It's been an exciting spring for advocacy: Our partners at ACEP successfully lobbied the Joint Commission to allow us to eat and drink in the ED, and EMRA refused to support continuing the AAMC's Standardized Video Interview program for medical students after reviewing the data.1
But one issue that hasn't received enough attention is "Scholarly Activity." Our freedom to pursue our professional passions as residents just came under attack, so EMRA stood up for us and fought back. Let me explain...
For years, the ACGME has required EM residents to pursue a "scholarly activity" project in residency. Historically, EM has been an innovative and progressive field, recognizing our right to fulfill this requirement through more than just peer-reviewed research, such as non-peer reviewed FOAM posts and presentations at local and national conferences on a topic you're passionate about.2 That's because while peer-reviewed research is critically important to developing the knowledge base of our specialty, it's just one of many important ways residents can shape the future of emergency medicine.
Recently, a "consensus report" from a group of research directors advocated for a far narrower interpretation of what constitutes scholarly activity, so EMRA reached out and banded together with the program directors at CORD and our fellow residents at ACOEP-RSO and AAEM-RSA to publish a rebuttal in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine.3,4
But writing letters isn't the only way EMRA stands up for you. We work closely with the resident representatives to the ACGME Review Committee for EM, CORD, the EM Model of Clinical Practice Task Force, the EM Milestones Review Task Force, and the ACEP Board. In fact, most of those resident representatives concomitantly serve on the EMRA Board.
Plus, we have regular meetings with virtually all of the stakeholders in our field, including board certifiers (ABEM), osteopathic physicians (ACOEP), academicians (SAEM), clerkship directors (CDEM), and program coordinators (EMARC). We do all of this to ensure that every time a decision that affects EM residents' lives is being made, the EM residents' voice on the issue is heard loud and clear.
We also democratically debate our policy stances at our semi-annual Representative Council meetings at CORD and ACEP (which you can now attend virtually). We created a yearlong Leadership Academy and a brand-new Health Policy Academy to train more than 200 residents and medical students to become the movers and shakers of the next generation. We fund 120 national leadership positions for residents and medical students through our 20 committees, and we are launching EMRA's 45 Under 45, a celebration of those who have positively influenced our specialty.5-9
So if you're excited about shaping the future of emergency medicine too, check out our opportunities, reach out, and help make the future even brighter than it already is!
References
- ACEP Eating and Drinking in the ED. https://www.acep.org/life-as-a-physician/wellness/eating-and-drinking-in-the-ed/. Accessed March 2019.
- Review Committee for Emergency Medicine. “Frequently Asked Questions: Emergency Medicine.” Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. Oct 2017. Online. https://www.acgme.org/Portals/0/PDFs/FAQ/110_emergency_medicine_FAQs_2017-07-01.pdf
- Kane, B. G, Totten, V. Y, Kraus, C. K, Allswede, M., Diercks, D. B, Garg, N., et al. (2019). Creating Consensus: Revisiting the Emergency Medicine Resident Scholarly Activity Requirement. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, 20(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2018.10.39293 Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3w69c7q9
- Pasichow, S. H, Jarou, Z. J, Nikolla, D. A, Qureshi, M. M, Epter, M. L, Kane, B. G, et al. (2019). Response to “Creating Consensus: Revisiting the Emergency Medicine Scholarly Activity Requirement”. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, 20(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2019.1.42332 Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0n79j8g2
- EMRA Representative Council. https://www.emra.org/be-involved/be-a-leader/representative-council/. Accessed March 2019.
- EMRA Leadership Academy. https://www.emra.org/be-involved/events--activities/leadership-academy/. Accessed March 2019.
- EMRA Health Policy Academy. https://www.emra.org/be-involved/events--activities/emra-health-policy-academy/. Accessed March 2019.
- EMRA Committees. https://www.emra.org/be-involved/committees/. Accessed March 2019.