Gregory K. Unruh, M.D.

he membership numbers as of April 30 are in, and we see an all-time high of 42,330 members. The table below shows how we are distributed by type of membership. Of interest, our active membership is 23 percent female and 77 percent male, whereas the current resident membership is 31 percent female and 69 percent male. Also note our age distribution showing that 54 percent of active members are between the ages of 35 and 54, with the largest demographic group (31 percent) between the ages of 45 and 54. These numbers represent the vitality of our members. For more details, see “ASA at a Glance” on page 22.

The Committee on Membership continually explores why anesthesiologists join and remain members of ASA. We know that many members want and need the science through the journal Anesthesiology, the Annual Meeting and various publications. This part of ASA may become even more important as the American Board of Anesthesiology’s Maintenance of Certification process really gets rolling. Some members join for the power of numbers to deal with governmental entities and third-party payers and to support the lobbying efforts done in our behalf. Some join for the social side of being with others who share similar trials and tribulations, and others want to maximize the safety of their practice through ASA standards and guidelines. Some want to enhance the business side through help with practice management. Why are you a member of ASA?

On the flip side, we know there are many anesthesiologists who are not members of their state component or ASA, and we probably know less about these folks than we do about our members. Why don’t they join? We know there are financial reasons, social reasons and sometimes a perceived lack of value to membership. We not infrequently hear from non-ASA member anesthesiologists that they do not wish to be members of their component society (a requirement for ASA membership). Sometimes they state that component society membership is not beneficial or financially too costly or they “don’t want the hassle.” Some folks are in locum tenums practice and do not feel that they really “belong” in any particular component society, an issue the Committee on Membership is studying. We’re working to listen to the nonmembers’ messages.

After finishing a procedure with a resident, one of my colleagues often says, “Good, good, good. Now make it better.” I don’t know whether this is original to him or if he borrowed from another wise sage. Regardless, the resident immediately understands that he or she did strong work performing the procedure but that there is always room for improvement. These are excellent words to think about. ASA is a great organization, but can we be better? Are we doing things the right way? Are we effective? Are we efficient? Are we responsive to our members? Do we provide the services our members need? Are we timely? Can we do more things for our members? Can we add even more value to membership?

As I move about ASA, it seems that I run into people everywhere who are trying to make the organization better. ASA committee listserves run over with members proposing ideas, vetting suggestions, reaching a consensus or agreeing to disagree. It’s terrific to monitor and participate in the activity. I watched from afar as Jeffrey L. Apfelbaum, M.D., our President-Elect, finished the committee appointment process for 2008. To me it seems like an almost insurmountable task to fill the rosters with well over 1,000 ASA members, trying to match each member’s special skills with each committee’s needs. He’s trying to make the organization better with people who want to make ASA better.

Our president, Mark J. Lema, M.D., Ph.D., works tirelessly to promote the specialty and the organization. Among all of his other activities, he is leading the Organizational Improvement Initiative, which is attempting to bring best practices to ASA and make us better through changes at the Park Ridge, Illinois, headquarters office and the Washington, D.C., office. Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D., 2005 president of ASA, finished decades of service to ASA, concluding with his term as immediate past president a year ago. Nonetheless, when called upon, he stepped in to work with the Park Ridge office during the Organizational Improvement Initiative.

ASA headquarters in Park Ridge and the Washington, D.C., office are both chock full of dedicated and hardworking people serving ASA. All of these forward-looking people are but a few examples of superb, committed people trying to make the organization better. Have I in a small way made my case that ASA is a great organization full of terrific people? I hope so. Can ASA be even better? You bet.

How can you make ASA better? How can you contribute? How can you help ASA to serve you better? I’m not talking about complaining. I’m talking about productive work for change. Several weeks ago, before our annual Kansas Society of Anesthesiologists (KSA) meeting, I ran into a local anesthesiologist at a social activity who verbally blistered me on one of ASA’s positions. I listened patiently, tried to explain how that position came to be developed from within the organization and asked for his ideas on an alternative strategy. He demanded to have the position changed, told me I was ineffective and left mad. Later I found that he was not a member of KSA or ASA and had never, to anyone’s knowledge, attended a KSA meeting. I did note his complaint and followed up with some ASA information for him to study. I also suggested he come to our KSA meeting and bring his ideas. (Did he need one of those purple bracelets that help us to remember not to complain? I had to take mine off — it was kind of tight!) Jump in with ideas and suggestions.

How can you work productively for ASA improvement? ASA members have myriad ways of input. Go to your component society meeting. ASA exists to serve anesthesiologists through the component societies. Every single component society of ASA would love to have you attend its meetings. Component society officers are linked directly to ASA by your delegates to the House of Delegates and the ASA Board of Directors. Every meeting of the House and Board is filled with delegates and directors working to improve our processes, our standards, our positions in Washington, D.C., and our financial capabilities. Contact information for all of these people is available on the ASA Web site www.ASAhq.org. We all need your help.

Your officers are available to you. We listen, e-mail, visit by telephone and exchange ideas in an attempt to serve your needs and the needs of the specialty. Dr. Lema, in his inaugural speech to the House of Delegates, asked each of us to contribute 3 percent. He had super suggestions on how each of us could give back and be agents for change and improvement. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read his speech in the January 2007 ASA NEWSLETTER.

I hope at this time next year, I will be able to report that ASA has more members than ever! I hope that I will be able to report to you that ASA, with your help, is better than ever! “Good, good, good! Now make it better.” I hope you’ll join in!

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