Your Resident Physician Council (RPC) Board recently kicked off 2016 with an exciting meeting at the AAPM&R headquarters in Rosemont, IL, January 9-10! Resident leadership held productive discussions on the current and future needs of residents, changes in the health care environment and how they impact our specialty, and the role of the Academy in preparing residents for their future careers.
Much feedback was provided to the Academy on development of resources for residents. This included innovative ideas to improve the resident program at the Annual Assembly and important factors to consider when advancing resources technologically. Residents also discussed ways to advocate for and publicize the specialty of PM&R. In particular, residents demonstrated enthusiastic support for innovative educational opportunities at the Annual Assembly.
Plans are also in place to expand the current Ambassador Program, ideally having representation from every residency program. It was agreed upon by the RPC Board that the Ambassador Program also has significant potential to help publicize and improve awareness of the specialty of PM&R, possibly through increased involvement with medical schools.
The RPC Board will continue to work hard over the next year on various projects to advocate for the needs of residents nationally. Members will attend other meetings and conference calls to continue to inspire change for the better. Your RPC Board is the voice of residents nationally – the future of the specialty that will be impacted the most by any changes in our specialty and in health care. We welcome and encourage your feedback at any time!
-Stephanie Tow, MD
RPC Board President