President's Column | August 2023

Aug 18, 2023

Dear Colleagues,

 

I hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits. I am thrilled to share with you an overview of the recent Leadership Summit that brought together our passionate and dedicated leaders. It was an event that provided invaluable training and left everyone feeling refreshed and inspired to continue their mission of caring for others as DermPAs and serving as leaders within our profession. The training, camaraderie, and strategic planning left everyone buzzing with ideas on how to move the organization forward. The SDPA's commitment to its members and the professional excellence of our leadership, staff, and industry partners was evident. (See photo below.)

The summit's attendees engaged in various interactive workshops, insightful discussions, team building, and presentations. The knowledge shared during these sessions was enriching and allowed the attendees to learn new approaches, techniques, and strategies to address the evolving challenges in our field. A message of vision, value, and action to our members was the focus.

Why is this? Because the members of the SDPA have granted us the enormous privilege and responsibility of maintaining, guiding, and developing our organization. Vision, value, and action all circle back to how we can be our best as part of the team caring for patients.

Serving patients and our organization is a privilege. We don't think of privilege in our daily lives until we lose something. If we were to lose the privilege of seeing patients one day, would we miss it? My guess is yes. Imagine how this would change your life. How does this tie into the SDPA? Our organization monitors and responds to legislation, educates, and supports our profession. We provide training to new PAs and more seasoned PAs, both in person and online. We foster professional growth through mentoring PA authors. Why is this important? Because rights and privileges need to be maintained. They can't be taken for granted.

I have a friend that I'll call a book club friend. We met at a conference and discussed a positive affirming book. Anyone who knows me knows I love this type of self-growth. I want to reference this book because it puts privilege in perspective. In the book, the author is teaching children in an orphanage. He asked who liked school and was surprised that they all loved it. They loved school because they viewed it as a privilege. School was not a given for these children. Privilege for one may not be considered a privilege for another. It is all in situation and perspective.

Why mention my book club friend? Because reading that book realigned my perspective. Sure, at times, things can seem overwhelming, but being a DermPA is a privilege. Caring for people is a privilege, and leading my peers is a privilege.

Why serve others in our profession? Because it is not a chore but a privilege. One that many will never have the opportunity to do. Jump at these opportunities in life. You will grow and gain something from each experience. Taking this message with you to serve your patients will no doubt improve patient care.

So, in the end, we must feed and care for the important things in life. Serving our patients and our careers is important. The SDPA is here to help you feed and care for your profession.

In case you would like to read the book, it is The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life by Shawn Achor. 

 

Yours Truly,

 

Laura Bush, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA

President, SDPA Board of Directors