Abstract
Influencing progress in our communities and the world of general practice
Any doctor in training right now will agree change is coming. The majority probably feel this with a sense of unease and uncertainty. Many of us feel vulnerable and helpless to decisions that seem to be out of our hands and go against our core values.
If it was us as doctors-in-training making changes, what would our changes look like? What can we learn from others who have successfully influenced society at one level or another under real and relentless adversity?
In Susan Bosak’s book Dream, inspired by the iconic speech of Dr Martin Luther King, she brings together 15 international pieces of artwork depicting successful ‘Dreamers’. Bosak states ‘[a] Dreamer is someone who can see beyond “what is” to “what can be”, someone who has the creativity and courage make a difference in their own life, in their community, and in our world’ (Bosak, 2004). As GPs of the future, we have a real opportunity to make a difference in our own lives and those of our communities. There are over 11,000 (RCGP, 2015) of us across the UK, each in a position to make a positive change within the community we serve, while also being able to come together as a larger body to make changes on a national scale.
So what do we need to do to make this change? Steve Jobs observed ‘People with passion can change the world’. Every influential figure in history has had passion. Positivity is also integral to those who have brought about change: History’s most eminent speeches and the most widely used quotes, by inspiring figures such as Ghandi and King, are all affirmative. They didn’t change the world by just saying ‘this is terrible’; they did so by sharing their vision for what it would be like if their society and world was good, even great.
To spearhead innovation and progress we also have to take risks. Whether this is the risk of wasted time on a project that doesn’t succeed (which those in academia might fear all too well), or perhaps risk that we speak out for something even if it means us appearing non-conformist or somehow different to our peers. If Marie Curie and Rosa Parks had not risked challenging society and conformity, the 20th century may have been very different. If we are unwilling to take risks, we pave the way for stagnation at best and deterioration at worst.
Finally, inspiring figures who have helped make our society what it is today, have all done so by example. They have recognised that the key to real and lasting change lies not with those in positions of power, but with the people they are leading. In the words of Ghandi ‘Be the change that you wish to see in the world’.
In the year ahead I urge you to stand up for your patients and colleagues, advocate for those who need your support and plan for a progressive future. Share your visions of what progress in general practice and our workforce should look like. Your AiT Committee will support you and do the same with you.