11/18/2016
November President's Message
It's been a rough month. The Indians lost. I'm not foolish to talk about the election in my President’s Message since half of you will be happy and half will not. Instead, although it may be extremely cliché, I want to use my November President’s message to talk about being thankful and gaining some perspective.
First I wanted to say how thankful and proud I am to be part of the Ohio Chapter. Two weeks ago several of my partners and I attended the Ohio ACEP Basic EM Ultrasound Course for the first time. The ultrasound course was the only Ohio ACEP educational offering in which I had not yet participated.
Simply put, it was amazing. The faculty, the vendors who provided the ultrasound machines, and the live patient models were all outstanding. But most important and deserving of thanks is the amazing Ohio ACEP staff which makes everything run so smoothly. We don't thank them as much as we should for all the hard work they do behind the scenes before and during the courses to allow faculty to put on the best education programs in the country. No, this is not just a shameless plug for the ultrasound course. I just wanted to make sure that I recognize the faculty and the staff for putting on an amazing course and helping reignite the ultrasound flame within me from my days as a resident.
Also, I wanted to share a new perspective that I've gained this week. A few days ago, I had elbow surgery. It has often been said that all physicians should experience the patients’ side of things periodically to remind us what our patients go through. As much as we hate patient satisfaction surveys, I have a newfound respect for one of the questions: “Were you kept informed about delays?” All my wife and I wanted to know was what's happening next. When are we going to be done? When can we go home? The experience was valuable for me as a physician, and I certainly will try better to keep our patients informed about delays and waits going forward.
So with those thoughts, be thankful and grateful for everything that you have. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Go Bucks! Beat Blue!
Michael
Michael J. McCrea, MD, FACEP
President, Ohio ACEP