Unwittingly, I deleted someone's recent question. Sometimes our fingers move faster than our brains. But I believe this is the gist of the question:  Do I really believe that our efforts on behalf of the physician community are going to make a difference?

There are thousands of inspiring quotes out there to choose from, but I am not about to plagiarize anyone’s bumper sticker.

Growing up I watched people holler back at their television sets when it came to matters of social injustice and/or politics. That’s nice. But I don’t recall a time when any of them stopped their damn complaining and took action. Good people who lived decent lives, just maybe never knew their part connected to the whole.  

Watching inaction or a sense of resignation in others is something that feels like sandpaper to my soul. Makes me spin off the planet. Futility is beige; it's weak; it's baron. It is the welcome sign on the door that says, “Come in and take what you want.” And with time, futility is the poison to render us silent.   

So, to answer the original question of whether or not our efforts will make a difference? I must judge by the momentum of patients, physicians, med students and residents across the country. My answer is a solid, resounding “YES".  

Yes, Virginia, we will and already have made a difference.