Quiet Leaders Welcome
Leaders of organized medicine don’t have to be the ones banging the gavel at meetings or running for seats on the board.
They can be the physician who attends every meeting but sits in the back observing, or the physician who only has time to write a dues check every year.
That’s how Robert Ettlinger, MD, sees it.
“I don’t believe everyone should be involved. We all have our own interests and time commitments. But I’d like to see physicians, at the very least, be members,” Dr. Ettlinger says.
Dr. Ettlinger used to be that physician whose only involvement was to pay dues every year. Increasingly concerned about the state of medicine, he wrote several letters to the editor of his local newspaper.
The Dauphin County Medical Society (DCMS) took notice and asked him if he wanted to join their board. He’s now the secretary/treasurer and the chair of membership/networking committee.
The experience has been “gratifying,” and Dr. Ettlinger says he’s happy to be one of those speaking on behalf of medicine, as long as other physicians carry their weight as well.
“Some are riding on the backs of others and getting the benefits of lobbying without paying into it,” Dr. Ettlinger says.
In addition to being members of organized medicine, physicians should try to take notice of the medical world outside of patient care, whether by reading a newspaper, attending a meeting, or subscribing to a newsletter.
“It’s very important for physicians to realize that their job is not only treating patients eight, nine, or 10 hours a day, but being involved in the professional side of medicine,” Dr. Ettlinger says.
Last Updated: 2/6/2009