Physician advocacy: myths versus facts

By Sarah Nosal, MD, President of the American Academy of Family Physicians 

In February, I wrote an essay for “STAT News” about how we are entering a new era of clinician advocacy. Physicians across specialties are no longer quietly advocating but are stepping up and speaking out with renewed energy and purpose. 

I want to dispel the misconception that advocacy pulls you away from meaningful work. Advocacy is meaningful work. As doctors, we already have a seat at the table. Our training, credibility, and firsthand experience caring for patients gives us authority that policymakers deeply value. My goal is to ease any hesitation and remind you that your voice is not only welcome, but necessary.

Myth: You need to be a policy expert to meet with your representatives.

Fact: The most successful advocacy work comes from sharing your lived experiences and holding up the stories of your work and of your patients. The truth is, there is no one better positioned to educate lawmakers on health than family physicians. Lawmakers may know a lot about the details of a particular bill, but you will know what that means for your community and your practice. Your voice may have the greatest impact on the choices they make as they vote and make changes to policy details that could hurt or support your patients.

Myth: Advocacy involves long hours, is tiresome and requires in-person interaction.

Fact: Advocacy does not have to mean endless meetings or time away from patients. It can be as simple as responding to an action alert, signing a letter, or sharing your clinical experience with a local newspaper or policymaker. Clinicians already advocate for patients every day. We contact health departments to secure resources. We fight for medication coverage and workplace accommodations. Advocacy is not an extra burden layered onto medicine; it is an extension of the care we already do.

Myth: It is hard to meet with your lawmakers.

Fact: It is easier than you think, and you do not have to do it alone. Depending on where you live, local offices may be available for meetings. Additionally, professional medical societies regularly provide talking points, background on bills, and pre-written letters. They can even arrange meetings with legislators. Many organizations host advocacy days that guide doctors step-by-step through the process. Lawmakers want to hear from clinicians because our real-world perspectives connect policy to patient outcomes. When physicians show up with stories backed by data and experience, it changes conversations.

Myth: You must be practicing medicine for years before you can advocate.

Fact: You can start as early as medical school and even before. Policymakers want to engage the generation building the next era of medicine. They are often especially eager to hear from early-career clinicians, residents, and medical students. These are the people they hope to keep in their states, and they have powerful stories to share about student loan debt, caring for patients in urban and rural communities, and the challenges of outdated payment systems. These voices are not premature, but essential.

Myth: Advocating at the local or federal level does not make a difference.

Fact: It does. Physician voices shape policy. When doctors speak up, lawmakers listen. Clinical experience brings credibility, data, and human stories to policy conversations. Our perspectives–from caring for newborns to walking with seniors in the last chapter of their lives–influence policy decisions that affect access, payment, recruiting and retaining physicians, and public health.

Every day, clinicians see how policy decisions ripple through exam rooms, hospitals, and communities. If we want systems that truly serve patients, we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines.

If you want to get involved in advocacy, the solution is not hard—get involved. Join your specialty society. Get involved in local advocacy, like your city council or school board. Respond to an action alert. Schedule a meeting with a local legislator. Share your patient stories. You do not need to be an expert in policy to make a difference. You only need to show up.

This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.