Welcome from the Chair of the Council of Associates
Dear Internal Medicine Residents and Subspecialty Fellows,
This is your moment. Healthcare reform has made us realize that trainees will need to have command of clinical and non-clinical competencies to be successful in new delivery and payment models. I recall the first team I led on the inpatient service after my internship ended and I was a junior resident. It was a stark contrast to the life I had lived as an intern. All of a sudden, I was thrust into many new roles. I had to manage workflow, exercise leadership, negotiate differently with other members of the healthcare team, educate others, and model evidence-based practice. Medical school and internship did not train me to do these things well. Through my involvement with ACP both locally and nationally, I have found mentors and colleagues from whom I could learn to successfully navigate these challenges.
How many times have you seen something that you would like to improve during your residency or fellowship? Your experience as a trainee, strengthening the physician workforce, addressing student debt, and promoting broad payment and practice reforms are some of the pressing issues in which ACP leadership is actively engaged. This is your moment to be an active participant in this process. Membership in ACP will help you succeed in training, make you a better physician, and learn to advocate for the very best for your patients.
ACP continues to work tirelessly for its members. It has been particularly attuned to the needs of its more than 22,000 Associate members, advocating for us on many important issues at the national level. To better serve its Associate members, ACP formed the Council of Associates (COA), which consists of 14 members who represent all regions of the United States as well as ACP’s international Associates. COA representatives were selected on the basis of previously demonstrated leadership abilities and a defined interest in improving the lives of physicians-in-training and the patients they care for.
The COA is involved at every level of College leadership. COA representatives sit on all of the key College committees and are voting members of the Board of Regents (BOR), ACP's governing body, and the Board of Governors (BOG), an advisory board to the BOR comprised of ACP Chapter Governors representing the interests of their members. Areas in which the Council is actively working include:
- Supporting and building capacity for engagement of Associates at the local level;
- Making it known that while you are in subspecialty training you may continue to pay the Associate dues rate;
- Enhancing opportunities for professional development;
- Redesigning the Annual Meeting to best serve the needs of Associate members;
- Evaluating the effects of ACGME duty hour guidelines on internal medicine residency trainees and patient care;
- Advocating for training environments that incorporate flexible training options to meet the needs of trainees with families;
- Supporting reforms in internal medicine practice to improve care delivery; and
- Helping to establish physician guidelines for participating in social media.
We encourage you to engage the website—it is an incredible resource. As an Associate member, you benefit from the valuable programs, products and services that the College has developed, some of which include the following:
- The popular MKSAP 16 available at a substantially discounted rate to Associates;
- Educational offerings ranging from resources such as the Annals of Internal Medicine to In the Clinic Slide Sets for morning report sessions;
- Chapter and national abstract competitions; and
- Career planning and counseling information.
We encourage you to contact a national Council representative to discuss your education, training environment, career development interests, advocacy, abstract and presentation development or any other area where the COA may be of assistance. Please feel free to contact us for more information or if you are interested in taking a more active role in this exciting time.
Sincerely,
Jay Bhatt DO, MPH, MPA
Chair, Council of Associates
jbhattd@gmail.com
Page updated: 08-17-12
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