The inception of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) was based on the core belief that all patients have the right to be evaluated by a board-certified emergency medicine (EM) physician. In response, AAEM’s Resident and Student Association (RSA) has been a leader in advocating for increased educational standards to produce excellent residents who deliver the highest quality of patient care. We truly believe our skill set, as physicians, is valuable, and our rigorous training and board certification are what set us apart from non-physician practitioners.
The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) launched the Becoming Certified Initiative in early 2022 and invited AAEM/RSA, as well as other professional organizations in EM, to share our thoughts about future exams for EM residency graduates. Throughout this campaign, we participated in a summit and executive board meetings. ABEM has continued to meet with AAEM/RSA and other key stakeholders. Thousands of physicians have provided feedback on the necessary qualities required to produce an excellent EM physician. We believe ABEM has been transparent in their goals and plans regarding this new phase of examining and awarding board certification to future EM physicians.
The new Certifying Exam seems to incorporate activities that will better test our skill set as physicians, such as procedural skills, managing a tracking board, and interpersonal skills. While we are excited about the improved exam, we did express to ABEM our concern that the exam is in a difficult location for some residents. ABEM explained that a single location helps in standardizing the exam for all applicants, and they conducted an extensive review before choosing this location. For further explanation regarding the selection of the Raleigh location, please visit the ABEM website.
Overall, we at AAEM/RSA believe this new exam holds residents to a higher standard and will ultimately encourage residency programs to better equip their residents to provide quality patient care. We are excited to learn more about this new exam. ABEM has agreed to keep the door open for communication on this topic. We are looking forward to hosting ABEM in April at our Scientific Assembly in Austin, Texas, where they will give an overview of the exam for our residents and be available to answer questions.
As always, AAEM/RSA is here for our residents, and we are here to help you prepare for these examination changes. Please email president@aaemrsa.org for additional clarification and feedback.