RAMS Can't Miss List

The RAMS Can’t-Miss Guide to SAEM26

What Residents and Medical Students Should Prioritize at the Annual Meeting

By Daniel Artiga, MD, RAMS Board President

The Resident and Medical Student (RAMS) Board is incredibly excited about the depth and energy of this year’s SAEM Annual Meeting. With hundreds of sessions and events packed into four days, it can be hard to know where to focus — especially for residents and medical students trying to balance learning, networking, and actually enjoying the meeting.

That’s where the RAMS Can’t-Miss List comes in. Curated by residents for residents and students, this guide highlights the sessions and experiences that consistently deliver the highest yield: practical knowledge, skill-building, career development, and — just as importantly — community.

Make Connections (and Have Fun)

These are the events where the RAMS community truly comes alive. If you’re new to SAEM, this is the fastest way to meet people, have fun, and feel at home.

• New! Pickleball (Mon 5/18)
• SAEM RAMS Hunt (Mon 5/18)
• Opening Reception (Tue 5/19)
• RAMS Dodgeball (Wed 5/20)
• RAMS Party at the historic Tabernacle (Wed 5/20)
  

Compete, Collaborate, and Learn

These sessions combine education with competition and creativity, making them some of the most memorable learning experiences at SAEM. You’ll reinforce core EM skills while aiming for the top spot — and having a great time doing it. Advance registration is required for participation.

• MedWAR (Mon 5/18)
• The Hackathon: Team-Based Innovation in Emergency Medicine (Mon 5/18)
• Simulation Academy SimWars (Tue 5/19)
• ADIEM LGBTQIA+ Trivia (Wed 5/20)
• SonoGames and Afterparty (Thu 5/21)
  

Hands-On Skills You’ll Use on Shift

Advanced EM Workshops are a standout for hands-on learners looking to leave SAEM with immediately applicable skills. These half-day and full-day sessions prioritize technical training and focused discussion with expert faculty.

New this year: all workshops are now included with registration. They remain ticketed due to capacity limits, so be sure to register early — they fill quickly for a reason.

Recommended workshops include:

• Precision Pain Control: Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Blocks for Every Clinician (Mon 5/18 AM)
• Beyond Survival: Delivering Excellence in Austere Environments (Mon 5/18 AM)
• Training the Trainers: Basic Emergency Care for Global Impact (Mon 5/18 all day)
• SAEM26 Grant Writing Workshop: Strategies for Success in Academic Emergency Medicine (Mon 5/18 all day)
• From Mission to Momentum: Driving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (Mon 5/18 AM)
• Seeing Beyond the Image: Mastering Resuscitative Transesophageal Echocardiography (Mon 5/18 PM)
• Figuring Out the Fiberoptic: Mastering Airway Skills (Mon 5/18 PM)
• Money Moves in Medicine: Financial Fluency for Women Leaders in Academic Emergency Medicine (Mon 5/18 PM)
• SAEM26 Consensus Conference II: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Emergency Medicine (Thu 5/21)

Career Development That Pays Off 

Forums create space for honest, practical conversations about leadership, training, and career progression — often with insights you won’t find anywhere else. These immersive, high-impact professional development experiences combine expert-led discussion, interactive learning, and peer engagement.

New for SAEM26: All Forums are included with registration, though space is limited and advance sign-up is required.

• Leadership Forum (Mon 5/18)
• Chief Resident Forum (Wed 5/20)
• Medical Student Symposium (Wed 5/20)

Didactics That Will Shape How You Practice

With an extensive didactic catalog at SAEM26, prioritization matters. These sessions were selected for their relevance, practicality, and potential to shape how you practice and lead:

• Advocacy in Emergency Medicine: An American Academy of Emergency Medicine and Resident and Student Association Presentation (Sponsored by SAEM and RAMS)
• What to Do When Immigration and Customs Enforcement Is at Your Door: Navigating Bedside Interactions and Policy
• The Finances Behind Academic Emergency Medicine Jobs: Benchmark Data on Salary, Workload, and Career Paths
• Rural Emergency Medicine in Action: Advancing Health Equity in Indigenous and Rural Communities
• Global Emergency Medicine in 2025: Key Articles from the Literature Review
• Emerging Infectious Threats: What Emergency Medicine Must Watch For (Sponsored by the Transmissable Infectious Diseases Interest Group)
• Beyond the Algorithm: Pharmacotherapy in the Gray Zone From Cardiac Arrest to Recovery
• Unlocking the Injured Brain: Biomarkers, Imaging, and Precision Pathways in Traumatic Brain Injury Care
• Critical Updates in Early Pregnancy Complications: Essential Evidence for Emergency Physicians
• Wavemakers: Frontiers of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Research From 2025
• These Studies Will Change Your Practice (and Teaching): Pediatric Emergency Medicine Edition
• Managing Agitation Safely: Practice Updates in De-escalation, Workplace Violence, and Pharmacotherapy
• Moving Beyond Opioids: Multimodal Approaches to Pain
• From Agitation to Analgesia: Updating Geriatric Emergency Department Medication Safety Guidelines
• Storytelling in Emergency Medicine: Connecting With Each Other
• When Doing Your Best Is Not Enough: Confronting Moral Injury and Vicarious Trauma in Emergency Medicine

Networking That Moves Your Career Forward

These events provide intentional access to mentors, program leaders, and future collaborators — and often lead to conversations that shape careers.

• New! Annual Meeting Mentorship Program (flexible dates and times)
• Speed Mentoring (Tue 5/19)
• AWAEM and ADIEM Luncheon (Tue 5/19)
• Residency & Fellowship Fair (Wed 5/20)
• Thinking About a Fellowship? Fellowship Roundtable Discussions (Didactic)
• Building an Academic Niche in Residency: Lessons From Early Career Faculty Across Diverse Fields (Didactic)

The RAMS Can’t-Miss List isn’t exhaustive — and that’s the point. Use it as an anchor as you build a schedule that reflects your goals and interests. SAEM26 is what you make of it. Prioritize the experiences that will still matter when you’re back on shift.

SAEM RAMS looks forward to welcoming you to Atlanta!