April 19, 2021
My Why: Tom Schrup, MD
I didn’t plan to be in medicine. Nobody in my family that I ever knew was in medicine. And I kind of fell into it — as I’ve told many, I’m an accidental doctor. I was going to be a psychologist but through some twists and turns, I applied to one medical school and got in. Then during Gross Anatomy, I had a bit of a crisis of consciousness just dealing with mortality and wondering whether I had gone into medicine for the right reasons. I hadn’t thought through that very well. So, I spent a lot of time thinking and soul searching and came to the conclusion that if I continued in medicine and did it in service of humanity, then it would be okay. That’s really what got me first thinking about intrinsic motivation and a sense of a higher calling and purpose in life.
—My Why comes down to three categories? One is the practice of medicine — the science, the rigor, and what I call angelic faces. How many cute little kids eyes I’ve gotten to look into over 30 years?
My Why
My Why comes down to three categories? One is the practice of medicine — the science, the rigor, and what I call angelic faces. How many cute little kids eyes I’ve gotten to look into over 30 years? Sometimes people will say, “Well, but you have to deal with the parents.” You know, my experience has been that the vast majority of parents absolutely want only the best for their kids. And once they can feel from you that you really care that bond becomes incredibly powerful. And that’s been a blessing to be able to experience that throughout my career.
The two other categories are our community—a sense of belonging to a community whether it’s your local community or the community of St. Cloud, or central Minnesota. And the final one is servant leadership.
I mentioned that I was kind of an accidental doctor. I consider myself somewhat of an accidental leader, as well. I certainly would not consider myself a leader in high school. I think I would have been voted the least likely to be a leader in my high school class. So, life is funny that way. Through twists and turns, doors opened up and I found an opportunity for servant leadership. It’s a fulfilling way to serve humanity.
As a not-for-profit, to me it’s clear that ultimately we serve our communities.
Tom Schrup, MD MBA
Chief Physician Officer