Is it really only July? Why has 2020 felt like the longest year of my life… and we’re only halfway through?

From an unprecedented viral pandemic that has changed the way we interact with our world, to the political spotlight on how we deliver medical care, to the emerging focus on the role of private equity in medicine — this has been a year full of surprises, challenges, changes and hardships. And more than any other profession, we have had to find a way to perform our craft and provide our skills with fewer and fewer resources for a larger and larger population in need.

In emergency medicine, we have always been on the front lines of the healthcare system. Now, more than ever, we serve as the leaders and innovators who continue to provide the highest quality care for our patients in the face of a global catastrophe.

While you heroes continue to battle on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, we at FCEP want to continue to provide you with the tools to ensure victory in this war. Last month, our team at EMLRC organized a successful PPE Drive for our front line workers, and we continue to be a voice to lobby for ensuring access to care for our patients and the financial resources to provide that care for our physicians.

We’ve also been tasked with finding creative ways to bring you the premier quality educational resources and sociability you’ve come to expect from us. With Florida quickly becoming the new epicenter for COVID-19, pursuing Symposium by the Sea in its current form would be irresponsible and potentially deadly. Our team is working tirelessly to ensure that we can still benefit from superior educational activities and opportunities for networking and socializing while respecting the need for continued distancing and directing our resources to the front lines. Although we don’t have a final plan yet, we are eager to share a renovated and modernized Symposium by the (Virtual) Sea for 2020.

As always, remember to find time for your personal wellness. While ‘burnout’ is a common theme year in and year out, the added pressures of this disaster make it so much more important to remember to focus on our resiliency and mental hygiene. We owe it to our patients, our families, and ultimately, ourselves, to be the best we can be. So find time to do the things you love, spend time with your family, update your routine, renew your body and spirit, and appropriate the resources you need to be the best physician you can be. And as always, let us know how we may help!

Keep fighting the good fight! ■