MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Colleagues:
O
Steven Bodley, MD
College President
From the earliest days
of regulation, physicians
have been expected to act
in a respectful, courteous
and civil manner towards
their patients, peers and
colleagues.
ver the past few
years, physi-
cians in Ontario
seem to be facing
unprecedented challenges. Many
are working longer hours and
workplace stresses remain sig-
nificant. Stress in the workplace
and physician burnout have
long been recognized as major
health risks for physicians and
are increasingly being noted as
risk factors for medical errors
and poor quality of care for our
patients.
Some physicians have pointed
to the College as one of the
sources of their stress, suggest-
ing that regulatory oversight
has become burdensome. I
would certainly agree that the
regulatory environment is much
changed since the days when I
entered medicine. Back then,
a physician could change their
scope of practice with little or
no oversight, and would be able
to practise for their entire career
without any kind of a check to
ensure that he or she was keep-
ing up to date with new medical
knowledge. I would respectfully
submit that this was not the
“Golden Age” of medicine – not
for patients nor for doctors. In
fact, I would suggest that prac-
tising in such a way – without
guidance or supports – would
present its own stresses.
Some of the current stresses
may have played a role in a
number of recent examples of
problematic behaviour within the
physician community. Some of
these instances of unprofessional
behaviour have brought dishon-
our to the individuals involved,
as well as to the profession as a
whole. Last year, for example, the
College responded to complaints
of an eruption of on-line bullying
among doctors. In addressing
the behaviour, we are not limit-
ing free speech, as some have sug-
gested. Instead, we want to make
it clear that there are appropriate
and respectful ways to disagree
with our colleagues. A member
of our profession simply cannot
be allowed to resort to threats,
curses and sexual slurs to advance
an argument, no matter how
deeply felt one might feel about a
particular issue.
This is not a new position for
the College. From the earliest
days of regulation, physicians
have been expected to act in a
respectful, courteous and civil
manner towards their patients,
peers and colleagues. In 2007, we
approved a policy – Physician
ISSUE 1, 2018 DIALOGUE
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