Posted by At the recent AMA Federal Council and National conference there were a lot of clever people talking about everything from mental health to finance, gender equity to vaccination and politics. Always politics.
However the other thing you could see going on around the meetings and decisions was people making relationships. Talking, occasionally laughing, nodding in furious agreement and deciding to catch up later. There were coffees and meals at which ideas were exchanged and promises made.
This is the opposite of the toxic culture in some of our teaching hospitals where the junior staff are told not to nap at night if things are quiet and made to change out of scrubs before they can get served in the cafeteria.
This is people being respectful and decent and listening. The AMA has a bright future because that need to connect is getting stronger not weaker.