What is it like to sit on CPSA Council?

We asked three current CPSA Councillors about their experiences sitting on Council. Here’s what they told us.

"Serving on CPSA Council has been one of the most rewarding career choices I have ever made."

- Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, physcician member of CPSA Council

If you have the time, you should seriously consider allowing your name to stand for a Council position with your College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA).

Self-regulation is a privilege and as physicians, we need to constantly strive to serve the bests interests of the public. Your role as a governor of CPSA is crucial to its mandate of protecting the public. Ideally, you will have had some experience in serving on a board or a committee. If not, you will have a steep learning curve, but rest assured other Councillors and CPSA team members will be there to guide and support you.

There are many exciting challenges before the medical profession and we need physicians willing to question the status quo and strive for excellence. Whether you just started your practice, are mid-career or nearing your retirement, please consider joining us and become actively engaged in a conversation for the betterment of safe health care delivery.

Please feel welcome to call me at 780-932-7187 if you have any questions, or drop me an email at louis.francescutti@ualberta.ca. Serving on CPSA Council has been one of the most rewarding career choices I have ever made. Don’t miss this chance.

"...self-regulation of a profession is a privilege and it is important for members of that profession to participate."

- Ms. Levonne Louie, public member of CPSA Council

You may be wondering why you are hearing from a publicly-appointed Councillor about the upcoming CPSA Council election. I’ve spent my entire career in a profession where members that deal with the public are regulated, while other members are not. This duality reinforces my belief that self-regulation of a profession is a privilege and it is important for members of that profession to participate. Protection of the public is CPSA’s mandate that we achieve through regulatory excellence.

Besides having a voice in establishing policies to regulate the medical profession and providing input to health policy, there is an opportunity to learn and apply governance principles that are becoming increasingly important in this age of transparency and accountability. Leadership skills can be gained that could help you in current and future phases of your career. As we discuss issues-many of which are new and exciting-that come before Council, it’s so important to have diversity of thought.

We hope that new Council members can bring new perspectives to the table. I’d encourage any member who has an interest in running for a CPSA Councillor position to reach out to CPSA or any Councillor for more information.

"Bringing together varied opinions, experiences and talents from physicians throughout our province and profession gives CPSA the best possible vision and understanding."

- Dr. Richard Martin, physician member of CPSA Council

I ran for a seat on CPSA Council for two equally important reasons: the first being a strong desire to be more involved in my profession, hoping to make a positive contribution while learning more about the challenges shared by my colleagues. The second being I was encouraged to run by mentors whom I greatly respect, and without whom I would not have considered running.

Truthfully, I never expected to be elected-it had always seemed more a race between those from big centres, not really from small, far-away places. I am forever grateful to my colleagues for this tremendous opportunity.

The high-level discussions on Council stand out for me: setting standards of practice, crafting forward-thinking competence program direction, helping define CPSA’s purpose. Also, simply the opportunity to share with the rest of Council the perspective of doctors from similar practices and experiences as me has benefited the discussion. CPSA is much more effective in leading when it is able to understand the context of current medical practice both far and wide. I now understand our profession through a much broader lens, including the challenge of leadership when balancing the expectation of the public with the realities faced by physicians.

CPSA can absolutely be a leader in the pursuit of the best possible health care for Albertans. Bringing together varied opinions, experiences and talents, from physicians throughout our province and profession, gives CPSA the best possible vision and understanding. We, as the medical profession, need every possible voice and idea in this pursuit. We cannot possibly craft an effective, efficient, caring and engaged health care system without physician leadership, understanding, talents or energy. Being involved IS the connection to the higher purpose of medicine-both in caring for each patient or family and caring for our society as a whole.

Find out more about all of CPSA’s Councillors.