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Completing Fellowship Training Prepares Family Physicians for Leadership Roles in Rural Community Emergency Departments

Rural Emergency MedicineOne of the challenges that many rural community emergency departments face is that they are staffed by physicians who have completed residency training in specialties other than Emergency Medicine. The reason that this can be a problem is that more and more hospitals are developing policies that require that physicians be Board Certified in their specialty area, and the successful completion of residency-level training is often a requirement to becoming certified. This creates an unfair situation where many physicians who have spent their careers in the emergency department don’t have the opportunities they should be entitled to because they finished their residency in another specialty. To help address this growing concern, many fellowships are being created across the country that can make a physician eligible for certification in Emergency Medicine through the American Board of Physician Specialties® and the Board of Certification in Emergency Medicine® (BCEM)

One example of a newly developed Emergency Medicine fellowship is the North State Emergency Medicine Fellowship at Mercy Medical Center Redding. As Luke Rawlings, MD, MHS, explains: “This unique program provides highly qualified family physicians with a pathway to gain a year of added training in EM. It can lead to board certification in emergency medicine.”

Fellowships, like the one at Mercy Medical Center Redding, not only benefit the physician from a professional, career-minded standpoint, but also the community at large. The benefit behind these programs is that they can ensure traditionally underserved hospital emergency departments are managed by physicians with extensive, formalized training in Emergency Medicine who have regional ties to the area where they completed their fellowship program. These fellowships open the door to physicians who might not have previously been eligible to pursue board certification in their specialty of choice without having to complete an additional residency.

To learn all about the various hospitals that currently participate in this fellowship program around the country, and for additional information about the eligibility requirements for board certification through the BCEM, contact the ABPS today. The ABPS is the official certifying body of the American Association of Physician Specialists, Inc.®

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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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