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AADM Recommends Making a Plan

AADM Recommends Making a Plan

If a disaster strikes today, would your family be prepared to handle it? It’s a question to which many of us have given too little consideration. The American Academy of Disaster Medicine® (AADM) wants to change that. The AADM, which was formed to educate physicians and healthcare professionals on the importance of disaster preparation in the medical community, recommends that private citizens create a plan to prepare themselves in case of disasters.

Knowing what types of disaster could affect your area will determine the kind of plan you put in place. You should know how to recognize the danger signs and risks of disasters, whether they are natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes, or manmade disasters such as terrorist attacks and chemical spills. Your family members should know well ahead of time how they will contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establishing a meeting place that’s familiar to everyone is a smart way to achieve this, and will also serve you well if family members happen to be apart when an evacuation order is issued. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a good disaster preparation plan includes these four elements:

  • A way of receiving emergency alerts and warnings
  • A shelter plan
  • An evacuation route
  • A family communication plan

It’s also important that you tailor your plan to your family’s specific needs. This may include making sure there are means of storing and protecting medications and medical equipment, and knowing how to treat basic medical problems. Also, be sure to make special accommodation for family members who are elderly, disabled, or on medically restricted diets. Additionally, your disaster preparation plan should consider the needs of pets and service animals, should you have any.

Disasters can affect entire communities, so it’s essential that physicians are as fully prepared as possible. In conjunction with the AADM, the American Board of Physician Specialties ® (ABPS) offers disaster medicine certification and recertification through the American Board of Disaster Medicine (ABODM). If you are a physician and are interested in becoming a community leader who can effectively coordinate disaster preparation plans and disaster recovery efforts in your area, contact the ABPS. We will happy to tell you about the eligibility requirements for disaster medicine certification from the ABODM.

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Patient Care Is Our Priority

Medical organizations throughout North America understand that our rigorous certification standards prove that ABPS Diplomates are capable of delivering the best patient care possible.

Far too often, medicine is led by less than 5% of non-practicing physicians taking away and replacing the voice of the 95% of physicians practicing and placing patient safety and care first on the front lines every day. The American Board of Physician Specialties has raised the standards in physician board certification not only in the quality of their boards of certification, but in hearing and allowing for the voice of those active physicians caring directly for patients. Having been a part of the ABPS over the last 28 years has allowed me to grow as a woman leader in a field often wrought with challenges. It helped me and others raise the bar of the standards of care in my specialty, Emergency Medicine, through their Board Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM). ABPS also helped raise the standards of care for 21st century medicine through their certifications in other specialties, particularly in Integrative Medicine & Disaster Medicine. Having physician voices heard matters to medicine and is essential in the betterment of patient safety and care.

Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP
Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP
Emergency Medicine
On October 18, 2007, President George W. Bush released Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 (HSPD-21), calling on our nation, among other initiatives, to “collectively support and facilitate the establishment of a discipline of disaster health”. It is a great testament to the wisdom and foresight of the American Board of Physician Specialties that it immediately set to work and created, within the short span of only one year, an educational blueprint and set of certification examinations, both written and oral, for a new subspecialty of disaster medicine—and it is why I chose to be part this vital initiative and this wonderful organization. This is but one of the many innovative programs initiated by the American Board of Physician Specialties over the years, and why I am proud to support its work on behalf of our nation’s public health.

Art Cooper, MD
Disaster Medicine
When the American Board of Physician Specialties offered to host the American Board of Integrative Medicine, ABPS became a landmark organization working to move medicine into the twenty first century. Certifying physicians who have completed rigorous academic training in Integrative Medicine ensures that the field of Integrative Medicine will continue to develop academically, clinically, and professionally. The leadership of ABPS continues to impress me - they are diligent in constantly innovating to provide certifications for physicians who want to advance their careers and their areas of expertise. I am honored to be a part of this organization.

Ann Marie Chiasson, MD
Integrative Medicine
There are many ways board certification advances a physician career. ABPS Board examination verifies your accuracy, precision, and reflects your mastery of your residency training verifying your expertise. ABPS Board certification demonstrates your level of expertise beyond your practice experience, primary education degrees, and training which are necessary for insurance reimbursement and practice privilege requirements. Attaining your ABPS Board Certification will clarify your purpose, secure your practice growth, and expand into leadership positions. Board certification can serve as an indication of a physician’s commitment to medicine, beyond the minimal standards and competency of training, their measurement to quality of care, and attaining an award for excellence.

Chris Kunis MD
Internal Medicine
When I think historically, advancement in medicine and patient safety and care has been driven by the diversity of people and scientific thought. That’s what I found at the ABPS and more. For over 60 years that is just who we are. I found a physician certifying body that provides a choice and voice to all physicians ensuring that patients are always placed first.

Jerry Allison, MD
Emergency Medicine
When I decided to pursue a full time role as a physician executive it was important to me to obtain additional professional training, education and work experience. Board certification through the ABPS in Administrative Medicine is validation of my efforts and a demonstration of dedication to professional development. We need more physicians to become full time health care executives, knowing there is a board certification option in Administrative Medicine encourages physicians to take the leap from full time clinical practice to healthcare organizational leadership.

Richard Paula, MD
Administrative Medicine
The American Board of Physician Specialties has provided me with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of internal medicine through board certification. As a hospitalist, board certification is an expected credential, and hospitals recognize the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) as one of the three standard credentialling bodies for Internal Medicine. Additionally, the ABPS has helped me develop leadership skills as a Board member and Committee Chairperson. ABPS has also helped me sharpen critical thinking skills as a test question developer and reviewer. The Allopathic (MD) and Osteopathic (DO) physicians in the ABPS are lifelong learners and frequently pursue multiple board certifications. I enjoy the camaraderie of my peers in ABPS.

Loren Jay Chassels, DO
Internal Medicine
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