January 2023: A Time for Renewal

Brittany M. Ladson, DO Emergency Medicine Resident Physician, PGY-1

January is the best time for goal setting. It is a time to forget about any struggles of last year and plan for a successful and productive new year. It is even more exciting for first-year residents because it is a marker of reaching half way through their first academic year. It is truly quite a milestone and a time to celebrate!

Goal setting is an important practice in medicine. It allows us the opportunity to identify growth opportunities in ourselves and build a plan to develop them. It can also be an opportunity to identify personal strengths and resolve to continue to embrace them in our professional lives.

I’m sure many of the interns had goals similar to mine when they first started residency in July: Pretty much just survive and try to acclimate to the stresses and changes of residency. With us now having more than six months of training and experience, it is time to start shaping our goals more specifically so we can become the physicians that we aspire to be.

Here are some of my personal goals for 2023:

1. Identify specific areas for academic growth

2. Grow my medical knowledge by learning from residents in my own and other specialties

3. Work on my personal stamina

4. Develop an improved work-life balance

5. Pass Step 3

Whether you are one to share your resolutions publicly or not, it is undeniable that setting goals is vital and keeping them visible in your daily life is important for their success. The goals I set for myself in July 2022 look quite different than the ones I am setting for the 2023 year. It truly shows how far we have come, but also how much I still have to grow.

Cheers to a happy, healthy and productive 2023!

Whether you are one to share your resolutions publicly or not, it is undeniable that setting goals is vital and keeping them visible in your daily life is important for their success.

Nominations for 2023 Health Angel Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the Saginaw County Medical Society Health Angel Award. Established in 2009 by Dr. Debasish Mridha, the Health Angel Award is awarded to a non-physician who lives and/or works in Saginaw County and has added to the improvement of the health care field in Saginaw County. Nominations will be accepted from SCMS members only.

Consideration will be given to all listed below:

• A member (or group of members) from a company, institution, organization or agency that has reached beyond its normal sphere of business to implement a response to a community health problem.

• A volunteer who devotes time, skills, and/or resources to assisting others and/or contributing to the betterment of healthcare.

• An individual that is not a direct provider of patient care that has demonstrated the desire and willingness to use his or her knowledge and abilities to improve the health of the local community.

• A non-physician who may be a direct provider of healthcare (nurse, physician assistant, dentist, pharmacist, midwife, social worker, paramedic, physical therapist, etc.) who personifies the ideals of their profession and has repeatedly demonstrated activities that have gone “above and beyond,” contributing in significant ways to the betterment of healthcare locally.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 14, 2023 The winner will be presented the award and a check to their favorite charity at the Tuesday, May 16, 2023, SCMS Annual Membership Meeting.

Selection guidelines state that consideration will be given based on the nominee’s involvement, initiative and the need for their service. In addition, consideration will be given to the nominee’s affiliations, accomplishments, leadership, effectiveness and generosity of time and spirit.

Click HERE for the Nomination Form

Proposed Amendment to SCMS Bylaws

Delegate and Alternate Delegate Voting Privileges

In March 2022, the Nominating Committee consisting of Dr. Millie Willy, Past President as Chair, Dr. Tony Zacharek as President and Dr. Tiffany Kim as President-Elect, asked the SCMS Board to consider amending the Bylaws to allow all delegates and alternates to have a vote. It was the Nominating Committee’s opinion that if we have active and retired members giving of their time and serving the SCMS, they should be entitled to a vote. New members to the Board generally start as an alternate delegate as they learn the Board process. Past presidents serving as alternate delegates offer a wealth of history and experience on SCMS issues.

Per the Bylaws, officers and directors have voting privileges. Each June, the officers and directors vote for three delegates who are not already serving in a voting position as an officer or director to be voting members of the Board. Any additional delegates and alternate delegates do not have a vote. Alternate delegates include past presidents who want to stay involved on the Board. SCMS quorum is one-third of voting Board members.

After thoughtful consideration, the Board voted at the September 18, 2022, Meeting to approve an Amendment to the Bylaws. The relevant sections of the Bylaws follow, with text to be removed in red-strikethrough, and text to be added highlighted yellow:

Chapter Xiii Duties Of Officers

Section 6. DELEGATES AND ALTERNATE DELEGATES.

The delegates, and in their absence or disability, the alternate delegates, shall attend and faithfully represent the members of this Society in the House of Delegates of the Michigan State Medical Society, and shall make a report of the proceedings of the House of Delegates at the next following regular meeting of this Society. To be eligible for election as a delegate or an alternate, the member must have been an active member of this Society for at least two years.

Chapter Xiv Board Of Directors

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the president, president-elect, the immediate past president, the secretary, the treasurer, the editor of the Bulletin, six directors to be elected from among the membership, and three members which shall be elected from the pool of MSMS Delegates the duly elected delegates and alternate delegates. The current president shall act as chair of the Board. The secretary of this Society shall act as secretary of the Board. The Past President will remain on the SCMS Board whether s/ he retires or remains in active practice. The Board will appoint a retiree representative to the Board to serve a one (1) year term. The Board of Directors shall have the power to appoint resident representative(s) and medical student(s) for terms to be determined at their discretion to serve on the Board. The resident representative(s) and medical student(s) shall not be subject to Section 2 of Chapter XIV herein requiring attendance at fifty percent (50%) of Board meetings, but the resident representative(s) and medical student(s) shall make every effort to attend as many meetings as possible so as to effectively represent their peers. The retiree representative, resident representative(s) and medical student(s) will be non-voting members of the Board.

In accordance with the Bylaws and SCMS policy, the proposed Bylaws Amendment will be published in two issues of The Bulletin, and brought before the membership for a vote to approve at the next occurring Membership Meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.

If any member has questions or concerns about the proposed Bylaws Amendment, please email Joan Cramer at jmcramer@sbcglobal.net by April 10, 2023.

SCMS Mission, Vision and Values

The SCMS Board of Directors formed an Ad Hoc Committee of Drs. Chris Allen, Lou Constan, Tiffany Kim, Miriam Schteingart and Tony Zacharek to develop the Mission, Vision and Values Statements of the SCMS. The Committee met on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, via Zoom.

The purpose of the Committee was to establish the Mission, Vision and Values Statements of the SCMS based on prior Board discussion.

• The MISSION STATEMENT communicates the purpose of the organization.

• The VISION STATEMENT provides insight into what the organization hopes to achieve or become in the future.

• The VALUES STATEMENT reflects the organization’s core principles and ethics.

The Committee’s recommendations were approved by the SCMS Board of Directors at their meeting on Tuesday, September 18, 2022.

MISSION STATEMENT

• Bringing physicians together for the common good

VISION STATEMENT

• We aim to improve the lives of physicians and the patients we serve

Values Statement

In accordance with SCMS policy, the proposed Mission, Vision and Values Statements will be published in two issues of The Bulletin, and then brought before the membership for a vote to approve at the next occurring Membership Meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.

If any member has questions or concerns about the proposed Mission, Vision and Values Statements, please email Joan Cramer at jmcramer@sbcglobal.net by April 10, 2023.