“No greater opportunity, responsibility, or obligation can fall to the lot of a human being than to become a physician. In the care of the suffering he needs technical skill, scientific knowledge, and human understanding. He who uses these with courage, with humility and with wisdom will provide a unique service for his fellow man, and will build an enduring edifice of character within himself. The physician should ask of his destiny no more than this; he should be content with no less.” (Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 1950).
Indeed, they say that being a physician is a vocation that only a few who have the calling dare to undertake. The sleepless nights, long hours of work, and complexities of the cases surely make this profession not for the faint-hearted. So despite all of these, what makes a person still pursue this path?
Even before becoming brothers of the most venerable fraternity of the UP College of Medicine and before becoming full-fledged physicians, we are first and foremost medical students. And because we are a fraternity established in this field, service is automatically associated to our name. We are in this track because of our desire to learn and to serve. The passion for service is the flame that motivates us to go through all the challenges hurdled at us. Thinking of our future patients pushes us to strive even harder to study, to grow, and to eventually become better at what we do. And being a part of the Phi Kappa Mu fraternity further fuels this fire by providing the right avenues for its execution.
Excellence. Leadership. Service. Brotherhood. The third of the four pillars upholding the fraternity, service is the arm that extends and connects us to the outside world. It is the pillar that not only thinks of the betterment of the fraternity but also the welfare of the community around us. Being molded to become five-star physicians in the future, the different service projects of the fraternity serve as a good training ground, inculcating to its constituents the right heart for service, and equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills required for its implementation. And more than just the spirit of volunteerism, they imbibe the idea of doing something for the greater good, for something bigger than themselves.
But it does not stop there. It continues even after one becomes a licensed physician. You continue to bring the fraternity with you and represent this pillar in the way you work and perform your sworn oath. But more than just being doctors confined to the four walls of a clinic, the fraternity encourages us to leave our comfort zones and go out there in the communities, be proactive in identifying and solving the problems affecting people’s health, see the bigger picture, and ultimately, make a long-lasting impact.
As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” The pillar of service in the fraternity is not to be taken lightly. This pillar is an integral part of the fraternity’s identity and reputation. It is one that not just aims to treat or heal. It seeks no glory, it seeks to empower, and it seeks to make a difference. This is the Phi brand of service. This is the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity.
