I knew I
wanted to get into the medical profession since starting my freshman year in college
and so far my career journey in medicine has been as rich and rewarding as I ever
could have hoped. An incredibly worthwhile component of my medical career has
been my 45 years as a dedicated and involved member of the Michigan Association
of Osteopathic Family Physicians (MAOFP).
As a young DO,
I first joined MAOFP to gain access to the numerous professional development
opportunities, critical in-person education at the conferences and an
ever-growing connection with medical colleagues working to advance the
specialty of Family Medicine. It didn’t take long for me to learn the value of the
political advocacy provided by MAOFP and felt comfort in the knowledge that I
had an organization that was not only fighting for my legal rights, but also
committed to keeping me up to date with legislative developments in the state
that impact healthcare.
Because of
the consistency and quality of MAOFP’s offerings to members, I began to really
count on them as part of my growth and development professionally as well as
for much needed engagement and relationships within Michigan’s Osteopathic Physician
community. I’d like to share two specific examples of association offerings I
have come to rely upon. The first is the CME opportunities at the Summer and
Winter conferences up north. Not only were these great continuing education
offerings, it was always great seeing medical colleagues from across the state
– networking and discussing current medical issues. My second example is the
first-rate publications and communications that come from MAOFP. They are
most-welcome resources for key industry updates, member news, legislative info
impacting healthcare, updates on fellow members and much more.
As I became more
involved in MAOFP, fully utilizing all the member offerings and now
well-established in my own career, I felt I had something to offer to MAOFP’s
many influential committees. Not only was this an opportunity for me to share
things I had learned with fellow members and new doctors, it gave me a golden
opportunity to explore areas of medicine I was not yet familiar with. I’ve
served on numerous MAOFP committees over the years and each one was a valuable
experience to both give and receive medical knowledge. Eventually, my
involvement grew to the point where I was honored to serve as president of the
organization.
The support I
have received from the MAOFP community over the years has brought immense value
to my career and to my quality of life as a doctor. Because Family Medicine is
my basic specialty there is no professional association that could be a better
fit for me than MAOFP. Whether someone is new to the profession, or just
looking to be part of a medical community that is committed to serving its
members and optimizing
the health of our patients in Michigan I believe there is no better investment
for your time and money.
SHARE YOUR STORY
MAOFP is looking for members to share their story to build better engagement, relationships and generate a larger interest for those not a part of the organization. We're asking our members to fill out a questionnaire, that we will then compile your answers into a MAOFP blog story. Those who submit will have the ability to read and approve their story prior to it being published.
My Member Story