Seminole County Medical Society


Camaraderie: a priceless benefit of medical society membership


Having only been with the Seminole County Medical Society for the past four months as its new executive director, I found out very quickly the importance of camaraderie with my fellow colleagues. I wasn't hoping that they would give me a magic recipe that would explain exactly how to manage the medical society (although this would be nice). I was hoping to find someone who would share their experiences with me and listen to mine as well. It's amazing nowadays with our fast-paced world how quickly we forget the importance of these relationships, but we clearly notice it when they are missing. Webster's dictionary defines camaraderie as a spirit of friendly good-fellowship. It's almost reassuring to know we are part of a group of people who can be defined such as this, as our comrades. I thought I understood what the Seminole County Medical Society was all about prior to taking my position, but quickly realized that there was much more to this organization than what I had originally thought. It's one thing to have the support of family and friends, but another when that support is coming from a group of people who have been where you are and have had similar experiences.

Camaraderie is only one of many benefits of the Seminole County Medical Society and many other medical societies, but I felt it was important to elaborate on what that camaraderie really means. The Seminole County Medical Society is always looking for ways to, as the FMA so eloquently puts it, "help physicians practice medicine" and will continue to do so, but I believe that the camaraderie the society provides to each and every member is priceless.

With that being said, the Seminole County Medical Society holds quarterly dinner meetings to encourage such camaraderie. The dinner meetings typically include updates on society activities, a political and/or legislative presentation, and a relevant CME presentation. The society also holds quarterly Office Manager Education luncheons for its member offices. If you're interested in joining the Seminole County Medical Society, but are not quite sure yet, please contact the SCMS office at 407-804-9535 or scms@scmsociety.com and get signed up to be a guest at one of our quarterly dinner meetings.

Other benefits of the society include being a voice for its members through working together with the medical community on issues specific to Seminole County physicians. SCMS is continually working together with the FMA, AMA, the three Seminole County hospitals, the University of Central Florida, and the Seminole County Health Department to promote a positive physician image to the rest of the community.

The importance of the legislative influence, grievance review process, medical liability benefit package, Web site member physician directory, worker's compensation insurance dividend plan, and Foundation can not be underestimated. I wish I had the space to speak further on each of these topics. For more information on any of these benefits please visit the Seminole County Medical Society Web site at www.scmsociety.com.