President’s Message
We are just one month away from our annual Physician Advocacy Day on Tuesday, March 3rd! If you are planning to attend and have not yet registered, PLEASE do. Consider bringing a colleague, young physician, and/or student physician in your area. These events are excellent learning and networking experiences which strengthen our osteopathic profession for sessions and generations to come. They demonstrate – in aligned words and actions – how physician partners across cities, practice groups, healthcare systems, specialities, districts, county lines – even medial degrees and political parties – advocate for Missouri physicians and our role in patient-centered healthcare.
When MAOPS members were surveyed last year at the onset of our strategic planning process, it was clear our advocacy efforts were highly valued across the organization. Our advocacy efforts and partnerships to advance shared advocacy goals were identified as the top accomplishment theme, specifically emphasizing the significant impact of events such as Physician Advocacy Day in raising the organization’s profile and addressing key issues affecting our members. In addition to our advocacy and legislative efforts, members also identified community, networking, and support as the top strengths of MAOPS. Anyone who has attended Physician Advocacy Day, MOAC, or district meetings before can attest to this. And for these to remain impactful, attendance must persist.
From those same surveys, two top threat themes to MAOPS were also identified. One theme was government policies, interference, and funding cuts. Concerns were expressed about the growing impact of shifting government policies on the practice of medicine, which could severely undermine patient autonomy and compromise the quality of care patients receive. With budget cuts (from both state and national levels) reducing residency reimbursement, student loans, and other support programs, concerns were also expressed about these creating barriers that may discourage the next generation from pursuing osteopathic medicine. The second threat theme identified was apathy and burnout, with concerns expressed about physicians – particularly younger physicians – becoming increasingly disconnected from organized medicine through various issues that affect engagement. This leads – with each subsequent generation affected by this threat – to the detriment of the strength and sustainability of the osteopathic profession.
So what do we do with and about this? Individually and collectively? It can seem like one more daunting task or ask amidst the many these days. Words passed on through much wiser osteopathic physicians and leaders come to mind when I look at such a vast and shifting political landscape, considering how to make a meaningful pathway through it as an advocate for the osteopathic profession and our patients. First, to break through the static state of feeling overwhelmed, I hear the simple instruction: “Show up.” That’s it. Nothing overreaching or overexerting; just show up. Next, to overcome the imposter syndrome fear of saying or doing the wrong thing, I hear “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Got it. Speaking and moving from a place of authentic care; we can do that all day, because that is what we as osteopathic physicians DO. Lastly, I hear “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” To make a strong and sustainable impact – a well-worn pathway through this landscape for generations to come – it takes a lot of feet, showing up, over and over again. Showing up, showing we care, together as a large physician community at Physician Advocacy Day is one way to align words expressed about our organization with actions that continue to strengthen and sustain it.