2 March 2024
WANP's Executive Director Angela Ross, ND, was honored to be a feature speaker at the annual Kaleidoscope event of the Naturopathic Medical Student Association (NMSA) this evening, alongside long-time WANP member and ND-extraordinaire Eric Yarnell, ND, RH(AHG). The event centered around networking and the importance of community. Specifically, Dr. Ross was asked by student members to cover 3 over-arching themes: 1) A sense of community and why community is important; 2) a morale boost; and 3) inspiration.
Here is what Dr. Ross shared with the medical students and physicians in attendance:
Let's start with community - since this is a networking event after all.
I'll be honest: I am a natural networker and connector. AND I am an introvert. (Yes - those two things CAN co-exist!) I will talk to just about anybody and I am curious about everybody. In fact, there have been so many times when my partner's kiddo sees me get into an in-depth conversation with a random person when we're out and about and then asks me incredulously: "Do you KNOW that person?" And I respond: "Uh... well... I guess I do now!" It's become a household joke.
I do this because community and connection is important to me. You've heard the saying, "The world is run by those who show up." You don't get a seat at the table, you don't get to participate in decisions that may impact your life, you don't develop a reputation as a subject matter expert, you don't learn from people who do really different things than you, and you don't expand your sphere of influence if you don't show up. And you NEVER KNOW what connections other people have and how those may change the course of your life or your practice or your entire profession.
The best business decision I made when I completed the ND program at Bastyr was to join a local business networking group in my neighborhood. It not only created an instant referral pool for my brand new practice; it also created a social group that I otherwise would not have had. Through that group, I connected with a wide variety of business owners and we all aligned on the fact that we all wanted all of us to be successful. Represented in phrases like "The Golden Rule, "Givers Gain", and even in the concept of karma, this idea of doing good for others and receiving goodness in return resonates deeply with me. When I help and support YOU, all that positive energy and goodness comes back to ME in one form or another. How lovely.
So one arm of my networking and community-building was geographically local for me and expanded my connections and influence far beyond my own professional community.
The other arm has always ALWAYS involved my professional community. THIS community. My beloved naturopathic physician colleagues with all of their diverse passions, skill sets, and brilliance. This community is quite small but quite mighty. And I've known from the first time I set foot on Bastyr's campus that this community does better when we're ALL in it, working together to support and advance each other.
For me, participating in the ND community involved becoming active in my state's professional association. (Oh, hey! That's the WANP!) I ran for the Board, asking "How can I help?" A decade later, I am incredibly honored and humbled to be in my current position - a position that allows me to serve this community that I love every single day from a position of influence and authority. And guess what: the influence I have from this position has been the hard-earned result of networking, of having open and respectful conversations with a lot of different people, of patience, and of appreciation for diverse viewpoints. All of these are requirements of existing in a community.
"The personal is political" is the absolute truth. And - whether you like it or not - your choice to become a naturopathic physician was both a personal and a political one. In my opinion, you MUST get political - get involved, respond to calls to action by your advocacy organizations, pay your membership dues to the organizations that support the profession, and show up when you're called to show up to meet with lawmakers and other policy-makers - if you want to stay in this community and in this profession.
Connecting with each other, giving and receiving mentorship and support, THIS is how we move forward. We are, after all, stronger together.
Speaking of moving forward....
I am standing here, literally looking out at the future of this profession. And let me just say: The future looks good. It is strong, smart, and full of passion for this incredible life-changing medicine that brings us all together. Dr. Bastyr once said: "The truth of our medicine will always win out. The truth of what we are doing will always survive." Quite honestly, the very presence of every one of you in this room is proof that these statements are true.
Our medicine is powerful... and therefore it can feel threatening to people who don't fully understand it. There are constant attacks against us and many people trying to undermine, question, and destroy this profession.
They won't succeed. They'll make some progress here and there, but for every step back for our profession, there will be 2 steps forward. (Note that - kind of like disease progress and healing crises - these steps are not always linear. Don't lose faith!) We will keep advancing because YOU will keep advancing us. YOU will come out of school and you WILL develop your advocacy and your voice and (hopefully) YOU will commit to staying active and staying vigilant by supporting and participating in YOUR community. I promise you: no matter where you land, there's room for you and you are needed.
I want to speak to that point for just a minute more. There are many who try to divide our profession by creating false binaries and trying to force us into them: herbalism versus pharmaceutical prescriptions; vitalists versus "green allopaths"; conventional standards of care versus naturopathic modalities; homeopathy versus evidence-based medicine.
Know that these oppositions persist ONLY IF we allow them to persist. They divide us only if we give them permission and power to divide us. There is NO REASON your practice can't include ALL of these. After all, naturopathic medicine is NOT defined by its modalities, but rather by its philosophy and approach. These "either/or" dichotomies serve only to limit the art and the power of our medicine.
Please hear me now when I say this to you again: There is room for every single one of us under this professional umbrella. As long as you are practicing this medicine safely and competently, you belong here. Part of the power of this medicine and the strength of this profession is in its diversity of approaches, belief systems, and lived experiences.
We have seen over many years now in the political realm that it is incredibly easy to divide and separate people. This temptation will always exist within our profession as well. Please don't fall victim to these efforts. Division will not serve us in the long run.
And you know a great way to fight the divisive rhetoric? Participate in this community! Get to know the people who practice really differently than you do. Understand their passion for and expertise in their modalities and invite them to understand yours. You will certainly find that some things don't feel like a good fit for you or your patients. That's okay! Don't refer to that person. But you will find that other things you never would have considered will be the key that unlocks a tough case for you. And aren't you so delighted that you were able to make that referral because you stayed connected to your community and you knew that option was out there? Trust me: your patients will be too!
You all are in the process of joining a unique and special (and admittedly challenging!) community, and I sincerely hope you'll see the value in sticking with us - even when there are trials and tribulations.. even when there are steps both forward and backward. These people right here in this room and countless others who are already out there and not here with us tonight - THIS will be your support system if you let it. We'll be here when you lose your first patient, we'll cheer you on as your first research paper gets published, we'll commiserate on the woes of insurance contracts, and we'll celebrate our wins as we advance this profession. Together.
I see you. I know the path you've all chosen. And I couldn't be happier with where this thing is headed. I sincerely hope you hear that and feel it deep in your core. And I hope you'll spend the rest of your evening getting curious about some strangers in the room and making some incredible connections. You never know - they could change your life.