AAEM NEWS FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
MISSION STATEMENT
Diversity of Priorities and Talents Andy Mayer, MD FAAEM — Editor, Common Sense
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his last year will be one of those times long from now that you will tell your grandchildren stories about and reflect on the trials and tribulations, which you have faced. I suspect this will be similar to our elders reminiscing about the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy Assassination, or similar epic type events from our communal past. The turmoil related to COVID, George Floyd, and the 2020 election will probably stand out in our minds forever. On a professional level in regards to emergency medicine, COVID will certainly stand out in our collective memory as one of the great tests of our medical infrastructure and the abilities and fortitude of each doctor on the frontlines of the pandemic. The events of the last year will probably also go down for other significant reasons and will have long-lasting effects on our profession. The expansion of the independent practice of NonPhysician Providers (NPPs) was accelerated by the pandemic. The expanded used of these same NPPs by corporate management groups as a cost cutting measure will probably be long remembered. The possible glut of new emergency medicine graduates that has been predicted for several years may be finally becoming a reality. The decrease in emergency department patient volumes at the same time of record numbers of new emergency medicine residency graduates may present a perfect storm for graduating residents trying to land their first job. Recent comments and articles related to the difficulty of new graduates finding jobs is troubling. Just read the January 4th Washington Post article entitled, Young ER doctors risk their lives on the pandemic’s front lines. But they struggle to find jobs and see if you are concerned for our young colleagues as they try and enter the job market many with large student loan debts. The reason I am discussing this is in regards to priorities onto which we as a profession need to place our focus on in the near future. Our collective prospects as a specialty are at stake and deciding where and how our efforts and energies should be prioritized is a question we must face in the short run. This is especially true as it relates to our organized emergency medicine societies. AAEM is no longer an upstart organization and is now over 25 years old. AAEM is also no longer a small group of vocal emergency physicians crying out in relation to board certification, the loss of independent practice, the dangers of corporate management groups, due process, and the other core issues, which prompted the founding of our organization. AAEM has developed into a broader and more mature organization and has attracted a broad group of emergency physicians who all recognize the necessity of our focus on these core values of AAEM. This same group also has, as they should, a broad spectrum of talents, interests, and priorities. We all come to emergency medicine with a different history. Each person has their own set of battle scars from their past and has a calling to try and make the world and our profession a better place.
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COMMON SENSE MAY/JUNE 2021
• The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is the specialty society of emergency medicine. AAEM is a democratic organization committed to the following principles: • Every individual should have unencumbered access to quality emergency care provided by a specialist in emergency medicine. • The practice of emergency medicine is best conducted by a specialist in emergency medicine. • A specialist in emergency medicine is a physician who has achieved, through personal dedication and sacrifice, certification by either the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) or the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM). • The personal and professional welfare of the individual specialist in emergency medicine is a primary concern to the AAEM. • The Academy supports fair and equitable practice environments necessary to allow the specialist in emergency medicine to deliver the highest quality of patient care. Such an environment includes provisions for due process and the absence of restrictive covenants. • The Academy supports residency programs and graduate medical education, which are essential to the continued enrichment of emergency medicine, and to ensure a high quality of care for the patient. • The Academy is committed to providing affordable high quality continuing medical education in emergency medicine for its members. • The Academy supports the establishment and recognition of emergency medicine internationally as an independent specialty and is committed to its role in the advancement of emergency medicine worldwide.
