Thank Your Physician on “National Doctor’s Day”

National Doctor’s Day is March 30, 2014

The Western Carolina Medical Society (WCMS) honors and thanks physicians across Western North Carolina for their commitment to exceptional medical care and for their advocacy on behalf of their patients.

“Doctor’s Day is a way of saying thanks to the physicians who work tirelessly every day to keep their patients and our community healthy,” notes Miriam Schwarz, CEO of WCMS. “We are privileged to have some of the most skilled physicians in the country right here in our own mountains, and Doctor’s Day is just one small way we can honor them for all their hard work and dedication to the health of our community. The next time you see your physician, say ‘thank you’ or send them a thank-you card to let them know how much you appreciate them. It will mean the world to them.”

The first Doctors Day observance was March 30, 1933 in Winder, GA. Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, wanted to set aside a day to honor physicians. This first observance included the mailing of greeting cards and placing flowers on graves of decreased doctors. The red carnation is commonly used as a symbolic flower for National Doctors Day. On October 30, 1990, President George Bush signed a resolution designating March 30 as National Doctors Day.

Since the days of the Hippocratic Oath, the physician has been held in high esteem as healer, a trusted confidante and patient advocate. The relationship between physician and patient is invaluable during times of crisis. Technological breakthroughs have done much to advance the science of medicine; however, the patient-physician relationship remains the fundamental tenet of medicine.

“Doctors do more than keep you healthy,” notes Schwarz. “Our doctors work hard to improve the well-being of the community as a whole.”

Formed in 1885, Western Carolina Medical Society is a voluntary professional association of more than 800 physicians throughout Western North Carolina. WCMS is the physicians’ voice advocating for the health of the medical profession, the health of the patient, and the health of the community.

For more information about the Western Carolina Medical Society or Doctors Day,
go to www.mywcms.org.