2017 EPIC Vol 1

Illinois

EPIC Emergency Physicians Interim Communique
Illinois College of Emergency Physicians 2017 - Issue 1
3000 Woodcreek Drive, Suite 200 Vol 17 No 1
Downers Grove, IL 60515

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Involvement Benefits College and Career

As I sit down to write As you focus on what matters to you and look tweet your legislators to start a dialogue.

this article, there are for ways to integrate with your EM practice, do

so many things swirl- not discount the role ICEP can play. Our multi- This legislative session, ICEP is working to

ing in my head about faceted organization offers numerous avenues get an amendment passed to a bill that requires

the current climate af- for involvement and impact, and we are always mandatory HIV testing of all pregnant women

fecting the specialty of seeking the assistance of our members to help presenting to hospitals and outpatient clinics,

emergency medicine. us expand our mission and stay relevant during including emergency departments. Forward

a time of constant change. progress is underway on this issue, and we are

(One example: how optimistic that the final result will be emer-

the climate literally ADVOCACY gency medicine physicians exempted from the

Valerie J. Phillips, affected my ED shift Every member has an opportunity to partici- mandate.

MD, FACEP last week, with the un- pate in our efforts to influence legislative man-

expected mid-March dates that would impact our practice. No one On ICEP Advocacy Day on March 30, some

snow causing an influx of patients needing knows our patient care role and practice limita- of our members are traveling to Springfield

treatment after slips, falls and MVCs — even tions better than we do, and you are your own to immerse themselves in the legislative pro-

though spring is supposedly right around the best advocate. Advocacy campaigns are what cess for an afternoon. After a briefing with our

corner. Mother Nature foils us again...) you make of them: Your commitment can be lobbyists, we will head over to the Capitol for

as simple as an email or as involved as face-to- visits with legislators and staffers. There is no

Just as unpredictable as the Midwestern al- face meetings with your legislators. charge for members to attend ICEP Advocacy

most-spring weather, so too is the practice of Day, and we would love to see more of you

emergency medicine, both within a day’s shift Phone2Action is a new platform ICEP has representing ICEP on March 30. RSVP online

and across the larger spectrum of the specialty. available as a tool for our members and advo- at ICEP.org and join me!

There are so many nuances to our practice: cates to very quickly and easily contact legisla-

different issues and requirements that keep us tors and voice your opinion. We are launching EDUCATION

on our toes and make us experts at diagnos- our first Phone2Action campaign immediately A cornerstone of the ICEP mission is educa-

ing medical conditions that other doctors never following ICEP Advocacy Day as a way for all tion. At the recent Board member, we ana-

see. of our members to participate and add to the lyzed a chart of ICEP’s revenue sources and

momentum built by our peers who are repre- expenses. This chart demonstrated that it is

That’s one of the things that sets us apart: the senting emergency medicine issues in person also our educational offerings that maintain the

many different approaches to emergency medi- in Springfield. financial viability of the college and allow us to

cine, and the many ways you can specialize your pursue other goals.

training. From pediatrics to informatics, EMS to At the recent ICEP Board meeting, Board

administration, public policy to medical-legal members noted that there are newer statistics A quick plug: Take an ICEP course, or teach

consultation, you have the opportunity to com- demonstrating the influence of electronic me- one! If you need Board review, ICEP’s courses

bine your commitment to medicine with other dia on legislators. Twitter activity appears to are local to you and nationally ranked. If CME

interests and develop a unique career trajectory. be far more influential than emails, and this is hours are what you need, consider Spring Sym-

another avenue we will be pursuing. But don’t

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Perspectives from 2017
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Ins2i0d17 e- IsEsEuPeP1IICC wait for us: If there’s an issue you care about,

Dr. Gary Slutkin to Headline Three Members to Be

ICEP Board of Directors Panel on Gun Violence at Honored at Spring ACEP Leadership and

Elections Open Now 2017 Spring Symposium Symposium with ICEP’s Advocacy Conference

Through April 19 Annual Awards

2page 3page 4page 6page

ICEP Board of Directors Elections Open
Now Through April 19: Cast Your Ballot

Five active members and one resident member
will be elected to the ICEP Board of Direc-
tors this spring for the 2017-2018 term. Voting
opened online on March 20 and closes on April
19.

Results of the elections will be announced at Dr. Amit Arwindekar Dr. Paul Casey Dr. Mark Courtney Dr. Christopher
the Annual Business Meeting that will be held McDowell
during the Spring Symposium on May 4, 2017
at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Board of Directors Candidates:
• Amit Arwindekar, MD, MBA, FACEP
• Paul Casey, MD, FACEP
• D. Mark Courtney, MD, FACEP
• Christopher McDowell, MD, MS, FACEP
• Jared D. Novack, MD, FACEP
• Willard W. Sharp, MD, FACEP
• Ernest Wang, MD, FACEP
• Jack S. Wu, MD, FACEP

Resident Member Candidates: Dr. Jared Novack Dr. Willard Sharp Dr. Ernest Wang Dr. Jack Wu
• Mark Baker, MD
• Amanda Friend, MD
• Michael Logan, MD
• Hashim Q. Zaidi, MD

ICEP’s online voting process makes it quick
and easy to cast your ballot. Visit http://vote.
associationvoting.com/icep to vote now.

All current ICEP members in good standing Dr. Mark Baker Dr. Amanda Friend Dr. Michael Logan Dr. Hashim Zaidi
received an email with instructions for voting.
The email contains the link to the voting plat- for assistance. Your email server may block the Health Care Policy if the current ACA as it is
form and their personalized login details. email as spam. "repealed and replaced", in terms of Emer-
gency Care of Patients?
To log in and cast your ballot, you will use your Each candidate has completed a short profile as
ACEP Member number (beginning with A) and well as a personal statement in response to the The candidate profiles were included with the
your last name (as recorded by ACEP). following question: What do you think is one email you received on March 20 and can also be
measure that could positively impact the new viewed directly in the voting portal.
If you did not receive an email with voting
instructions, please contact Kate Blackwelder
at [email protected] or 630-495-6400, ext. 205,

Illinois Editor Illinois EPIC is published by the Illinois advertisements but neither reviews,
Cai Glushak, MD, FACEP Chapter, American College of Emergency recommends or endorses any individuals,
EPIC Physicians. Opinions expressed in this groups or hospitals who respond to these
ICEP President newsletter do no necessarily express the advertisements.
Illinois College of Emergency Physicians Valerie J. Phillips, MD, FACEP views of ICEP.
3000 Woodcreek Drive, Suite 200 For membership or advertising information,
Downers Grove, IL 60515 Executive Director All advertisements appearing in the Illinois call 630.495.6400 or dial toll-free 888.495.
Phone 630.495.6400 Fax 630.495.6404 Virginia Kennedy Palys EPIC are printed as received from the ICEP. Or visit ICEP online at ICEP.org
www.icep.org advertisers. Advertisement in the EPIC does
Managing Editor not imply endorsement of any product or © 2017
Kate Blackwelder service by the Illinois College of Emer-
gency Physicians. ICEP receives and publishes

2

Illinois College of Emergency Physicians

Dr. Gary Slutkin to Headline Panel on
Gun Violence at Spring Symposium

ICEP’s Spring Symposium and Annual Busi- Also on the agenda: Vendors will be on-site with the latest products
ness Meeting presents a powerful panel discus- and services for emergency care. Raffle prizes
sion that comes straight from the headlines. Join ACEP President Becky will be given away at the conclusion of the
us on May 4 for “Gun Violence in Chicago and Parker, MD, FACEP will meeting.
Beyond: Continuum of Care.” highlight key initiatives and
projects moving forward at
The panel will feature keynote presenter Gary ACEP.
Slutkin, MD, founder and CEO of Cure Vio-
lence, and will examine alternative perspectives The Resident Speaker Forum
on the continuum of care and discuss actions will showcase novice speak-
emergency medicine practitioners can take ers from each residency in a
to address the effects of gun violence. Expert lecture competition.
panelists that include Allison Arwady, MPH,
MD, Chief Medical Officer for the Chicago A Statewide Research Show-
Department of Public Health, and LeVon Stone, case will spotlight the best in
Sr., Director of CeaseFire Illinois, will present Illinois emergency medicine
viewpoints from outside the emergency depart- research.
ment: surveillance, field response, trauma sur-
gery, crime lab, and prevention. The Annual Business Meeting will include the
presentation of ICEP’s annual awards and an-
Register now to attend the Symposium at nouncement of the Board of Directors election
Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Thursday, results. (See story on Page 2 for details on how
May 4. Registration is open online at ICEP.org. to cast your ballot.)

Rush Launching Emergency Medicine
Residency Program to Start July 1

On July 1, Rush will launch its new, fully ac- A Solid Foundation for Innovation March, Rush University Medical Center and
credited emergency medicine residency pro- Physicians will be trained in diverse settings, Rush-Copley Medical Center completed the
gram, with 12 first-year physicians. When the including rotations at Rush University Medical process of reorganizing their operations under
three-year program is fully staffed, it will in- Center west of downtown Chicago, where resi- a common corporate parent led by a board of
clude 36 trainees, making it one of the largest dents will see patients in the state-of-the -art, trustees overseeing a fully integrated Rush aca-
residencies at Rush, said Braden Hexom, MD, 40,000-square-foot emergency department that demic health system.
FACEP, Emergency Management Residency opened as part of Rush’s Tower hospital build-
Program Director. ing in 2012. Residents also will work closely The program also includes a special focus on
with other hospital departments, such as criti- disaster preparedness, one of Rush’s core com-
Rush’s emergency management program will cal care and pediatrics, to which emergency pa- petencies. Rush is widely recognized as the
be the newest in the country, and is the first new tients often are admitted. top academic medical center in the Chicago
program of its kind in Chicago in the last 20 area for the treatment of infectious disease and
years. Its training and curriculum will reflect They’ll be exposed to trauma medicine through biohazard exposure. Officials say Rush Univer-
the innovation for which Rush is known. a longstanding partnership between Rush Uni- sity Medical Center is uniquely equipped for
versity Medical Center and nearby John H. infection control and large-scale response to a
While it will teach all aspects of emergency Stroger Hospital of Cook County, and they’ll bioterror attack or deadly pandemic, with an
medicine, the program offers a unique focus on also spend time at Rush-Copley Medical Cen- ambulance bay that can be turned into a huge
disaster preparedness and the use of analytics to ter, a community hospital in west suburban Au- decontamination room, specialized ventilation
measure efficiency and outcomes. This model rora. This is important, Dr. Hexom said, because to isolate the air in rooms or entire wards, and
has drawn considerable interest from graduat- many EM physicians ultimately will practice in robotic equipment to minimize cross-contami-
ing medical students, with Rush interviewing community hospitals, where they’ll see a wider nation.
about 140 candidates to find the 12 who will range of medical issues that they’ll be tasked
ultimately make up the first class of residents. with solving quickly and independently. In CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

3

2017 - Issue 1 Illinois EPIC

Three Members to Be Honored at Spring
Symposium with ICEP’s Annual Awards

Join your colleagues at the Spring significant contributions to the ad-

Symposium on Thursday, May 4 vancement of emergency medicine by

to honor three ICEP members for exemplary service.

their contributions to the college and

emergency medicine. Dr. Pilch is a dedicated longtime

member of the ICEP Education Com-

David Griffen, MD, PhD, FACEP, mittee who has helped to advance

Liza Pilch, MD, MBA, FACEP, and many new educational initiatives for

John Hafner, MD, MPH, FACEP, the College. She has served as As-

will be recognized during the An- sistant Course Director for the Oral

nual Business Meeting at the Sym- David Griffen, Liza Pilch, John Hafner, Board Review Courses for years and

posium. The Symposium is held at MD, PhD, FACEP MD, MBA, FACEP MD, MPH, FACEP has been a key player in helping to

Northwestern Memorial Hospital in debut the eOral program at the 2017

Chicago. He has been an active advocate at all of ICEP’s courses. At ICEP’s programs, Dr.

Advocacy Days in Springfield and has encour- Pilch is frequently seen lending a hand wher-

Bill. B. Smiley Award aged all of his staff and residents from Spring- ever it is needed, from assisting at registration

Dr. Griffen, of Springfield, is the recipient of field to do the same. Dr. Griffen’s photography to networking with vendors. She also serves on

the Bill B. Smiley Meritorious Service Award, hobby has been an extra benefit for ICEP, as he the EMS Committee.

which honors individuals who have made sig- has captured great moments at Advocacy Day,

nificant contributions to the advancement of ACEP Scientific Assembly, and Spring Sympo- Dr. Pilch is the Medical Director for the Bureau

emergency medicine in Illinois. The Bill B. sium that he’s always willing to share. of Emergency Preparedness at the Chicago De-

Smiley award is ICEP’s highest honor. partment of Public Health. She is also a student

Dr. Griffen is Chair of the Division of Emer- advisor for MedEdits Medical Admissions,

Dr. Griffen is a Past President who served two gency Medicine at the Southern Illinois School LLC.

terms on the ICEP Board of Directors and con- of Medicine in Springfield.

tinues to remain involved as a Councillor and Downstate Member Service Award

on a wide variety of committees, including ICEP Meritorious Service Award Dr. Hafner, of Peoria, is the recipient of the

Awards/Nominating, Bylaws, Finance, Mem- Dr. Pilch, of Chicago, is the recipient of the Downstate Member Service Award, which

bership, and Patient and Physician Advocacy. ICEP Meritorious Service Award, honoring her  CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

ICEP Advocacy Day is Thursday, March
30 in Springfield: Register to Join Us

Join ICEP members, ICEP’s lobbyists, and oth-
er guests on Thursday, March 30 in Springfield
to meet with state legislators to lobby for emer-
gency medicine issues.

The program will start at 11:00 AM at the San-
gamo Club in Springfield, where participants
will attend a briefing with lobbyists from Illinois
Strategies, LLC., and have lunch at the Club.

After lunch, the group will walk to the state ICEP Advocacy Day is free for all members, but Participants outside of Springfield may wish to
capitol to visit legislators. Members may make advance registration is required. Registration is take Amtrak for convenience. The Amtrak sta-
appointments with their legislators but should open online now at ICEP.org. tion is within walking distance of the Sangamo
note that many legislators’ offices do not take Club.
appointments and prefer drop-in visits.

4

Illinois College of Emergency Physicians

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2017 - Issue 1 Illinois EPIC

Leadership Scholarship Recipients Offer
Their Perspectives on ACEP LAC in D.C.

ICEP would like to congratulate the three re- creasingly predictable ques-

cipients of the 2017 ICEP Leadership Scholar- tions from my friends and

ship program: family: What do you think

about the changes in our

• Racheal Gilmer, MD, PGY-2, University health care system? How will

of Chicago the proposed changes affect

• Alejandro Palma, MD, PGY-4, University your day-to-day work? How

of Chicago will this new bill affect your

• John Purakal, MD, MSc, PGY-3, Univer- patients? Despite serving my

sity of Illinois at Chicago patients as best I could by

studying on the weekends,

As part of the scholarship requirements, Drs. listening to podcasts, and

Gilmer, Palma, and Purakal traveled to Wash- taking practice tests, I was

ington, D.C., last week to attend ACEP’s Lead- ignorant to some of the big-

ership and Advocacy Conference, where they gest pieces of medicine that

had the opportunity to network, hear new per- would affect many, if not all,

spectives on leadership, and meet with legisla- of my future patients.

tors to advocate for emergency medicine issues.

Here are their experiences in their own words: I was thrilled to be awarded

the ICEP Leadership Schol-

From Racheal Gilmer, MD: ars position, as I knew this

As an emergency medicine resident, you spend would not only give me the

much of your time learning the medical aspect knowledge needed to field Among the members representing ICEP at LAC were: (front row)
of what we do. I have spent hours recounting the inevitable questions from Drs. Alejandro Palma, Meeta Shah, Vidya Eswaran, Archana Shah,

different drug dosages, memorizing steps to friends and family but also Seth Trueger, and Sobia Ansari; and (back row): Drs. John Purakal

various procedures, and learning to recognize the skills needed to advo- and Garth Walker.

sick versus not sick. These are all key skills to cate for my patients amongst

creating a good emergency medicine physician. leaders and politicians. As a scholar, I attended coming days not only to educate those around

the Leadership and Advocacy Conference in me, but also to protect and support those who

However, with heated political discussions oc- Washington, DC, this March and found myself cannot do the same for themselves — my pa-

curring around me, I realized I may be doing surrounded by many residents with the same tients.

right by my patients during my shifts but am eagerness to learn. I met residents across the

I really supporting them outside of my clinical spectrum: some who knew the proposed bill From Alejandro Palma, MD:

hours? I found myself unable to answer the in- inside and out; others, like me, who needed a The ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Confer-

crash course in how a bill ence (LAC) is an opportunity all emergency

was made. All residents and medicine physicians should have at least once

practicing physicians were in their career. I particularly recommend it to

equally inviting and friendly. residents, as having the experience early on in

I was surprised how much of your career will color the way you view your

the conference was geared to- role as a physician. I first attended LAC in

ward residents, with a strong 2016. One of the things that struck me was how

focus on engaging residents eager the legislators’ staffers were in hearing

from the very beginning. Be- our concerns through our patient encounters.

tween small group breakout As a resident, I was able to provide insight and

sessions, lobbying with your nuance to policy makers that to me initially

individual state, and early- seemed like common knowledge. I felt empow-

morning round tables, it is im- ered, but at the same time terrified. There is a

possible to feel like a passive very important and necessary role for physi-

learner. cians in our government that as clinicians we

may underappreciate.

This was a life-changing con-

Drs. Garth Walker, Racheal Gilmer, Alejandro Palma, Natalie ference that I cannot wait to LAC this year was no different in its impact.
Kirilichin, Seth Trueger, and Archana Shah at the Leadership and attend again next year. I will Dr. Parker led the Illinois congregation last year
Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC. use the lessons learned in the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

6

Illinois College of Emergency Physicians

Discount Available for April 5-6 Oral Board
Review Courses: Join Us at ABEM Exam Site

Are you preparing for your Oral Boards? ICEP’s rience two single-case encounters on the eOral The eOral software at ICEP’s Oral Board Re-
top-rated course gives you more bang for your system. Preview the program with a sample view Courses is identical to the program used by
buck with more cases in less time. That’s maxi- case online at ICEP.org/oralboard. ABEM. Participants use the interface to review
mum preparation, only from ICEP. and order tests as well as view dynamic vital
Registration is open now for both spring and signs, rhythm strip, digital images and more.
For a limited time, ICEP is offering a March fall courses: April 5-6, 2017 or September
Madness promo on April 5-6 course registra- 15-16, 2017. Courses are held at the Chicago For more information about the course options
tion: Save $100 off any 6-Hour Course option O’Hare Marriott, the ABEM Oral Board Exam or to register, visit ICEP.org/oralboard. If you
or $150 off any 10-Hour Course option with Site — an advantage other courses can’t offer. are feeling overwhelmed with the options, ICEP
discount code MARCHMADNESS. This is the can help! Call us at 630-495-6400 for a custom-
first time ICEP has offered a discount on our ICEP’s courses offer one-on-one case simulation ized course experience that gives you the prac-
popular Oral Board course! with experienced faculty who provide immedi- tice and preparation you need.
ate, personalized feedback on your performance.
Better than ever in 2017, ICEP is proud to be the
leading program offering practice and prepara- There are two different course options avail-
tion on the eOral system used by ABEM for the able: the Core Review Plus 10-Hour Course and
board exam. Build confidence and skills on the the Core Review 6-Hour Course. Both course
interactive digital interface that includes: options include six single-case and two multi-
• Dynamic vital signs and rhythm strip ple-case encounters one-on-one. No duplicate
• Digital images, animations and videos cases are presented, so you can choose one or
• Test ordering and review both programs depending on the level of review
you are interested in.
Every participant at ICEP’s courses will expe-

Leadership Scholarship Recipients Offer
Their Perspectives on ACEP LAC in D.C.

from Page 6 leadership day with topics including social me- colleagues fight for what they think is right for
dial, implicit bias and leading through crisis. their patients, regardless of political affiliations.
and this year led the conference as the ACEP Dr. Rebecca Parker provided great leadership
president. Meeting people like Dr. Parker and Attending LAC was a career-defining moment in the months of political changes regarding
several other leaders from both academic and for me last year and I am grateful for the ICEP health care leading up to this conference, and
community emergency medicine that are will- Leadership Scholarship program for providing throughout the conference itself. When inclem-
ing to provide mentorship and to help form con- me the opportunity to build on that by attending ent weather nearly cancelled our trips to Capitol
nections is both inspiring and formative. again this year. I look forward to meeting future Hill to meet with senators and representatives
ICEP leadership scholars in subsequent years as to voice our concerns, it was amazing to see the
The conference begins with a health policy prim- I transition to becoming an academic attending number of physicians who took it upon them-
er. It assumes you know nothing about the cur- at the University of Chicago and begin to pro- selves to find ways to still make it to their meet-
rent state of health care legislation or even how vide the mentorship that was as invaluable to ings. Conversations like the ones had this week
legislation is formed, which is helpful for first- me as a resident. are the launching point to meaningful change,
time attendees. It then progresses to hot-button and it will take a concerted effort amongst all
topics varying from opiate management to bal- From John Purakal, MD, MSc: sub-specialties of medicine to unify their voice
ance billing. We heard from legislators on both ACEP’s Leadership and Advocacy Confer- to stand up for what is just for both our patients
sides of the aisle, such as Democratic Sen. Tim ence (LAC) was an incredible experience! As and ourselves as caregivers. I am so grateful to
Kaine and Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie provid- a first-time attendee, I was impressed by the ICEP for the 2017 ICEP Leadership Scholar-
ing their perspective on current health care re- number of participants at the conference, the ship which allowed me to take part in the LAC
form. Guest speaker “ZDoggMD” this year gave wide breadth of topics covered, and the planned and strengthen my commitment to health policy
his own perspective on health care through his Capitol Hill visits. It was inspiring to see my and patient advocacy!
rap performances. The conference ended with a

7

2017 - Issue 1 Illinois EPIC

Tips and Pitfalls in Emergency Medicine Research:

The Anatomy of a Meeting Abstract

By Mark B. Mycyk, MD, FACEP 1. Plan ahead. Give yourself plenty of time to important to highlight and what language to use
ICEP Research Committee Member write and re-write the abstract. Don’t do it at in this section so you can wow abstract graders.
the last minute. You should instead plan on hav-
“Tips and Pitfalls in Emergency Medicine Re- ing your abstract done at least one week before 5. Focus on key Results. Remember, an ab-
search” is a new series authored by ICEP Re- the submission deadline to allow all co-authors stract is not a full manuscript, but a brief report
search Committee members. to review and edit it. And don’t try to upload it of your work — reviewers want to know if
on the deadline day, as the meeting web server you should be invited to the meeting to discuss
So you finished your project and you’re won- can be overwhelmed and slowed down by other your whole project. So focus on key findings
dering if it’s worth submitting your preliminary last-minute submissions. that will excite reviewers, use a consistent for-
findings in an abstract to a meeting like the mat in how your report your results, and make
ACEP Scientific Assembly, the SAEM Annual 2. Know the scoring system. Review the scor- the semi-colon (;) your friend in this section to
Meeting, or the ICEP Spring Symposium. The ing criteria for the meeting if available so you keep your character count low. The semi-colon
answer should be YES! know how your abstract will be graded. For ex- is equivalent to the word “and” but only uses
ample, SAEM publishes its abstract scorecard 1/3 of the characters.
There are many benefits to submitting an abstract online so all submitters know how evaluation
to a regional or national meeting. First, and most will be done. Abstract reviewers sometimes need 6. Conclude with confidence. Junior abstract
importantly, presenting your study at a meeting to judge 40-60 abstracts at once — their time and writers spend too much of their character count
allows you to get feedback from peers outside attention are limited, so you want to make sure in this section. It is best to have a clear final
your home institution where it will be seen with their eyes notice all score-able items easily. message for reviewers, state it confidently, and
fresh eyes. If you want your study published in keep this section short just like the Objective
a journal, your chances are significantly better if 3. Keep your Objective short. Most meetings section. Do not over-speculate, do not tell re-
you incorporate constructive comments from a have tight character or word count limits for viewers why they should not accept your ab-
meeting into your manuscript. their abstracts. Since most points can be scored stract, and make sure the language in your Con-
in the Methods and Results, it is acceptable to clusion is consistent with your Objective.
Second, a meeting abstract provides you an op- make your Objective a single simple sentence
portunity to network and collaborate with other to save precious characters for other areas. You Abstract writing is not creative writing. It is im-
scholars working on similar issues. Your sin- can expand your background and objective in portant to state the facts succinctly and precise-
gle center study this year can easily become a your final manuscript. ly. It is challenging getting your message into
multi-center trial at the end of a poster session. the limited character count for some meetings,
4. Don’t skimp in the Methods. This is the so think about your main message and make
Third, getting an abstract accepted to a meeting most important part of the abstract where re- sure it is crystal clear from start to finish. Be-
gives you an excellent excuse to travel (usually viewers determine if your approach was robust. fore I start my first draft, I find it helpful to look
somewhere fun) for a good reason (and often on Identify the design, inclusion criteria, and ana- at last year’s published abstracts for inspira-
the department’s budget). lytic strategies. Even if your study results are tion. Writing an abstract gets easier every single
not exciting, a well-developed Methods section time; that’s why you’ll notice some seasoned
Writing an abstract gets easier every time you can get an abstract scored high enough to be investigators have abstracts accepted to every
do it. Here are a few tips. accepted to a meeting. The SAEM scorecard meeting they submit. Good luck! I look forward
provides terrific guidance on what details are to seeing your work at the next meeting.

Members to Be Honored at Spring Symposium

from Page 4 the meeting would be. Dr. Hafner continues to Dr. Hafner is the Residency Director and a Clini-
stay active, serving as a Councillor and sitting cal Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
recognizes an ICEP member from outside the on the Awards/Nominating, Bylaws, Finance, at the University of Illinois College of Medicine
metropolitan Chicago area who has made a con- Membership, and Research Committees, as at Peoria. He is also an attending physician at
sistent effort to advance emergency medicine in well as the Board Liaison for the ITLS Illinois OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.
Illinois despite lengthy travel. Advisory Committee. Dr. Hafner is a repeat
presenter at the Emergency Medicine Update The Awards Presentation will take place during
Dr. Hafner is the immediate past president of conference in Peoria, for which he previously the Annual Business Meeting, which will be
ICEP, whose second term on the Board is con- served as Course Directors for several years. He held from 12:30 to 1:00 pm on Thursday, May 4
cluding in May. As a Board member, he made also served as faculty of the EM Board Review at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Register to
the drive from Peoria to the ICEP office when- Intensive course and on the course committee attend the Spring Symposium & Annual Busi-
ever it was needed, no matter how short or long for many years. ness Meeting online at ICEP.org.

8

Illinois College of Emergency Physicians

Family life. Amazing EM career.

You can have both.

US Acute Care Solutions values family,
and the diverse ways families are born.
As physician owners, we are one family,
united in our mission to care for patients
and each other. When a clinician in our
group decides to have a child by birth
or adoption, the rest of us rally around
to ensure they receive the time they need
to pursue their dream of family, and the
support they need to continue excelling
in their careers as physicians and leaders.
At USACS, we’re living life to the
fullest, together.

Own your future now. Visit usacs.com Founded by ESP, ERGENTUS, APEX,TBEP, MEP, EPPH and EMP

or call Darrin Grella at 800-828-0898. [email protected]

9

2017 - Issue 1 Illinois EPIC

Involvement Benefits College and Career

from Page 1 The ICEP Board and Education Committee It’s time to expand and innovate to reach a great-
are also investigating adding some CME offer- er number of influencers, both in the emergency
posium, Emergent Procedures Simulation Skills ings to the ICEP website as a member benefit, medicine community and outside it. There is
Lab, and Ultrasound for fresh topics and a lot of specifically adequate CME hours to satisfy the a potential for the creation of a new commu-
hands-on practice. mandatory pediatric, trauma, and stroke topic nity within our chapter, focused on information
hours required by our hospitals for reappoint- technology to increase and improve our reach
Our course registrations are sometimes limited ment. Would you take advantage of this? Let us on advocacy, education, and communications.
by the number of faculty signed up to teach, as know your thoughts.
is frequently the case with our very popular Oral But to make a meaningful change, we rely on
Board Review Courses. If you’ve taken your COMMUNICATION our members and their expertise. We welcome
Boards, consider serving as a mock examiner Also discussed at the Board meeting was inno- your input and advice. You can contact me di-
at this course. We always welcome new faculty, vation in how we communicate with our mem- rectly, or you can review the list of committee
and the unique course format is truly something bers and stakeholders, as well as with governing members on the ICEP website and start a con-
to experience in action. bodies that affect us. versation with any of them as well. Collabora-
tion is the key, and I look forward to continuing
The Education Committee is at work on the Social media offers real-time communication to collaborate even when my term as president
launch of the ICEP Podcast, coming later this and sparks conversations and debate with often comes to an end in May.
year. We are excited to move into this new arena very useful outcomes. Certainly, a large propor-
of education as a way to reach more members tion of recent graduates rely heavily on Twitter, — Valerie J. Phillips, MD, FACEP
and spread the word about all that ICEP offers. Facebook, and other social media channels for ICEP President
If you want to be involved, we welcome your communication, as well as education and advo-
input. Residents are encouraged to submit pod- cacy efforts. As I mentioned, even legislators
casts to the competition at the Spring Sympo- are taking more notice of Twitter activity versus
sium. Guidelines are online at ICEP.org and traditional communication.
submissions are due April 3.

Rush Launching Emergency Medicine
Residency Program to Start July 1 fromPage3

The residents also will take part in disaster plan- increasingly measurement-driven clinical envi- now trains physicians in all major disciplines,
ning. Rush University Medical Center regularly ronment. Rush residents will amass data on visit with about 700 residents across 25 specialties.
leads or partners with the City of Chicago and count, procedure count and turnaround times in
other organizations on drills and preparation an effort to improve efficiency and patient out- Adding an emergency medicine residency pro-
for large-scale events. This will be an invalu- comes. This information helps all physicians gram long has been part of the department’s
able opportunity for physicians to see the full — residents and attendings — to refine the way plan, said Dino Rumoro, DO, FACEP, chair of
scope of how their work can have an impact, they practice and hone their problem-solving the Department of Emergency Medicine and the
Dr. Hexom said. skills. Residents will be able to show future or- president of the medical staff at Rush Univer-
ganizations their progress, and to demonstrate sity Medical Center. The department has experi-
“Our objective is to train outstanding clinicians the ability to use objective information to make enced tremendous growth over the past decade,
who are prepared to handle any EM environ- decisions on what is not always an exact sci- and with more than 72,000 patients a year, has
ment and to equip them with the skills to be ef- ence. the volume to support such a program, he said.
ficient, capable and compassionate emergency It also reflects the Rush system’s mission to im-
physicians,” he said. Because emergency care is shifting dramatical- prove the health of the individuals and diverse
ly along with health care as a whole, knowing communities Rush serves through the integra-
Measuring Their Progress how to collect and analyze this information is tion of outstanding patient care, education, re-
Another major focus of the program will be on critical to delivering the best care. This data also search and community partnerships.
self and peer assessment. From the first month, is incorporated into national quality and patient
residents will be integrated into the depart- satisfaction numbers that affect payment both “This program really touches on all parts of
ment’s quality improvement process. Through for health systems and individual physicians. our mission,” Rumoro says. “Training the next
continual peer review of cases and performance generation of providers is one of our greatest
evaluation, residents will acquire additional Right Time for Rush responsibilities, and we’re privileged to launch
skills that will prove invaluable as they enter an With the addition of the EM residency, Rush this program as another way to do that.”

10

Illinois College of Emergency Physicians

2017 EM Update, Skills Lab Well Received

Emergency Medicine Update, held at the Jump
Trading Simulation and Education Center in
Peoria in February, was a success, with nearly
100 physicians, residents, medical students,
nurses, and EMS personnel in attendance.

The program included a keynote workshop pre-
sentation by ACEP President Rebecca Parker,
MD, FACEP, focusing on resiliency and identi-
fying strategies to deal with physician burnout.

The educational sessions also featured Chris- LEFT: ACEP President Dr. Rebecca Parker leads a workshop on resiliency and physician burnout as
topher McDowell, MD, MEd, MS, FACEP and the keynote session at EM Update. RIGHT: The SIU emergency medicine residents and faculty show
Sven Steen, MD, R-3, speaking about cognitive support for Drs. Christopher McDowell and Sven Steen, who presented a session on cognitive bias.
bias in the prehospital setting; Victor Chan, DO,
on perinatal emergencies; Greg Podolej, MD,
on pediatric poisoning; and John Hafner, MD,
MPH, FACEP, reviewing the top 10 EM articles
of 2016.

Participants who opted to stay for the Simula- and Nur-Ain Nadir, MD, MHPE, FACEP. Janssen and Mercyhealth. The full list of the 13
tion Skills Worksho enjoyed the hands-on Pe- exhibitors who supported Emergency Medicine
diatric Overdose Resuscitation and Obstetrical Thank you to the program’s Gold sponsor, Ad- Update is available online at ICEP.org in the
Emergencies modules presented by Dr. Podolej vocate Medical Group, and Silver sponsors, Exhibitor Products and Services listing.

Emergent Procedures Sim Comment Period
Lab Spaces Open for April Open for ACEP
Clinical Policy
ICEP’s top-rated Emergent Procedures Simula- for Reperfusion
tion Skills Lab courses at the Grainger Center Therapy for STEMI
for Simulation and Innovation in Evanston are
scheduled for April 21 and October 6, 2017. The Clinical Policies Committee of ACEP has
Registration is open online at ICEP.org/sim. completed a draft “Clinical Policy: Emergency
Department Management of Patients Needing
Sharpen your skills for high-risk procedures Reperfusion Therapy for an ST-Elevation Acute
with a full day of hands-on practice on 20+ Myocardial Infarction.”
critical-care procedures. Expert faculty, the
convenient 1-day format, and a state-of-the-art The draft is now open for comments until April
facility at Evanston Hospital set ICEP’s course 13, 2017.
apart from the rest.
To view the draft policy and comment form, go
Participants work hands-on with the most cur- Dr. Ernie Wang (left), Emergent Procedures to: www.acep.org/clinical—practice-manage-
rent simulation technologies, rotating in small Simulations Skills Lab co-creator and former ment/Clinical-Policy-Comment-Form—Reper-
groups through numerous procedure stations course director, demonstrates proper tech- fusion-Therapy-for-STEMI/
that are organized into four modules: Airway, nique while participants practice hands-on.
Cardiovascular, Pediatric/Obstetric, and Ultra- For questions, please contact ACEP Clinical
sound. confident performing the critical-care proce- Practice Manager Rhonda Whitson, RHIA, at
dures that are seldom performed day-to-day [email protected].
The faculty-to-participant ratio is small to en- in the emergency department because their
sure that participants get the personalized in- clinical presentation is rare.
struction and practice time they need to feel

11

2017 - Issue 1 Illinois EPIC

Last Call to Attend EMS Mission: Lifeline
Summit in Springfield Program Seeks
Applications for
Last call to register to attend the Illinois EMS EMS Recognition
Summit presented by the Illinois EMS Alliance.
Mission: Lifeline® is excited to offer a recogni-
ICEP is proud to be a member of the Illinois tion program designed to showcase Emergency
EMS Alliance. Medical Service organizations across the nation
for excellent STEMI care. In 2016, 21 agencies
The 1-day summit will be held Thursday, April in Illinois were recognized.
6, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Me-
morial Center for Learning and Innovation in Application to apply for recognition is open un-
Springfield. til March 31, 2017. Mission: Lifeline Director
Art Miller, RN/EMT-P encourages organiza-
The cost of the program is $15 and CEUs will tions to apply as early as possible so he can bet-
be available to registrants. A link to register and ter track and anticipate Illinois’ participation.
the full course brochure is available at ICEP.org.
To learn more about the requirements for EMS
A group rate for overnight accommodations recognition and download the applications,
has been aranged at the Carpenter Street Hotel browse the AHA program tools online at: http://
in Springfield. Call 217-789-9100 for reserva- www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Professional/
tions. MissionLifelineHomePage/Mission-Lifeline-
EMS-Recognition_UCM_308047_Article.
For more information about the 2017 EMS jsp#.WH-rsfKQzGj
Summit, contact Dennis Presley at 618-453-3314.

ICEP Calendar of Events 2017

March 30, 2017 April 26, 2017 May 23, 2017 June 5, 2017
ICEP Advocacy Day ITLS Illinois Advisory EM4LIFE 2016 LLSA Article Board of Directors Meeting
Sangamo Club & Capitol Committee Meeting Review Course 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Springfield 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ICEP Conference Center ICEP Board Room
ICEP Conference Center Downers Grove Downers Grove
April 4, 2017 Downers Grove
Research Conference Call May 29, 2017 July 4, 2017
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM April 27 - May 1, 2017 Memorial Day Holiday Independence Day Holiday
Mock Orals Private Tutorials ICEP Office Closed ICEP Office Closed
April 5-6, 2017 Chicago O’Hare Marriott Suites
Oral Board Review Courses May 30, 2017 August 15-18, 2017
Chicago O’Hare Marriott May 4, 2017 EMS Committee Meeting Emergency Medicine Board
Chicago Spring Symposium & Annual 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Review Intensive Course
Business Meeting ICEP Board Room ICEP Conference Center
April 19, 2017 Northwestern Memorial Downers Grove Downers Grove
ICEP Board of Directors Hospital, Chicago
Voting Closes May 30, 2017 August 31, 2017
May 4, 2017 EMS Forum Resident Career Day
April 21, 2017 Board of Directors Meeting 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Northwestern Memorial
Emergent Procedures 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM ICEP Conference Center Hospital, Chicago
Simulation Skills Lab Northwestern Memorial Downers Grove
Grainger Center for Hospital, Chicago September 4, 2017
Simulation and Innovation June 5, 2017 Labor Day Holiday
Evanston Finance Committee Meeting ICEP Office Closed
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Register for all courses online at ICEP.org! ICEP Board Room
Downers Grove

12

Illinois College of Emergency Physicians