One might think that medical school would be ideally suited to Christians. It offers the chance to study a fascinating subject, God's creation, along with a real opportunity to help those in need. However, for those that begin the course as Christians, many go cold in their faith and emerge from house jobs cynical, materialistic and virtually indistinguishable from their non-Christian colleagues, even abandoning their faith altogether. One leader put this figure as 60% for his group.[1] This is a sad statistic that should sober us.

Nucleus has carried a similar article before,[2] but a new academic year gives us chance to look at the topic again. We will consider particular pitfalls before offering some guidelines.

Pitfalls at medical school

A new environment

Being away from home gives us the opportunity to try new things, meet new people and establish our own identity. Whilst this in itself is not negative, it is very easy to be overly concerned with fitting in and being the person others like, rather than whom God wants.

Many of us have been brought up in Christian homes. But at medical school your history is unknown and your new friends may not care a bit if you decide to forget it all.

Student culture

Sadly this is not conducive to growing as a disciple of Christ. When the status symbols are alcohol intake and number of sexual partners, the possibilities for compromise are vast and easily fallen for.

Intellectual influences

University is a melting pot of different teachings and ideologies, from which we may have previously been sheltered. Philosophical naturalism (the idea that physical matter is all there is) underpins virtually all the teaching we receive. Medical ethics is often presented without reference to any external, transcendent standards, making it totally subjective.

We will meet passionate believers of a whole range of religions and philosophies, some of which we may never have heard of before. As we are asked difficult questions about our faith that we have seldom considered, we can end up confused and shaken, or believing that all roads lead to God and that all truth is relative.

Work

If you haven't already discovered, there is a lot to do! This of course is necessary, but we will be tempted to idolise our medicine. Idolatry is to accord any created thing the value and worship that should be given only to God himself. This neatly describes the attitude that many of our colleagues have to medicine.

The nature of the work is also relevant. Dealing with death and disease on a daily basis can leave us cynical and hardened as we struggle to cope with our own mortality and that of those around us.

All of these influences combine to wear us down gradually and unless attended to, we will either slowly harden or live fragmented lives, where our Sunday religious thoughts bear very little resemblance to our daily working mentality.

Survival skills

So much for some of the potential problems. We need to know what we can do in order to emerge from finals not only as good doctors but strong believers, having thrived in our faith during medical school.

Establish your Christian identity

Early on, be seen to be a Christian. If we are known as such it is harder to fall into compromise in terms of morals or denying Jesus. The longer we wait, the harder it becomes to let people know what we stand for.

Maintain your devotional life

Devote regular time to God and guard it jealously. Pray alone and with friends, especially if Christians are in your accommodation area. Study the Bible systematically and make sure you are applying it to daily life. Read other great Christian books that will challenge your thinking and lifestyle. Join the CU and also a local church - the CU is not a church and can't give you all that a good church can.

Share your faith

Whether to your friends or through organised CU/church evangelism, this is crucial to spiritual vitality. We may not all be evangelists, but we have the duty and joy of being a witness as and when we can. There is nothing better to ensure our own growth.

Have other activities

'Much study wearies the body' 3 and this is true of the soul, too. We need a mix of real rest and leisure (not just TV). Make the time to commit yourself to something Christian outside of studies, be it social action, a mission organisation or church home group. This helps maintain our focus and avoid only being with medics.

Choose friends wisely

'Bad company corrupts good character',[4] so whilst it's good to have non-Christian friends, we must be careful that we are influencing them for good, not the other way around. We need Christian friends that will challenge us to know and serve God better.5 Also, it's important to have some older, mature believers that we can look up to for advice and example.

Manage time and money

If you're tempted to think you have no time as a student, hang on tight! It only gets worse, so it is vital that you learn to prioritise those things that are most important, cut out those things that are unimportant or detrimental and minimise faffing and procrastination.

Similarly, we may have less money now than after graduation, but all the more reason to manage what we have well. Then we will hear, 'you have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.' 6 If we establish a frugal life and regular giving pattern now then when we have more money we can put it to even better use. Remember the real 'health & wealth' gospel - the healthy thing to do is to be generous with your wealth![7]

Live an examined life

Medical audit is all the rage; it's about looking back at what you've done, seeing what went well, what went badly and how you can do it better. Spiritually this is also vital.[8] Be accountable to close friends and consider keeping a journal.

Conclusion

There is no time like that at university, especially for opportunities in evangelism. There are certainly real difficulties but remember that years of heat and pressure can either make coal dust or a diamond - it all depends on how you respond. The above points will help to maintain vitality as we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.