As I sit down to write this message, the first thing I am faced with is a blank page. Sometimes, the blank page is intimidating. Not now. Not today. At this point in time, I am eager to embrace a fresh start with a new outlook, born out of lessons learned and insight gained.

2020 has been an unprecedented year in emergency medicine for the entire world, across the country, and throughout Florida. There have been some major disappointments professionally and personally for many of our colleagues, who have not been treated well by their employers. There have been amazing stories of our resilience and selfless service to our patients as well as each other. There have been tragic stories of colleagues and team members who have become ill with COVID-19 themselves, and some of whom have passed away. The adversity we have faced has brought out the best and the worst of our systems and teams at a remarkably accelerated pace.

Emergency physicians are ready for a new chapter. Our paradigms have shifted; the manner and settings in which we practice have changed; the circumstances we work in have morphed into a new normal. We have risen to the occasion, but it is now time to stop surviving and start thriving. It is time to take the mindfulness we were forced to rapidly develop and channel it into being truly present in our relationships and actions, fostering authenticity and peace.

It is time to re-engage and remain true to the leaders and teams that have stood by you and advocated for you, including the Florida College of Emergency Physicians. It is time to discard the negative mindsets, habits, and relationships that do not bring love, trust, and positivity to your personal and professional life. It is time to collectively realize our worth as emergency physicians, and actualize our potential as healthcare leaders that can educate and influence policymakers, educators, colleagues, and patients.

I am optimistic about our strength that has grown out of the adversity we have faced over the last year. We have an opportunity to use our experiences during 2020 to be refined into our best selves individually and speak with a stronger, more unified voice as a specialty. I am invigorated by the passion for emergency services, the robust experience, and the overall expertise that Jon Dolan is bringing to the Florida College of Emergency Physicians as our new Executive Director.  I look forward to 2021 being the year that we emerge stronger than ever before with a deeper sense of purpose and greater understanding of who we are as people and emergency physicians. ■ 

“Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is yet to come. We have only today, let us begin.” – Mother Teresa