From the President's Desk

Thomas G. Peters, M.D. ,
Duval County Medical Society President
We like to come up with names for our days, weeks, months, and even years. Arbor Day, "March is Kidney Month," the Year of the Child, and so on, tend to highlight good causes and point to accomplishments of our fellow humans.  Last year was the UN's International Year of Volunteers, and soon we'll mark National Volunteer Month here in the United States. Regardless of the designated calendar celebrations, we physicians and our families should take year-round pride in our connection to the value of volunteerism—because we are all fundamentally volunteers.

Think about it. Most of us have some appointment as active staff members at one or more hospitals. Hospital duties teem with unpaid hours of volunteer work by the active staff who take on committee assignments or chair important groups. Many grow in leadership as service chiefs, department chairs, and officers of the medical staff. These duties are truly vital to the operations of the hospital; indeed, they are requirements for the very existence of our healthcare institutions. This is a good thing; the many hours of hospital staff volunteer duty make the physician an integral part of that workplace, and allow input on behalf of the patient and medical practice alike.

A favorite hobby many doctors enjoy is the volunteer health service organization. Think for a moment of doctors who give great council and service to the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the National Kidney Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, and many, many more worthwhile groups. These agencies in particular require our participation in order to carry out important missions. Those who give their time to such groups are volunteering their expertise for programs in public education, scientific research, and ultimately disease prevention and eradication. While no one can measure the number of people served through the long-term efforts of these volunteer health agencies, I am convinced that doctors who contribute time and effort to health related service organizations truly perform world-changing and life-saving work.

Another essential role that physicians play is in the work of our own societies and organizations. While we may join out of enlightened self interest, these groups have a real impact on our lives and our work. From matters as serious as conferring board certification to educational/social/technical endeavors, from the American Board of Medicine to the Flying Physicians Association, all—in my view—serve the great purpose of bringing us together to share common interests and advance our profession in so many ways.

Volunteerism starts at home, so at the moment my favorite medical organization may be the Duval County Medical Society, which offers us so many opportunities for volunteer service on the First Coast. Just one example is the Sports Medicine Program, with its important link to our public school systems and the safety of our high school athletes. All voluntary, all medical, all valuable, and all great fun!

Non-medical volunteer paths are also particularly important for the physician. Military service, for example, has given many young doctors great learning opportunities, and both full-time and military reserve service are important contributions to our national security.

As time passes and we realize professional maturity, many physicians come to understand that political involvement can benefit us all. Advising legislators, working in pro-bono capacity for state agencies, or even seeking political office, are all avenues for service. We ignore such citizen opportunities at our own peril: our complaints about government should be tempered by our willingness to join the process. The State Board of Medicine, The Agency for Healthcare Administration, federal committees and commissions, and local government efforts seek us out from time to time, and provide important opportunities to influence public life. Not surprisingly, doctors have shown time and again that—when asked—they can step up to the plate, face the pitch, and hit the ball as well as anyone in our political and government arenas.

And the opportunities are endless. In fact, physician volunteers give many hours and lend great council to efforts which have nothing whatsoever to do with the practice of medicine. From this we all benefit. Name a worthy cause, think of an established volunteer organization, go to your house of worship, or attend a little league game, and you're likely to see an active, helpful, and understanding physician volunteering time, effort, and treasure.

So next time you hear that volunteers are to be honored, count yourself in their number and pat yourself on the back, doctor. You served well.

November-December 2002 / Jacksonville Medicine
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