MMA Moves Forward with Physician Well Being Effort

Patricia Lindholm, MD,
2010-2011 MMA President

Originally Posted February 22, 2011

I wish to share with you the progress to date with the physician well-being initiatives at MMA.  At the January Board of Trustees meeting, the board approved the proposal of the Physician Well-Being Task Force.  Soon we will be discussing how to implement the recommendations of the group. 

A member survey conducted by the task force indicated strong interest in having regular articles in Minnesota Medicine on topics related to physician well-being.  I hope that by now you have read the January issue that was dedicated to the topic.  I am so proud of the contributors to the journal, many of whom were on the task force.  If you have not seen it, take a look or go to the Minnesota Medicine web site.  I truly believe this issue will be a valuable reference for us in years to come.  For those of you who are interested in member recruitment, this journal would be a good promotional piece for MMA.

It is my hope that we will offer or sponsor retreats for those of us who need to have “time out” to reflect, rejuvenate and learn new techniques to reduce stress in our lives.  It is also my hope that these and other offerings will promote the formation of “community” among us.  It occurs to me that one of the things most lacking in physicians’ lives is a sense of community with our colleagues.  I am thankful to my local colleagues who have come together for community in our small support groups.  There is a great deal of healing and soul-feeding that occurs when we can be truthful, trusting and vulnerable to each other in community.  If you would like to see a similar group in your medical community I would be happy to share our experience with you. 

I continue to be impressed with the Canadian Medical Association’s efforts in the area of physician health.  I would like you to know that the second Canadian Conference on Physician Health will be held in Toronto October 28 and 29.  I am planning to attend!  You can get information about the conference at www.cma.ca/physicianhealth. 

I am currently reviewing a good resource on physician wellness and plan to share it with you soon as a “book review”.  Stay tuned.

Be well!