Reflections on having a ‘calling’ as a medical doctor

Throughout time, plentiful narratives have originated on individuals achieving astonishing things after receiving a ‘calling’ to a certain vocation. Examples range from the biblical calling of Moses in the desert to liberate the people of Israel from their oppression and slavery in Egypt [1] to Frodo Baggins being called to the quest aimed at destroying the ring of Sauron [2]. More recently and more scholarly, the concept of ‘calling’ or having a calling to a career in medicine is finding its way into the medical education domain. Perspectives on Medical Education recently published a paper on career choice among medical students and the influence of having a calling [3]. Varying definitions exist on ‘calling’ as a vocation, but that of Dik and Duffy [4] is well accepted, who define calling as: a career that involves having an external summons, provides a sense of meaning or purpose, and is used to help others in some capacity. Following this same line of research, Goodin et al. [5] report in this issue of Perspectives on Medical Education on a survey study into the association between having a calling as a medical student and commitment to a speciality and levels of self-efficacy. Goodin et al. illustrate that having a calling bolsters medical students who have lower levels of self-efficacy and that it is positively correlated to career commitment. Therefore, and based on other arguments, the authors appeal for the incorporation of the concept of calling into the dialogue on speciality choice and career commitment.