Kōrero and Advocacy
I was recently reminded of the beautiful foresight of this blog, an initiative of past president Dr David Kibblewhite. Such an immense amount of mahi occurs at the NZSA, and communicating it is often difficult. This space provides an opportunity to kōrero about what it means to be a member of the NZSA at this time. Outside of soundbites and social media posts: our value proposition for Anaesthetists in Aotearoa.
Tangible benefits that facilitate and enhance our daily practice have been a big focus for 2023 and will gain momentum in 2024. I am excited about the project delivery pipeline and look forward to fleshing out the details for you in the coming months. From facilitating meeting CPD requirements in this new era to enhancing your ability to communicate with patients in the perioperative setting, big things are coming.
What excites me more is the sometimes less tangible benefit of advocacy. Now more than ever, I am immensely thankful to live in a democracy. When writing this blog, the specifics are unclear, but we will have a new government and a new health minister. With this comes a new opportunity for engagement. For sophisticated advocacy for our specialty as the new health system blueprint continues. We should be robust and influential in designing and implementing our public healthcare system. Given our involvement in all facets of the Perioperative journey across all procedural specialties, we are uniquely placed to continue to give valuable input.
Whilst we as anaesthetists all have views and often (but not always) unified thoughts on advocacy for our health system, individuals cannot carry the load. Conversations amongst colleagues, at departmental meetings, and even across committee, council and board tables help flesh out ideas; however, conversations with those outside of medicine and in positions of influence and decision-making affect change. We must be fearless in standing up for what is important. We must always consider who we are talking to, their position, and how the discussion sits with our strategic plan. With our briefing of the incoming health minister, we are committed to ensuring these relationships and conversations continue to flourish.
Importantly, we at the NZSA must remain mentally flexible and engaged with our members. In 2024, I look forward to including new ways to seek member feedback and engagement, with a commitment to learn from and reflect on the lived experiences of Anaesthetists across the Motu. Please do stop by the NZSA stand during the NZ ASM to say hello and as always, my email inbox is open to kōrero with you, president@anaesthesia.nz.
Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki, pexels
