Member Councils
FAQs: Member Councils and Community Networks
What are Member Councils?
What is the advantage of changing to the Council structure?
How is this structure different than the current special interest group (SIG)
structure?
My clinical practice crosses several Councils. Which should I join? Is there a
limit?
Do I have to designate a primary Council?
Once I designate a primary Council, am I stuck there?
How do I enroll in a Council?
I’m in a clinically focused SIG. Now it’s gone. What do I do?
I’m in a non-clinically focused SIG. What do I do?
What will the leadership structure of the Councils look like?
How will the Councils interact and have a voice in the Academy?
Where do residents fit in?
What are Member Councils?
Member Councils are divisions or constituencies of the Academy membership that
allow members to share common clinical interests and to work together to meet
the needs of members in those clinical areas. Councils are a new benefit of
membership; members do not need to pay an extra cost to join a Member Council.
What is the advantage of changing to the Council structure?
There are many advantages. As a small but diverse specialty, there are experts
in all areas of physiatry, but to this point they have not had a forum that
recognizes and captures that expertise effectively. The Council structure allows
the Academy to create leaders and researchers by providing the clinically
relevant framework, support, and direction they need to succeed. This structure
also creates information that can be shared among all members that is needed for
maintenance of certification – information that could not be produced as
individuals, only as a coordinated team with specific responsibilities and a
common goal. In addition, it creates a way for all Academy members to interact
with each other, to have a voice within the Academy, and to have greater access
to Academy leadership and staff.
How is this structure different than the current special interest group (SIG)
structure?
SIGs were created by the Academy Board of Governors several years ago to “serve
as a resource to promote dialogue between Academy Fellows with general interests
and Academy Fellows with special interests.” SIGs include groups of members who
came together because of common clinical interests or common social networking
needs. They were never intended to be held accountable to produce or direct
input for the Academy. Rather, SIGs were created to be self-directed and to
require little to no staff support. On the other hand, Councils are being
created with specific leadership structures and a nexus to the board of
governors through the Council Advisory Panel. Councils are required to provide
specific deliverables to the Academy and to offer the flexibility of providing a
home to members with interests in specific clinical areas.
My clinical practice crosses several Councils. Which should I join? Is there a
limit?
You may join all Councils that interest you. However, if you want to serve in a
leadership position, you will have to designate a primary Council by selecting
the Council that most closely reflects what you do.
Do I have to designate a primary Council?
No, you don’t have to designate a primary Council. However, you must designate a
primary Council if you wish to serve on the Executive Committee of that Council
and vote in that Council’s annual business meeting.
Once I designate a primary Council, am I stuck there?
No, you may move around as much as you like. The board has created this
structure to be fundamentally sound, but dynamic. Certainly the Councils will
evolve in ways that might not be anticipated, and having the freedom to evolve
with them is every member’s right.
How do I enroll in a Council?
Council enrollment will be simultaneous with membership renewal. You will be
able to sign up for a Council on your next dues renewal statement. Thereafter,
you will have the flexibility of changing your enrollment online or over the
phone.
Click here to join now by updating your member profile.
I’m in a clinically focused SIG. Now it’s gone. What do I do?
Get involved with the Council that most closely reflects what you do. Your
involvement and expertise in a narrowly focused clinical area is very important
to the success of that Council and will be needed. We envision that workgroups
focused on specific clinical areas will evolve in each Council, and such
evolution is encouraged. Those who are actively involved in SIGs will find
significant opportunities to get involved in those same areas of interest within
the Councils.
I’m in a non-clinically focused SIG. What do I do?
Under the proposed Council model structure, current SIGs
that are not clinically focused will become virtual, self-sufficient Community
Networks. Community Networks will be Academy-wide, across Councils, but will be
virtual groups, utilizing electronic networking almost entirely. (See “Community
Networks: Bringing Together Non-Clinical Groups” for more information.)
What will the leadership structure of the Councils look like?
Each Council will consist of a chair; chair-elect; and three vice chairs of
education, membership, and communication.
View
a listing of current Council Executive Committees.
How will the Councils interact and have a voice in the Academy?
The Councils will have specific responsibilities and a direct voice in defining
the needs of its constituents. The most formal way will be through the Council
Advisory Panel made up of each Council’s chair and chair-elect, the chairs of
the Strategic Coordinating Committees of the board of governors, the Academy
president and president-elect, the RPC chair, and the Academy’s executive
director. Thus, the structure of the Academy has evolved from a top down to a
bottom up structure that allows more integrated communication among Councils,
membership, and the board. Council members will be encouraged to contribute to
PM&R, the Academy’s new journal; serve as the experts for programming for the
Annual Assembly; create quarterly communications relevant to the expertise of
their Council; and serve as a resource for educational products and services
that will meet the needs of the PM&R community.
Where do residents fit in?
Residents are encouraged to participate in all Councils. It is difficult enough
to choose a career path within the limitations of residency training programs.
Councils offer an opportunity to explore areas of physiatry that may not be
available to many residents with leading physiatrists in their fields. (See “Member
Councils Bring Academy Members Together” article from the
2008 Summer issue of the
PM&R
Resident E-Newsletter for more information.)
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