More committed than ever

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever-changing view, a wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold, a tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold.

Carole King, Tapestry

As Carole King says so eloquently in this song from my teenage years, our life is woven from meetings, events, and experiences, giving it a unique hue and making us who we are. Thirty years later, this theme of “connectedness” that underpins our lives is more topical than ever. Every day we see examples of the power of social networks that allow people who come from different backgrounds, but share common goals, to connect in order to engage in concrete action for their peers, their community, and their society.

The life of an organization follows the same rules: its ability to get things done and to make a difference depends on its ability to meet its members’ needs and mobilize their collective power. “All for one, and one for all,” in the words of d’Artagnan. The commitment of the CFPC’s members has always been its strength. For almost 60 years, the CFPC and its provincial Chapters have relied on countless members who have done phenomenal work through their voluntary participation in various committees and initiatives. Members have defined what family medicine is, how to teach it, and how to assess the competencies of future family physicians. Members have supported the development of a community of researchers dedicated to our discipline. Members have also created practice communities to support their peers in maintaining their competencies and, when necessary, acquiring more advanced competencies in response to their communities’ needs. These seasoned family physicians have been joined by medical students and residents from our different programs who often challenge our convictions. I will take the opportunity that this monthly message in our journal affords me to thank them personally and on behalf of the entire organization.

But can we do more or, rather, do it differently? Commitment is not a 1-way street: our members must be able to rely on the College and the College must be able to rely on its members. How can we strengthen and enrich our tapestry? If commitment means developing connections, which networks of connections must we develop? I can certainly see 3. First, of course, is the connection between the CFPC and its members: what are your needs? They certainly differ depending on whether you are at the start of your career or approaching retirement, whether you practise in a remote or an urban location, whether you teach or do research. But we can also develop a network of connections between CFPC members and the discipline of family medicine. How can we create a network of clinicians, teachers, and researchers within our College to advance the body of knowledge in family medicine? Finally, can we imagine the CFPC at the heart of a network connecting family physicians?

Our members’ commitment is at the heart of our strategic objectives—objectives that we share with our provincial Chapters. In partnership with the Chapters, the CFPC has launched an initiative to consult you and identify your needs, your expectations, and your interests. Encouraging commitment can sometimes be risky. The Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street movements came about owing to the unprecedented commitment made possible by the connective power of social networks. The CFPC is willing to take this risk. The CFPC will take on whatever hue its members wish to give it. I invite you to share your suggestions and comments with me via CFPC Live (http://cfpclive.ca).

• Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada