every shift, I called my mom from the car during my ride home. I would tell her what I had seen that day, struggling to find the Korean words for each organ. She never fully grasped what I was describing, but she listened anyway, exclaiming at the foreign procedures, asking questions, and ending every call with “수고했어.” Roughly translated to “good work today.” I did not realize the impact these conversations had until I watched my first ICU patient pass away, and I instinctively called, knowing I would feel comforted.

The first advice I received before medical school was to never forget why I do it. My why was simple: I wanted to guide the care of as many patients as I could. But Dr. Kang’s article made me reflect on the “how” of pursuing medicine. As an aspiring first-generation physician who spent hours researching medicine alone, never sure if I was doing it right, I want to be the mentor I needed. Through mentorship, mission work, and leading innovation, Dr. Kang shows the flexibility a physician can have in defining their unique practice style. This reassured me that my passions outside of medicine are not separate from becoming a strong physician; they are a foundation for the physician I want to become.

I also think his article points to an underlying question: how do you stay yourself while becoming a doctor? Dr. Kang emphasizes that being a doctor is not the full image of who you are. Instead, he points out that we are also a son or daughter, a friend, and a member of the community. Reading this reminds me of my phone calls with my mom. My mom has no medical training and could not help me study or work through a patient presentation, but she did something no curriculum could: she reminded me that I am her son first, before medical school.

I cannot say my parents directly inspired me to pursue medicine as Dr. Kang’s father did for him. They never told me they wanted me to be a doctor, and I am not sure they understood what it involved. But they did motivate me to become the best doctor I could and supported me financially and emotionally. Dr. Kang writes about a father who held him and urged him to cross a bridge he was afraid to cross. To me, my parents did something similar. They supported and taught me that a goal without support is fragile because everyone needs someone to pick them up when an obstacle knocks them down.

We spend years deciding what kind of physician we want to become, but very little time remembering who is waiting at the other end of the call when a shift is over. Dr. Kang’s article answers many versions of the “how”: how to become the physician you want to be, and how to get there. Who is the person you call? And can we learn to be that voice for someone else?