How do you define advocacy in the context of educating and training the next generation of physicians? Over the past several years there has been an increasing amount of literature pointing to the importance of advocacy education as a component of the core competency of professionalism. Although the link between advocacy education and professionalism has advanced, residency programs still face the challenge of integrating advocacy education into curriculum. Part of the challenge associated with incorporating advocacy training and education into resident education can be attributed to the difficulty in understanding the value and meaning of training residents to be effective health care advocates. In the future, a laudable physician will need to fulfill their responsibilities as a civic advocate to ensure the best health care is available for their patients.
William Osler, one of the founding physicians of Johns Hopkins Hospital, once said, “The good physician treats the disease; the...
