There are many ASA publications, including the monthly ASA NEWSLETTER, that represent one form of ASA communications. The ASA Directory of Members is another publication, and it lists still more ASA publications on pages 44-46. Under the capable direction of Denise M. Jones, Director of Communications, working together with ASA members, ASA's Communications Department does a fine job in preparing these publications.

This column will not address that form of ASA communication. Rather, I will continue to provide my explanation of how ASA works by addressing the means of communication between ASA members and officers and will do so by reflecting on my own communications since being elected First Vice-President in October 1993.

Communication between the officers is continuous. The first two years as an officer are really training for the Presidency, but they require considerable time and travel commitments; e.g., copies of every letter I write are sent to the President-Elect and First Vice-President so that they are fully informed of what has transpired for when they become President. Similarly, commitments of Presidents are such that often the President-Elect and occasionally the First Vice-President must substitute for them.

There are 49 component societies, including the combined Maryland/District of Columbia and New Hampshire/Vermont societies, with South Dakota as the only state without a component society. During my year as ASA President, I will have visited 21 component, four subspecialty, four metropolitan and three regional societies. In the preceding two years, I visited another 20 component societies. To the four component societies where conflicts precluded my accepting their invitations, my apologies. I suggest that one way national officer visits might be made more effective is if the component societies contact the officers in advance when there is a specific issue they would like the officers to address. Then the officers can do research in advance, if necessary, to address the issue.

In both my travels and correspondence, I have observed much that is good and some that needs improvement in our specialty and in ASA. We are a strong, growing society, but the recent resident class sizes indicate that the rapid rate of growth will not be maintained. For that reason, it is important that we retain all anesthesiologists as active ASA members. ASA Secretary Ronald A. MacKenzie, D.O., and the Ad Hoc Committee on Membership Recruitment and Retention are actively addressing this important issue.

In recent months, I was surprised to discover that several anesthesiologists who contacted me were not active members. In each case, I tried to address their concerns but, at the same time, took the opportunity presented by our dialogue to invite them to join ASA. In each case, my message was the same: "You need ASA, and ASA needs you!" I urge all ASA members to deliver that same message to their anesthesiology colleagues who are not ASA members.

I also continue to be surprised that members do not appreciate the multiple routes available to contact ASA. At the local level, your component society officers are available to handle issues that would seem to be best handled locally such as a state legislative issue, or they can contact the ASA Executive Office or Washington Office for advice, additional resources or other support. Your district director and alternate director are logical conduits to ASA, but any member can contact the President directly, and many have!

Most of the telephone calls, letters and e-mail messages that I have received have been requests for action, advice or support. While I cannot handle every issue personally, I am confident that I can refer members to another source on those occasions when another's expertise is more appropriate. The office of ASA President is an elective position, and I ran for the office with the clear understanding that an important part of my job would be to communicate with members and respond to their needs. I have welcomed the opportunity to be of service to many members and am confident that my successors will also.

While it is human nature to express dissatisfaction or seek help on a given issue, receipt of telephone calls or letters expressing satisfaction or just saying "thank you" have been especially gratifying; e.g., one of the fondest memories I will retain of this year was of the telephone calls and letters I received concerning our success at the AMA/Specialty Society Relative Value Update Committee meeting last February to increase Medicare's work value for anesthesia. (No, HCFA still has not ruled on that recommendation!)

In summary, communicate. Communicate with your component society officers, and communicate with ASA officers. I stated that in the NEWSLETTER last November, and I repeat it now in September.

return to top Home >Newsletters >September 1996Home >Test

FEATURES

A Demonstration of Historic Proportions

• The Most Significant Event in American Medical History
  
  
• Surgery Before Anesthesia
  
  
• October 16, 1846
  
  
• Spreading the News of Anesthesia
  
  
• William T.G. Morton and the U.S. Congress
  
  
• Monument to a Momentous Event
  
  
• The Ether Centennial of 1946
  
  

ARTICLES

• Questions to Ponder
  
  
• 'From W.T.G. Morton to the World Wide Web'
  
  
• Rovenstine Lecture to Be Broadcast Over the Internet
  
  
• Anesthesiology Journal Sponsors Symposium at Annual Meeting
  
  
• New CD-ROM Holds 5 Years of Leading Anesthesiology Journals
  
  
• ABA Announces...

DEPARTMENTS

• To the Membership
  
• President's Page
  
• Washington Report
  
• Practice Management
  
• Residents' Review
  
• ASA News
  
• FAER Report
  

The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views, policies or actions of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

NL Archives

Information for Authors