Dear colleagues,

The end of 2024 marks my first six months as CEO and the conclusion of the 2024 CEO Listening Tour. I’d like to thank all the members who participated in these sessions — as a new CEO, this was an excellent opportunity to hear directly from you. While I have not connected with as many members as I hoped, the sessions allowed for rich conversational exchanges on a variety of topics. 

I am pleased to share my insights on these sessions and to tell you how we’re keeping the conversation going in 2025 with the launch of Let’s Connect, which will offer regular opportunities for conversation.

Diverse voices make us stronger

Members of the Royal College are a diverse group with a wide range of experiences and perspectives. Opinions on issues ranging from residency training to workforce planning to planetary health vary across members, sometimes dramatically. This diversity of thought is a strength of an organization, like the Royal College, that aims to be a professional home for physicians and surgeons whose practices span 69 specialties and subspecialties. Our challenge is to make room for difference and disagreement while maintaining the engagement of members and strengthening our commitment to our core functions. 

Core functions foster meaning 

Our core functions matter to members. Those with whom I have spoken have wanted to know that the Royal College remains laser focused on its essential work in education, assessment, accreditation and lifelong learning. The meaning that members associate with their membership rests on their confidence that these functions are being maintained and improved. 

Making space to explore concerns about core work

Despite this encouraging endorsement of our core work, members I have connected with have also raised important concerns. Experienced educators have asked critical questions about whether Competence by Design is delivering on the promise of better training. Engaged physicians have expressed anxiety about the ongoing CanMEDS revision project, and whether expectations for physicians in practice will be raised beyond a scope that is reasonable and practical. Further, several members have asked questions about the value and the vision related to our international engagements. 

Beyond core functions: where to add more value?

I have also heard uncertainty about the value proposition of membership in the Royal College and ideas about how it might be strengthened. Some have asked for us to engage more fully in health workforce planning, including at a speciality-specific level. Several others have asked about how the Royal College might become more open to internationally trained specialists who are practising in Canada. Members have called for meaningful action related to physician well-being, and many have raised concerns and questions about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on medical education and practice. While I’ve heard praise for some of our recent AI-related educational activities, it’s clear there is a desire for the Royal College to take on a leadership role as a source of learning, resources and support.

Next steps & Let's Connect!

Charting a path forward while taking into account diverse perspectives, adhering to our core functions, exploring concerns about core work and finding common ground on how to add more value — each of these important areas requires concerted action and I look forward to engaging with you in the coming months on how we can work together to advance them. 

This Listening Tour is but a start toward a goal of a more open, accessible and responsive Royal College. Many members I have spoken with have expressed a desire for greater and more frequent engagement and I recognize that there are many more voices to be heard and much more work to be done. With this feedback in mind, I am pleased to launch a new Let’s Connect series featuring monthly “office hours” in the New Year to offer regular opportunities for conversation, for sharing of ideas and concerns, and for strengthening our connection with members. 

Register for a Let’s Connect session

I hope to see you at one of these upcoming sessions. I am committed to listening, to answering tough questions and to using these conversations to build and refine our approach to the future.

Sincerely,

Chris

Chris Watling, MD, FRCPC, MMEd, PhD
Chief Executive Officer