Summer 2009AzMedicine26
WITH SO MANY changesfacing us on the health carehorizon, it is vitally impor-tant that competent anddriven physicians are part of the critical decision-making.Our current President madehealth care a prominentplank on his campaign plat-form and, just recently, theU.S. Speaker of the Househas announced health carereform is a priority for thislegislative session. Physi-cians cannot afford tosit on the sidelines whiledrastic changes are neededand will become reality.To truly be effective, physi-cians need to be unitedwith a common voiceand purpose. Whetherit is through a state ornational medical society ora specialty society, medicaladvocacy groupscan havethe largest impact through aunited stand. Following aretwo examples of physicianswho have chosen to beleaders in medicine throughthese advocacy groups.Recently I talked withDr. Margaret Paulson, athird year internal medi-cine resident at BannerGood Samaritan MedicalCenter, about her lead-ership experience in theAmerican College of Physi-cians (ACP), the nationalspecialty society for internalmedicine physicians. Herinitial involvement stemmedfrom her desire to find thebest residency program.She stated that she “initially got involved in medicalschool when I was lookingat different residency programs. It’s a great way toget a taste…, meet residentsandprogram directors.”While in residency, sheparlayed her early participa-tion into leadership in theArizona Chapter of the ACP.This year she has served asVice-Chair of the Associate’sCouncil which representsall medical student and resi-dent members in Arizona.Next year, while servingas Chief Resident, she willassume the role as Chair of the Associate’s Council.Additionally, her involve-ment extends to the nationallevel. The ACP holds anannual Leadership Day on Capitol Hill in Wash-ington, D.C. She recently attended this event wherethe ACP provided trainingin effective lobbying tech-niques. She met withlegislators and their staff to discuss important issueslike Medicare cuts and theloss of the economic hard-ship deferment pathway.She felt that her face toface contact on CapitolHill had more impact thanan email or even a districtoffice visit would have had.Dr. Paulson understandsthe importance of medicalstudent and resident partici-pation in medical advocacy groups. To attract trainingphysician involvement,the ACP has offered freemembership to interns,board review materialsand journal clubs amongother things. Reachingout to those in trainingwill hopefully lead toparticipation throughouttheir careers. Regard-less of the mechanism, itis vitally important thatmedical advocacy groupscontinue to encourageearly participation to trainthe next generationof leaders like Dr. Paulson.A great example of theimpact early participa-tion can have on a careeris Dr. Sue Sisley. Hermedical education was atthe University of Arizonaand residency trainingin internal medicine andpsychiatry at Banner GoodSamaritan Medical Center.Aside from her busy prac-tice, she is also ClinicalFaculty at St. Joseph’sHospital and MedicalCenter at the MercyCareAdult Medicine Clinic, CEOof Ensuring TomorrowProductions, and serveson the Arizona MedicalAssociation’s (ArMA)Board of Directors.
A Lever to Achieve Objectives
Jeremy Slone, MD
To truly be effective, physiciansneed to be united with acommon voice and purpose.
The Evolution& Future of ArMA
AzMedicineSummer 200927
She began her participationin ArMA during her first year of medical school. Shestated she, “looked into itmyself because I had alwaysbeen involved in studentgovernment all throughhigh school and college. Igot involved in [my] first year and stayed involvedthroughout medical schooland residency.” Her localparticipation led her toserve on the AmericanMedical Association’s(AMA) Governing CouncilSection for Residents andFellows for two years.Her experiences with ArMAduring her medical trainingprepared her, “for every venue I ever work in…ittaught me a lot of intangiblethings that I use every day.”Her early participationwas“crucial” to continuing heractivity once practicing. Inher opinion, there is “noquestion” that ArMA partic-ipation helped prepare heras a leader and she under-stands the important roleorganized medicine plays.She compares activity inmedical advocacy groups toliability insurance as an inte-gral part of medical practice.As a resident, I am trou-bled by the lack of interestmost of my colleagues havefor organized medicine.Dr. Sisley feels that orga-nized medicine is, “theonly way to accomplishthe objectives we have forimproving the system.”So, how do we entice thosein training to take whatlittle time they have outsideof clinical responsibilitiesto focus on advocacy? Forone, Dr. Sisley suggests, wemay need to change ourapproach. A web-basedapproach can appeal to thisgeneration using texting,twittering, blogging, Face-book and all forms of media. Not only do we hopeto foster leadership fromthis involvement but to alsobuild membership. Dr. Sisley pointed out that it is “easier”to encourage someone tobe a member of a groupif they were involved early on in their careers.Dr. Paulson and Dr. Sisley are great examples of theimpact of early involve-ment in organized medicinein shaping today’s physi-cian leaders. This shouldencourage us to sharpen ourfocus on those in training and make the investmentin our future by mentoringthem. In Dr. Sisley’s words,groups like ArMA are “alever to achieve objec-tives.” Hopefully, we willcontinue to supply thatlever with effective leaders.
Dr. Slone is a third year pediatricresident at Phoenix Children’s Hos-pital and Maricopa Medical Center.He serves on ARMA’s Board of Di-rectors as the resident member as well as on the Advisory Coun-cil of AzMedicine. In July, he willbegin a pediatric hematology-on-cology fellowship at VanderbiltUniversity in Nashville, TN.
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Summer 2009AzMedicine28
Meet the Future of Organized Medicine
Kyle P. Edmonds, MD
They are the future of ArMA, of organized medi-cine in general, as they’rebeing trained right now.Here are the words of twoArizona medical studentswho are, already, phenom-enally accomplished andmembers of ArMA.
Staci Benson, MS3,MidwesternUniversity AZCOM
Professional organizations:ArMA, MCMS, AzAFP,AzACOFP, AOMA, AMA,AOA, AAFP, ACOFPLeadership: ACOFP PracticeManagement Committee,AOMA Board of Trustees,AzAFP Board of Supervi-sors, AzACOFP Board of Trustees, Immediate pastPresident AZCOM Chapterof AMA-MSS and ACOFP
Why organized medicine?
“Before I started medicalschool, a friend told methat, if I wanted to makea difference, Ineeded to join these organizations…the more that I learnedabout each of the organi-zations, the more I wantedto become involved.”
Greatest Lesson from Orga-nized Medicine:
“My involvement within orga-nized medicine has shownme that we are fortunateto have many passionatephysicians taking time outof their professional andpersonal lives to work toimprove the profession.”
On the Role of ArMA:
“ArMA has been a greatasset this year to ourcampus’s AMA chapter inhelping to recruit physiciansto attend and participate inour events, but the organi-zation has not reached outto our campus population.“The question should be:Does ArMA see medicalstudents/residents asvalu-able members of theorganization? Until thatanswer is an enthusiastic‘yes,’ students and resi-dents alike will not seethemselves as neededmembers of ArMA andcontinue to join to merely add to their resume.”
Juliana Kling, MS4,University of ArizonaCollege of Medicine
Professional organizations:AMSA, ACP, AzACP, ArMALeadership: President andCo-coordinator of BioethicsConference for UA COMAMSA Chapter; NationalWomen’s Policy Coordi-nator, AMSA Gender andSexuality Committee; Chair,AMSA Gender and Sexuality Committee; AzACP ChapterAssociate Council Member;AzACP Chapter Delegate,ACP Leadership Day
The power of organizedmedicine:
“The greatestlesson I have learned isthe power of a group of people coming togetheraround a common areaand moving their issueforward through educationand advocacy, thus helpingothers. Also, I’ve learnedthe importance of leader-ship, especially in medicine,because I’ve seen how physi-cians are looked at as leadersin their communities.”
The power of physicianleaders:
“I feel it is ourresponsibility to take thisleadership role seriously andtrain ourselves to be strongadvocates. Organizationssuch as AMSA provide mewith the arena to do this.And then, as I learn, I amable to turn around andwork to empower othercolleagues to do the same.In these organizations I findfuture physicians with thesame goals and passions asme: social justice, public
Before I started medicalschool, a friend told methat, if I wanted to make adifference, I needed to jointhese organizations…
The Evolution& Future of ArMA
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The Evolution & Future of ArMA: "A Lever to Achieve Objectives" and "Meet the Future of Organized Medicine"
Articles from the Summer 2009 AzMedicine magazine, produced by the Arizona Medical Association.
Dr. Jeremy Sloan discusses the importance of organized medicine advocacy on behalf of physicians and other healthcare workers--especially in light of recent efforts… (More)
Dr. Jeremy Sloan discusses the importance of organized medicine advocacy on behalf of physicians and other healthcare workers--especially in light of recent efforts… (More)
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