Dr. Bruce Lo on getting involved: “Half the battle is showing up!”
Bruce Lo MD, MBA, FACEP likes to be involved, to say the least. He is the Medical Director at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. He also serves as an assistant program director for the emergency medicine residency at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and was on former Governor McAuliffe’s task force for behavioral health. He participates in a number of state-wide psychiatric committees, and serves on the board of directors for a number of regional and national committees, like VACEP and ACEP’s Clinical Policy Committee. He has been a member of VACEP since 2001, and served as VACEP President from 2017 - 2019.
What do you love most about emergency medicine and why did you choose it?
To me, the ability to see all types of patients from all walks of life is what drew me into emergency medicine. In addition to the people, I love the fast-paced environment where multiple things are happening at the same time – a place of controlled chaos. The pathology we see is wide-ranging from "routine" to those that need life-saving procedures - you never know what's going to come through the front door!
How has your past influenced where you are now?
I’ve been fortunate to have been involved in a number of projects at the local, state, and national level. What I saw each step of the journey were opportunities for improvement in the things that affect our ability to take care of patients effectively. I learned that in order to make change, you have to get involved, which I used to think was something that was impossible to do. Instead, what I learned was there’s a huge need for physicians to get involved - half the battle is showing up!
What do you hope for the future of emergency medicine?
As medicine is quickly evolving, my wish for the next generation is that they are willing to get involved, help to actively shape the future of not only emergency medicine, but the whole house of medicine. Our future depends on it!
How has emergency medicine changed since you started your career?
When I first started, the role of the physician was to just know the medicine and to take care of the patient. As the world got more complicated, that was no longer enough.
Medicine became a big business, and the number of regulations needed for compliance and metrics have grown exponentially. Luckily, emergency medicine became recognized as the front door of the hospital system, and people started recognizing the importance of the role of emergency physicians. In my opinion, emergency physicians are probably the best and most equipped people to lead the change in many occasions.
How have you changed since you started your career?
When I started in emergency medicine, I really didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I knew I wanted to do something with education, working with residents and students. As my career progressed, I found that I really enjoyed advocacy and working to better the system. I was truly lucky to find a way to merge education, advocacy/leadership, and clinical practice into one career – a way to take the best of all worlds!
What do you do in your free time outside of the ED?
My wife and I really enjoy traveling, especially to places that we have not been to, and especially exploring different foods and the cultures that shaped it. We also enjoy challenging ourselves and trying different things, from canyoning in Portugal to diving the Great Barrier Reef to hiking the Inca trail.
What motivates you?
There are 3 things that motivate me the most:
1). The fruition of advocacy work (local/regional/national) to improve the processes and environment that I work in
2). The next generation inspired to get involved
3). Simple gratitude from patients and their lives I’ve been able to help
What has surprised you the most about emergency medicine?
The saying that emergency physicians are the “jack of all trades, master of none” is actually not entirely true. In fact, the knowledge and expertise of an emergency physician makes for one of the most versatile leaders in healthcare due to the extensive knowledge and ability to handle all walks of life.
Why did you join our organization?
Joining VACEP allowed me to get involved and advocate for my fellow physicians and partners, something I would not have been able to easily do on my own. It’s also opened many doors for me and allowed me to meet others who have similar goals.
What would you say to someone thinking about getting involved with VACEP?
Get involved! It can seem daunting and overwhelming, but getting involved is crucial in making sure the voice of emergency medicine and the patients that are seen in the emergency department are heard. VACEP makes it easy.
