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What's Happening - August 2021

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What's HappeningN E W S T O K N O W F R O M S E M P AA U G U S T 2 0 2 1This past May, SEMPA held its annual SEMPA conference as avirtual event. Nearly 600 were in attendance for what was anengaging, inspiring and highly educational virtual experience. The event was kicked off by a special tribute video to SEMPAmembers followed by five days of the top names in emergencymedicine lecturing on a wide variety of emergency medicine topicsand holding a live Q&A with attendees. In addition to the education, every morning started with a wellnessactivity such as yoga, cross fit or energizing exercise classes.Every evening, the conference closed out the day by bringing attendees together for fun social events including mixology classes, a murder mystery night, pop culture trivia night and an evening of impressive magicand illusions. And, throughout the day, attendees had access to the latest in medicine, technology and devices from industry leaders with the virtual exhibit hall,Coffee House Chats and Hot Sim Cases. The annual Quiz Bowl competition was also held where postgraduate residents testedtheir emergency medicine knowledge. This year’s winning team was Nathan Brown,PA-S, and Emilee Nawa, PA-C, of the Weill Cornell EMPA Residency Program in NewYork. A big round of applause and congratulations go to Nathan and Emilee for takinghome the top prize!Make sure to mark your calendars for next year. SEMPA 360 will be held April 4-8,2022, in Las Vegas at the Paris Casino & Resort. We hope to see you there!SEMPA 360 - A Virtual ExperienceSEMPA 360 On Demand offers the exciting lineup ofcourses from the live event on topics that rangefrom airway management to wound management andeverything in between. SEMPA 360 On Demand is now available to purchaseat the low member rate of $349. SEMPA 360 OnDemand is available for three (3) years and provides47.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Learn more and purchase SEMPA 360 On Demand.SEMPA 360 On Demand

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SEMPA has partnered with the National Commissionon Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) togather information on PAs' critical contributions inemergency medicine and gather information oneducation, training, compensation and benefits.SEMPA members have requested more detailedinformation on compensation and benefits, and thissurvey will help us provide that to you. SEMPA willwork with NCCPA to widely share the findings ofthis study through reports, presentations, andhopefully journal publications.SEMPA Attends Summit on Pregnancyand Postpartum Obstetric EmergenciesThis past June, SEMPA represented emergency medicine PAs amongrepresentatives from 18 other organizations at the Pregnancy and PostpartumObstetric Emergencies Summit hosted by the American College of Obstetrics andGynecology (ACOG). The objective of the meeting was to explore strategies in non-obstetric practicesettings to improve identification and management of medical emergencies during the perinatal period. Gaps in education andresources were highlighted and through anongoing collaboration, strategies forimprovement and how to implement these new resources will be created. SEMPA will continue this work on this importantinitiative and will represents EMPAs throughoutthis process. SEMPA and NCCPA Team Up On Practice & Salary Survey Please be on the lookout for an email about this survey from NCCPA in early Septemberand then take 15-20 minutes to complete it. Your responses will make the results moreaccurate and meaningful.

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EMPAs plays a critical role in providingemergency care as a member of thephysician-led health care team in ruralcommunities throughout the U.S. And the PAs working in America’s rural critical-access hospitals require special skills, training and experience that are unique in that environment. SEMPA’s goal with its In an effort to address the unique needs and education for PAs working in EMSand rural hospitals, SEMPA has released two new guidelines: the Guidelines forthe Emergency Medical Services Physician Assistant and the Guidelines for theRural Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant.Until now, the role of the EmergencyMedical Services Physician Assistant(EMSPA) has not been clearly defined.Like many fields of medicine, there areopportunities that an EMSPA can beutilized to add value to an EMS system Guidelines for the Emergency Medical Services Physician Assistantenhancing patient outcomes. SEMPA’s new Guidelines for the EmergencyMedical Services Physician Assistant has been created to help define howthose EMSPAs could be utilized. The guidelines also address the level ofeducation and recommended training of those PAs interested in this growingfield of pre-hospital medicine. Read the Guidelines for the Emergency Medical Services Physician AssistantGuidelines for the Rural Emergency Medicine Physician Assistantnew Guidelines of the Rural Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant is toestablish a benchmark by which a PA can obtain education and training withthe appropriate skills to thrive in the rural environment and provide thehighest quality emergency medicine care for these patients.Read the Guidelines for the Rural Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant

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SEMPA Statement on PA Name Change CriticismFollowing the May 24, 2021, vote byAAPA’s House of Delegates that passeda policy affirming “physician associate”as the official title for the PAprofession, physician organizationsacross all specialties – includingemergency medicine – came out inopposition. In response, SEMPA issued a statementon June 11 addressing the wide-spreadname change criticism taking place and its concerns on how it could impactthe emergency medicine community.Read the statement.SEMPA has always encouragedanyone eligible to get vaccinated.However, after reviewing the newdata on the dangers of the Deltavariant, it’s clear that the country isat a pivotal time in the pandemic. That’s why SEMPA signed the jointstatement in support of COVID-19vaccine mandates for all workers inhealth and long-term care. Read the statement.SEMPA Signs Joint Statement SEMPA Virtual Grand Rounds take place quarterly and allSEMPA members are welcome to attend. The format of Virtual Educationthe Virtual Grand Rounds is 15-20-minute segments with topics ranging from emergencycore content to professional issues. And, there is a networking session following theround sessions. You can also access Virtual Grand Rounds On Demand.SEMPA continues to offer virtual education FREE tomembers! SEMPA Live! is currently on hiatus so people can enjoytime outdoors with family and friends but will bereturning this fall with new courses. In the meantime,check out SEMPA Live! On Demand where you canaccess archived courses and earn FREE CME.

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The Graduate membership is for anyone who hasgraduated from an ARC-PA Accredited PA Program ora PA Emergency Medicine Postgraduate Residency orFellowship within the last 12 months and is activelyseeking work in or has begun to work in emergencymedicine, urgent care or is involved in research and/orteaching pertaining to emergency medicine. Thismembership category was created for those no longer As voted on by SEMPA members, SEMPA has rolled out three new membershipcategories: International, Graduate and NP Resident. New Membership CategoriesThe International membership is forEMPAs who are not residents of the U.S.and are licensed to practice medicine bythe government or accrediting entitywhere they reside and practice. Thiscategory is designed to give EMPAs inother countries the the opportunity to haveaccess to the resources SEMPA offers. The NP Resident membership is for nurse practitioners currentlyenrolled in a PA and NP postgraduate emergency medicineresidency or fellowship program. This membership category wascreated due to the membership requirement for access to theSEMPA/Rosh Review Postgraduate Assessment Program, whichis a subscription-based product that gives the program accessto an extensive question bank from which program directors canassess their trainees’ medical knowledge base and identifyareas for improvement. The NP Resident membership categoryallows for the postgraduate program to sign up all of itsresidents or fellows. Learn about the privileges and member rates for each new membership category. eligible for a Student or Resident membership but are not in a position to afford aFellow membership as they may have yet to secure employment or are just startingout. But, as a new EMPA, they could really use the member benefits offered bySEMPA to help them get started in their career.

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One of the highest honors SEMPA can bestow on anemergency medicine PA is its EMPA of the Year Award.With this award, SEMPA seeks to honor an individualwho has demonstrated exceptional service andleadership in emergency medicine, the profession andin the community he or she serves. SEMPA is proud to have honored Tatiana Emanuel,DMSc, PA-C, as the 2020 EMPA of the Year Awardrecipient.Ms. Emanuel is the Lead Advanced Practice Provider2020 EMPA of the Yearof Clinical Operations with the UT Health San Antonio Department of EmergencyMedicine in San Antonio, Texas. She is also cross appointed within the Ms. Emanuel’s work is extensive and impressive. From herfive deployments as a member of the UT/UHS EmergencyDepartment COVID task force to implementing routine HIVtesting to pioneering the Breast Mass Project that hasprovided hundreds of unfunded patients with appropriatespecialty care previously unavailable, Ms. Emanuel trulydemonstrates what it means to be an emergency medicinephysician assistant and she embodies the best we have offerto our patients, community and the profession.Congratulations to Tatiana Emanuel!UT Health San Antonio School of Health ProfessionsDepartment of Physician Assistant Studies as an AssistantProfessor/Clinical.Learn more about SEMPA’s 2020 EMPA of the Year Award recipient TatianaEmanuel, DMSc, PA-C, and watch her tribute video.

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2021 Paul S. Robinson Award Recipients SEMPA sponsors the Paul S. Robinson Award in honor of Paul S. Robinson, PA-C – along-time colleague, enduring supporter and admired leader. His unwavering support,leadership, encouragement and membership in the Society of Emergency MedicinePhysician Assistants will be forever remembered and honored by this award.SEMPA is proud to have honored Rob Duncan, PhD, PA-S, and Major Nate Turner, MPAS,PA-C, as the 2021 Paul S. Robinson Award recipients.Rob Duncan, PhD,PA-S, is currentlyat the UtahPhysician AssistantProgram that ishoused within theArmy Major NateTurner, MPAS, PA-C, is at the Army-BaylorUniversity EMPAResidency in El Paso,Texas. Major TurnerRob Duncan, PhD, PA-S Army Major Nate Turner, MPAS, PA-CUniversity of Utah School of Medicinein Salt Lake City. Mr. Duncan has astrong commit to underservedpopulations and has even served as astudent director of his program’s freeclinic. He also started an ultrasoundspecial interest group that providedopportunities for PA students toincrease their use and proficiency ofutilizing ultrasound diagnostically.Known to be a caring andcompassionate clinician, Mr. Duncan isalso said to be an asset to his team, avery engaged student and a clinicalrock star!was chosen as the Chief Resident fordisplaying exceptional leadership qualitiesamong his peers and he has demonstratedgreat leadership in medical education. TheWestern Journal of Emergency Medicinerecently published Major Turner’s casereport involving a soldier treated in theemergency department for seizures afteringestion of the explosive compound C4.He also co-presented the case at theNational American Congress of ClinicalToxicology. Major Turner volunteers histime outside his clinical rotations to serveas an instructor in an ultrasound workshop.And in leading a team of clinicalresearchers, Major Turner is known for hiscontributions as a researcher in originaland clinical investigations.Congratulations Rob Duncan, PhD, PA-S, and Major Nate Turner, MPAS,PA-C, on being named as a SEMPA 2021 Paul S. Robinson award recipient!