Medicine is Hard, Medicine Should Not be Toxic
October 2026 | Vol. 70, No. 3
By Sierra Lovisone, DO, LECOM-SH '25
Medicine is hard.
Medicine asks for our time, our minds, our energy, our patience, pieces of our hearts, and parts of our souls.
It asks us to show up on the hardest of days and at the darkest of times.
It asks us to be fully present for the highs and for the lows.
It asks us to function on days we feel we have nothing left to give, when sleep is minimal and stress is elevated.
It asks for everything we have.
But that is just it: medicine asks. We deliver.
We show up. We learn. We adapt. We conquer our fears. We build confidence. We accept the challenge.
But somewhere along the way, we also accepted that those who were healing must first endure suffering.
Medicine was toxic.
Medicine asked for everything, leaving nothing for ourselves.
It asked us to believe exhaustion was dedication.
It asked us to believe silence was a strength.
It asked us to believe emotional connections were weak.
It asked us to believe in breaking down others as a rite of passage.
It asked us to believe that the only identity we carried was a physician. Not a parent, spouse, sibling, or friend. Only a physician.
Medicine is changing, but still not finished. We must continue to change the narrative.
Medical students still afraid to ask questions, feeling as though they are merely in the way.
Medical residents struggling to ask for help, afraid of being perceived differently.
Medicine asks of us. Why are we afraid to ask?
Medicine is asking for progress.
Medicine is asking for transformation.
Medicine is asking for the next generation to prioritize that medicine is hard, but medicine should not be toxic.
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