HJNO Mar/Apr 2022

50 MAR / APR 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS MEDICAL SOCIETY COLUMN MEDICAL SOCIETY THE CHALLENGES of caring for patients and medical practice have increased sig- nificantly during the current pandemic. Physicians were faced with the need to learn about evolving treatment method- ologies for COVID patients, immediate adoption of telemedicine, new regulations and legislation, and extensive safety proto- cols to ensure patients and medical prac- tice employees stayed healthy throughout the last two years, not to mention concern for their own health and safety. It’s been a difficult time for all healthcare professionals who have faced enormous personal and professional demands like never before in their careers. The long- term consequences of the pandemic on healthcare clinicians’ mental and behav- ioral health will be felt and studied for de- cades to come. One study reports that one in five physicians is ready to stop practic- ing as a result of the challenges of the pan- demic. All of these issues and challenges have demonstrated the need for quality and timely education, effective advocacy, and a focus on physician well-being, which are the programmatic priorities of the Med- ical Association of Southeast Louisiana (MASELA) in partnership with Jefferson and Orleans Parish Medical Societies. As the new President of MASELA, I look for- ward to leading the organization and mak- ing significant progress on these priorities. Physician Well-Being Is Critical to Our Region’s Health Physician burnout, or moral injury, as it is sometimes called, was at an all-time high prior to the pandemic. There are myr- iad causes of burnout — both personal and professional. Physicians in every mode of practice may experience burnout or diffi- culty balancing priorities in their career. MASELA recognizes the importance of physician well-being to an effectively functioning healthcare system. We know burnout can drive physicians to retire ear- Pandemic’s Challenges Require Strong Advocacy, Timely Education & Professional Support for Physicians Engagement with Medical Associations Brings Value to Physicians in Southeast Louisiana