"Today’s physicians continue to witness significant change in the nature of health care delivery. The roles of all health professionals, hospitals, patients, funding bodies, and governments are evolving at a hurried pace. Practice is changing daily, with literally thousands of medical journals documenting our evolving understanding of biological, social, and clinical sciences. Patients are treated in more diversified settings. They spend less time in hospitals, and those who are there are older and sicker. We live in an era with a rising emphasis on accountability and a declining appreciation of professionals and various authorities. Never has the true nature of a physician been such at risk. The question arises, as it did at the Royal College at the beginning of the 1990s: “How can we best prepare physicians to be effective in this environment and truly meet the needs of their patients?”" (Page One, CanMEDS 2005).

My question: what does it mean, "Never has the true nature of a physician been such at risk?" What is the true nature of a physician anyway? And is that even proper English?