Lynn Johnston was a medical artist for the fledgling  Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine in the late '60s,  working on illustrations for the first medical students. It was her joking with Dr. Murray Enkin, her obstetrician and a medical school founder that led her to drawing cartoons that became the famous comic strip For Better or For Worse which now appears in more than 2,000 newspapers in 22 countries.

Inside, the students crafted a message by modifying a quote from Sir William Osler, who grew up in Dundas before making his reputation as a humanist physician in the U.S. and Britain at the turn of the twentieth century. Following the McMaster philosophy of having medical students interact with patients early in their training, the message is: "We are taught that medicine is learned by the bedside, not in the classroom. Thank you for being a teacher."

"So many wonderful patients have volunteered to be reassessed by medical students, and that often means being poked, prodded and asked 101 questions not for their own benefit but to help us develop our skills and to improve patient care down the road," said Tiffaney Krushel. "We designed a card to let them know how important and valued their role is in our education; it takes a special kind of person to give of oneself like that."

Lynn Johnston said working on the project took her back to her days with the medical school, working with Dr. Enkin and other founding faculty members including David Sackett and Fraser Mustard.

"It was refreshing to think back at my days at McMaster, it holds a special place for me," she said.

John Kelton, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences as well as dean of the medical school, applauded the students' initiative. "Our students are intelligent and caring people, taught to be collaborative and centred on the needs of the patients. I'm proud of their work on this project and I appreciate Lynn Johnston's willingness to help."

Distribution of the cards to patients will start early in the New Year.

On May 27, 200 students from the McMaster University Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine crossed the stage at Hamilton Place. At the end of that walk we were hooded, handed our MDs, and in doing so became medical doctors. For all of us this represented the culmination of a major chapter. We have spent the better part of our lives studying and sacrificing to achieve acceptance into medical school. Now we stand on the other side of that hurdle, ready to embark on our new journey as resident physicians.

We want to say that we could not have done it without you, Hamilton. You may have seen us over these past few years — we were the young, wide-eyed junior learners who eagerly measured your blood pressure in your family doctor's office. Or you might remember when we took your history and listened to your heart and lungs at your specialist's appointment. Chances are if you have had any interactions with the health-care system in recent years, you have run into one of us medical students on our clinical rotations.

For the last year and a half of medical school we have been rotating through major hospitals in Hamilton to smaller community clinics in nearby rural areas, learning the clinical knowledge and skills that are foundational to the practice of medicine. This means that we saw you, our patients, when you came to hospital to visit your doctor or seek emergency care.

Hamiltonians, we want to say thank you. Thank you for letting us into your lives at the moments when you needed help and when we needed to learn.

Thank you to the first-time parents who welcomed my presence at the birth of their child in my second month of medical school. Thank you to the 95-year old woman who invited me to sit at her bedside, and who spoke sincerely with me about how it felt to live life knowing that her time left was precious. Thank you to the family who forgave me when I told them their father would be discharged from hospital in one hour, and which turned into six. Thank you to the young mother who, at her most vulnerable and difficult moment, allowed me to be a part of the team that helped her ill child to get well.

In allowing us to be learners involved in your medical care, you have been our teachers. Next month we will enter the hospitals as junior doctors. We could not have made it here without you. You have shared with us your personal stories, your medical histories, and your deepest concerns. In turn, you have taught us what it means to provide care that is truly patient-centred. For that, we are so grateful.

On the day of our graduation, our class collectively pledged the Hippocratic Oath. We promised that as physicians we would always treat human beings rather than illnesses, and remember that our patients' health and illness extends beyond the individual and into their communities. Thank you, Hamilton, for teaching us just how truly important that is.