As he sought to describe and encapsulate the journey he and his classmates shared over the last four years at WMed, M4 Nikoli Nickson turned to Robert Frost and the closing lines of Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken.”
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
“See, despite choosing the more challenging path, he ends up reflecting fondly on his choice,” Nickson said to his classmates in the MD Class of 2025 and their families and friends who gathered on Thursday, May 8, for commencement at WMU’s Miller Auditorium.
“My hope is that many of us can relate to that sentiment today,” Nickson added. “At some point in our lives, we chose to embark on a more difficult path – a lifetime devoted to the healing of others, heeding the warnings of its difficulty but committing to this endeavor nonetheless. And now, we’re at a milestone where we’re able to reflect on our journey so far. While there’s been a fair share of sacrifices and challenges to overcome, there also has been an abundance of cherished memories that have made this process worthwhile. And so, like Frost, here we are today reflecting back on a challenging path, but ultimately feeling it was worthwhile.”
The commencement ceremony was a celebration for the medical school’s eighth class of new doctors, as well as graduates of the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree program.
WMed Dean Robert G. Sawyer, MD, congratulated the 84 MD graduates for selecting a career path “that will have a profound impact on the health of individuals and the communities where they will live.”
“Our vision is health equity for all in Southwest Michigan through innovation in the practice and study of medicine, and our graduates are uniquely qualified to bring this vision to life,” Dr. Sawyer said. “I look forward to seeing what they do to advance the WMed ideals, wherever they go next.”
In his keynote remarks to the Class of 2025, Frederick S. Southwick, MD, FACP, CPPS, congratulated the students on reaching such a significant milestone in their journey as young physicians and he welcomed them in joining “a highly skilled workforce” where they will be trained by fellow doctors with great expertise.
“Our system is the best in the world for rare disorders and acute illnesses that require technical knowledge and highly specialized care,” said Dr. Southwick, who serves as director of Patient Care Quality Safety in the Division of Hospitalist Medicine at the University of Florida. “You will receive outstanding training and become part of a world-class healthcare workforce. Congratulations!”
Despite the many advances in medicine, Dr. Southwick also reminded the students that they would soon be working in a health system in the U.S. that faces a critical challenge surrounding the quality and safety of patient care. He reminded the students that preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and that for every death there are 10 life-altering injuries.
“You may have noticed my limp,” Dr. Southwick said. “I am an above-the-knee amputee because of an Achilles tendon repair gone wrong. So, the quality and safety of patient care are deeply personal. My goal today is to recruit you to be part of the solution.”
Dr. Southwick proposed to the students that as they embark on their journey as doctors, their work to improve patient care and patient safety can be guided by a system that has been employed by honeybees for the last 100 million years. He told them of how honeybees in a colony share the same goal, have defined roles they faithfully execute, communicate efficiently, make decisions by consensus and leadership is from the bottom up. He also encouraged the students to grow to be adaptive leaders who are not resistant to – or afraid of – change.
“I hope you will open your mind to change and become an adaptive leader,” Dr. Southwick said. “The lives of your patients are counting on you. As new graduates, you need to become systems thinkers and understand how your work fits into your health system and how you can influence those around you.
“I hope you will embrace the lessons of the honeybee system to create a more reliable, integrated system of care that will save lives,” he added.