The Becoming Certified Task Force conducted a one-day workshop on March 24, 2022, in Chicago. The purpose of the workshop was to gather stakeholders from different perspectives to work collaboratively to explore the future of Emergency Medicine and to develop ideas to improve the ABEM certification process.
The group spent a very active, insightful, and hard-working day engaging in a series of activities:
- Stimulated by a gallery display of key ideas and trends in society, technology, and medicine, they looked at the broad scope of health care and its rapid pace of development.
- Discussed how many of the new innovations are already bringing change, and how they may continue to impact the practice of medicine.
- Considered what new tools ABEM could or should implement in assessment and certification work.
- Examined the key question of certification from the specific perspectives of the stakeholder groups, including EM physicians from both academic and community practices, residents, residency program directors, and department chairs; hospital leaders; patients and public; EM organizations; and ABEM staff. Each group developed a list of possible improvements and then focused on defining two specific recommendations.
The group discussed their concerns about many of the changes in the specialty and across society. Excitement and some apprehension were expressed about the possibilities that new technologies may offer, and discussed their concerns about losing the essential relationship between physicians and patients, and ultimately came up with ideas about how assessment and certification could be enhanced to adapt to the changing world. Key ideas discussed include:
- The benefits of improved diagnostic capabilities.
- The use of simulation in the certification process.
- Increased engagement and relationship building with EM residents to convey the significance and importance of certification.
- The importance of assessing the communication skills of physicians with their patients and across the care team.
- The shift from episodic care to personalized medicine.
- Partnering with various other practitioners in health care settings.
- Value-based care models.
- Shifting from a high-stakes exam toward ongoing assessment and testing.
All of these will now be included in the growing inventory of ideas and possibilities being gathered by the Task Force. They will now work on refining and adapting these ideas into action plans.
ABEM is grateful for the engagement, enthusiasm, and dedicated efforts of all participants!
