ACMS 2023 Vitality Series Video Recordings

Navigating Moral Injury: Building Bridges from Isolation to Community (Held May 2023)

Moral injury describes the damage to our moral compass and sense of self when the situation leaves us to make decisions that run against our values or moral beliefs. We might not recognize ourselves as morally injured, but we feel it, and it rarely feels good. We’re exhausted or cranky or sick to our stomach or emotionally vacant. We feel alone and at a loss of control, maybe even like strangers when we look in the mirror. Can we create spaces for more authentic discussions about these experiences and give voice to moments that aren't always easy to understand?

Healing Healthcare Together: Erasing Mental Health Stigma (Held June 2023)

In the name of public safety, physicians have long been asked to disclose personal mental health challenges on medical licensing applications, credentialing forms, and medical staff applications. Even though they are outlawed by Federal ADA laws, research has shown the questions increase the stigma around seeking care and do not necessarily enhance patient care. In 2018, the Federation of State Medical Boards recommended that these types of questions need to be modernized or eliminated altogether.

For the past few years, and further amplified by COVID, healthcare provision has become increasingly polarized in the context of the national and local political scene. Physicians are no longer held by many as medical experts and clinical advice is frequently ignored by longtime patients. Many find themselves in the crosshairs of political division and activism, some to the point of feeling physically and emotionally threatened and their morale drained.