#ACEP14 is upon us... "Should I go?"

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is the largest EM organization in the United States.  Their largest annual meeting, the Academic Assembly (#ACEP14), starts this weekend.  Thousands of Emergency Physicians, and other acute care providers, from all over the world will be descending on the McCormick Place convention center in Chicago.

As part of this event the Emergency Medicine Resident Association will be hosting a week of events as well.  For students pursuing a career in EM the highlights are the Student Symposium and the Residency Fair, both happening on Sunday, October 26.

If you are in the 2015 match, you can make an argument that there is little value in going to this now as most of the interview offers are out already.  That is a good point.  Many of the Program Director's have already made up their minds about their interview offers and wait lists.

Another viewpoint would be that this is the MOST important Residency Fair to go to for someone in this years match.  Especially if you do not have the 10-12 interviews that correlate with a 99% match rate.  With the increased number of applications that each program is receiving (without an increase in the overall number of applicants), most program directors are expecting to make more use of their "wait list" than ever before.

A nice introduction and conversation with the program leadership staffing the Residency Fair may very well impact your spot on that wait list.

Adam Kellogg is an Associate Residency Director and former Emergency Medicine Clerkship Director.  He is currently training residents he met at the EMRA Residency Fair.  

SAEM 2014 for students and residents

The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) is holding their Annual Meeting in Dallas May 13 - 17th. SAEM has a reputation for being all about research, though it is more fair to describe the organization as being all about academics. Their Annual Meeting has a ton to offer the student considering a career in Emergency Medicine (and the resident thinking of staying in academics.  

From a student perspective, the big draw is the Medical Student Symposium and the Residency Fair that follows:

"May 16^th is the highlight for medical students at the SAEM Medical Student Symposium tailored for medical students applying to EM.  Panel discussions with current EM residents, roundtable discussions, and lunch with EM program directors will prepare EM bound students to understand the application and selection process."  

And here is the stated objective for the symposium:

Objectives:  The Medical Student Symposium is primarily tailored to medical students who have identified emergency medicine as their future specialty, but is also valuable for students still contemplating specialty choice.  The symposium includes presentations from seasoned EM educators, roundtable discussions geared for more individuated guidance, lunch with residency program directors, and a panel discussion with current EM residents.  Major themes for the symposium include the application and selection process. The program will be followed by the SAEM Residency and Fellowship Fair, providing students and residents with access to representatives from most EM programs across the country. 

At the completion of the session, participants should be able to:       
1. Assess their personal and career goals that might make EM a good fit.
2. Identify the multitude of career paths that exist within EM.
3. Optimize their fourth-year schedule.
4. Identify key factors and variables in selecting potential training programs.
5. Assemble a strong and compelling application package.
6. Perform their best during interviews.    

But wait, there is more. The SAEM Resident and Student Advisory Committee (RSAC), of which I am a member, has two events developed specifically for Emergency Medicine residents and medical students to provide opportunities to learn, network, and share ideas.  

1.  The RSAC sponsored Abstract Scavenger Hunt on May 14-16^th will allow teams of medical students and residents to seek out abstracts in the SAEM Program Committee Gallery of Excellence.  The mission is designed for participants to answer questions using QR codes with their own smart phones.  The team answering the most abstract questions correctly will win prizes including free registration to the 2015 SAEM Annual Meeting and gift cards to Starbucks and Amazon.  

2.  The Resident & Medical Student Reception will be held on Friday, May 16^th from 5:30-7:30 following the Residency and Fellowship Fair.  This event for medical students and residents is a great place to network with colleagues from across the country while mingling with leaders from SAEM committees and taskforces as they highlight opportunities for medical students and residents to become involved in Emergency Medicine at a national level early in your career.  (Including Ultrasound, Simulation, Women in EM, International EM, Social Media, Membership, Program, Ethics, and more) This reception, only for medical students and residents, is sponsored by ECI who will provide free drink tickets at their booth in the exhibitor hall. 

Both events are free and open to any resident or student attending the meeting. 

If you can make it to Dallas, I promise it will be worth the trip.  

AAEM 2014 Med Student Track

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine has their annual meeting coming up in February.  It will be at the Midtown Hilton in New York City February 11 - 15, 2014.

They are going to have a whole track just for medical students on February 12:

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

7:30am-8:00am	Networking breakfast
8:00am-9:00am	Pearls & Pitfalls of Emergency Medicine
9:30am-10:00am	Finding your Match: Types of Residency Programs
10:00am-11:00am	Program Director Panel
11:00am-11:15am	Break
11:15am-11:45am	Career Paths in Emergency Medicine
11:45am-12:15pm	Ultrasound in the Emergency Department

This is a great opportunity to learn more about the specialty and about navigating the application process.

Blogs are fun and all but getting to interact with actual people is even better.