Culture and the Courage to Change - Member Profile - AAMC

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Culture and the Courage to Changehomes” for them, from which they can receive true continuity of care.We can finally solve the problem that, despite all our knowledge, toomany patients have been left “medically homeless” by our expertcenteredsystem focused on acute episodic care.In his book, The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer talks about the pricewe pay when we feel a deep internal division between what we know weshould do and what we actually do in practice. He talks about the gratificationthat comes from being what he calls, “divided no more.” I thinkwe all have felt distressed by the gap between what we actually have beendoing in practice and the patient-centered care we know we shoulddeliver. This is our own opportunity to be “divided no more.”We have the possibility of creating a much more meaningful and gratifyingculture for our faculty, staff, and learners, and especially for thepatients we have committed to serve. A culture that is grounded in thevalues of collaboration, trust, and shared accountability. A culture that isreinforced through team-based structures and shared reward systems. Aculture that encourages transparency and inclusivity, rather than exclusivity.A culture that is driven equally by our traditional commitment toexcellence, and by service to others. A culture in which all learn and allteach, and all experience great fulfillment in the process.I fundamentally believe that this is an opportunity for us to recapture someof the professional excitement that brought us to academic medicine in thefirst place. By understanding the positive potential in this new culture, wecan regain that sense of optimism so many of us seem to have lost.Understanding our culture and working to change it to better fit the world wenow face is a choice we can make. Certainly courage will be required, but wemight do well to remember the words of a great man who taught us about“profiles in courage.” President John F. Kennedy once said,“Change is the lawof life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss thefuture.” Now it is our choice about whether we long for the past, or turn ourattention to building the culture of the future for academic medicine.Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you today.12Association of American Medical Colleges
Association ofAmerican Medical Colleges2450 N Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-1127T 202 828 0400 F 202 828 1125www.aamc.org
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