Dr. Chang Shih-chung emphasizes: "Excelling in either professional knowledge or medical manners alone does not make a doctor perfect--excelling in both does."

We usually associate the term "bedside manner" with an amiable doctor. However, Dr. Chang Shih-chung, director of the medical science department of Tzu Chi School of Medicine, gives it a broader definition. He holds that "Medical manners include not only a doctor's attitudes, but also his professional capability and his genuine concern for patients."

The academic policy of the medical school is to lay equal stress on both science and the humanities. Dr. Chang believes that in addition to equipping students with professional knowledge, it is far more important for the school to develop their compassion. He thinks that a compassionate person will fulfill his duty no matter how hard it may be. Therefore, in Dr. Chang's eyes, a good doctor means a responsible, compassionate doctor.

Building a Solid Foundation

To nurture good doctors, a successful medical education is indispensable. The Tzu Chi School of Medicine, which has always expected itself to be the cradle of good doctors, certainly has its own policy on education. What is it? At the 1997 freshmen orientation camp, Dr. Chang answered questions raised by the young people who had just stepped into the world of medicine.

For example, one student asked whether the fact that the medical school is located on the east coast, a relatively undeveloped area of Taiwan, limits its supply of teachers? And if it does, does this have any impact on the students' professional education?

Dr. Chang answered that according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education, a medical school student must complete 252 credits to graduate. However, the requirement set by the Tzu Chi School of Medicine is 282 credits, much more than that of other medical schools in Taiwan. Thus, students at Tzu Chi stand a better chance of building a solid foundation in the field of medicine. As to the faculty, the school has invited outstanding professors from prestigious institutes, both at home and overseas. Moreover, to establish an even more extensive teaching network, the school is also working on a "distant teaching" project with several universities in northern and western Taiwan.

In recent years, the Ministry of Education has also devoted major efforts to promoting education in the humanities. In view of this, the medical school makes it a rule that all of its students must complete thirty-five credits in the humanities. Of these, thirteen are core courses, including Tzu Chi culture, logic and rhetoric, social services, computer applications, environmental protection, English composition, and physical education. Other courses encompass such fields as philosophy, aesthetics, literature, athletics, social education and religion, all aimed to build up a good character in each and every Tzu Chi medical student.

Dr. Chang pointed out that many prestigious universities abroad were established by religious groups. These schools usually have a pronounced humanistic color. Tzu Chi also has its own unique spirit and it has intended to familiarize the students with that spirit through its curriculum design. However, even though the Tzu Chi medical school is a Buddhist organization, it never preaches Buddhism in the classrooms. Buddhism is studied only in extracurricular activities by groups like the Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association and the Buddhism club.

Training in the Humanities

"A doctor is a doctor only during the eight hours when he is in a white coat," said Dr. Chang. "During the other sixteen hours, he is an ordinary person like anyone else. Therefore, he should not limit himself to his specialization only. Other living skills, such as how to socialize with people and how to appreciate music and art, are essential in life too. I always encourage my students to pursue a second or a third specialty and various hobbies, so that their life can be more fulfilling."

Dr. Chang holds that a skillful doctor can only cure his patients physically. Even if he is also endowed with compassion, if he does not show it with appropriate words and actions, the maximum curative effect still cannot be obtained. Therefore, professional knowledge and compassion alone cannot make a doctor a good one. He believes that the humanities do help develop students' knowledge, personality, and physical and mental soundness in a balanced way.

"The capabilities of doctors will sooner or later reach the same level as far as medical technologies are concerned. At that time, a doctor's accomplishments in the humanities will be the factor that makes the difference." Dr. Chang believes that students graduating from the Tzu Chi School of Medicine will show the characteristics of Tzu Chi education in this regard. Their understanding of human nature and their sincere concern for people will be the concrete results of the training in the humanities that they received in school.

Setting Life Goals

Tracing back his career in medicine, Dr. Chang disclosed that for four consecutive generations since his great-granduncle, his family has produced quite a few doctors and has accumulated a rich legacy of medical experience. His grandfather had a unique manner of practicing: he always took it as his duty to save the lives of all his patients and treated them equally regardless of their social status. His noble character left a deep impression on Dr. Chang's mind and motivated him to pursue a medical career.

Fewer and fewer doctors inherit this spirit nowadays. Many young people choose to study medicine simply because they don't want to disappoint their parents, or because they are attracted to the prestige and fortune this profession may bring. As far as Dr. Chang knows, only about half of all medical students choose to study medicine because they are deeply interested in it. Under such conditions, how can medical students become good doctors if they don't have any passion for medicine at all? And where can they find role models to look up to?

Dr. Chang observed that many students are still not clear about what they want and what they want to be. If faculty members can spend more time talking with them and guiding them to discover their strengths and weaknesses, it will certainly help them to set goals for themselves earlier and fully develop their potentials in their chosen fields.

Dr. Chang believes that deeds are more important then words. Although students may not be able to find models in their own families to look up to as Dr. Chang did, they can still learn from all the outstanding teachers around them.

Issues in Medical Ethics

It is a doctor's responsibility to save lives. It is also true that patients trust their lives to doctors in the hope of escaping death. However, doctors are not almighty gods. Inevitably there are many times when patients are in such critical condition that doctors can do nothing about it. Or if the patients are not cured or even die, the doctors may in some cases be the ones to blame.

In general, emergencies are usually referred to large hospitals. There may be delays in the course of transferring a patient to another hospital. Therefore, in cases like this, even if misfortune does come, neither side should take the blame alone. At present, the Arbitration Committee for Medical Lawsuits, formed by professionals from the medical and legal communities, is responsible for settling medical disputes.