National Physicians Week: Extending Doctors Day

When her friend, a fellow physician, took her own life, Kim Jackson, MD, realized more people needed to understand the struggles physicians face—but also celebrate and elevate their efforts.

That’s why Dr. Jackson and nearly 6,000 members of Physicians Working Together (PWT), the advocacy group she founded, are leading the charge to extend National Doctors Day, March 30 this year, to National Physicians Week, which began Sunday and goes through Friday, March 31.

From a day to a week

This weeklong event seeks “to bridge the gap between public perception and physician reality by highlighting the sacrifices, dedication, and triumphs of our peers and fellow physicians and by celebrating the lives of those who we have lost along the way,” a PWT statement reads.

Christina Lang, DO, a board member of PWT, hopes National Physicians Week activities will help combat assumptions that physicians are overconcerned with reimbursement and unconcerned about patients.

“A week gives us adequate time to reflect on the direction of medicine and celebrate the physician-patient interaction, which is what medicine is all about,” says Dr. Lang. “A week allows us to share stories, celebrate achievements, and strengthen our relationship to our patients.”

Join in the celebration

This week, PWT will be partnering with KevinMD, a popular physician blog, to profile physicians who are working to make medicine better. Highlighted physicians will include Hala Sabry, DO, founder of Physician Moms Group (PMG), Colm Murphy, MD, founder of medical software startup Zenxmed, and Dr. Jackson.

The PWT website will also share videos submitted from physicians across the U.S. talking about what they love about their careers in medicine.

PWT will be celebrating all week long. DOs and students can join the conversation online with the following hashtags:

• #NationalPhysiciansWeek
• #ThanksDoc
• #WhiteCoatWonders
• #NPWILoveWhatIDO
• #PhysiciansWorkingTogether

Check back with The DO in April to hear from the founders of PWT and Zenxmed about what they’re doing to improve medicine for physicians and patients.

It's #NationalPhysiciansWeek! #ThanksDoc to #osteopathic physicians and all physicians for your dedication and commitment to patients! pic.twitter.com/xFm8PfWmim

— NBOME (@NBOME) March 27, 2017

@DrJLiveLifeWell Meet the doctor who started a physician advocacy group https://t.co/6rOX9aNl6b via @kevinmd #NationalPhysiciansWeek

— Scherly Leon, MD (@SLeonMD) March 27, 2017