American Academy of Emergency Medicine Resident and Student Association
American Academy of Emergency Medicine Resident and Student Association (AAEM/RSA)
AAEM/RSA www.aaemrsa.org aspires to a future in which all patients have access to excellent emergency care by an emergency physician. Developing emergency physicians will receive the highest quality training in a supportive practice environment with an emphasis on personal wellness and career mentorship. AAEM/RSA believes that every individual should have unencumbered access to quality emergency care provided by an emergency physician. An emergency physician is one who has achieved, or is eligible for, certification by either the American Board of Emergency Medicine or the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine. AAEM/RSA is devoted to the personal wellness of developing emergency physicians, believes that superior emergency medical education is essential at all levels of training. This education should be provided in an environment that guarantees academic freedom. Supports emergency medicine residency programs and fellowships, which are essential to the growth of our specialty. Believes that fair and equitable practice environments are necessary for the emergency physician to deliver the highest quality of patient care. This environment includes provisions for due process and the absence of restrictive covenants. AAEM/RSA is committed to the advancement of emergency medicine worldwide.
History
American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) www.aaem.org was established in 1993 to promote fair and equitable practice environments necessary to allow emergency physicians to deliver the highest quality of patient care. Its first Scientific Assembly was held in 1994. AAEM initially defined a specialist in emergency medicine as board-certified by ABEM and this definition was later expanded to include those certified by AOBEM, pediatric emergency medicine (by ABEM or the American Board of Pediatrics) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The resident section of AAEM, which was formed in 1999, became an organization independent of AAEM in 2005 called the AAEM Resident and Student Association (or AAEM/RSA). Its purpose is to provide EM residents a forum and a means to specifically address resident concerns and issues, develop their own programs and services and have a representative that can impact on the direction and mission of AAEM.
Leadership
The Board of Directors is made up of eleven members including the executive committee including the president, vice president, secretary/treasurer, and the immediate past president. There are six at large board members that head up the six committees (advocacy, communications, education, international, membership, and publications) http://www.aaemrsa.org/leadership/opportunities-for-involvement/committees, and the medical student council president. http://www.aaemrsa.org/leadership/rsa-board-of-directors
- Advocacy Committee members staff three sub-committees, focusing on patient advocacy, resident advocacy and political advocacy both at the state and national levels. The activities include developing policy statements, outreaching to AAEM/RSA members about critical issues in emergency medicine, and collaborating with the AAEM Government Affairs Committee.
- Communications Committee members contribute to the development and content of AAEM/RSA's four primary media outlets: the e-newsletter Modern Resident, the AAEM/RSA website, Facebook and Twitter. They seek to provide relevant, real-time member updates about AAEM/RSA and AAEM activity from leaders of other AAEM/RSA committees.
- Education Committee members plan and organize the resident educational track at the AAEM Scientific Assembly, this year on February 11-15, 2014, in New York, New York. They assist with the medical student symposia that occur around the country.
- International Committee is a newly-established committee within AAEM/RSA. Committee members contribute to project and resource development that will give students and residents opportunities to contribute to international medicine projects.
- Membership Committee promotes our mission by building AAEM/RSA membership through recruiting, developing valuable member benefits, and communicating with residency program directors and chief residents. They involved with one of the most critical and exciting committees within AAEM/RSA.
- Publications Committee oversees development and revisions of AAEM/RSA's multiple publications including clinical handbooks and board review material, both in print text and e-media apps, videos and eBooks. They have numerous opportunities to edit and publish chapters, as well as the ground-up view in developing AAEM/RSA's expansion to electronic publications.
Residents may join committees or participate on the Vice Presidents Council (VP Council) where there is one RSA resident member from each EM residency program to serve as their representative to the Council. http://www.aaemrsa.org/leadership/opportunities-for-involvement/vp-council
The Medical Student Council is made up of the president, vice president, and four regional representatives (West, Midwest, Northeast, and South) as well as an international ex officio position. http://www.aaemrsa.org/leadership/opportunities-for-involvement/student-elections