Statement of Purpose

Sounds so formal - "Statement of Purpose". Why have yet another National Association of Anything? Well, there are a few reasons why I think laying the foundation for a coalition of mid-level providers who work in retail clinics is essential.

Isolation - personal or professional is not good. In order to protect our interests as professionals we need to look beyond the boundaries of our employers. For example, if you worked in Dr. X's office for 10 years did you confine your professional relationships to just those people who worked in Dr. X's office? Or did you belong to a group(s) outside of Dr. X's office who could offer insight into your own practice?

If your answer is yes but you still have your doubts - how 'bout this question? If you were employed by X hospital did you confine your professional relationships to just employees of X hospital? I hope not.

Hospital X and Dr. X and Retail Clinic X may be just the most darndest best place/employer in the whole world (give me a break!) - but if you isolate yourself from your colleagues in different offices, hospitals, and retail clinics, in my opinion you are committing professional suicide.

Retail clinic practice is new, uncharted professional territory for most of us. This means two things: opportunities and innovation are still welcome and unknown hazards may lay ahead.

I understand that some retail clinics have specific rules about what you are allowed to discuss or not discuss outside of the company. Let's face it, when Wal-Mart gets into the game - you know this is Big Business. So protect yourself. Do not post anything that could get you into trouble! We do not want to share company secrets here. We want to share personal professional experiences.

So, with that being said, share your experiences, questions, frustrations and innovations as a practitioner working in a retail clinic - start posting!