Focus on Careers in Emergency Medicine Education

*NEW* - Resident and Student Academy and Interest Group Networking Event
Attending the SAEM 2012 Annual Meeting in Chicago this year? There is a new networking event specifically geared towards residents, medical students and young physicians which will take place on Friday May 11, at 11am, located across from the main registration area. The chairs or leaders of numerous SAEM Interest Groups and Academies will be available to network with interested young MDs who are developing niches within EM, or just looking to get more involved. Don’t miss it!

Representatives from the following SAEM Interest Groups (IG) and Academies will be present:
Palliative Care/End of Life IG – Karen Jubanyik
Diversity IG – Lisa Moreno-Walton
Pediatric EM IG – Robert Cloutier
Public Health IG – Brendan Carr
Academy of Geriatric Emergency Medicine – Tim Platts-Mills
Trauma IG – Ali Raja
Clinical Director’s IG – Mark Moseley
Health Services and Outcomes IG – Keith Kocher
Patient Safety IG – Zach Hettinger
CPR Ischemia-Reperfusion IG – Norman Paradis
Wilderness Med IG– Stuart Harris
Neurologic Emergencies IG – William Knight/William Meurer
Sports Medicine IG – Moira Davenport

*Special thanks to Dr. Autumn Graham and Dr. Bill Knight of the SAEM Program Committee, Events Subcommittee, for planning and organizing this event!*

Careers in Emergency Medicine Ultrasound
Our focus for this month’s SAEM Resident Newsletter is on careers in emergency medicine ultrasound. Our first commentator / guide is Dr. Bret Nelson. Dr. Nelson is Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He has lectured on ultrasound throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. He coauthored the Manual of Emergency and Critical Care Ultrasound, 2nd Edition as well as Emergency Medicine Oral Board Review Illustrated (Cambridge University Press) and edits the ultrasound education website, www.SinaiEM.us. He is a member of the national faculty of the Sonoran ultrasound course, The Difficult Airway Course, the international faculty of WINFOCUS, and has directed a number of CME conferences on basic and advanced ultrasound. Harvard Medical School and Mount Sinai have granted him awards for teaching, and he was named Attending of the Year by the Mount Sinai Emergency Medicine residents. The Mount Sinai Institute for Medical Education recently selected him as a Master Educator level member.

Dr. Nelson gives us his perspectives on a career in emergency medicine ultrasound below:

What was/is the best part of being a ultrasound director and educator? Why should residents consider a career in emergency medicine ultrasound? What "path" did you take to your current position?
I love helping clinicians incorporate ultrasound into their individual practice style, overcoming whatever barriers prevented them from using the technology. The ultrasound director role creates enormous opportunity for adult education, clinically relevant research, and administration. Ultrasound is "force multiplier" for clinical skill and there are clinicians across many specialties who are eager to learn how to use it. It is very gratifying to see people pick up a probe and feel empowered to improve the care they provide.

I became interested in ultrasound halfway through my EM residency and was able to devote my elective time towards focused education in ultrasound. I spent most of my free time during my fourth year scanning anyone who didn't run away, assisting faculty in the creation of a credentialing pathway, and doing research. Thus I created a "specialty track" in ultrasound for myself before that really had a name, and covered much of the same ground that a fellowship would have at that time. When I moved to New York and accepted the position of Ultrasound Director at Mount Sinai, the ultrasound program was in its infancy and I could set up infrastructure on all fronts: research, education, clinical training, and administration (credentialing, finance, etc.).

How does training in emergency medicine ultrasound enhance future career opportunities in academic emergency medicine?
Solid training in EM ultrasound should be based on four major areas of focus: improving clinical skill, engaging in research, improving skills as an educator, and experience with program administration. The goal of ultrasound fellowship training should be to help prepare leaders in EM ultrasound, and academic programs are generally enthused to hire candidates who can produce in the areas listed above. Many emergency physicians have leveraged ultrasound into funded research on patient safety, radiation reduction, and education. Increasingly our health care system is recognizing other important aspects of point-of-care ultrasound, such as improved efficiency, radiation reduction, and decreased procedure complications. Although running ultrasound courses may be the bread and butter of ultrasound directors for some time, important administrative and policy roles are emerging. Ultrasound also lends itself well to collaboration with other specialty interests- there is literature describing ultrasound as it interfaces with finance, education, simulation, cardiology, critical care, prehospital care, global health, and a host of other areas.

For all of the reasons I just discussed, training in EM ultrasound is generally valued by community practices as well. Although grants and research may not be as important in those settings, patient satisfaction, risk reduction, and financial considerations often make clinician sonographers attractive candidates.

What advice do you have for residents considering a career in emergency medicine ultrasound? What preparations or activities would you recommend for residents to participate in now to prepare them for future success?
Use every opportunity to scan patients, especially when you can do so with an experienced sonographer a patient getting a CT scan or other study to compare your findings to. Over time you’ll develop an efficiency and comfort in scanning, and by calibrating your findings against “gold standards” you’ll improve your clinical skill. At many institutions there are resources outside the ED as well- you can learn a lot by scanning with sonographers in Radiology, attending echo reading rounds in Cardiology, etc. Speak with folks from your department first to get contacts, and also find out if any politics should be considered. Get involved with your ultrasound division activities, especially QA review and courses. Many national and regional conferences have ultrasound courses available- attending them will improve your skill but also take the opportunity to speak with the faculty about their interests, research, career path, etc.

Obviously research is great, so try to think of projects early in your career so you’ll have time to navigate study design, institutional review boards, etc. And don’t wait until your “research block” to do this. None of the great researchers of our generation performed their research during research blocks! If you think you might be interested in administration, research, etc. you should get a sense of how to incorporate this longitudinally into your life and work.

Did you participate in ultrasound research as a resident or medical student?
As a resident I was perplexed that some right upper quadrant ultrasound reports contained the line, “Sonographic Murphy Sign cannot be assessed because patient received analgesia prior to the study.” So I undertook a retrospective chart review with my research advisor to see whether the diagnostic accuracy of the Murphy sign was any different in patients who received analgesia compared to those who did not (it was the same). It led to an abstract and publication, and evolved into a prospective randomized study which was an education for me in the challenges of study design, navigating human subjects protection programs, ED operations, and a host of other unforeseen challenges. I found the entire process incredibly educational.

Is it necessary to do an ultrasound fellowship? Are there other types of training you would recommend to residents considering acareer in emergency medicine ultrasound?
There are components to your training and preparation which are necessary, as described above. The most efficient way to accomplish this in 2012 is generally a fellowship with appropriate mentoring and resources brought to bear though it is possible to craft an experience in residency which would be similar. Increasingly “fellowship trained” is explicitly detailed in job postings; in addition many emergency physicians have sought the RDMS certification from the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. For many people this is seen as proof that you’ve devoted yourself to some deeper understanding of ultrasound, although the RDMS designation was not originally intended for physicians and the content is not the same as you would encounter in the ED on any give shift. A few notable EM-sonographers have let their RDMS lapse for this and other reasons, so there is some debate in our community regarding the utility of this certification. In the end it is partly your training and pedigree, but largely what you have accomplished, that determines your competitiveness as a candidate.

Dr. Beatrice Hoffmann, MD, PhD, RDMS, is the immediate past chair of SAEM’s Academy of Emergency Ultrasound, and is the Director of Ultrasound Education for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Hoffmann also founded the Ultrasound Guide for Emergency Physicians website (at www.sonoguide.com). Dr. Hoffmann shares below some of her perspectives on a career in emergency medicine ultrasound.

What is the best part of being an ultrasound director and educator?
The best part of being an emergency ultrasound educator and director is that I can teach physicians a very unique skill set. As a bonus, my individual impact is very easy to measure (this is much more difficult for other, more general emergency medicine skills and procedures like endotracheal intubations etc.). I find this combination intrinsically satisfying, and it makes me want to be a better physician and teacher.

Why should residents consider a career in emergency medicine ultrasound? How does training in emergency medicine ultrasound enhance future career opportunities in academic emergency medicine?
These are great and timely questions. I have to answer two ways:
Emergency ultrasound has become part of our every day emergency medicine practice. To utilize this modern hands-on diagnostic tool in the correct setting, physicians require substantial training and quality assurance. In my experience, there is great demand for educators possessing this skill, matched with short supply. Hence the job market is very hot and tilted in favor of the ultrasound expert. My prediction would be that it is going to stay that way for many years to come, for both academic and non-academic settings.

An even better way to answer your question: I usually encourage a resident to consider emergency ultrasound as a career choice if I notice he or she reaches a point of “comfort” using this bedside technology. Of course, I always consider that some have learning curves steeper than others, but I’ve noticed that eventually, quite a few residents will arrive at this stage. I have learned over the years that the trainee intuitively knows when they reach this point; and to steal a famous American phrase, as a trainer, “I know it when I see it”. This is when I usually make my move and encourage the resident to think about a career in ultrasound. As an educator at an academic institution, I am always looking for talent. If the resident is also comfortable with the idea of deliberate practice (expert theoretical and spatial hands-on ultrasound skill does not come overnight) and has passion for teaching that skill – this area should be one of their contenders.

But not all residents with “natural aptitude” for ultrasound want to or should become ultrasound directors (although I probably would at some point try and persuade them to consider it). Even if emergency ultrasound is not their area of academic specialization, an additional robust ultrasound skill can give residents opportunities for collaboration with many other subspecialties at their future academic institution, and makes them a competitive faculty candidate with the most up-to-date training and skills.

What "path" did you take to your current position?
I attended medical school at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. The German medical system does not employ “ultrasound technicians”, hence physicians of almost all specialties eventually need to learn and practice ultrasound, and many (like me) start in medical school. I spent my sixth year of medical school on a scholarship here in the United States and I noticed that diagnostic ultrasound practice differed greatly between these two “world class” medical systems.

After returning to Germany and completing a few years of residency training in internal medicine with early specialization in pulmonary and critical care (and more ultrasound training), I returned to the United States in 2000 to start emergency medicine residency training.

During residency, with all of my previous training in diagnostic ultrasound, I think I was able to differentiate myself from my peers. My colleagues noticed that I was comfortable and accurate using sonography at the bedside, and they gravitated to me for teaching. I also recognized how ultrasound used by emergency physicians could improve care and that a successful implementation of diagnostic ultrasound into American medical graduate and post-graduate education would require strong collaboration and persistent efforts from many medical specialties and stakeholders. So I got involved. I have enjoyed seeing ultrasound grow within emergency medicine over the last decade. This is why I sought academic and leadership positions related to ultrasound.

What advice do you have for residents considering a career in emergency medicine ultrasound? What preparations or activities would you recommend for residents to participate in now to prepare them for future success?
If you consider a career in emergency ultrasound, you probably already feel comfortable using this diagnostic tool, you had your “aha” moment. Now what? Keep learning, practice, and get involved. The Academy of Emergency Ultrasound at SAEM has many committees and work groups and always welcomes new talent and ideas. This is a great way to meet with future peers and employers. Also, help with your local ultrasound training sessions. This will become a significant part of your career. There is always someone to train, there is always a new indication to learn. Make sure you like it and you can see yourself doing this for quite some time.

Did you participate in ultrasound research as a resident or medical student?
Not as a student or a resident in Germany. I actually had a K-research award in pulmonary medicine as an intern in Germany. I think the experience of publishing and writing a grant application helped me develop better research ideas and understanding of current emergency ultrasound research. So in the end, any research experience will help you. If the topic is emergency ultrasound, all the better!

Is it necessary to do an ultrasound fellowship? Are there other types of training you would recommend to residents considering a career in emergency medicine ultrasound?
I think we have reached the point where completing an emergency ultrasound fellowship will soon become standard for new graduates entering an academic institution as “ultrasound faculty”. Many such fellowship training programs exist and they have varying degrees of training requirements. Currently, there are still several residency programs that provide fellowship-equivalent opportunities for at least some of their residents. This always takes a longitudinal and concerted effort from the resident and their ultrasound director. So I think the answer depends on the desired position, and the current job market. Eventually, I think emergency medicine ultrasound might become an ABEM-recognized subspecialty training area. As for what other training I would recommend, I always think it is important to keep in mind that effective use of ultrasound in emergency medicine is only possible when practiced by physicians that are good doctors even without the aid of technology. So for residents I suggest that they make the most of their opportunities to learn about the scope and practice of emergency medicine. When and how ultrasound can improve their diagnostic skills will become self-evident once they have honed their skills as physicians.

2012 Annual Meeting – Resident Leadership Forum
There are tremendous opportunities that will be available for residents at the 2012 Annual Meeting, which will be held in Chicago from May 9-12, 2012. If you are planning to attend the annual meeting, be sure to start checking out resident activities now! Among the activities for residents at the annual meeting, one of the highlights will be the Resident Leadership Forum, taking place on Thursday May 10, 2012, 9am to 4pm.

The 2012 Annual Meeting will mark the initiation of the SAEM Annual Resident Leadership Forum, formerly the Chief Resident Forum. The morning sessions are for Chief Residents (9am to 1pm), but the afternoon sessions are open to residents of any year. There will be fresh new didactics on strategies for success during residency and beyond. The sessions in particular are focused on residents who are interested in leadership and advancement in EM.

• Being a Role Model and Making a Difference
• The Art of Middle Management – Managing Up and Managing Down
• Dealing with Difficult Resident Concerns
• Chief Resident Pearls and Perspectives
• Lunch with the Program Directors

• Communication Skills for Success in Academia
• Negotiating Interdepartmental Politics and Intergenerational Work Styles
• Enhancing Your Leadership Skills – Roundtable Discussions with the Leaders in Academic EM
• Successful Negotiation for an Academic EM Position
• National Involvement, Advancement, and Leadership Opportunities

Visit the Annual Meeting Website for further information.

SAEM 2012 Chicago: What Not to Miss for Residents and Medical Students!
Katherine Fellman, MD, University of Connecticut Emergency Medicine
Jody A. Vogel, MD, Denver Health Medical Center
SAEM Resident and Student Advisory Committee

It's that time of the year again! The SAEM Annual Meeting takes place in Chicago this year from May 9th thru 12th, and will be held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, centrally located in the "Magnificent Mile" area of the Windy City.

The meeting will be an outstanding opportunity to see what has been realized in the past year in the way of EM research, as well as an excellent opportunity for residents and medical students to attend events pertinent to their interests, network nationally, and gain helpful insight on potential EM career opportunities.

Below are some highlights of the meeting and events to consider joining as a medical student or resident attendee of the 2012 SAEM Annual Meeting.

Opening and Welcome / BOD Question and Answer: Attend to hear opening statements by the SAEM President and to participate in the question/answer session with the SAEM BOD. (Thursday, May 10, 8 til 9 am)

Plenary Session: Attend to hear about cutting-edge research in EM. The Plenary Session is dedicated to the presentation of five interesting research studies selected from all abstract submissions for distinct recognition at the Plenary Session. (Thursday, May 10, 430 til 6 pm)

Opening Reception: Take advantage of this opportunity to network with your EM colleagues at the 2012 Annual Meeting opening reception which occurs immediately after the Plenary Session. (Thursday, May 10, 6 til 8 pm)

Clinical Pathologic Case (CPC) Conference: Attend to hear interesting case presentations and to support your resident colleagues participating in the competition. Perhaps next year you can participate and present an interesting case! (Wednesday, May 9, 8 am til 5 pm)

Resident Leadership Forum: Attend this forum to hone your leadership skills and network with leaders in EM. The morning session is open to Chief Residents only, but the afternoon session is open to all residents of any year interested in leadership and advancement in EM. This one of a kind forum for residents will provide specific information on how to be a successful leader along with opportunities during the forum to interact with and learn from the leaders in our specialty. Pre-registration required. (Thursday, May 10, 2012, 9 am til 4 pm)

Future Stars of Emergency Medicine: A Salute to Resident Research: This session honors select resident abstracts. Attend to learn about current research findings and to support your resident colleagues. (Friday, May 11, 8 am til 9 am)

Fellowship Fair: Attend this session to learn about fellowship training opportunities around the country and to discuss your qualifications with fellowship directors. (Friday, May 11, 430 til 630 pm)

Medical Student Symposium: Attend this session to gain insight into EM and the application process for residency. The symposium includes highly beneficial lectures such as “How to select the right residency” and “Top 10 mistakes EM students and applicants make”. In addition, there will be several networking opportunities with program directors and residents from EM residency programs. (Friday, May 11, 8 am til 4 pm)

Residency Fair: Take advantage of this opportunity to get more information about specific residency programs you may be interested in and network with program directors and residents from around the country. (Friday, May 11, 430 til 630 pm)

Future Stars of Emergency Medicine: A Salute to Medical Student Research: This session honors select medical student abstracts. Attend to learn about current research and to encourage your medical student colleagues. (Thursday, May 10, 11 am til 1230 pm)

SAEM Business and Award Meeting: Hear perspectives on the future of EM by the incoming president and the immediate past-president of the Society, and help honor the SAEM award recipients for 2012. (Friday, May 11, 3 til 430 pm)

IEME Sessions: Join these sessions to learn about novel educational strategies in EM. (Moderated sessions: Thursday, May 10, 9 til 10 am and Friday, May 11, 8 til 9 am; Simulation: Thursday, May 10, 2 til 4 pm; Resident/Faculty Pairing: Friday, May 11, 11 am til noon; Exhibits: Friday, May 11, 430 til 630 pm; Ultrasound: Saturday, May 12, noon til 1 pm)

• Technology: How to use it and love it in EM (Thursday, May 10, 11 am til noon)
• Networking Breakfast (Friday, May 11, 7 til 8 am)
• Meet SAEM: How to get involved and stay involved (Friday, May 11, 11 am til noon)
• Research: moving from junior investigator to seasoned researcher (Saturday, May 12, 11 am til noon)

Ultrasound SONO Games: Learn about ultrasound in these ultrasound games which are new for the 2012 Annual Meeting. (Friday, May 11, 8 am til noon)

EMRA/SAEM Simulation Academy SIM WARS: Learn about EM and simulation while supporting the teams competing to be the SIM WARS Champions. (Friday, May 11, noon til 5 pm)

Research Presentations: Attend these sessions to learn more about recent advances in EM research. Search the Annual Meeting brochure or the Academic Emergency Medicine Journal which lists the abstracts to determine research topics or studies of interest to you. Attend these research presentations to learn more about the most current research in EM and to potentially gain helpful insight into a future research project of your own.

There are four formats for presentation of research at the meeting: oral, lightning oral, moderated posters, and posters. The oral and lightning oral sessions are oral presentations by the researcher followed by question and answers from attendees and the session moderator. The moderated poster session includes an oral presentation of the poster by the investigator followed by a moderated question and answer session. The poster sessions are times when you can view the posters on display in the exhibit hall. This forum allows you to ask questions and interact with the study investigator on an individual level.

Didactic Sessions: Each year there are multiple didactic sessions on topics related to academic EM. Below is a list of a sample of the sessions that may be of interest to you. There are many more which you may also benefit from and enjoy; these are listed on the website and in the Annual Meeting brochure.

• Advances in the evaluation and treatment of acetaminophen poisoning (Chicago 6, noon til 1 pm)
• Spatial information, geographic information systems, and geospatial methods in public health and emergency care research (Chicago 6, 1 til 2 pm)
• Jelly on the belly: cutting edge pediatric ultrasound applications (Sheraton 5, 3 til 4 pm)
• Training the trainers who train: a workshop for those who teach emergency medicine elsewhere in the world (Chicago 8, 330 til 5 pm)
• The future role of emergency physicians in trauma: a new category of trauma specialists (Sheraton 5, 4 til 5 pm)
• Real world evidence-based diagnostics: the good, the bad, & the ugly (Chicago 7, 5 til 6 pm)

• Floodlighting the hidden threat of unconscious bias (Chicago 8, 9 til 10 am)
• Social media and the academic physician (Chicago 7, 9 til 1030 am)
• Educational scholarship: creating and publishing academic projects from your teaching (Chicago 7, 1030 til 1130 am)
• Surviving sepsis campaign 2012: an update on recommendations for emergency medicine (Sheraton 5, 11 am til noon)
• Educating and assessing “in training” physicians in the finer skills of communication: handoffs and consultation (Sheraton 4, 1 til 2 pm)
• Out of the wild: how to conduct and publish wilderness medicine research (Missouri Room, 1 til 2 pm)
• Introduction to statistics (Mayfair Room, 3 til 4 pm)

• Principles of medical photography and the use of clinical images in medical education (Sheraton 5, 8 til 930 am)
• Prescription drug misuse: the scope of the problem and the state of the research (Chicago 9, 9 til 1030 am)
• Leadership across generations (Sheraton 5, 930 til 11 am)
• Peer to peer feedback: making it meaningful and delivering it with grace (Sheraton 5, 11 am til noon)
• AWAEM Annual Luncheon (Mayfair Room, 1230 til 2 pm)
• More than just a hobby: building an academic career in global emergency medicine (Chicago 10, 1 til 230 pm)

• Perfecting Procedural Skills: Applications of learning theory for educators (Chicago 10, 8 til 930 am)
• Not another boring lecture: small group and active lecturing techniques (Sheraton 5, 8 til 930 am)
• Is a career in academic EM for me? (Sheraton 4, 9 til 10 am)
• Where is the evidence II: evidence-based approach to pediatric abdominal complaints (Chicago 10, 930 til 11 am)
• Funding your research (Chicago 9, 10 til 11 am)
• Death warmed over: bringing clinical reasoning and decision making sciences to morbidity and mortality conference (Sheraton 4, 10 til 1130 am)
• Global Emergency Medicine Business Meeting and Events (Superior A&B, 10 am til 3 pm)
• Improve your teaching: evidence-based teaching workshop using articles that will change your teaching practice (Sheraton 5, 1030 til 1130 am)
• The next match – what academic departments want to see when they hire (Sheraton 5, noon til 1 pm) • Research fellowships: picking the right one (Sheraton 4, noon til 130 pm)
• Simulation and your certification, what the future brings (Chicago 8, 1 til 2 pm)

• Academic Informatics Interest Group Meeting (Thursday, May 10, 1 til 2 pm)
• Clinical Directors Interest Group Meeting (Friday, May 11, 2 til 3 pm)
• CPR/Ischemia/Reperfusion Interest Group Meeting (Wednesday, May 9, 6 til 630 pm)
• Crowding Interest Group Meeting (Thursday, May 10, 11 am til noon)
• Disaster Medicine Interest Group Meeting (Thursday, May 10, 10 til 11 am)
• Diversity Interest Group Meeting (Thursday, May 10, 11 am til 1230 pm)
• EMS Interest Group Meeting (Friday, May 11, noon til 1 pm)
• Evidence Based Medicine Interest Group (Thursday, May 10, 9 til 1030 am)
• Health Services and Outcomes Interest Group Meeting (Thursday, May 10, 9 til 10 am)
• Neurologic EM Interest Group (Thursday, May 10, 2 til 330 pm)
• Palliative Care Interest Group Meeting (Friday, May 11, 10 til 11 am)
• Patient Safety Interest Group Meeting (Thursday, May 10, noon til 1 pm)
• Pediatric Interest Group Meeting (Friday, May 11, 1 til 2 pm)
• Public Health Interest Group Meeting (Friday, May 11, 3 til 4 pm)
• Sports Medicine Interest Group Meeting (Friday, May 11, noon til 1 pm)
• Toxicology Interest Group Meeting (Friday, May 11, 1030 am til noon)
• Trauma Interest Group Meeting (Wednesday, May 9, 2 til 3 pm)
• Wilderness Medicine Interest Group (Thursday, May 10, 330 til 430 pm)

How to Make the Most of the Meeting
To get the most out of the meeting, review the schedule carefully beforehand and create a list of the events that you plan to attend. As you participate in the didactic sessions, research presentations, and interest group meetings, be sure to ask questions, introduce yourself and converse with those around you. EM is a small community and people readily recognize and greatly appreciate genuine interest and enthusiasm about their topic of expertise. The Annual Meeting offers a unique opportunity to residents and students to network nationally and interact with leaders in academic EM. If you take full advantage of these opportunities, you may not only learn about EM but also perhaps gain a mentor or two.

More information about the 2012 SAEM Annual Meeting can be found at: http://am2012.saem.org/Schedule/twelve

SAEM Resident and Student Career Planning Resourcess
Have you visited our website lately? Be sure to check out the Resident Resources webpage for new information to guide you as you plan your career in emergency medicine. The Society has developed a collection of articles for residents on topics pertinent to academic emergency medicine. Many of these articles are from the Academic Resident Section of the SAEM newsletter. Examples of the articles in the portfolio include: planning for an academic career, giving effective feedback, finding a mentor, becoming a researcher and many others.

Also, for those residents about to begin a job search, check out the SAEM CV Handbook for some useful tips. Your CV is a summary of professional accomplishments that can be used both as a personal introduction to potential employers and as a way to track your accomplishments and guide your career growth. The SAEM CV Handbook provides helpful suggestions for the CV that will be applicable throughout your career as an emergency physician.

CV Handbook Website: http://www.saem.org/sites/default/files/CV%20Handbook.pdf

And not to forget about students, a resource page specifically for you is available at: http://www.saem.org/med-students/resources. Be sure to check out this valuable information to help guide you as you make important decisions about a possible future career in emergency medicine!

SAEM Annual Meeting Medical Student Symposium
Medical Students: There is an entire day of activities set aside JUST FOR YOU at the SAEM 2012 Annual Meeting! Don’t miss the Medical Student Symposium, taking place on Friday May11th, from 7:30am to 4:30pm.

The SAEM Medical Student Symposium is a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about planning your future in EM. Our expert faculty includes many well-known program and clerkship directors with decades of student-mentoring experience. Selected sessions include “How to excel in your EM clerkship,” “Finding the best residency program for me,” and “Top 10 mistakes EM applicants make.” Learn how to best prepare your paper application and shine during your interview from faculty who have sorted through thousands of applications and interviewed hundreds of prospective residents. At smaller roundtable discussions, we’ll cover more attendee-specific topics such as “Women in EM,” “Guidance for students at international medical schools,” and “Tips and strategies for students in the pre-clinical years.”

At lunch, you will be seated with program directors from around the country, where you can gain more valuable advice and insight in an informal environment. At the EMRA resident panel in the afternoon, you’ll get the inside scoop on EM residency and the application process from current EM residents. The program concludes with the annual residency fair at which individual residency programs are provided space for you to stop by and meet current residents and faculty, as well as pick up informational material. Overall, it’s a jam-packed, high-yield EM career and residency-application bootcamp that you don’t want to miss!

Social Media Opportunity for Residents at the SAEM 2012 Annual Meeting!
Are you a resident attending the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine Annual Meeting in 2012?

If you are we have an opportunity for you! Be an iReporter for the SAEM Social Media Committee. All you have to do is send out Tweets on your Twitter account related to sessions or Annual Meeting events you attend with the hashtag #SAEM12.

If you are interested please email Dr. Jason Nomura (jnomura@christianacare.org) the Social Media Committee Chair to be included. All residents who participate (as long as you tell us ahead of time) will be recognized on the SAEM Social Media Committee website as a 2012 iReporter for the committee, something for your CV.

See you there and online.
SAEM Social Media Committee

Plan your experience at the 2012 SAEM Annual Meeting! Annual Meeting Scheduling Webpage and iPhone Annual Meeting app!!
Overwhelmed by the amount of meetings, interest groups, didactics, and other events at the 2012 SAEM Annual Meeting? Be sure to check out the Annual Meeting Scheduling Website, http://am2012.saem.org/Schedule, which helps you design your own personalized schedule for the entire Annual Meeting! You will need to have Microsoft Outlook installed on your computer.

This exciting new tool will help you truly get the best out of all the wonderful opportunities available at the Annual Meeting!

Also, if you have an iPhone, you can go to the app store and download the Annual Meeting app, which will download all of the events you are interested in, the times, and the locations directly onto your iPhone?

Academy Spotlight: Academy of Emergency Medicine Ultrasound
Did you know that there are special organizations within SAEM, known as “Academies,” which focus on specific areas of interest within academic emergency medicine? These academies provide outstanding networking opportunities, education, and areas for further involvement in their respective areas of interest.

This month, we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight the Academy of Emergency Medicine Ultrasound, http://www.saem.org/academy-emergency-ultrasound.

Founded in 2011, AEUS is a community within the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine. AEUS provides an international forum bringing together bedside clinician sonologists with the common goal of advancing patient care and safety by use of bedside ultrasound. AEUS task forces are working towards development of training curriculums for medical students, residents, and fellows as well as tools and resources for further research and development.

In addition, updates are posted on Facebook, www.facebook.com/saem.aeus and Twitter, www.twitter.com/#!/saemaeus.

1. To advance education and research in ultrasound for the bedside evaluation of emergency medical conditions, resuscitation of the acutely ill, critically ill or injured, guidance of invasive procedures, monitoring of certain pathologic states, and as an adjunct to therapy.
2. To serve as a platform for discussion of subjects that are of concern to emergency medicine physicians practicing clinical sonography.
3. To support medical student, resident, fellow, and practicing emergency physician ultrasound training and education.
4. To foster individual and multicenter ultrasound research to advance the knowledge of our field and improve patient care, safety and emergency department patient flow.
5. To work collaboratively with other organizations within emergency medicine, and across the specialties, through partnership and education, and to promote shared common interests.

If you have an interest in emergency medicine ultrasound, consider joining today! Contact Holly Gouin at hgouin@saem.org to add this academy membership to your SAEM membership (residents receive one free Academy membership!)

Check out their other resources available at:
http://www.saem.org/academy-emergency-ultrasound

SAEM Medical Student Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award
Deadline: Friday, June 1, 2012

Know an outstanding medical student? Consider nominating them for the SAEM Medical Student Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award. This award is made available to each medical school to select a senior medical student who has demonstrated excellence in the specialty of emergency medicine.

• One year subscription to the SAEM monthly journal, Academic Emergency Medicine
• One year subscription to the SAEM Newsletter
• One year Resident/Medical Student membership in SAEM (July 1 - June 30)
• Certificate of Excellence in Emergency Medicine

*Please submit your application four weeks prior to the date the certificate is needed for graduation/presentation ceremonies*

The application and further information is available at: http://www.saem.org/medical-student-excellence-emergency-medicine-award

Applications can be submitted to Michelle Iniguez at miniguez@saem.org or faxed to 847-813-5450.

If you have any questions or comments about the content of this newsletter, or if you would like to contribute content to a future edition of the Resident Newsletter, please contact SAEM Resident Board Member (2011-2012) Melinda Morton at mmorton@jhmi.edu