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Reflections on 30 Years in Emergency Medicine

Jack Davidoff, MDBefore he became a physician, Jack Davidoff, MD, an Emergency Medicine physician at Finger Lakes Health in Geneva, NY, wanted to be a veterinarian. While finishing high school, he began working with local ambulance services and eventually became an EMT. He was soon accepted to veterinary school, but, realizing that what he really wanted to do was practice medicine, he turned it down. Now, after 30 years as an emergency medicine physician, he looks back on his career with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment and at times disappointment.

Dr. Davidoff reserves a lot of praise for his residency training in family medicine. (The program allowed for training in pediatrics and geriatrics and even subspecialties such as ENT, rheumatology, orthopedics and ophthalmology.) When he started his medical career, he says, regulations were different, permitting him to see far more patients than today’s residents are allowed to see, but he credits the long hours and huge caseload with making him a better doctor. Spending his third year of school in Great Britain gave a different perspective on medicine that he says continues to influence his practice today.

Technology has changed the way physicians practice emergency medicine, he says. For instance, all records used to be on paper, and to get his patients’ lab results, he would have to pore over lines of handwritten information in each lab several times a day. Also, X-rays were all still on film, and to obtain the right X-ray, he would have to sort through several stacks of film. By contrast, in today’s ER, both of these tasks take seconds to complete.  However electronic health care records have caused many delays and frustrations and continue to be less efficient in a busy practice.

Because he was not residency-trained in emergency medicine, Dr. Davidoff was ineligible for certification with the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM). Facing limitations to his practice, and with many hospitals requiring their emergency medicine physicians to hold board certification, Dr. Davidoff turned to the Board of Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM).

Since earning BCEM certification, Dr. Davidoff has worked at hospitals that are committed to providing quality emergency care and fully recognize the BCEM. Rather than focusing on the business and politics of medicine, BCEM is steadfastly dedicated to the advancement of emergency medicine through exceptional care, research, and education. Backed by the BCEM and his vast ER experience, Dr. Davidoff believes he practices the specialty more successfully and with more expertise than his colleagues who have completed an emergency medicine residency.

Dr. Davidoff has been an educator locally, nationally and even internationally.  He has held several positions on national organizations including President of the Air Medical Physicians Association.  He has been the Regional EMS Medical Director for 4 counties and numerous EMS and Fire agencies.

Emergency Medicine has changed as have all the other specialties over the past 30 years.  Not all the changes are good.  Emergency Departments are filling the void as Primary Care becomes scarce in some areas. Substance abuse has increased significantly along with all the medical and social problems associated with such abuse.  Violence in the ED has increased.  However, there is still a need for Emergency Physicians that work well in these situations.

The ABPS of which the BCEM is a Member Board, would find it hard to disagree. Our highly skilled and accomplished Diplomates practice emergency medicine at respected hospitals across the United States, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. Through the BCEM, we offer certification in emergency medicine to qualified physicians who have completed a primary care residency. To learn about the BCEM’s eligibility requirements, contact the ABPS today.

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

With declining access for maternity care amid rising maternal mortality, ABPS and their Board Certification in Family Medicine Obstetrics has been essential for me and many of my colleagues in getting privileges and thereby creating local access for mothers and their children.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
John B. Waits, MD
Family Medicine Obstetrics
Board certification through the American Board of Physician Specialties has served to substantiate my interest and additional training in several fields of medicine including Internal Medicine, Disaster Medicine, and Administrative Medicine. As a result, I have been able to serve my community in clinical, disaster response, and administrative medicine roles. Through the ABPS, I have become recognized as a leader in my various fields of interest.

Spencer Price MD, MPH, MBA
Administrative Medicine
In this era, when continuous updated medical knowledge means so much to you, when quality of emergency care matters most to you ,when you need to excel in your medical career to continue providing exceptional service to your critically ill patients, please consider board certification with the Boad of Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM). Where your knowledge & expertise translates to credentialing & certification with wider approval & recognition every day at many fronts. We Welcome you to join our team for a brighter future of our emergency healthcare where dedication to profession relies not solely on clinical practice but also on sound academic certification.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Ashraf A. Gerges, MD, FAAEP
Emergency Medicine
Board certification in Orthopedic Surgery through the American Board of Physician Specialties validated my training and surgical experience through a process that was both rigorous and respectful of real-world practice. ABPS recognizes clinical competence, not just credentials, and that sets it apart.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Orthopedic Surgery
The American Board of Physician Specialties is a forward- thinking organization that focuses on where Medicine is going, not just where it has been. Traditional Certification Boards like Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Dermatology are represented as are Integrative Medicine, Disaster Medicine, and Family Medicine-Obstetrics. Physicians appreciate the ability to showcase their skills and knowledge through Board Certification, and this organization allows excellent physicians the ability to bring their skills to patients. The dedication and commitment of this organization and its volunteers will ensure ongoing distinction and commitment for decades to come.

Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD
Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD
Dermatology
Serving as a member on the American board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) for many years and now serving as a Member at Large of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) has been an enriching and rewarding experience. The board’s commitment to excellence, integrity, and positive impact is truly inspiring. I am grateful to collaborate with such a dedicated and visionary group, and I am proud of the meaningful progress we continue to achieve together.

Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
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 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
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
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
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