2005 a Busy and Productive Year for ASA Resident Component

he ASA Resident Component (ASA-RC) met on October 22-23 in Atlanta for 48 action-packed hours full of resolutions, elections, a Katrina fundraiser and numerous educational forums. Resident research was showcased at the second annual Saturday afternoon forum, and Sunday featured a well-attended regional anesthesia workshop as well as an afternoon communications seminar.

Five resolutions were debated, including one from the Massachusetts delegation calling for an initiative to improve anesthesiology resident communication skills. Noting that the ACGME calls for the development of interpersonal communication skills with patients, families and fellow health care workers, the resolution calls for ASA to “establish a working group to address inadequacies in anesthesiology training regarding effective professional communication and investigate methods of improving resident and fellow training in this critical skill.” The ASA Resident Component passed the resolution by voice vote without any debate, and it will be taken up by the ASA House of Delegates in 2006.

A second resolution weighed in on the electronic in-training examination (ITE) currently being developed by the American Board of Anesthesiology/ASA Joint Council on In-Training Examinations. Also passed by the Resident Component by voice vote, the resolution calls for such a computerized ITE to be offered on multiple dates, with rapid reporting results. Testimony against the resolution pointed out that currently the annual rite of the ITE provides resident bonding as well as one uniform date for programs to provide resident coverage; ultimately, the Resident Component voted in favor of the resolution.

The remainder of the resolutions focused on developing a formal medical student delegation to the ASA-RC. All new medical student ASA members will now receive information on the ASA Medical Student Delegation (ASA-MSD). Additionally the ASA-RC supported the creation of an informational document aimed at educating medical students about anesthesiology and also approved a report creating a governance structure for the ASA-MSD.

Separately the ASA House of Delegates reviewed and passed an ASA-RC proposal implementing “Resident Regional Meeting Grants.” Residents will be able to submit proposals for two $1,000 grants enabling them to host regional workshops. Envisioned to focus initially on issues of practice management — i.e., professional issues that residents should examine prior to taking their first attending/private practice job — the meetings are intended to facilitate resident professional development as well as build inter-residency relationships.

Successful grant applicants will outline meeting logistics/proposed speakers and also provide a letter from their state component society pledging support and matching funds. Weight will be given to programs that include resident leadership and attendance from multiple institutions. The grant application process will be online with a deadline of January 1, 2006. ASA Resident Component Governing Council President Benjamin D. Unger, M.D. (University of Pennsylvania) can be reached for more information on the grants at <gthunger@hotmail.com>.

Eleven candidates vied for four offices at this year’s ASA-RC meeting. The 2005-06 ASA-RC President-Elect will be Paloma Toledo, M.D., CA-2 at Northwestern University. Assisting her in the American Medical Association Alternate Delegate slot will be election victor Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D., CA-1 at Massachusetts General Hospital. The 1995-96 ASA-RC Secretary is Joshua H. Atkins, M.D., CA-2 at the University of Pennsylvania. Finally the “Residents’ Review” Co-Editor is Michael H. Axley, M.D., CA-1 from Oregon Health Sciences University.

The majority of residents at the ASA Annual Meeting attended a Katrina Relief fundraiser the evening of October 22. Sponsored by Baxter Healthcare, more than 150 residents heard firsthand accounts from three anesthesiology residents from Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans about how Katrina has affected their personal and professional lives. Residents raised $3,093, which will be forwarded to the Anesthesia Foundation-ASA Katrina Disaster Relief Fund.

The ASA Resident Component continues to showcase anesthesiology residents at their best. Whether it be resolutions aimed at shaping our education and professional development, a research forum for debating new discoveries in anesthesiology or reaching out to medical students interested in anesthesiology, the ASA-RC is truly a dynamic component of the future of anesthesiology.

Warren K. Eng, M.D., is a CA-2 resident, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.