Making Your Voice Heard

By: Laurel Barr, MD, FACEP

Fall is just around the corner and, as always, summer flew by.  In Ohio that means the kids are back in school, the earliest leaves are falling from the trees, and I can’t escape the football commentary.  But perhaps my favorite part of fall is preparing for the ACEP Annual Meeting, which for me includes preparation for ACEP Council.

Prior to four years ago, I don’t think I knew ACEP Council existed or what it was.  For me, the ACEP meeting was a great way to connect with colleagues, attend some high quality CME, and try to pretend it’s as much of a vacation as I could have gotten for the time off.  Little did I know that behind the scenes, a democratic process was shaping Emergency Medicine’s future.

ACEP Council is your elected delegation, guiding College resources in education, research, and advocacy.  State chapters and sections elect Councilors annually to serve as your representatives.  We spend the year (and especially the summer) hard at work focused on creating Resolutions to guide the future direction of the College and our specialty.

Your YPS leadership has been hard at work authoring or supporting resolutions on:

• The new Oral Certification Exam, 
• ED boarding and crowding, 
• The Medicare three-midnight rule
• Pregnancy Care

As an example, YPS members Samuel Sondheim, MD and Elyse Lavine, MD, FACEP co-authored a resolution on Alarm Fatigue.  This amendment has already been supported by American Association of Women Emergency Physician Section and the Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Section.

If you have an interest in these issues, or other issues affecting you and your ability to care for your patients such as DEI, firearms, EMTALA, workplace violence, physician wellness, or are just curious how ACEP is run, I invite you to check out and comment on these resolutions during asynchronous testimony, which is now open.  This is the online platform where all ACEP members can provide testimony and comment on resolutions to make your voice heard.  All ACEP members can participate, not just elected councilors.  Your comments are given the same weight as in-person testimony at Council. 

To get started, simply login as an ACEP member and share your thoughts. I personally ask that you keep comments professional, as my absolute favorite part of council is that we can argue passionately all day over the issues, then still grab a drink together as colleagues and friends at the end of the day.

So please look at the Resolutions and comment on anything you feel strongly about.  You can access them by clicking here  Testimony closes at noon Central time Wednesday September 18th.  As your elected YPS Councilor, I would also love to hear your opinions.  Please feel free to contact me so that myself and your alternate councilors work as a team to better represent you and the priorities of the Young Physician Section. 

Sincerely,

Laurel Barr, MD, FACEP
Young Physician Section Councilor