriad. It is easy for us to blame and less than 10% of the doctors it trained from 1978 to 1999. point to corrupt governments, the billions of dollars of A recent survey of Nigerian medical students showed that aid poured into these countries over the last fifty years, a greater than 60% plan to emigrate. You may be thinking, wrong worldview, or a poor work ethic. We could say it why can’t they stay and help their own people, rather than
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TABLE 1
Country
Population
Number of Surgeons
Ratio
Uganda Kenya Tanzania Zimbabwe Malawi Mozambique
27 million 32 million 34 million 11 million 12 million 18 million
100 315 110 77 15 59 (41 expatriates)
1:270,000 1:101,587 1:340,000 1:142,857 1:800,000 1:305,085
Table from Dr. Ignatius Kakande M.Med (Surg), Makerere University, Uganda
Dr. Jim Smith lecturing at a Pediatric Neurodevelopment course in Kenya.
My second hero is David Thompson and his wife, Becky, who have been missionaries in Gabon for nearly thirty years. Becky has been training nurses from the beginning of their time at Bongolo Hospital. After about fifteen years of being the only surgeon, David looked at himself in the mirror one morning and said, “Who is going to do this when I am gone?” He realized that if he identified a Gabonese doctor and helped him get surgical training in the US, there was probably a greater than 90% chance he would not return. Out of this was born a vision to start surgical training programs in mission hospitals around Africa. Not only would there be a strong emphasis on academic surgical training, but they would also focus on building those surgeons up spiritually so they could be leaders in presenting the Gospel to the patients in their hospitals. At the 1996 CMDE conference in Kenya, David presented his vision to the surgeons attending the conference, and out of this was born the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS). Though the program began with one resident in 1997, it has expanded to graduate more than nineteen fully trained surgeons, with thirty-five residents presently in five hospitals across Africa (one in Bangladesh) and a goal to train 100 surgeons by 2020. A major goal is not only to train them to be competent surgeons, but also to help them in their walk with the Lord so they can witness to patients and colleagues. All of the residents agree to work in a mission hospital for five years, the goal being to see them have a heart to serve in rural hospitals where the needs are the greatest. It has not been easy for those finishing. Some have gone to bankrupt hospitals, but have been able to bring the hospitals back to solvency by attracting patients with their surgical skills. Some have been in war areas and have had to be evacuated. Some are isolated with no colleagues to share
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is their own fault or that the statistics I have presented are too overwhelming to even try to help. But then there are those multiple admonitions in both the Old and New Testaments in which God tells us over and over again to help the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger in the land, all of whom have no protector. So can we make a difference? I am convinced that medical education and training can make a difference, not just in medical knowledge, but in modeling how to treat patients on both a spiritual and personal level. I would like to highlight two missionaries who have used medical education to advance the Kingdom of God. My first hero is Jim Jewell. In his mid 50s, he and his wife, Ellie, left a busy general/thoracic surgery practice to go to a small mission hospital in Western Zambia. After eight years, he was ready to return to the US for a well-deserved retirement, but was asked to join the surgical department at the University of Zambia School of Medicine. Not only has he had more opportunity to practice his surgical skills, but he has been able to influence a whole generation of young doctors spiritually and professionally. Every other year, when the CMDE conference for missionary doctors is going to be in Kenya, Jim says Ellie gets busy on her computer to raise funds for four to eight Zambian residents to attend the conference. One year, after nearly two weeks of being associated with missionary doctors and hearing daily teaching from the spiritual speaker, one of the residents accepted the Lord. I still remember the joy on Jim’s face when he told how this resident was asked to present what he had learned at the conference to the surgical department and ended his talk with a clear presentation of how he came to know the Lord. Yes, we can make a difference.
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International Medical Education
Dr. Jim Smith learning to adapt to the unexpected as he consults on a chimpanzee at the Singapore Zoo.
with and a lack of supplies, but they have cheerfully been willing to serve the Lord in this way. These are just two examples of the potential for longterm impact on a generation of physicians. Not only can one do the traditional model of treating patients one by one, but you can multiply your hands and leave something behind by training young doctors. I think Jesus left us that example by reaching out to individuals, and also influencing the lives of eleven disciples who would be left behind to carry on His work after He was taken from them. Recently, I saw a documentary about an organization known worldwide for its medical humanitarian work in the most dangerous and war-torn countries. The film followed four doctors in three different counties. Two things made a deep impression on me. First, when the doctors faced the loss of a patient because of advanced disease or lack of equipment and medication, their reaction was frustration, then anger, and finally resignation. To cope with the disappointments they would leave to party and drink. In contrast to the message of hope we have in the good news of eternal life, they had nothing to offer those whom they could not cure. Second, in one country, where they had a hospital for fourteen years during a civil war, the doctors decided it was time to leave when peace came. Even though the hospital was still a major provider for the poor in that area, it closed when they left. During their fourteen years at the hospital, they had not trained anyone to continue their work when they left. I think this example alone should motivate us to be involved with medical education and training. By now I hope you are asking, “How can I help?” Many of you are already involved in short- or long-term mission work, but many
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say, “I can’t teach,” or, “I don’t like to teach.” Yes, teaching takes more time, fewer patients are seen, and we are not all gifted lecturers. However, as physicians, we are all teachers. We are all teaching every day by example, whether it is to our children or to those we work with. How many of you can think of a quiet, unassuming individual who has had an impact on your life? One can teach as a mentor in the clinic or at the bedside by sharing with students, residents, or established doctors how you would handle a medical problem in your practice. Sometimes, the little things make the most lasting impressions, such as speaking kindly to patients, treating them as people made in God’s image, sharing the Gospel, or doing even something as small as washing your hands between examining patients. As we participate in missions, we can deliberately look for opportunities where we can teach those we are helping, especially with a servant’s attitude. We must be careful not to have a superior attitude that says, “Let me show you how you should be doing this.” The longer I am involved, I find that I have as much to learn from the people I am visiting as they have to learn from me. There is nothing more rewarding than returning to a site and seeing some of the things you modeled being implemented. One example is in Kenya where Medical Education International teams were teaching a modified version of ACLS and ATLS in partnership with the Christian Medical Fellowship of Kenya. CMF-K has become a leader in developing training teams to several sites in their own country and are now poised to do this training in surrounding countries.
Dr. Jim Smith consulting with faculty and residents at the West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University.
Sept. 16-30, 2011 – Mongolia Multi-Specialty Team (All specialties) Dr. Jim Smith teaching medical students at the Astana Medical University in Astana, Kazakhstan.
As I finish, my prayer is that I have stimulated you to think about how God can use you in medical education to advance His kingdom. Maybe you can’t be involved now, but you might make it a goal for the future or help support those who are doing this type of work. Education may not have the cachet of relief work after a major disaster, but the long-term effects will remain long after we are gone. I would leave you with this one verse, “to whom much is given, from him much will be required,” (Luke 12:48, NKJV). We have been given so much compared to the majority of the people in the world. Is it not time we gave something back? ✝
James D. Smith, MD, FACS, is Professor Emeritus from Oregon Health & Science University of Portland, Oregon. He was visiting professor at the National University of Singapore from 1997 to 2011. He has had extensive teaching experience at several institutions in Africa and Asia. Dr. Smith joined CMDA in 1984 and immediately became part of the teaching faculty for the CMDE conference in Kenya. He has served on the CMDE Commission and is currently the Chair of the Medical Education International Advisory Council where he actively seeks new opportunities for MEI teaching teams to serve overseas. His passion is to use medical education as a mission field to serve the Lord. He also serves on the Board of the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons. He is the recipient of the 2011 CMDA Servant of Christ Award.
Sept. 26 - Oct 10, 2011 – China Family Medicine/Multi-Specialty Team (FM doctors and other specialties cared for by FMs) Oct. 2-8, 2011 – Kosovo Cleft Palate Repair and Rehabilitation Team (FULL) Oct. 3-7, 2011 – Kenya Oncology Conference (Two oncology nurses still needed; otherwise FULL)
International Medical Education
UPCOMING TEAM OPPORTUNITIES
Oct. 22-30, 2011 – Albania Multi-Specialty Team (All specialties) Sept. - Oct., 2011 – Kenya Pediatric Neurodevelopment Team (FULL) Jan. 29, 2012 – Jamaica Bioethics Conference (Pediatrician with bioethics experience needed) Apr. 2012 (dates uncertain) – China Family Medicine Team (FM doctors and other specialties cared for by FM) Apr. 2012 – Mongolia Multi-Specialty Team (All specialties) ________________________________ Opportunities with open-ended dates (adjustable to MEI volunteer’s schedule): Cameroon Internal Medicine Residency China – OB/Gyn and/or Oncology Physicians and Nurses China – All specialties
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What Are The Arguments Against Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia? Special tear-out section to help you in protecting life. by Robert D. Orr, MD, CM – President of the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare; CMDA Trustee
H
ippocrates said it clearly, “I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly, I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion.” The Oath has been the primary resource and guide for the ethical practice of medicine for 2,500 years. Only in recent decades have the provisions of the Oath been challenged, even changed. The changes started when the proscription against abortion was turned upside down and continue now with the international debate about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS). We must recognize that the Hippocratic Oath is not holy writ. However, these two prohibitions in this historical professional guide are consistent with a biblical understanding of the sanctity of human life. This understanding translates directly into a biblical prohibition of intentionally ending innocent human life by anyone, including physicians.
The very best argument against legalization of PAS is a positive alternative — strong support for excellent palliative measures along with legitimate concerns about the consequences of legalization.
The technological capabilities of modern medicine have made end-of-life treatment decisions much more complex than they were a generation or more ago. It is appropriate, even laudable, for patients, families, and healthcare professionals to consider limitation of life-prolonging treatment as death approaches and to instead focus on providing excellent comfort care. But the ancient prohibition of any
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action that intentionally causes death remains outside the bounds of biblical behavior and continues to be clearly prohibited by professional policy (e.g., American Medical Association policy). Euthanasia has been legalized in a few countries (such as in the Netherlands and Belgium) and assisted suicide in others (the Netherlands and Switzerland). The US Supreme Court has concluded there is no constitutional right to assisted suicide, but has stated that it is up to the states to decide whether to permit PAS. Physician-assisted suicide has been legalized in a few states (Oregon, Washington, and possibly Montana) and is under legislative consideration in several others. When bills to legalize PAS are introduced into state legislatures, some Christian physicians take the position that, “I wouldn’t do it, but if others want to move in this direction, that is their decision.” That could be a defensible position if the only objection to PAS were theological. And, in all honesty, a theological objection holds little persuasive power in our secularized society. However, there are actually three sets of reasons to oppose legalization of PAS: • Principle-based reasons – human life is sacred (primarily religious positions) • Virtue-based reasons – doctors should not kill (professional positions, e.g., Hippocratic Oath, AMA) • Consequence-based reasons – it will lead to bad results (abuses, expansions, complications) Consequence-based reasons are generally the strongest arguments on this issue in public debate. Those promoting the legalization of PAS maintain that they have built into the proposals many safeguards to protect against bad results. However, reviewing both euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide where they are now allowed shows clearly that the practice does not match the theory. It is for this reason that the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare developed the following comparison for use in the public square. ✝
PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE THEORY
“The issue is patient autonomy.” “The issue is pain & suffering”
“Patients just want to know Rx is available when desired; only 10% will be filled.” “The decision is between a patient and his or her own physician.”
“The law only allows patient-administered lethal drug
. . . no lethal injection
. . . no assistance.”
“PAS will be regulated and monitored.*” MDs required to document all steps and report all cases. “OHD will make annual statistical report.” “OHD will report abuses to Board of Medical Examiners”
“The law has safeguards that will prevent abuses and ensure:
• patient has <6 months to live
PRACTICE • Only 1 request in 6 results in a prescription.* If patient autonomy were the issue, all would result in prescription. It’s really about physician autonomy and/or liability. • Not one of the 208 suicides in the first 7 years was due to pain; 20% were because patients feared future pain. • Oregon law does not have a requirement that the patient have any pain or suffering, only “terminal illness.” • Of 29 possible reasons for request, patients undergoing PAS chose “control” and “fear of future pain” most often; all physical symptoms were deemed unimportant.* • 292 of 456 (64%) prescriptions written in the first 9 years resulted in patient death. • Only 34% of Oregon MDs are willing to prescribe lethal drugs.* • 75-80% of patients who have died in Oregon received prescriptions not from their own physicians, but from physicians affiliated with Compassion in Dying.* • Dr. Peter Rasmussen (oncologist) says he emptied capsules & stirred drug into pudding for Wanda McMaster (with ALS)*; he also prepared the mixture for Barbara Houck (also with ALS), and one of her sons spooned it into her mouth as another gave her water to wash it down.* • Barbiturates used have onset of action 10-15 minutes, duration of action 4 hours, but several deaths reported less than 5 minutes or more than12 hours after ingestion.* • At an international PAS euthanasia conference in Toronto, volunteers with the Client Support Program of Compassion and Choices (formerly the Hemlock Society) admit that they are trained to actively assist some clients in taking their own lives.* • Patrick Matheny with ALS was unable to swallow the lethal drug; a relative “helped him,” but was unwilling to describe the type of “help”; he was not prosecuted.* • After the Matheny case, Oregon Deputy Attorney General wrote an opinion that the law may violate the Americans with Disabilities Act because it precludes “equal access,” and thus may have to be expanded to lethal injection.* • Barbara C. Lee, one of the authors of the bill, wrote in the Oregon Health Law Manual that delivery of drug by inhalation or infusion might be “within the scope of the Act.”* • The Oregon Health Division (OHD) has no regulatory authority or resources to detect under-reporting or non-compliance. • The law has no penalty for MDs who fail to report.* • Annual OHD reports have not included several cases of abuse, expansion, and complications reported (voluntarily) by families in newspapers and not contested by PAS advocates. • The only MDs interviewed for the OHD reports are those who have written lethal Rx’s, and it seems unlikely they would report cases that are outside the legal limits. • 27% of Oregon MDs who are willing to write lethal prescription admit they’re not confident of 6-month prognosis.* • The “number of days between 1st request and death — range from 15-1009.”* • Of the 42 DWD deaths in 2003, 2 Rx’s were written in 2002, 1 in 2001; far greater than 6 months. • Art Buchwald’s doctor told him he had only a few weeks to live in February 2006 and recommended hospice care. After spending several months saying goodbye to family and friends, he did not die and was discharged from hospice 5 months later. He went home to write a new book entitled “Too Soon to Say Goodbye.”He died in February 2007.* • 13% of patients admitted to hospice (less than 6 month survival required) are discharged alive each year.*
THEORY
• patient is competent to make decision
• patient is not depressed
• patient is not coerced.”
“There have been virtually no complications reported in first 6 years by OHD.”
“The drugs used are safe and effective.”
“Economic factors are not the issue; only 2% of patients who have died under the Act report finances as a reason.”
“The data reported by the Oregon Division of Health is reassuring.”
“Legalized PAS will reduce the rate of suicide in Oregon.”
PRACTICE • Kate Cheney was found to “lack the capacity” by a psychiatrist (consult report released to newspaper) and to have “cognitive deficits” by a psychologist, but her HMO medical director wrote the lethal prescription anyway.* • The percentage of patients dying by PAS who have been referred for mental health evaluations has steadily dropped from 37% in 1999 to 0% in 2007. Only 6% of Oregon psychiatrists are confident they can diagnose depression after just one visit.* • The first patient to die under Act was refused Rx by two MDs because she was depressed; lethal Rx was then written by a Compassion in Dying MD.* • Michael Freeland was given a lethal Rx by a Compassion in Dying MD and offered a refill if he lived longer than six months. A year later, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital with violent suicidal intent, and was later treated and improved. When discharged, MD ensured his guns were removed from his home but allowed him to keep his lethal Rx refill.* • Both the psychiatrist and the psychologist who evaluated Kate Cheney felt her daughter was pressuring her.* • One family called 911 when a patient had unspecified symptoms; he was taken to ER and resuscitated.* • David Pruett swallowed the full dosage of his lethal prescription and slept soundly for 65 hours. He then awoke and said, “What the hell happened? Why am I not dead?” He decided not to repeat the unsettling experience and died naturally some time later.* • Same dosage of same drugs are used in the Netherlands for physician-assisted suicide, and 3 different reports found 16%*, 20%*, and 25%* “failure rate” (patient didn’t die) so that subsequent lethal injection had to be given to cause death. • Oregon MDs say they have switched to liquid form of pentobarbital, but the only liquid form available which is approved by the FDA is for injection only. • • • •
Oregon Medicaid pays for PAS but denies payment for >150 medical services.* Qual Med HMO pays for PAS but has a $1,000 cap on hospice care.* Med. Dir. of Kate Cheney’s HMO wrote her a lethal Rx after two of his MDs declined.* Oregon Medicaid will not pay for cancer treatment unless there is a 5% chance of 5-year survival, even if treatment increases chance of survival or of quality of life; BUT they tell patients requesting non-covered treatments that they with will pay for PAS.*
• The ODH itself admits this claim is fallacious: “The Oregon Health Division is charged with collecting information under the Death With Dignity Act but is also obligated to report any cases of noncompliance with the law to the OR Board of Medical Examiners. Our responsibility to report noncompliance makes it difficult, if not impossible, to detect accurately and comment on underreporting. Furthermore, the reporting requirements can only ensure that the process for obtaining lethal medications complies with the law. We cannot determine whether physician-assisted suicide is being practiced outside the framework of the Death With Dignity Act."* • From 1998 to 2003, the number of PAS deaths went up 279% and number of lethal Rx’s written went up 263%. This is not reassuring. • There has been a gradual increase in suicides in Oregon since 2000. • Oregon has 135-156% of US average suicide rate (now 15.2 suicides/100,000 population vs. 11.3 for US). • Oregon is #5 in the nation for elder suicide rate.* • All of this is in spite of the fact that PAS deaths are not counted as suicides.
*For references and additional resources, see: www.vaeh.org
CLASSIFIEDS Practice for Sale Dental Practice – Northwest Florida. Established crown & bridge/restorative practice with focus on comprehensive care. Fee-forService/PPO mix with great loyal patients and steady new patient flow on 3.5 days a week. 4 ops, panorex, in 2,000 sq. ft. office (expandable) in free-standing professional building just off main road in rapidly growing area of Pensacola. Great practice to take to next level. Real Estate also available. Interested parties can call Dr. Paul Rang at: 407-671-2998.
Dental Dentist – We need a team-minded Christian to join us in Stony Plain, Alberta. We believe God is calling someone interested in working with children, providing compassionate care, and a possible future buy-in. Fax: 780-9632904; e-mail: turnerhm@yahoo.com. Pediatric Dentist – Concord, New Hampshire. Large, busy general/pediatric dental practice established thirty years ago seeks a motivated pediatric dentist to replace retiring dentist. All phases of pediatric dentistry performed including hospital rehabilitations. The mountains and the ocean are only ninety minutes away, as is historic Boston. Position to open late 2011. Team active with Christian medical/dental short-term missions. Contact Office Manager, Margie, at: 603225-6541; or e-mail: grace.pediatric.dentistry @comcast.net. Oral Surgeon – Illinois. Established, twentysix-year-old practice looking for associate to become a partner. Great place to raise a family, close to Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison. Full scope, implants, light trauma, laser, I-CAT, mostly fee for service. Guaranteed salary and benefit package. Fax CV to: 815-877-4254; or send by e-mail to: os1161732@aol.com.
Medical Family Practice – Physician, nurse practitioner, or PA needed for a busy Christ-centered private practice in Henderson, Nevada. Must
be adept with EMR and coding specificity. Work in a beautiful Christian office with a professional staff, living a life of worship by ministering to patients — mind, body, and spirit. Send your CV to: daraw@mac.com; or call: Dr. Welborn at 702-269-6345; www.cornerstone-familypractice.com. Family Practice Physician or FP/OB – Private practice in Pekin, Illinois recruiting MD/DO for shareholder opportunity. Base salary with incentive compensation. Please contact: Michael Lind, CMPE, Lind Consulting, PO Box 10, Galva, IL 61434; or e-mail: lindconsulting @mchsi.com; or fax: 309-932-2930. Orthopedics – “Do right, love mercy, walk humbly.” – Micah 6:8. Do you share this intent? Ours is a 35+ year old practice devoted to these guiding principles. We aim to help people through our professional and compassionate care as well as our outreach to the community and beyond. Find your niche in an environment that is familyfriendly, community-focused, and patientcentric. Low malpractice and cost of living, on-site surgery center, mission minded, vibrant community with a university, new physician-managed surgical hospital opening in mid-2011, great schools, low crime rate, and lots of ways to make a difference. We want to add at least one other general orthopedist as well as a sub-specialist. Won’t you contact us? Kearney Orthopedic & Sports Medicine, Kearney, Nebraska; Medical Director, Dr. Chris Wilkinson at: 308-6274664; or cwilkinson@kearneyortho.com. Our Administrator, Vicki Aten, at: 308-8652512; or vaten@kearneyortho.com. Orthopedics – Associate needed for general orthopedic practice on Long Island, New York. Fellowship training preferred. In-patient and out-patient care is required. There are currently two to three office days and two surgical days most weeks. Our 25+ year old practice includes Total Joint Replacement, arthroscopic surgery, and fracture care, as well as digital X-rays on site and EMR. Please contact our practice at: 631-368-1222 ext. 15 (Peggy); fax: 631-368-8401; e-mail: peggy@warwickgreenmd.com. Pediatrician – “. . . My hope is in Him . . .” – Psalm 62:5. Hope Pediatrics was founded in
1999 based on this scripture and His vision for this practice. We are currently seeking a third physician to join our practice located in rural Western Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Erie. We aim to provide Christcentered, comprehensive, compassionate medical care to children here and around the world. Four season community features biking and hiking trails, fishing, and hunting. Low cost of living, good private and public schools, low crime rate, and many opportunities to make a difference. This would be an employee position with great benefits and opportunities for profit sharing and ownership. One hospital with 1:3 to 1:5 call coverage. Interest can be directed to our office manager, Lori Ray, via e-mail at: lray@hopepediatrics.com; or by calling: 814677-3717. Pediatrician – Five doctor group in North Carolina seeking a value minded, conservative pediatrician for our practice. Call is 1:5. Competitive salary and benefits. Call or e-mail Dr. Rosemary Stein at: 336-212-1200; Infamclin@aol.com.
For additional job opportunities, go to CMDA’s website at www.cmda.org and click on Advertising on our home page or US Medical Opportunities under Placement Services.
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ZZZ FPGD RUJ Â&#x2021; Â&#x2021; SODFHPHQW#FPGD RUJ We exist to place Christian physicians where their lives will glorify God.
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ADVANCED DEGREES With students With students fr from om thirt thirty-six y-six coun countries tries and ever every y sta state te in the U.S., Oxford Oxford Graduate Graduate School, a rreligious eligious rresearch esearch school, trains Christians Christians to be world world changers. Similar to E uropean pr ograms, stud ents spend only only tw o weeks per European programs, students two year o on n campus to obtain a masters (M. Litt) or d doctorate octorate (D Phil) degree. degree. F or the missio nary, the practicing physi (D.. Phil) For missionary, physi-cian and the d dentist, entist, this educa education tion will enrich their perperso nal life, family life, and curr ent career career while pr eparing sonal current preparing them for a career career change, or for rretirement. etirement. Some of the eexciting xciting research research carried out by by our students students came from from isissues encoun encountered tered in their work work or car career. eer. Loren Humphrey, Loren Humphrey ey,, MD MD,, P PhD hD M ember CMD A Member CMDA Chairman, C hairman, Board Board of Regents Regents Oxfor d Gradua te School Oxford Graduate
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