Residency as Monastic Practice: Insights from Thomas Merton's Contemplative Framework
Alissa Arango, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC
In the modern landscape of medical residency, burnout, emotional exhaustion, and high attrition rates are alarmingly prevalent, revealing a system that demands an unsustainable level of personal sacrifice. I propose reframing medical residency into a monastic experience guided by the ascetic and contemplative practices of Trappist monk Thomas Merton. In New Seeds of Contemplation, Merton’s vision of contemplation invites a shift in the emphasis of the resident’s journey from relentless demands to spiritual formation, offering a way to deepen purpose and resilience in the face of adversity. This proposed model explores how asceticism and contemplative practice principles could enrich the residency experience, fostering a more sustainable path that equips residents with the tools to face pain, failure, sickness, and death.
Thomas Merton describes every moment as a “seed of spiritual vitality” capable of transforming the soul. Yet, in the demanding reality of residency, these seeds often fail to flourish, choked by stress and high expectations. By integrating practices like humility, prayer, meditation, and self-renunciation, residents can prepare the “good soil” needed for these seeds to take root, allowing for a more spiritually sustaining approach to the rigors of medical training. These practices are especially crucial for new medical residents as they transition out of medical school and find themselves responsible for caring for vulnerable and marginalized populations. Merton’s teachings highlight the importance of inner freedom, peace, and divine love as essential to finding meaning within relentless work. His contemplative insights offer a framework through which residents can find an enriched, purpose-driven experience, allowing them to move beyond simply enduring their journey to actively growing within it.
In this model, residency is not simply a professional challenge but an opportunity for spiritual cultivation. Merton’s perspective on labor as a form of worship reorients the resident’s view of their work, suggesting that “to do the work carefully and well, with love and respect…unites oneself to God’s will.” This notion contrasts the “unnatural, frantic, anxious work” that often pervades residency programs. The contemplative mindset reframes the residency process as an intentional, loving service that resists the impersonal, often dehumanizing demands of medical training that inevitably takes a toll on patient care. By rooting their work in contemplative values, residents may discover that the tasks that seem to drain them can, paradoxically, sustain them in purpose and spirit.
In this monastic reframing, residency becomes a path of intentional, loving service, marked by an awareness of both the self and the person behind the patient. In turn, acknowledging the presence of God in each encounter. Merton’s emphasis on detachment without insensitivity reinforces the importance of empathy and emotional engagement, even amid arduous circumstances. For residents working at the margins of healthcare, where emotional and physical demands are high, this contemplative approach can transform daily struggles into spiritual exercises, helping to nurture hope and sustain a sense of vocation. By seeing residency through the contemplative lens of Merton’s thought, residents are encouraged to approach their daily struggles not as meaningless obstacles but as spiritual exercises that bring them closer to God.
This approach advocates for viewing medical residency as a contemplative practice that addresses the resident doctor and those they serve rather than a series of challenges to conquer. By embracing Merton’s principles, residents are encouraged to seek God amid their work, viewing each patient encounter, hardship, and success as an opportunity for spiritual growth. Ultimately, residents may cultivate a sense of inner strength that provides renewal and a deepened calling to better care for patients with compassion and mutual respect. This model seeks to alleviate burnout and transform the culture of residency into a pathway for spiritual and professional fulfillment.
Thomas Merton describes every moment as a “seed of spiritual vitality” capable of transforming the soul. Yet, in the demanding reality of residency, these seeds often fail to flourish, choked by stress and high expectations. By integrating practices like humility, prayer, meditation, and self-renunciation, residents can prepare the “good soil” needed for these seeds to take root, allowing for a more spiritually sustaining approach to the rigors of medical training. These practices are especially crucial for new medical residents as they transition out of medical school and find themselves responsible for caring for vulnerable and marginalized populations. Merton’s teachings highlight the importance of inner freedom, peace, and divine love as essential to finding meaning within relentless work. His contemplative insights offer a framework through which residents can find an enriched, purpose-driven experience, allowing them to move beyond simply enduring their journey to actively growing within it.
In this model, residency is not simply a professional challenge but an opportunity for spiritual cultivation. Merton’s perspective on labor as a form of worship reorients the resident’s view of their work, suggesting that “to do the work carefully and well, with love and respect…unites oneself to God’s will.” This notion contrasts the “unnatural, frantic, anxious work” that often pervades residency programs. The contemplative mindset reframes the residency process as an intentional, loving service that resists the impersonal, often dehumanizing demands of medical training that inevitably takes a toll on patient care. By rooting their work in contemplative values, residents may discover that the tasks that seem to drain them can, paradoxically, sustain them in purpose and spirit.
In this monastic reframing, residency becomes a path of intentional, loving service, marked by an awareness of both the self and the person behind the patient. In turn, acknowledging the presence of God in each encounter. Merton’s emphasis on detachment without insensitivity reinforces the importance of empathy and emotional engagement, even amid arduous circumstances. For residents working at the margins of healthcare, where emotional and physical demands are high, this contemplative approach can transform daily struggles into spiritual exercises, helping to nurture hope and sustain a sense of vocation. By seeing residency through the contemplative lens of Merton’s thought, residents are encouraged to approach their daily struggles not as meaningless obstacles but as spiritual exercises that bring them closer to God.
This approach advocates for viewing medical residency as a contemplative practice that addresses the resident doctor and those they serve rather than a series of challenges to conquer. By embracing Merton’s principles, residents are encouraged to seek God amid their work, viewing each patient encounter, hardship, and success as an opportunity for spiritual growth. Ultimately, residents may cultivate a sense of inner strength that provides renewal and a deepened calling to better care for patients with compassion and mutual respect. This model seeks to alleviate burnout and transform the culture of residency into a pathway for spiritual and professional fulfillment.