WE are literally the first part of “welcome.” We should feel comfortable and “welcomed” in our differences as we share so much in common as emergency physicians. If we have never met, though we share membership in ACEP, then I know how much in common we can find. We can trust we each have a genuine interest in helping everyone that needs our skills. We can trust we each have a sincere desire to make a positive difference during some of the most challenging and terrifying moments in someone else’s life. We can trust we each had to navigate an appropriately arduous journey of undergraduate and graduate education to become emergency physicians. We can trust we each had to sacrifice a lot of immediate gratification for the “delayed rewards” of being emergency physicians. Those are just a few of the many trusts in each other we can enjoy.

That common ground, through shared values, beliefs, and commitments in selflessly serving others, affords us a wealth in opportunity that is not measured in monetary terms alone. The greatest asset of ACEP is not our headquarters in Texas or any of its physical contents. Our greatest wealth of ACEP is in each other as member emergency physicians. When we pause in our differences in topics that historically divide—reproductive rights, firearms, types of professional practices that are “best”—and in topics that are emerging—unionization, the role of artificial intelligence—we can then realize that our differences are built upon the foundation of shared experiences, values, and beliefs.

At this stage in our careers, listening, sharing, learning, and respecting may seem basic. Let us remember that basic fundamentals done consistently well produce winning teams, in sports and in life. Our often-fractured world confirms that more than ever, we all need a winning team of emergency physicians doing what WE do better than others—advocating for our patients, for our profession, and for each other!

Ryan A. Stanton, MD, FACEP

Current Professional Positions: Emergency physician, Central Emergency Physicians, Lexington, Kentucky; medical director, Lexington Fire/EMS; medical director, GMR Motorsports/NASCAR/SRX/USF

Internships and Residency: Surgery internship, James H. Quillen College of Medicine, Johnson City, Tennessee; emergency medicine residency, University of Kentucky

Medical Degree: MD, James H. Quillen College of Medicine (2003)

Response: I have always said “that if nobody disagrees, you didn’t say anything.” We have an ever-growing collection of wedge issues that are meant to divide rather than achieve progress. While I have always felt we should steer well clear of wedge issues, we must still be active advocates for our members, profession, and patients. The key is threading the needle regarding issues that are important, but also have significant political and belief system overtones. There are ways that we can plant a flag as a College without wading into the politics of the topic. The beauty and risk off our profession is that we are overall balanced along the spectrum of politics and beliefs. The diversity helps us move forward, but also means that any given topic has a similar spectrum of positions. As the VP of Communications, I have worked with our comms staff and leadership to respect the positions of our members and find the opportunities to forward our profession and our ability to care for our patients.