Building Consensus

For both Dr. LaPietra and Dr. Baugh, being chosen to lead the development of these impactful bedside tools was an honor and privilege—and an education on the art of collaboration and consensus.

“The nice thing is I didn’t do it all by myself,” Dr. LaPietra said. “I had a lot of national contributors. I ran things by other experts when I wasn’t quite sure. It showed me the importance of collaboration, the importance of stepping up and leading when you feel like there’s passion and you have something to say.”

For Dr. Baugh, there was deep satisfaction in helping to build a tool that physicians can use on a daily basis to take better care of patients. “As an academic emergency physician, that’s really what you’re trying to do, right? You’re trying to make a difference in your specialty.”

Dr. LaPietra and Dr. Baugh are able to look back at how their paths led them to this point and how one simple step can chart a new course. Their message to other ACEP members who want to influence clinical practice is simple: Start the conversation.

“There is so much clinical expertise out there in the country that is going untapped,” Dr. Baugh said. “There is an opportunity to contribute, and that’s the bottom line. You have to be willing to have the conversation, to put it out there that you’re interested in making a change. You’d be surprised how much one conversation leads to another.”

Dr. LaPietra thinks one of the best ways to get involved with ACEP’s clinical efforts is by joining the section(s) that align with personal passions. “Through the section structure, you’re able to engage with individuals nationally who have similar interests, and that opens so many doors for projects you didn’t know existed.”

She said the sections also help personalize ACEP and give you a way to plug into a large national organization in a more manageable way. “To define your tribe within our big tribe, you should use the sections. That way, you know you’ve come into a group with common interests where the possibilities are endless because this is where that topic is being mastered.”

Plug In

One simple way for ACEP members to contribute to ACEP’s clinical efforts right away is simply by providing feedback on the POC tools and the new emPOC app. The app has a section allowing users to submit questions and feedback, and ACEP staff is monitoring the feedback closely as they work to continually refine and improve the tool. More POC tools will be added to the app during phase II, so now is the perfect time to submit feedback or suggestions for the next iteration.