At TFM, we acknowledge that being a full-spectrum family doctor means not only being an excellent clinician, but also a community leader and an advocate for the type of social change that will improve the lives of all our patients – especially for those historically marginalized. Opportunities come at every level, from advocating for a specific patient to serving on a local, state, national or international committee – and TFM is committed to the importance of making time for this.
Examples of resident advocacy and service from our current residents include:
- attendance at marches and protests against gun violence and in support of the black lives matter movement
- anti-smoking “Tar Wars” education in local schools
- mentoring underrepresented minorities interested in healthcare at local colleges
- volunteering at our local free clinic (Neighborhood Clinic)
- participating in our social determinants of health committee
- working with faculty to develop an anti-racism curriculum
- serving on MultiCare Health System committees, such as the graduate medical education committee or the perinatal clinical improvement committee
- serving as a representative for community-level projects such as Help Me Grow Pierce County; being a resident representative or resident trustee for the WAFP
- attending family medicine advocacy day in Olympia and speaking with state legislators about issues affecting our patients
- serving as a resident representative to a national AAFP committee
- being a part of the executive committee for Polaris, the young doctors branch of global family medicine
Our faculty also “walk the walk” and model in real-time how to combine a busy career with advocacy and service. In addition to participating alongside us in many of the activities listed above, they also find time to:
- serve on the local public school board – Dr. Enrique Leon
- chair a WAFP committee – Dr. Natalie Nunes
- be the medical director for Neighborhood clinic – Dr. John VanBuskirk
- sit on the board of directors of a local family service organization – Dr Yvette Gross
- serve as the team doc for a local school – Dr. Enrique Leon
- lobby for safer gun laws in Olympia – Dr. Enrique Leon
- serve as Chief of Staff Elect at Tacoma General and Allenmore hospitals – Dr. Rebecca Benko
- advocate for statewide legal changes that will improve the lives of patients with disabilities and develop an innovative wrap-around clinic for children with disabilities transitioning to adulthood – Dr. Alan Gill
- sit on the MultiCare Ethics Committee – Drs. Natalie Nunes & John VanBuskirk
In recent news, our resident Dr. Hayes discusses homelessness in the Washington Family Physician (WAFP) journal – There’s only one solution to homelessness. So how do we get there?
We look forward to seeing how you will work to improve our community and the communities you serve in the future.