One of the Pediatric Committee’s main goals for this upcoming year is to serve as a greater educational presence throughout the state, educating first responders, nurses, residents and physicians in all matters regarding pediatric emergency medicine. In early November, an APLS course was successfully conducted with our own Dr. Shiva Kalidindi as the course director and many members of the pediatric committee as the instructors. We extend a big thank you to Nemours Children’s Hospital for being the host. It was well attended! With the success of this event, we hope to conduct future courses throughout the state in order to conveniently ensure that all are getting the appropriate, up-to-date pediatric emergency education that is needed. Stay tuned for APLS course dates and locations in the next update.

Dr. Phyllis Hendry is continuing her efforts with Florida PEDReady. If you have not already done so, please sign up here for the PE2ARL weekly newsletter, which provides invaluable up-to-date information on pediatric emergency care for EMS agencies and hospitalists alike, along with a calendar of pediatric events throughout the state. For more information on the PedReady program, visit emlrc.org/flpedready or contact Dr. Hendry at pedready@jax.ufl.edu or 904-244-8617.

A congratulations is in order for our own FCEP and Pediatric Committee member, Dr. Tricia Swan, for becoming the new chairperson of the ACEP National Pediatric Committee. She has worked tirelessly in the committee and has been a vital member with putting together the educational endeavors over the last several years. Her expertise with simulation, education and academics will be put to excellent use in this position. It is well deserved.

EMLRC’s ABCs of Pediatric EMS workshop will take place this spring in Tampa, FL. Committee and FCEP Board member Dr. Russell Radtke will once again be the course director. We’d like to thank St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital and the new CEO, Ms. Sarah Naumowich, for hosting the event for a second time. The last event was well attended by first responders throughout the state. This year‘s event includes up-to-date didactic lectures and excellent high-fidelity simulations. We appreciate all who put their time and effort into making this event a success.

Please reference future committee updates for upcoming pediatric educational sessions and courses in Florida. We will continue to work towards FCEP’s committee goals of making pediatric emergency education a priority and more accessible for all providers throughout the state. ■