Primum Non Nocere
No. 1,2006
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President’s Message
On Reentering the Practice of Medicine
On page three of this number of
the Forum appears a new position
statement proposed for the Board’s
consideration by its Policy Commit¬
tee. The statement deals with the
issue of reentry to clinical practice
by those who have been out of such
practice for two years or more. It
is the result of extensive discussion
among Board members, staff, and
others arising from our experience
Robert C. Mqffatt, Ml) with increasing numbers of physi¬
cians who have left clinical practice
and then find themselves wanting to return. It seems clear to the
Board that the skills of those who have been away from clinical
practice for several years may have been dulled a bit, even if they
made a reasonable effort to keep up their GME, Generally, those
wanting to return also recognize that fact.
The increase in those leaving active practice for various per¬
sonal or professional reasons has become a significant issue for
all state medical boards. A number of reasons are noted for this
occurrence. Women often take this step to have children, and
both men and women may do so because of other family respon¬
sibilities, to explore other opportunities, or to deal with personal
issues.
An example would be the woman physician who stops her
practice of medicine for an extended period in order to start her
family and, after a few years, wishes to resume her practice. Dur¬
ing the ensuing years, her license has become inactive and she has
not kept up with her continuing medical education requirements.
There is also the very real possibility that she has lost some of her
medical skills. Or consider die physician who decides to simply
drop out tor a time — possibly to see the world or pursue a dream,
or the one who moves into purely administrative work, never
seeing patients. The time may come when they wish to reenter
practice, pick up where they left off. That’s the issue the Board
has been dealing with and the challenge it has been facing with
greater frequency.
As a result, the Board established a Reentry Subcommittee to
analyze the problem and propose a solution. Among its responsi¬
bilities was determining how long a physician could be out of ac¬
tive practice before some reentry requirement would be needed.
It was also responsible for creating an acceptable and appropriate
reentry program that would serve to best protect the public while
meeting the needs of those physicians seeking to reactivate their
licenses. After extended study, the position statement that appears
on page three, ‘'’Competence and Reentry to the Active Practice of
Medicine,” was developed and, in turn, endorsed by the Board’s
Policy Committee. It will soon be considered for final adoption
by the Board. I hope you will take time to read it, just as I hope
you make an effort to read all the Board’s position statements.
You never know when one or another may affect you.
Robert C. Mo ft at t. Ml)
In This Issue of the FORUM
Item Page
President’s Message
On Reentering the Practice of Medicine . 1
‘Robert C. Moffatt, MD
NCMB Policy Committee Continues Review
of Position Statements, Offers Results of
Recent Review . 2
‘Staff
Physician Prescribing Habits and the
Epidemic of Opioid Addiction . 3
‘David A. Ames, MD
Drs Jablonski and Loomis Appointed to NCMB,
Drs McCulloch and FretweU Reappointed . 4
‘Staff
NC Consensus Guidelines for Management
of Suspected CA-MRSA Skin and Soft
Tissue Infections . 6
“Eva Clontz, MEd
Item Page
What Arc You Doing About Health Care
Quality in Your Practice? — Part I . 8
‘Marjorie A. Satinsky, MA, MBA
Personal Experience with SMAT Team II,
Waveland, Mississippi, September 2-10, 200.3 . 13
‘Peter N. Purcell, MD
Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention
in Women . 16
‘Sara B. McEwen, MD, MPH, & Jacob A. Lolu; MD
Board Actions: November- December
2005/
January 2006 . 19
Board Calendar . 28
Change of Address Form . 28