Connecting with fellow SHM members at a meeting of the newly-minted Central Florida chapter.
As we sail beyond the borders of 2025 and begin our journey into 2026, many of us find ourselves eyeing the seas with uncertainty. Whether it be the confusion among federal healthcare agencies, the financial turmoil of healthcare institutions, or the flux of our careers and personal lives, there exists a fog of uncertainty about what lies ahead.
Uncertainty in medicine is nothing new, and addressing it is a burgeoning field of scholarship and literature.1 But addressing uncertainty in our healthcare systems and in our own careers is an area less examined.2 What guidelines do I follow when once-respected “sources of truth” diverge from evidence-based foundations and are at odds with professional societies or newly formed coalitions?3 Are U.S. medical institutions able to honor their commitment to patients and communities with difficult financial realities?4 Will physicians educated or trained overseas find a career in the U.S. to be possible or even desirable?5
On a personal level, I’ve also considered a career change, and I am now transitioning to a new position for reasons both personal and professional. On a recent apartment-hunting trip, I had the pleasure of connecting with the newly-minted SHM Central Florida chapter, thanks to the hospitality of chapter president Eddy Maharam, MD. What struck me about those gathered for the inaugural chapter meeting in Orlando was not just the wide range of experience—from medical students to a recently retired hospitalist—but the ongoing dedication to clinical excellence, patient experience, and community connections.
This dedication wasn’t unique to Central Florida. No matter where I went in my unexpectedly wide-ranging travels while interviewing at various institutions, hospitalists and healthcare providers were facing uncertainty and adversity, but what was certain was their dedication to the field and to their patients.
And there lies the North Star guiding us through choppy seas—the certainty of purpose. Not certainty about outcomes, policies, or institutional directions, but certainty in our commitment to patients and communities. This is the counterbalance to uncertainty—when we don’t know what’s coming, we can still know who we serve and why we show up.
Dr. Chang is a pediatric and adult hospitalist and the editor of The Hospitalist. He will be starting a new position as chief of pediatric hospital medicine at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, in Orlando, Fla., beginning in March 2026.
References
- Han PKJ, et al. Uncertainty in health care: Towards a more systematic program of research. Patient Educ Couns. 2019;102(10):1756-1766. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2019.06.012.
2. Ligibel JA, et al. Well-Being Parameters and Intention to Leave Current Institution Among Academic Physicians. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(12):e2347894. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.47894.