I believe that physicians and medical students should be people of integrity and understanding first and foremost. Without these qualities you can be an M.D. but never be a healer. As people who have the ability to heal and comfort, we are revered for the services that we have the potential to provide. As a result, we have a responsibility to be role models and leaders. The word duty comes to mind, realizing that from the minute I began my course of study the responsibilities would never diminish, and that I would soon have responsibilities TO others, FOR others, far greater than my own could ever be. And this responsibility is not only for when we become physicians, it holds true now, while we are in the process of shaping ourselves into great physicians. It is not a glorious profession, it is two-sided. There are the times when we will save lives, but there are also times when we will do all we can and it still will not suffice. All of the years we spend in school and all of the training we go through after we graduate is not glorious, nor are the large amounts of time we will spend in the office or the hospital. The true glory of the profession lies not in becoming chief of staff or making six figures or seven. The glory of our career is being able to see someone who is alive and well because you were able to help them. This is why I have come to value the physician all the more – seeing up close all of the hard work they put in, aware that sometimes their work goes home with them and realizing that through all of this they have amazing endurance. I believe that it is an honor to become a physician because one is given absolute trust by their patients. It is thus our duty to give our patients the best that is in us and to give them respect and kindness. I really do care, and it is my responsibility to show the patients that.