Progress Notes

Book excerpt: Progress Notes is a Bible study guide designed for medical students and residents as they navigate through their years of medical training and spiritual formation as a young adult. There are twelve lessons which may be used on a monthly basis with a mentor or small group. The topics are relevant to the challenges students and residents face, and are arranged according to the beginning, middle, and end of a year of training before moving on to the next step. The appendix includes twelve devotions on the same topics and can be used between meetings to reinforce the lessons and to keep God's word fresh in their minds. Some of the topics include expectations, evaluations, frustrations, finding meaning in the mundane, delayed gratification and entitlement, and refusing to be offended. The devotions have also been used as a springboard for discussion within a small group meeting. These studies have been used by medical students, residents, and community physicians. They have also been used by mentors with one other trainee, fairly large groups of Christian physicians and residents, women physician groups, and small groups of interns. They have facilitated great discussions and rich times of prayer and fellowship in each of these different settings. The studies grew out of first hand experience with the successes and frustrations of medical training and the joy and sorrows of following Christ. Years later when her own students were experiencing the same obstacles and emotions, the author determined to create a resource to facilitate faith development in physicians. The studies were designed after significant research including needs assessments, focus groups, and literature reviews of spiritual formation, discipleship, and professionalism in medicine. It is no surprise that these lessons hit home, and cause the reader to gain a new perspective on integrating their faith with their practice!