MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Behaviour in the Professional Environment (updated
in 2016) – that states how public trust and safety can be
undermined when physicians act unprofessionally.
Rules and regulations, however, are not the best, nor
the only, way to address this problem. We need to rec-
ognize that stress and burnout are very real and ongoing
problems for many physicians and that these factors
need to be recognized and addressed. It is the College’s
mandate to protect patients, and we recognize that
patients fare better when they are cared for by doctors
who feel supported. The College has a long and very
positive relationship with the OMA's Physician Health
Program (PHP). The College and the PHP share the
goal of having healthy doctors working in a system, a
system which delivers optimal care to our patients.
As professionals and colleagues, it is important that
we remain aware of the signs of burnout. We owe it to
ourselves and to our colleagues to recognize that unpro-
fessional behaviour can ‘cross the line’ into professional
misconduct. If you are feeling overwhelmed, or see a
colleague who is in distress, I would urge you to not
wait until something regrettable is said or done before
seeking some help.
College Registrar and CEO beginning June 4th.
Nancy is currently CEO at St. Thomas Elgin General
Hospital, where she has served in successive leadership
positions.
There is much to recommend Nancy. She received
her medical degree from the University of Manitoba
and subsequently completed her obstetrics and gyne-
cology residency at Western University. She is a fellow
of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Canada and also a graduate of the MBA program at the
Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University.
We have found in Nancy a leader who will, together
with staff, Council and the broader community, take
our public protection role to the next level.
I very much look forward to working with her, when
she comes on board in June.
I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of
Dr. Rocco Gerace, who recently left the role of Registrar
to pursue other opportunities. Over the past 16 years,
Rocco has effectively led the College through a period
of unprecedented change and ushered in an era of trans-
parency, professionalism and public engagement. On
behalf of the profession, I would like to thank Rocco for
his very hard work.
MD
*********
It is my great delight, in my first letter as President, to
introduce Dr. Nancy Whitmore, who will be the new
Our Whiteboard Animation:
Getting Communication Right with Your Patients
We are very excited to share our latest
whiteboard animation video, Getting
Communication Right with Your Patients,
which you will find on our YouTube channel at
http://www.youtube.com/user/thecpso.
In this video, Dan Faulkner, Interim Registrar
of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Ontario, discusses the importance of doctors
strengthening their communication skills with
patients, and also provides tips for doing so.
We encourage all Ontario physicians to watch
this 10-minute video. It also points to a
resource page on our website for improving
communication skills. Find it at www.cpso.
on.ca/communication.
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DIALOGUE ISSUE 1, 2018