A certain medical student was working her way through college. Her father had just died of cancer and she was determined to become a research scientist in the hope of finding a cure. She was very intelligent and conscientious in her studies, usually breezing through her tests with ease.
Every day for many weeks she would rush into the classroom, passing by a cleaning woman who was mopping the floors. The woman would often give the student a smile and a wave, but never received one in return.
One day, the professor announced a very important test that would count toward a majority of their grade. Many in the class were worried as they only had a few days to study. However, this student felt confident that she would know the answers.
When the day came, the students were given only two sheets of paper, nearly blank except for one question on each page. The first question asked the students to provide an essay concerning the two main themes covered by the formal ICH definition of “Good Clinical Practice.”
“Easy,” she thought.
Confidently turning to the second page, she read:
“This question counts for 75% of your grade: What is the name of the woman who every morning cleans the floors outside this classroom?”
“What?” she thought. “Surely this is a joke.”
So, she quietly went to the professor and asked, “Is this for real?”
“Oh, yes indeed, it most certainly is for real. This should be really easy for you, right? After all, you see her every day.”
She returned to her desk. She was a straight A student. She had passed this woman many times over the course of the semester, yet she could hardly picture her face—she knew that the woman was short and had gray hair, but nothing more. How would she possibly know her name?
She handed the professor her test—the last page was left blank.
The next day, she received her test. She scored 25%—the highest in the class. Turning to the second page, she read a note from her teacher:
“In your career, you will meet many different people. All have significance. All are deserving of your care and attention—even if you simply stop to smile and say, ‘hello.’ Her name is Beverly, by the way. Beverly lost her husband this year to a terribly painful fight with cancer. Beverly is struggling to help put her daughter through medical school, who hopes to become a cancer researcher. This is one of three jobs that Beverly had to take in order to make that happen.”
Everyone matters. Slow down and pay attention to the truly important questions on life’s test.