As the end of my term as NCMB President winds down, I am proud to report on what the Board has accomplished not just in the last year, but over the last five years. In 2017, my fellow Board Members and I, led by NCMB staff, developed a new mission and vision statement for NCMB.
The mission statement –
To protect the people of North Carolina, and the integrity of the medical profession, through just and vigilant licensing and regulation – was an affirmation of the role NCMB has always played in ensuring the safety of the public. The Board also, for the first time in its more than 160-year history, adopted a vision statement, to describe in aspirational terms where NCMB is headed and what it aims to achieve. This is our vision:
NCMB will be a proactive and progressive leader that addresses emerging challenges in medicine.
Looking back over the last five years, I believe that NCMB has leaned into this vision and is taking meaningful steps to become that leader. I will highlight several of those efforts.
Clinician wellness
NCMB has been working in this area for several years now, both to reduce barriers to care for licensees who are struggling, and to become an engaged partner in addressing professional burnout systemically. One of the changes that has received the most attention is NCMB’s decision to remove questions from the renewal and licensure forms that required licensees or applicants to reveal if they are in treatment for any physical or mental health condition. Eliminating those questions was intended to remove a potential barrier to treatment for licensees who may wish to seek care but fear reprisal from NCMB. In addition, NCMB has been encouraging early referrals for mental health and substance use issues, particularly during and after the pandemic. In most circumstances, licensees may self-refer to the NC Professionals Health Program (NCPHP) without any information about that referral, including their identity, being revealed to NCMB. NCPHP provides free initial consultations and can provide guidance and referrals to further care, as needed. Contact 919-870-4480 24 hours a day, seven days a week to set up a consultation.
Education on underrecognized maltreatment and neglect
Another recent project to address emerging challenges in medicine is a collaboration between NCMB, Wake Area Health Education Center (Wake AHEC) and leading subject matter experts in North Carolina that has resulted in new CME for clinicians. The initiative arose from concern about an increase of physical violence during the pandemic and a desire to better equip licensees to recognize and respond to cases of maltreatment or neglect of vulnerable patient populations. After consulting with various agencies and experts in the state, NCMB determined that there is a need for clinician education in recognizing and responding to both elder neglect and maltreatment and intimate partner violence. Our collaboration resulted in CME courses on both topics, which are now accessible at www.wakeahec.org. Search keywords “elder neglect and abuse” and “intimate partner violence” to find the courses. NCMB is also developing new educational strategies regarding child maltreatment and neglect and will highlight key resources and courses to make sure that licensees can easily access this information.
Preventing regulatory problems in the next generation
One of NCMB’s most active initiatives in recent years is its Regulatory Immersion Series – a mock disciplinary experience that teaches medical students, and PA students, ethics and professionalism through the lens of medical regulation. I am including this program in this message because it is a strong example of how NCMB is working to proactively and progressively address challenges in medicine. Our goal is to reach every medical school and PA program in North Carolina every year going forward (a goal we are on track to reach in 2023). Long term, we see this as an opportunity to help early career professionals anticipate and avoid many problems that may lead to regulatory action over the course of their careers. In essence, NCMB is hoping to prevent problems before they ever arise, thus fulfilling both its mission of protecting the public, and its vision of being a proactive leader.
In conclusion, it has been an honor to serve as NCMB President, and to be a part of the important work that the Board and staff do every day. NCMB has always sought to be a supportive resource that focuses as much on helping licensees avoid problems as it does on addressing substandard care and misconduct, which in turn supports its mission of patient protection. I am proud to highlight these recent projects, which are steps towards achieving the goals set forth in our vision statement.
Be well.
