As a physician, helping people in need is among the greatest honors and privileges in the world. In the complex world of medicine, physicians and health care professionals have the opportunity and privilege to enormously contribute to patient well-being at a time of significant personal and/or family health crisis.
In addition, many physicians and health care professionals have academic profiles that significantly contribute to education, research, administration, and leadership. For instance, currently, we have over 90,000 physicians in Canada serving almost 40 million Canadians. In the United States, there are over 1 million physicians serving over 340 million people. The growing number of applicants to our medical schools and ever-increasing competitive entry are a testament to the amazing promise and prospects of a medical career.
Furthermore, an engaged and healthy workforce is essential to meet the ever-increasing complexity of our patients and to provide excellent care. This is especially true today with high acuity and complexity of care, ever-changing standards of care, novel therapies, academia, management of patient morbidity and mortality and the long work hours that the majority of physicians face.