Caring for patients is a privilege. Learning how to assist and watch patients as they grapple with the challenges and joys life dishes out is a process. If we are paying attention, we gain insights into our own struggles. Medical students from across Minnesota reflect on their experiences in the anatomy lab and the library, on the hospital wards and in clinic exam rooms. Their musings represent the universal experience of learning to negotiate the path of becoming a physician. Discussion questions are included.

Dr. Ann McLannly blames herself for her niece's tragic death. And after her mother dies, this young doctor volunteers with an international aid organization for a mission in Rwanda. Pressed into a grueling work schedule with limited facilities, she has little time to adjust. Still, she forges relationships with the remarkable people she meets and finds herself drawn into a relationship with a priest, who introduces her to a Catholic orphanage that needs a physician to care for the growing number of orphans. It all seems the perfect escape until she finds herself in the middle of the Rwandan...