Tomorrow is National Doctors Day!

On March 30th each year, National Doctors Day honors physicians for their dedication and contributions to society and the community.

First observed in 1933, the community in Winder, Georgia mailed greeting cards and placed flowers on the graves of deceased doctors. Since then, it has grown into a national event recognized and celebrated by health care organizations and institutions across the United States. The red carnation is commonly used as the symbolic flower for National Doctors Day.

If anybody has earned a day of appreciation, it is our doctors! Physicians play a pivotal role in safeguarding and improving the well-being of patients. Their extensive education, training and expertise are essential in diagnosing and treating a vast array of medical conditions. Beyond their clinical roles, doctors contribute significantly to medical research, innovation and the continuous improvement of health care practices.

This day offers an opportunity for health care institutions and patients to express their gratitude and appreciation for the tireless efforts of physicians.

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL DOCTORS DAY

• Take the opportunity to thank your physician for responding to late-night phone calls, working long hours, and providing unswerving care. Today, more than ever, we know the sacrifices they make to put the health of their communities first. 
• Share your experiences being a doctor. Your story may inspire someone to medicine as a career path.
• Use #NationalDoctorsDay to post on social media.
• Check out these great physician biographies, autobiographies, and narratives:

  • A black physician's struggle for civil rights : Edward C. Mazique, M.D.

  • Empathy : real stories to inspire and enlighten busy clinicians

  • In her own words : oral histories of women physicians

  • Kitchen table wisdom : stories that heal

  • La clínica : a doctor's journey across borders

  • Latino leaders speak : personal stories of struggle and triumph

  • Lessons learned : stories from women physician leaders

  • Narrative psychiatry : how stories can shape clinical practice

  • On doctor[i]ng : stories, poems, essays

  • The Blood of Strangers : Stories From Emergency Medicine.

  • The city of refuge : the collected stories of Rudolph Fisher

  • The doctor stories

  • The wind doesn't need a passport : stories from the U.S.-Mexico borderlands

  • What I learned in medical school : personal stories of young doctors