Emergency medicine residents: What issues matter to you?

Residents' Corner

CJEM 2008;10(5):494

As Emergency Medicine (EM) residents, we love what we do. Sometimes, the life of an EM resident can get a little overwhelming. Wake up, work, eat, sleep, caffeine and then back to work. Repeat. The work aspects include emergency department shifts, off-service rotations, being on call, academic rounds, journal clubs, simulation sessions, life support courses, presentations and research projects. Of course, any extra time should be devoted to cuddling up with the likes of Tintinalli and Rosen. They do not provide much empathy, but are solid and steadfast companions. Once or twice a year, however, the opportunity arises to break through the fogginess with a wonderful ray of light in the form of a conference.

This year, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) annual conference was held in Ottawa. The daily resident routine was drastically disrupted. All of a sudden, hundreds of residents were thrown into a boat that set sail for 5 days with some of the country's top EM clinicians, teachers and researchers. For those 5 days, we ate together, drank together and learned together. As EM residents from across Canada, we represented our hometowns and our cities: loyalty and pride were richly evident in the awards and accolades at CAEP 2008. In addition to dutifully attending all the 8-am plenary sessions, we also took full advantage of a key aspect of being at CAEP: networking and socializing. What better way to get to know fellow colleagues than to discuss the finer points of medicine until 3 am (and repeat × 4)?

It is at events like these where ideas are borne and crucial conversations are whispered between current pioneers and future leaders in EM. To meet the very person who just published an article on a subject about which we feel passionate, and to be able to "pick their brain," is a rare gem. Furthermore, there is no way to describe the feeling of inspiration when a lecturer so eloquently articulates why we all wanted to be part of the EM world. All of a sudden, no matter how tired, how jaded or how stressed out you are, it is all washed away by the resounding clarity of why we are there.

A challenge to EM residents

Today I challenge you to take the opportunity to start that path to becoming a mentor, teacher, researcher or advocator for the future of EM in Canada. I challenge you to present your passion for EM in the form of the written word to the rest of us. You may submit an article to this column about anything that pertains to EM residents. It could be international health, advocacy, health policy, transition to practice, research or medical education. The sky is the limit. If you have passion, experience or knowledge that you would like to share in a national forum, please email me at chunli_1@hotmail.com or just jump right in and send in a submission to CJEM's Editorial Office at cjem@telus.net.

This year, the Resident Executive Committee will be improving the website of CAEP's resident section and will be coordinating a much stronger presence at CAEP 2009. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for the website, please feel free to contact us. We would be happy to hear from you.

Your Resident Executive Committee members for 2009:

Chair: Andrew Campbell, PGY5, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; acampbellmd@gmail.com

Vice Chair: Ed Kwok, PGY3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; ekwok090@uottawa.ca

Secretary: Kelly Ogilvie, PGY2, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; kelly.ogilvie@utoronto.ca

Communications: Jatina Lai, PGY3, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; chunli_1@hotmail.com