Young Surgeons Lift Spirits with Melodies and Medicine

The constant pressure faced by young surgeons Dr. Elvis Francois and Dr. William Robinson in the U.S. does not affect their ability to do good deeds. Regardless of their fatigue, they have found a way to not only combat their own tiredness but also to bring joy to the orthopaedic surgery department where they work.

Employed at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, U.S., instead of taking a refreshing break like other doctors, the duo sits by a piano between surgeries to play and sing. "Patients come here with very complex health issues, and many are sent for surgery. Our job is to cheer them up when they wake up and show them that the worst is behind them."

The doctors carefully select songs with messages of strength and encouragement. "It will be okay," "Say thank you," "Look forward," and "Aim high" are their mantras—this is the message they aim to deliver to their patients.

"When you are in a place filled with a lot of anxieties and tensions, it can easily consume you," the doctors explain with a smile. "Physicians serve as an example in the hospital, and as such, we don't have the privilege to fall into despair, frustration, self-pity, and fatigue—at work. We need to maintain high morale, and that's precisely what we seek to do through song and music."