We need you and we will be there for you.
A word from our CEO, Dr. Diane Francoeur
The warm summer sun has helped mend some of the wounds left by COVID after two years of hardship for health professionals. It is difficult to ignore the increasing waiting times for surgery (up to three years in Ontario), medical consultation, or psychological distress. A truly sad observation for the women who are in need, which has undoubtedly had a major impact on the troop’s morale with potential burnout rates of around 50%. The labour shortage is making the practice of medicine increasingly difficult, teams are falling apart, and nobody seems to take the problem seriously. It is time to shape up for the scientific and academic return, time to start taking care of each other, and time to rediscover the pleasure in learning and providing care. Empathy and goodwill toward colleagues and patients will help us get through these tough times that seem to be dragging on.
The SOGC has also been hit hard by COVID. Finances are in a precarious state, the industry has cut back on its financial statements, and conferences are making a very gradual return. Science continues to evolve at a rapid pace and we need to adjust to clinicians’ needs and the new data. To this end, starting now we will pay closer attention to your needs and provide more effective communication, especially when clinical recommendations must be disseminated. With the communications team, we are working on a new, more user-friendly and powerful tool that we plan to implement in the fall.
We have met with various peers from learned societies including ACOG, RCOG, PSF, and soon RANZCOG. We were proud to see that our trademark has undoubtedly been our “guidelines” even though they are extremely costly to produce, i.e. $1 per word. They are not only quoted in defence when professionals are called upon in court, they are also closely watched by our peers who are well informed of our recommendations. We are working on a hospital funding plan to promote access to teams whose physicians are members. As our financial situation stabilizes, we also intend to work on additional tools such as protocols or apps that will be easier to access in the middle of the night.
The strength of the SOGC lies in this union of expert minds, committed and devoted to the cause of women. We now have major participation from all the university departments in the academic council, what an accomplishment! The quality of education for health professionals is very high in Canada, so the quality of your continuing medical education must be at the same level, especially given that learning is essential from graduation day right up to our retirement. Although we are still very competitive with other international organizations, we have had to adjust our membership fees to continue in this direction. In a post-COVID transition, we will be there to provide essential information and tools.
A beautiful educational year is on its way for 2022-2023, we need you and we will be there for you!
