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What exactly
is a young physician? Well, I suppose it’s a
physician that’s young! Of course the older
I get, the younger I stay, so that is not an adequate
definition. The American Medical Association (AMA)
has defined a young physician as anyone 40 or under
or within the first five years of practice. The AMA
Young Physicians Section (AMA-YPS) was formed in 1986
specifically to increase leadership opportunities
for young doctors and to train them for future leadership
within organized medicine. Nearly 38 percent of the
ASA membership is below age 45, and nearly 2,000 members
changed from resident status to active status in the
past four years.
State and specialty societies send representatives
to the AMA-YPS, and ASA formed its own YPS in 1990.
A delegate and alternate delegate from the ASA attend
biannual meetings in conjunction with the AMA House
of Delegates annual and interim meetings, and the
delegate to the AMA-YPS serves as alternate delegate
to the full House on behalf of ASA. I am currently
the chair of the ASA-YPS and alternate delegate to
the AMA-YPS, while Ronald L. Harter, M.D., is the
current delegate. Unfortunately, Dr. Harter will “age
out” and join the Middle-Aged Physicians’
Section (doesn’t exist, but sounds better than
the Old Physicians’ Section) in January 2004
after many years of youth and service. I will be moving
up to the delegate position, and Tripti C. Kataria,
M.D., will become the alternate.
The ASA representatives to the AMA-YPS are not alone
in representing our specialty to AMA. Multiple anesthesiologists
representing state societies are active within YPS,
and Michael B. Simon, M.D., an anesthesiologist representing
New York, was named alternate delegate to the AMA
House in June 2003. Others include Michael T. Flanagan,
M.D., from Alabama, Dung D. Nguyen, M.D., from Indiana,
and Gary J. Brenner, M.D., from Massachusetts.
In addition to leadership opportunities, the YPS exists
to address issues that are of interest to newly practicing
physicians. Much of AMA seems to be divided at times
due to a wide disparity in practice location, type
and size — how much can a young family practitioner
and an old thoracic surgeon have in common, after
all? Young physicians have age and “newness”
in common, however, and YPS meetings are both informative
and productive.
In addition to issues that affect all physicians (such
as tort reform), YPS members face issues such as debt
management, relocation and the challenges of setting
up a practice and starting a family. Our representation
is therefore strong within AMA, and an elected YPS
member sits on the AMA Board of Trustees. The prospect
of “shrinking” the AMA House by restructuring
has been entertained over the past few years, and
YPS has vigorously defended our right to be present
and be heard. Finally, we support the medical student
and resident sections of AMA, frequently co-sponsoring
resolutions that affect us equally. We are the natural
next step for those interested in continuing political
involvement following training.
If you are “young” as defined above and
would like more information, please send me an e-mail
at <roysoto@yahoo.com>.
Similarly, if you have issues you would like addressed
through YPS, either to ASA or AMA leadership, let
me know. I submit nominations for committee membership
following the Annual Meeting and would love to hear
from anyone interested in staying involved after residency
or becoming involved now that you have graduated and
become rich and secure! I look forward to seeing you
at the ASA Annual Meeting in October and adding you
to our “young” family.
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Roy G. Soto, M.D., is Assistant Professor of
Anesthesiology at the University of South Florida
in Tampa, and is alternate delegate to the AMA
Young Physicians Section. |
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