President’s word Dr Saxon Smith President, AMA (NSW) Creating collegiality It is through the support of peers that we become better doctors and deliver better care to patients and the community. The image of a doctor emotionally breaking down outside a hospital in America after the death of a 19-yearold patient has captured widespread mainstream and social media attention. This is a scenario that is repeated daily around the world as doctors try to help their patients when they are at their greatest need. But usually it is not captured or shared in such a public way; rather it is our colleagues, friends and loved ones who see the impact of one of those days. It is a poignant reminder of the importance of those social foundations that keep us together even on the toughest of days. It has been 20 years since I started my journey through medical school, internship and specialist training; and 10 years since I began my involvement with the AMA. In fact, some of the problems splashed across recent media are the same reasons why I decided to get involved with the AMA in the first place. I wanted to champion a culture change in the profession – one that supported you when you were sick; allowed part-time training and work when your personal circumstances needed it; looked after its junior doctors to develop the future healers and leaders; and, accepted its own human frailties. My career has been interrupted, turned upside down and inside out due to health problems. I was diagnosed with [email protected] ulcerative colitis (the other inflammatory bowel disease to Crohn’s disease) in the last year of medical school. This began a rollercoaster ride with chronic illness, which at the time robbed me of my passion, confidence, fitness and even my image of self. I was obsessively diligent with my medications in an attempt to control this disease – at one point taking 16 tablets a day, as well as using embarrassing topical therapies. Despite all of this, at its worst I still needed to visit the bathroom 20 times in a morning due to severe abdominal pain. After my weight dropped to 60kg (from 75kg prior to being diagnosed), I then ballooned to nearly 100kg as a complication of long term high dose oral steroids. As an intern, every morning was a struggle to get to work – trying to time the 10-minute drive between episodes of urgent painful need to visit the bathroom. All my sick leave and holiday leave was taken up by hospital admissions, investigations and simply being sick. This was not the life I had dreamed for myself nor a way for anyone to live and work. I subsequently had long periods not working and three major surgeries to remove my entire large bowel (colon) over a 12-month period, which were associated with significant complications, and subsequent years of piecing my life and health back together. During this incredibly hard time I was @drsaxonsmith 2 I THE NSW DOCTOR I NON-MEMBER ISSUE I MAY/JUNE 2015 lucky that I had family and friends around me to pull me up when I was at rock bottom. I also had amazing support from colleagues and hospital administration. I even had a random visit in hospital from a cousin of a family friend who lived in rural Queensland, but had been through the same thing. I was also aware that I was one of the lucky ones, as I know other people with whom I worked were not as supported by the system around them. They felt isolated by colleges, hospital administration and, at times, even by colleagues. This left them trapped, lost or pigeon-holed in their careers due to the limitations of their health. This inequity is what drove me to join the AMA and turn up to my first doctors-in-training meeting. Collegiality is a living thing that is fed or starved by our actions and interactions with each other. It is important to stand with and stand up for our colleagues. It is through this support of peers that we become better doctors and deliver better care to patients and the community. dr. www.facebook.com/amansw