2020 has felt like the longest year of my life… but as emergency medicine physicians—and the entire world—have grappled with an array of new challenges, there have also been opportunities for creativity, innovation and wellness amidst the obvious struggles.

Here at FCEP, one major challenge was continuing our various annual educational conferences, including CLINCON, Symposium by the Sea and Life After Residency. I’m happy to say that not only were we able to continue these highly-lauded programs, but in fact, they went better than anyone could have imagined! The virtual environment was not without impediment, but our dedicated staff and program planning committee members worked tirelessly to provide you with the same great education and fellowship you have come to expect! Even better, the virtual platform allows us to offer these awesome CME credits for up to one year (so register now even if you missed out on the live event for SBS, only $105 for more than 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits)! Although we now feel better prepared to take on the next virtual challenge, we are all anxiously awaiting the time we can safely be together again.

On the membership side of things, our chapter continues to see growth thanks in large part to our emergency medicine residency training programs! Thanks to this increase in membership, Florida will be well-represented by 22 councillors during this year’s Council Meeting at the Scientific Assembly, ACEP20 Unconventional. Additionally, we are looking forward to beginning our annual residency outreach program (now in a virtual forum). If you are a part of a Florida EM residency program and are interested in scheduling a “visit” and virtual presentation, we are looking forward to the opportunity to connect with each of you!

On the professional development end, we have several exciting ideas and concepts in various stages of planning. We recognize that the first few years upon graduation from residency are vital to your development as a physician and to your career longevity. We continue to promote the fantastic resources of the Young Physician Section of ACEP (included in your first year attending dues). For Florida specifically, we are thrilled to announce the creation of the Early Career Physicians section, which will be led by Dr. Dakota Lane, and will develop a forum for career development, mentorship, fellowship and non-clinical advising. If you are a soon-to-be graduating resident or newly-minted attending and interested in learning more, please reach out!

Lastly but most importantly, don’t forget to find time for YOUR wellness. Your mental and physical wellbeing are the most important factors in allowing you to provide the high-quality, patient-centered care that only emergency physicians can provide. We are discussing and implementing several ideas and programs to support you in this arduous task, but we need your help. How can FCEP assist you? Please reach out and let us know what’s important to YOU! How can we expect to care for others if we can’t take care ourselves? We want to help you in any way we can.

Finally, I hope to see you all (virtually) at our next Board and Committee meetings, which are open to all FCEP members. Until then, keep up the phenomenal work as you continue to care for our most vulnerable population and provide the highest quality emergency care! ■