We cannot have an effective workplace without an engaged and active workforce. The number of new residencies and its impact on future job opportunities and compensation is front of mind for many of us. For the past two years, I have been working in Florida, where my clinical time is spent working in a newer residency program. The considerations around finding the “right” number of residencies are certainly complex. To address this, Dr. Friedman created the EM Physician Workforce Task Force. ACEP, along with our supporting partners ABEM, ACOEP, AOBEM, CORD, EMRA and SAEM, have launched a 2-year comprehensive study of the current and future workforce in our specialty. We have engaged a nationally recognized expert, Ed Salsberg, as well as the task force Chair Dr. Catherine Marco and Board Liaison Dr. Chris Kang to help us project the supply and demand for emergency physicians in the future, ensuring job security for all of our residents.

As part of that effort, the Scope of Practice Task Force was also mobilized. All of the EM specialty organizations have joined with our physician assistant and nurse practitioner colleagues on this task force. Engaging this wide-ranging group will allow us to establish best practices in emergency care delivery for our patients.

One of the discussions we continue to have, including at this Council, is the desire to have board certified emergency physicians be a part of every emergency visit. One of ACEP’s vision statements it that “Patients seeking emergency care are treated by board certified emergency physicians who are supported in their practices with all resources necessary to provide the highest quality medical care.” Despite that vision, the dichotomy remains that as a specialty, we have not placed enough of our BCEPs in rural communities. In some of my recent residency visits, I asked how many thought they would practice in a rural setting. I can give the answer on one hand. In that regard, I do not believe we can fully answer the challenges of workforce and scope of practice until we find more effective ways to address the delivery of emergency care in rural and other underserved settings.

Finally, ACEP continues to be recognized as a leader in emergency medicine from many perspectives. The Board, in consideration with our staff, agreed that we need a higher level of attention to our international efforts to expand ACEP’s reach. As president, I have the pleasure of starting the first committee for International EM, using that venue to determine how to work purposefully with our colleagues in other countries and societies. As part of this effort, ACEP will host an International Summit in Spring of 2020 to enable emergency physicians and policymakers to be recognized in the same way the other specialists are recognized, allowing for better support and job prospects in international areas.