September 2001
Volume 65 |
Number 9
|
| |
ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE
|
| Purpose and Passion |
Candace E. Keller, M.D.
Vice-Speaker of the ASA House of Delegates
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me,
an invincible summer.”
— Albert Camus
The theme of the ASA NEWSLETTER this month is the Wood Library–Museum
of Anesthesiology (WLM). Our WLM does a marvelous job of chronicling,
preserving and displaying so much of the rich and important history
and heritage of our medical specialty. Indeed, we owe a great
debt of gratitude to our members who have devoted tremendous time
and energy toward making the WLM a reality.
As we reflect upon our past, we must also consider and perhaps
re-examine our purpose and passion in the present. Why are we
here? What are our hopes and dreams? What are we most passionate
about in our thoughts and deeds? Where are we going?
Each of us is unique. We each have a unique set of genes. We
have each been molded and influenced by different circumstances,
experiences and roots. Likewise, we each possess unique gifts
and talents that, when carefully cultivated and utilized, allow
us not only to accomplish our individual goals but also to achieve
a greater good for society by joining our individual pieces together
to form the big picture. And it takes each and every piece to
complete the ultimate puzzle!
There will always be winter — such is the nature of life;
but there is also within each of us an invincible summer. It is
the light of that summer which will guide us through the winter,
however dark, and through the storms, however tempestuous. We
have what it takes to overcome and to prosper if first we look
within and then outside to join our individual forces together.
United we will stand and advance.
Our American Society of Anesthesiologists has changed considerably
since its inception in 1905. We have grown from that small group
of nine physicians who first met in Long Island, New York, to
an organization of more than 36,000 physicians spanning 50 states
and Puerto Rico. We not only cherish our past through the WLM,
but we also are also making the most of the present through ASA’s
numerous educational and legislative endeavors as well as those
of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation. We are investing
in our future through our Foundation for Anesthesia Education
and Research. Though much has been accomplished, there remains
more work to be done.
I am continuously amazed and often reminded of the vast expertise,
knowledge and wisdom resident within our membership. One example
of the ASA’s commitment to our specialty and our patients
is the outstanding work of the Committee on Performance and Outcomes
Measurement, chaired by Ronald A. Gabel, M.D. This committee already
has made considerable progress toward developing meaningful, reasonable
measures based on scientifically valid data that can be used to
document the performance and outcomes of anesthesiologists. These
measures will also be useful in applying quality improvement and
benchmarking techniques. Work such as this will be of great value
to our specialty and our membership and will continue ASA’s
historic move into the future.
From the many members who serve on committees both at the national
and state levels, to the hundreds that make up our House of Delegates
and to the thousands of anesthesiologists who work in their local
communities providing care to patients every day, may we propose
to continue as an organization composed of physicians with great
compassion, unparalleled character and unfailing vision. Let us
rekindle the passion in our lives: passion for the people and
patients for whom we care and love as well as passion for the
causes and ideas in which we believe.
Candace E. Keller, M.D., is Assistant Clinical Professor of
Anesthesiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson,
and is in private practice in Hattiesburg and Jackson, Mississippi.
return to top
|