Resident President's Message
Resident President's Message
Let's face it. We are all emergency medicine residents or students interested in emergency medicine. There are two groups that represent emergency medicine residents and these two groups are affiliated with two other groups that represent emergency medicine physicians in general. I speak of course of AAEM/RSA and EMRA and their relationships to AAEM and ACEP respectively. Why two groups? Which group should you look to for educational resources and to provide your voice on a national stage?
I am going to make the suggestion you not choose between us, at least as residents. Work with both. I am a proud member of EMRA and greatly enjoy reading their newsletter, access to EM:RAP and other things they provide. I am obviously more involved with AAEM but respect EMRA greatly.
That said, I am going to make the case that AAEM/RSA is a valuable resource not to be ignored. I am also going to mention some of the things that we stand for that at one point did, and in some cases still do, set us apart from ACEP and EMRA. We agree with each other more than we disagree, and we should work together far more than we do, but differences remain.
A good place to start would be the benefits we provide. The highlight of this would obviously be our annual conference, Scientific Assembly, which will be held next year in Orlando, FL, February 28 through March 2. The conference registration is free to all members (not just residents), a perk not available with any other organization and something to consider when paying the attending registration fees for other conferences. Scientific Assembly has a resident track and a student track, in addition to outstanding lectures from some of the best speakers in the business. I am still amazed at all the topics discussed last year. We also have a board review book that has been very well reviewed by many residents and is quickly being adapted as a self-contained board review course. Our "Rules of the Road" series details important things that every physician needs to know as they make the transitions to each new level. We recently released the newest edition of the resident version with a lot of information on job searches and what to look out for in contracts.
So why are there two organizations in the first place? I often get asked this question and hope those who know this history will bear with me. As I have alluded to earlier, the differences between the residency organizations is small, though the differences between our parent organizations are sometimes stark.
AAEM was founded in 1993 partly in response to the original members' concerns that there was no professional society willing to support residency training by restricting membership to board certified/board eligible members. In the early years of our specialty, there was a practice track for board certification to allow those pioneers who did not have the option of residency training to become board certified. That track ended after 10 years and since 1990 there has no way to obtain board certification without residency training. This did not stop ACEP from continuing to offer full voting membership to "qualified emergency providers" without residency training in emergency medicine through 2000 and FACEP designation to non-residency trained physicians as recently as 2008.
EMRA claims to have pushed ACEP to change its policy in 2000 and to the extent EMRA did, we applaud them. That said, the parent organization still cannot say, to this day, that all fellows of the organization are board certified, or even eligible to sit for the boards in emergency medicine. This is something our parent organization, AAEM, has required since inception and something, as a resident, I fully support.
Today we continue to be concerned that emergency medicine is being run by large organizations that are more concerned with filling slots in a calendar and expanding the number of contracts they hold than delivering quality emergency care with qualified providers. As residents we have been blessed with a great RRC and dedicated program directors who ensure that we all gain similar exposures and education. After residency, however, many possible options are available.
AAEM/RSA feels that EM physicians should be employed fairly in open and democratic groups. EM physicians should be board certified, which since 1988 has required residency training in EM. The money physicians earn should go mostly to those same physicians, with open account books that allow providers to know how much they are paying for professional and management services. Physicians should be able to appeal to the hospital board and be allowed due process if their employment is terminated. Physicians changing jobs should not be forced out of a city because of restrictive covenants in their contracts. Emergency physicians ideally are members of the hospital staff and key players in the care provided in the hospital, not just a cog to be put in for shifts. AAEM and AAEM/RSA have consistently fought for these principles where others have stood silently by.
If you would like to learn more about the organization you can always visit our website, www.aaemrsa.org for more information. We would love for you to be an active member of RSA and we would also love for you to continue your membership for the lifetime of your career. AAEM has always worked for the practicing emergency medicine physician and we will continue to support you through your career.
Abstract and Introduction
Introduction
Let's face it. We are all emergency medicine residents or students interested in emergency medicine. There are two groups that represent emergency medicine residents and these two groups are affiliated with two other groups that represent emergency medicine physicians in general. I speak of course of AAEM/RSA and EMRA and their relationships to AAEM and ACEP respectively. Why two groups? Which group should you look to for educational resources and to provide your voice on a national stage?
I am going to make the suggestion you not choose between us, at least as residents. Work with both. I am a proud member of EMRA and greatly enjoy reading their newsletter, access to EM:RAP and other things they provide. I am obviously more involved with AAEM but respect EMRA greatly.
That said, I am going to make the case that AAEM/RSA is a valuable resource not to be ignored. I am also going to mention some of the things that we stand for that at one point did, and in some cases still do, set us apart from ACEP and EMRA. We agree with each other more than we disagree, and we should work together far more than we do, but differences remain.
A good place to start would be the benefits we provide. The highlight of this would obviously be our annual conference, Scientific Assembly, which will be held next year in Orlando, FL, February 28 through March 2. The conference registration is free to all members (not just residents), a perk not available with any other organization and something to consider when paying the attending registration fees for other conferences. Scientific Assembly has a resident track and a student track, in addition to outstanding lectures from some of the best speakers in the business. I am still amazed at all the topics discussed last year. We also have a board review book that has been very well reviewed by many residents and is quickly being adapted as a self-contained board review course. Our "Rules of the Road" series details important things that every physician needs to know as they make the transitions to each new level. We recently released the newest edition of the resident version with a lot of information on job searches and what to look out for in contracts.
So why are there two organizations in the first place? I often get asked this question and hope those who know this history will bear with me. As I have alluded to earlier, the differences between the residency organizations is small, though the differences between our parent organizations are sometimes stark.
AAEM was founded in 1993 partly in response to the original members' concerns that there was no professional society willing to support residency training by restricting membership to board certified/board eligible members. In the early years of our specialty, there was a practice track for board certification to allow those pioneers who did not have the option of residency training to become board certified. That track ended after 10 years and since 1990 there has no way to obtain board certification without residency training. This did not stop ACEP from continuing to offer full voting membership to "qualified emergency providers" without residency training in emergency medicine through 2000 and FACEP designation to non-residency trained physicians as recently as 2008.
EMRA claims to have pushed ACEP to change its policy in 2000 and to the extent EMRA did, we applaud them. That said, the parent organization still cannot say, to this day, that all fellows of the organization are board certified, or even eligible to sit for the boards in emergency medicine. This is something our parent organization, AAEM, has required since inception and something, as a resident, I fully support.
Today we continue to be concerned that emergency medicine is being run by large organizations that are more concerned with filling slots in a calendar and expanding the number of contracts they hold than delivering quality emergency care with qualified providers. As residents we have been blessed with a great RRC and dedicated program directors who ensure that we all gain similar exposures and education. After residency, however, many possible options are available.
AAEM/RSA feels that EM physicians should be employed fairly in open and democratic groups. EM physicians should be board certified, which since 1988 has required residency training in EM. The money physicians earn should go mostly to those same physicians, with open account books that allow providers to know how much they are paying for professional and management services. Physicians should be able to appeal to the hospital board and be allowed due process if their employment is terminated. Physicians changing jobs should not be forced out of a city because of restrictive covenants in their contracts. Emergency physicians ideally are members of the hospital staff and key players in the care provided in the hospital, not just a cog to be put in for shifts. AAEM and AAEM/RSA have consistently fought for these principles where others have stood silently by.
If you would like to learn more about the organization you can always visit our website, www.aaemrsa.org for more information. We would love for you to be an active member of RSA and we would also love for you to continue your membership for the lifetime of your career. AAEM has always worked for the practicing emergency medicine physician and we will continue to support you through your career.
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